It seems
that notorious egg baron Austin “Jack DeCoster and his son Peter will finally
serve prison time this winter for their role in sickening as many as 56,000
consumers with salmonella-tainted
factory-farmed eggs back in 2010. Earlier this week, a federal appeals court
rejected the DeCosters’ last-ditch effort to avoid prison.
that notorious egg baron Austin “Jack DeCoster and his son Peter will finally
serve prison time this winter for their role in sickening as many as 56,000
consumers with salmonella-tainted
factory-farmed eggs back in 2010. Earlier this week, a federal appeals court
rejected the DeCosters’ last-ditch effort to avoid prison.
According to the Associated Press, the DeCosters’ business Quality
Egg of New England “knowingly shipped eggs with false processing and expiration
dates to fool state regulators and retail customers about their age and bribed
a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector at least twice to approve sales of
poor-quality eggs.
Egg of New England “knowingly shipped eggs with false processing and expiration
dates to fool state regulators and retail customers about their age and bribed
a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector at least twice to approve sales of
poor-quality eggs.
After a criminal investigation and lengthy trial, Quality Egg
pled guilty in 2014 to felony charges
and was fined $6.8 million. Jack and Peter DeCoster also pled guilty to
misdemeanors, and were each fined $100,000 and sentenced to three months in federal
prison. They have
avoided serving their time through a series of legal appeals, but that appears
to have ended Tuesday when the appeals court decided once and for all that the
DeCosters must go to prison.
pled guilty in 2014 to felony charges
and was fined $6.8 million. Jack and Peter DeCoster also pled guilty to
misdemeanors, and were each fined $100,000 and sentenced to three months in federal
prison. They have
avoided serving their time through a series of legal appeals, but that appears
to have ended Tuesday when the appeals court decided once and for all that the
DeCosters must go to prison.
Mercy For
Animals went undercover at one of the DeCosters’ facilities in 2009. We found workers whipping birds
around by their heads in cruel attempts to break their necks and hens
suffocating in trash cans and kicked into manure pits to drown or starve. As
a result of our investigation, the company was convicted of 10 counts of animal
cruelty and ordered to pay more than $130,000 in fines and restitution.
Animals went undercover at one of the DeCosters’ facilities in 2009. We found workers whipping birds
around by their heads in cruel attempts to break their necks and hens
suffocating in trash cans and kicked into manure pits to drown or starve. As
a result of our investigation, the company was convicted of 10 counts of animal
cruelty and ordered to pay more than $130,000 in fines and restitution.
Watch the footage of that investigation here:
Until
recently, Jack DeCoster was behind one of the country’s largest egg empires,
even as he became infamous as a “habitual violator of labor, environmental, and animal welfare laws. Today,
DeCoster still has financial ties to a handful of factory egg farms—one in Ohio was recently busted for using forced child labor—but his empire is a shadow of its
former self. The fact that he has lasted this long speaks volumes about an
industry that puts profit over people, animals, and the environment.
recently, Jack DeCoster was behind one of the country’s largest egg empires,
even as he became infamous as a “habitual violator of labor, environmental, and animal welfare laws. Today,
DeCoster still has financial ties to a handful of factory egg farms—one in Ohio was recently busted for using forced child labor—but his empire is a shadow of its
former self. The fact that he has lasted this long speaks volumes about an
industry that puts profit over people, animals, and the environment.
To avoid
supporting people like Jack DeCoster and their cruel and illegal practices, please
consider moving toward a healthy and humane plant-based diet. Click here to find out how.
supporting people like Jack DeCoster and their cruel and illegal practices, please
consider moving toward a healthy and humane plant-based diet. Click here to find out how.
