Lee Camp on The Latest Bit of Corporate Fascism

This activist freed two ducks from a factory farm and has been sentenced to twenty years in prison. I guess that's ten years for each duck. 

Sign the petition to prosecute the Reichardt farm at https://helptheducks.com/

Here's the text they're suggesting you send:

Dear District Attorney Rodriguez,

Reichardt Duck Farm has been repeatedly exposed for criminal animal cruelty and zoonotic disease. As the District Attorney of Sonoma County, you have the power and responsibility to act in the best interest of the animals and the public by investigating and prosecuting Reichardt. The cruel and dangerous conditions at this factory farm violate California Penal Code Section 597 and the precepts of California Health and Safety Code Sections 25990, et seq.

California Penal Code Section 597(b) addresses various forms of criminal animal cruelty. The statute provides, in part, as follows: "whoever, having the charge or custody of any animal, either as owner or otherwise, subjects any animal to needless suffering, or inflicts unnecessary cruelty upon the animal, or in any manner abuses any animal, or fails to provide the animal with proper food, drink, or shelter or protection from the weather, or who drives, rides, or otherwise uses the animal when unfit for labor, is, for each offense, guilty of a crime punishable pursuant to subdivision (d)."

California’s animal cruelty statute does not contain an animal husbandry exemption. The language of California Health and Safety Code Section 25990 makes it very clear that all animals in California are protected by animal cruelty laws.

California Health and Safety Code Section 25990(a) provides, in pertinent part: "(a) A farm owner or operator within the state shall not knowingly cause any covered animal to be confined in a cruel manner."

Ducks at Reichardt are routinely neglected and abused. Sick and disabled ducks are denied veterinary care and left to die. Ducks are confined in housing that is unsuitable for their species. They are denied water to swim in and forced to spend their lives standing on a wire floor that digs into their feet. Many ducks develop foot infections due to these conditions. These findings have been consistent for a decade. 

In 2014, Reichardt was investigated by Mercy For Animals. The investigation found ducks being swung around by their necks, mutilated without anesthetic, and being left to die with bleeding wounds.

In 2019, Reichardt was investigated by Direct Action Everywhere. The investigation found dead ducks piled up in dumpsters, dead ducks being left to rot among living birds, and disabled ducks flailing on their backs, unable to get to food or water. Testing revealed that a highly contagious disease called Riemerella anatipestifer was rampant at the facility. 

In 2023, Reichardt was investigated again by Direct Action Everywhere. The investigation found cruelty consistent with findings in 2014 and 2019. It additionally found several dangerous, zoonotic bacteria rampant on the farm, including E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus.

I hope that your office will take appropriate action to stop the disease, cruelty, and neglect at Reichardt Duck Farm. 

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your city if you live in Sonoma County]

[Incedentally, many of these things have been inflicted on migrants, but not in the state of California, as far as I know.]

Subscribe to Lee Camp.