Abuse charges filed against egg company

? Misdemeanor animal abuse charges have been filed against a southwest Missouri egg producer after a man videotaped live chickens being dumped from a conveyer into a trash bin.

Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson also filed misdemeanor animal abuse charges Friday against Dan Hudgens, Moark’s Midwest regional manager, and subcontractors William Sharp and Robert Beck.

The charges stem from a video that authorities said showed Moark contractors dumping live chickens from a conveyer belt into a trash container, smothering them. Before the video was given to law enforcement authorities, it had been shown at the Newton County Fair and posted on the Internet. Among those viewing the video at the fair was Rep. Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, who asked Moark for an explanation.

Hudgens has said the birds were aged chickens that were to be taken to a rendering plant. The chickens were supposed to be loaded into a 55-gallon drum that was pumped full of carbon dioxide, which was to kill the chickens before they were taken to the rendering plant.

“The focus of this is not the chickens which were killed and disposed of properly,” Watson said. “The focus is entirely on the number of chickens that were not only shown on the video as being still alive when they were dumped, and by Moark’s own admission, the 200 that were dumped without being gassed at all.”

Hudgens was not available to comment Friday when The Associated Press called Moark.

The Humane Society of the United States issued a statement Friday praising Watson’s decision to file charges in the case. The group said Missouri’s animal cruelty laws protect all vertebrate animals, including chickens, from abuse.

“We are encouraged that the prosecuting attorney has brought charges in this case of documented animal cruelty,” said Carter Dillard, an attorney for the Humane Society. “This action demonstrates that authorities are serious about enforcing Missouri’s animal protection law.”

The charges come as Moark is seeking approval from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to expand its business by building 13 chicken houses holding 200,000 chickens each.

Crowder College’s board of directors and Wilson have opposed the plan, citing the company’s pollution record and the expansion’s potential affect on the area’s water supply.