Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
In an atmosphere of intimidation and fear of retaliation, it takes a lot to speak out against powerful chicken corporations. But Perdue contract farmer Rudy Howell is taking a chance and bravely speaking about the lies that Perdue told him and about the harsh reality that chicken farmers face just trying to make ends meet. […]
Over the weekend, the Food Integrity Campaign team attended Washington D.C.’s Green Festival – the longest-running sustainability and green living event. It was great to see so many people who care about transparency in the food system! We spoke with hundreds of individuals about issues across the food spectrum – from Ag Gag laws to […]
FIC client and whistleblower Craig Watts is featured in this segment on the plight of contract poultry farmers.
Ag Gag laws that aim to criminalize truth-tellers at factory farms have been introduced in various states, but opposition is strong. The Food Integrity Campaign is happy to share some good news: measures in Arkansas and Kentucky have both failed, and New Mexico’s legislature allowed its Ag Gag bill to languish, leaving it “almost certainly […]
It’s Sunshine Week – the time of year when our fellow watchdog groups come together to champion the cause of transparency. The Food Integrity Campaign advocates for a transparent food system year-round, but this week is a good reminder to the powers that be of the work still left to do. Particularly in the food system, […]
FIC client Craig Watts shares his story as a Perdue contract farmer and whistleblower in this segment of PBS Food’s “Original Fare.”
Fusion Network recently aired an illuminating one-hour investigative segment on our client, Craig Watts, and his experience blowing the whistle on top poultry producer Perdue. What started out as a story about Perdue’s deceptive labeling and animal welfare concerns became much more. Craig’s story unveils the struggles that many contract farmers like him face and […]
Craig Watts is about as farmer as they come. He chews tobacco, he’s gruff, he wears overalls, and he loves Willie Nelson. He’s not what you think of when you think of whistleblowers like Deep Throat or Edward Snowden. But six months ago he embarked on a journey to expose what he calls hidden injustices […]
By LINDSAY ABRAMS The chicken farmer who took the brave and unusual step of speaking out against poultry giant Perdue Farms is filing for federal whistleblower protection for the retaliation he says he experienced for coming forward. Craig Watts, of North Carolina, had been raising chickens for Perdue, the country’s third-largest poultry producer, since 1992. […]
By MARYN MCKENNA Back in December I wrote about a chicken farmer who took the extraordinary step of inviting animal-welfare activists into his barns to document the conditions under which his contract compels him to raise his birds. The farmer, Craig Watts of North Carolina, has raised chicken for Perdue Farms for two decades and […]