USA

Tyson Poultry receives $2 million fine for violating Clean Water Act

Hygiene & Biosecurity

US based Tyson Poultry has received a $2 million fine by the federal court in Springfield, Missouri. The company will serve two years of probation and will also pay $500,000 to directly remedy the harm caused when it violated the Clean Water Act, according to the US Justice Department.

Posted on Mar 01 ,16:37

Tyson Poultry, the largest chicken producer from the US, received the fine after reporting an incident at its slaughter and processing facility in Monett, Missouri, took place. A liquid food supplement called Alimet (a very strong acid with a pH of less than one) from the Tyson facility stored in a tank had leaked, being discharged thus into the sewers from where it flowed into the City of Monett municipal waste water treatment plant.

The Justice Department said in a statement that the leakage of Alimet killed bacteria used to reduce ammonia in discharges from the treatment plant. As a result, more ammonia was released from the plant into Clear Creek, and approximately 108,000 fish were killed.

Tyson Poultry also agreed to retain an independent, third-party auditor to examine environmental compliance at Tyson Poultry facilities across the country; conduct specialised environmental training at all of its poultry processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills, rendering plants, and waste water treatment plants; and implement improved policies and procedures to address the circumstances that gave rise to these violations.

“Good corporate practices are vital to protecting public health and our nation’s natural resources,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. “When corporate misconduct disregards human safety or the environment in violation of federal laws, the Department of Justice and EPA stand ready to pursue all necessary legal relief, including criminal penalties, to ensure that these acts do not go unpunished. We hope that the outcome of this case will be a lesson for all companies that deal with dangerous wastes.”

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