Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods probed over child labor claims

Two of America’s biggest poultry producers are under federal investigation into whether they employ migrant children to clean their slaughterhouses.

The Labor Department began its probe into Perdue Farms’ and Tyson Foods’ child labor practices after a New York Times Magazine article this month found that children as young as 14 were cleaning blood and grease from dangerous slaughter equipment.

Tyson has denied any knowledge of an ongoing investigation into their labor practices, and Perdue said it was “appalled” by the allegations.

“We take the legal employment and safety of each individual working in our facilities very seriously and have strict, long-standing policies in place for Perdue associates to prevent minors from working hazardous jobs in violation of the law,” the company said in a statement.

The Labor Department also has investigated firms that supply cleaning services to the poultry companies: QSI and Fayette Industrial. Both companies service Perdue and Tyson plants in Virginia, and both have said they will comply with the investigations.

The probes come after the Labor Department found that Packers Sanitation Services had over 100 children ages 13-17 working overnight shifts across eight states.

The three companies were fined $1.5 million.

The Labor Department is cracking down on child labor violations. Recently, the agency issued fines to several popular restaurants, including McDonald’s, for letting children operate dangerous machinery and work longer than legally allowed.