As part of its commitment to animal welfare, Tyson Foods Inc. has implemented a third-party certification program to help ensure the proper handling and transportation of birds in its chicken business. The company is the first major chicken producer to implement Poultry Handling & Transportation (PHT) certification offered by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Assn. (USPOULTRY).

The PHT certification is in addition to the animal welfare training Tyson already required for frontline workers involved in handling and transporting live birds. PHT focuses on important areas such as biosecurity, disease recognition, emergency planning and the safe and humane handling of birds before, during and after transport.

The PHT certification program was developed by Penn State University scientists, industry specialists and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is managed by USPOULTRY. More than 1,000 Tyson poultry and transportation workers have received individual PHT certification over the past year.

“Ensuring the safety and welfare of our people and animals is paramount at Tyson Foods,” said Karen Christensen, senior director of animal welfare for Tyson. “By working with USPOULTRY to achieve certification across our organization, we are doubling down on our commitment to continuous improvement in animal welfare. We’re proud of this certification and continue to evolve best practices in every aspect of animal welfare.”

Rafael Rivera, manager of the Food Safety & Production Program at USPOULTRY, said Tyson’s commitment to the certification process demonstrates a pivotal moment in the industry and added that “we’re excited about the progress we’ve made together. Every training gives us a new opportunity to improve our practices, and we look forward to continuing to drive progress in animal well-being.”

In addition to PHT certification, Tyson's animal welfare efforts include: