12/11/08: UPC Letter Re: LaGranja Live Poultry and Nick's Poultry to ASPCA
Photos taken of LaGranja Live Poultry and Nick's Poultry
These photos were taken by New York residents Sarah Anikin and attorney Caroline Lee on December 4, 2008 at two New York City live poultry markets:
LaGranja Live Poultry Market
3845 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10034
(212) 567-3514
Nick's Poultry Inc.
246 W. Fordham Road, No. 50
Bronx, NY 10468
(718) 295-3565
The cages with bars are Nick's Poultry. The other cages belong to LaGranja.
UPC Letter Re: LaGranja Live Poultry and Nick's Poultry
to NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
December 10, 2008
Karen Davis, PhD, President
United Poultry Concerns
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405
(757) 678-7875
Dr. John Huntley, Director (Via Certified Mail)
Division of Animal Husbandry
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
10B Airline Drive
Albany, NY 12235
Re: LaGranja Live Poultry and Nick’s Poultry
Dear Dr. Huntley:
On behalf of United Poultry Concerns I am writing to request an immediate inspection of the following live poultry markets in New York City. Please provide a written inspection report on these two establishments as soon as possible. Thank you for your assistance.
LaGranja Live Poultry
3845 10th Avenue
New York NY 10034
(212) 567-3514
Nick’s Poultry
246 W Fordham Road. No. 50
Bronx, NY 10468
(718) 295-3565
On Friday, December 5, 2008, New York residents Sarah Anikin and attorney Caroline Lee notified our office of the inhumane and unsanitary conditions they observed and photographed during a visit to LaGranja and Nick’s Poultry that day.
At Nick’s Poultry, Ms. Anikin observed a backroom filled with sick birds. At LaGranja, she described and photographed a rooster with what appeared to be a broken neck. At LaGranja, Ms. Lee observed “the sick birds in cages right in the front of the store.”
At both markets they saw and photographed birds without food or water dishes. At Nick’s Poultry they saw birds with “No feed dishes, but water dishes with algae and feces.” This is a violation of Section 356 of the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS statute.
At both markets they described the stench as “so unbearable that you had to cover your nose and mouth.” Workers were observed wearing face masks to protect themselves from the noxious air. This is a violation of Section 356 of the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
statute which requires that a person with confined animals must supply the animals with “good and wholesome air.”
At La Granja, Ms. Lee observed a worker grab a chicken by the legs and hit the bird hard on the head while weighing the bird. She posted an email on December 8, 2008 summarizing her observations at LaGranja Live Poultry on December 5: “Every pen and every chicken I saw had feather rot, open and bleeding sores, and pus caked on their bodies, infected eyes, discharge from the nares, no food or clean water.”
United Poultry Concerns requests the Department of Agriculture and Markets to conduct an immediate investigation of these complaints against LaGranja on 10th Avenue in Manhattan and Nick’s Poultry in the Bronx in accordance with Section 356 of Article 26 relating to CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
Section 356 states that “A person who having impounded or confined any animal, refuses or neglects to supply to such animal during its confinement a sufficient supply of good and wholesome air, food, shelter and water, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both.”
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to receiving your report including what actions the Department is taking to rectify these conditions and impose penalties for violations of the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS statute at LaGranja on 10th Avenue in Manhattan and Nick’s Poultry in the Bronx.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD, President
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
12325 Seaside Road, PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
(757) 678-7875
Karen@upc-online.org
United Poultry Concerns is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl. www.upc-online.org.
UPC Letter Re: LaGranja Live Poultry and Nick's Poultry to ASPCA
December 11, 2008
Edwin Sayres, President
ASPCA
424 East 92nd Street
New York NY 10128
Re: LaGranja Live Poultry and Nick’s Poultry
Dear Mr. Sayres:
On behalf of United Poultry Concerns I am writing to request an immediate inspection of the following live poultry markets in New York City. Please provide a written inspection report on these two establishments as soon as possible. Thank you for your assistance.
LaGranja Live Poultry
3845 10th Avenue
New York NY 10034
(212) 567-3514
Nick’s Poultry
246 W Fordham Road. No. 50
Bronx, NY 10468
(718) 295-3565
On Friday, December 5, 2008, New York residents Sarah Anikin and attorney Caroline Lee notified our office of the inhumane and unsanitary conditions they observed and photographed during a visit to LaGranja and Nick’s Poultry that day. Ms. Lee contacted the ASPCA on December 7th about LaGranja. Ms. Anikin contacted ASPCA Law Enforcement on December 3rd and December 5th regarding her observations at LaGranja on 10th Avenue during several visits to that market this month. (Please see page 2 regarding live plucking of chickens at LaGranja.)
At Nick’s Poultry, Ms. Anikin observed an area in the back of the store filled with sick birds. At LaGranja, she photographed a rooster with what appeared to be a broken neck. At LaGranja, Ms. Lee observed “the sick birds in cages right in the front of the store.”
At both markets they saw and photographed birds without food or water dishes. At Nick’s Poultry they saw birds with “No feed dishes, but water dishes with algae and feces.” This is a violation of Section 356 of the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS statute.
At both markets they described the stench as “so unbearable that you had to cover your nose and mouth.” Workers were observed wearing face masks to protect themselves from the noxious air. This is a violation of Section 356 of the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS statute which requires that a person with confined animals must supply the animals with “good and wholesome air.”
At La Granja, Ms. Lee observed a worker grab a chicken by the legs and hit the bird hard on the head while weighing the bird. She posted an email on December 8, 2008 summarizing her observations at LaGranja Live Poultry on December 5: “Every pen and every chicken I saw had feather rot, open and bleeding sores, and pus caked on their bodies, infected eyes, discharge from the nares, no food or clean water.”
As noted in paragraph one of this letter, Sarah Anikin left messages with the ASPCA on December 3 and December 5, 2008. In addition to the above observations, she told ASPCA Law Enforcement that she saw what appeared to be live-plucked chickens at LaGranja on 10th Avenue in Manhattan. According to Ms. Anikin, the ASPCA inspector said, in her words: “the chickens without feathers on some parts of their bodies are [live-] plucked to show customers how much meat the birds have on them. He saw a few chickens there with various areas of plucking on their bodies” He also said that “this place is a lot cleaner than other live poultry markets he’s seen in the city.”
If this is so, what is the ASPCA doing to enforce Section 356 of Article 26 relating to CRUELTY TO ANIMALS? The ASPCA has law enforcement powers in New York City.
United Poultry Concerns requests the ASPCA to conduct an immediate investigation of the complaints against LaGranja on 10th Avenue in Manhattan and Nick’s Poultry in the Bronx in accordance with Section 356 of Article 26 relating to CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. In addition, we request an investigation of the allegation of live-plucking of chickens at LaGranja, including the ASPCA inspector’s statement to Ms. Anikin that plucking chickens’ feathers while they are alive is a live-bird market practice – with an implication in his attitude that it’s no big deal, either. Is live-plucking true? If it is not true, why would an ASPCA investigator say that it was?
Section 356 states that “A person who having impounded or confined any animal, refuses or neglects to supply to such animal during its confinement a sufficient supply of good and wholesome air, food, shelter and water, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both.”
We look forward to a written report on what actions the ASPCA is taking to rectify these conditions and whether charges will be filed for violations of the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS statute at LaGranja on 10th Avenue and Nick’s Poultry in the Bronx. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD, President
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
12325 Seaside Road, PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
(757) 678-7875
Karen@upc-online.org
www.upc-online.org/livemarkets
United Poultry Concerns is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl. www.upc-online.org.
