Eduardo Cervantes Lopez
Poultry Processing Worldwide
Worker welfare
and the bottom line
Addressing the needs
of harvesters and
transporters can
The well-being of
the workforce will
translate into birds
being handled
with greater care.
ensure fewer rejected
birds at processing.
Concerns over animal welfare are
becoming increasingly common
throughout the world, and
championing welfare has even
become a marketing tool for some
of the world’s multinational fast
food operations. But what about the
welfare of those people that work at
the front line of poultry production?
Why is there not always su;cient
consideration of their welfare?
A failure to address the welfare
of employees can have a serious
economic impact on the profitability
of a business, and companies should
fully examine the benefits that can
accrue from properly looking after
the teams of workers engaged in the
harvesting and transport of birds,
and that can be achieved without
significantly raising direct costs.
Harsh conditions
At some poultry farms it is
common that sta; arrive by foot,
having walked a long distance,
possibly in the pouring rain.
During working hours, it may be
only the farmer and supervisor who
have access to drinking water, while
workers have to disconnect drinking
tubes and consume medicated
water if they are thirsty. When it is
time to take a break, the harvesting
and transport teams may only have
access to cold food brought from
home, and the only provision of
seating may take the form of piles of
bricks or fallen tree trunks.
Chickens are delicate birds yet
they become the object of the
frustration of those who handle
them: workers who feel badly treated
and discriminated against. These are
people who carry a great emotional
burden from subjecting themselves to
harsh working conditions and whose
working days can last for more than 12
hours when errors and delays occur.
Simple solutions
Fortunately, these working
conditions are becoming less common
as companies create better working
conditions and address the social
aspects of employing workers, paying
attention not only to the chickens but
also to those who handle them.
Various simple actions can go
a long way in improving the lot of
harvesting and transport teams. For
example, when workers are collected
from their homes to be taken to the
farm, a modern vehicle should be
used, for example a van, that is no
more than three years old and that
has air conditioning.
Fully stocked first aid kits should
never be overlooked, but there are a
number of more “human” approaches
