Costco Supplier Buries Baby Chicks Alive
Exposing the horrific abuse behind Costco chicken. Again.
OPPOSE COSTCO ABUSE.
BABY CHICKS BURIED ALIVE AT COSTCO SUPPLIER
A new undercover investigation into an “organic” farm raising chickens for Costco documented some of the worst animal abuse we have ever witnessed.
Baby chicks buried alive while still chirping beneath the compost. Birds beaten with sticks and rakes. Birds on feces-soaked litter. Costco could have prevented this cruelty. They didn’t.
TELL COSTCO: ENOUGH
In 2021, we exposed Costco’s cruelty. They did nothing of impact. Costco continues to profit while animals pay with their suffering.
Proven welfare standards exist to ban the worst chicken cruelty. It’s time Costco adopted them across their operations. Demand that Costco end this cycle of abuse, forever.
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Together, we can push Costco to implement transparent standards that address the suffering documented in this investigation.
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COSTCO LIES AGAIN AND AGAIN
THE LIE: “Costco is committed to the welfare and proper handling of animals that are used in the production of products that we sell.”
THE TRUTH: Baby chicks were bashed with a rake. Those who survived were buried alive. Others, still chirping after being crushed, were told to shut up.
THE LIE: “This is not only the right thing to do, but it also is an important moral and ethical obligation we owe to our members, suppliers, and most of all to the animals we depend on for these products.”
THE TRUTH: Birds bred to grow unnaturally fast collapsed under the weight of their bodies. Some lay on their backs, unable to turn over, organs crushed beneath them. Others suffered crippling leg deformities.
THE LIE: “Costco assesses animal welfare using widely recognized factors of nutrition, environment, health, behavior, and mental state–both on the farm and at processing.”
THE TRUTH: Birds lived on floors drenched in mud and feces. Hundreds developed bacterial foot infections. Dangerously high ammonia levels were recorded in the barns. Many birds suffered visible eye irritation.
THE LIE: “Costco sells large quantities of organic items derived from animal products […] required to be certified organic in accordance with the law…”
THE TRUTH: This “organic” farm blatantly ignored organic requirements. Birds never once accessed the outdoors. Birds were sleep-deprived by excessive light. Birds were bludgeoned to death.
THE LIE: “Taking care of people, animals, and the environment helps us maintain […] product safety and quality, and healthy supply chains for the long term.”
THE TRUTH: Every barn was infested with darkling beetles—known carriers of Salmonella and avian influenza. Chickens who eat these insects could contract diseases that potentially pose public health risks.*
SEE MORE COSTCO CRUELTY
FOOTAGE FROM 2021 INVESTIGATION
CRUELTY CRITICS
HOLD COSTCO ACCOUNTABLE
We cannot protect animals if the companies that profit from their suffering face no accountability of their own.
Costco allowed animal abuse to go unchecked. It’s time for Costco to adopt meaningful standards across their entire chicken supply chain, once and for all.
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