Tyson Poultry pleads guilty to violating Clean Water Act, must pay $2 million fine

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– Tyson Poultry Inc. pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the federal Clean Water Act in 2014 with discharges from its plant in Monett.

Under a plea deal announced Wednesday in federal court in Springfield, Tyson agreed to pay a $2 million fine, serve two years of probation and pay $500,000 to maintain and restore waterways in the Monett area.

The discharge of an animal feed ingredient into Monett wastewater treatment system disrupted the plant’s operation and killed more than 100,000 fish in a nearby stream.

The company said in a statement that it was taking full responsibility for “an unfortunate mistake.”

Tyson also will hire independent auditors at all its poultry facilities, conduct environmental training and improve procedures to address circumstances that led to the 2014 spill.