MISSOURI

The nation’s largest chicken producer admitted to discharging acidic feed supplement at its slaughter and processing facility in Monett, Missouri, according to officials.

Tyson Poultry Inc. pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to two criminal charges of violating the Clean Water Act.

Tyson, headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, is a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., which owns and operates multiple companies in the food supply and food service industry, officials said.

The charges stem from Tyson spilling the company mixed ingredients in its chicken feed at its feed mill in Aurora, Missouri.

One ingredient in Tyson’s feed was a liquid food supplement called “Alimet,” which has a pH of less than one.

Some of the Alimet made it into the City of Monett’s municipal waste water treatment plant, where it killed bacteria used to reduce ammonia in discharges from the treatment plant into Clear Creek and resulting in the death of approximately 108,000 fish, according to authorities.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Tyson will pay a $2 million criminal fine and serve two years of probation.

In addition, Tyson will pay $500,000 to maintain and restore waters in the Monett area, with a focus on Clear Creek and the adjoining waterways.

According to the plea agreement, these are the facts and circumstances surrounding this case:

In May 2014, the tank used to store Alimet at the Aurora feed mill sprang a leak, and the acidic substance flowed into a secondary containment area.

Tyson hired a contractor to remove the Alimet and transport it to Tyson’s Monett plant, where the Alimet was unloaded into the in-house treatment system that was not designed to treat waste with Alimet’s characteristics.

Tyson will also implement environmental compliance programs including the following things:

Hiring an independent, third-party auditor to examine all Tyson poultry facilities throughout the country to assess their compliance with the Clean Water Act and hazardous waste laws

Conducting specialized environmental training at its poultry processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills, rendering plants, and waste water treatment plants

Implementing improved policies and procedures to address the circumstances that gave rise to these violations.

“Tyson’s admitted criminal conduct caused significant environmental damage, including a large-scale fish kill,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Larson of the Western District of Missouri. “Today’s plea agreement not only holds Tyson accountable for its actions in Missouri but requires the company to take steps to insure compliance with the Clean Water Act at its poultry facilities throughout the United States.”