The Diseased-Poultry Swindle
A Yakima agricultural editor traces how sick birds moved from farmyards to city markets—and demands that the governor and legislature clean up the trade.
It is tasted by the consumers to the tune of about 25 per cent of the whole poultry production that reaches the market. Our cities are the dumping ground for this diseased and unwholesome poultry, made so by the dealings of the country merchants with their houses in that city. Country store trading of goods for diseased poultry has been in order for years among us. This has been brought about by the wholesale dealers accepting in payment for goods bought anything that has feathers, from their country debtors. The farmer gathers up quarterly, or oftener perhaps, the culls and diseased fowls from his flocks, takes them to the country store and swaps them off for sugar, coffee, tea and calico. The country merchant in turn pushes this off on his wholesale house to liquidate a portion of perhaps a very bad debt. The wholesaler is indifferent, and pushes it off on the market for just what he can get. This is the market system of poultry in our leading cities, and the people there eat it all down, the ropey flesh, and diseased liver, and never murmur. It is cheap.
A little wholesome law-making governing the sale of diseased poultry in this state would be of great benefit in checking this nuisance and the great damage to our poultry product; and we direct the attention of the governor to the matter in bringing the subject before our coming legislature in his message before that body.
We do not need large poultry plants. We are of the opinion such will not pay with our limited population and few large cities. The poultry of this country, to be raised at a profit, must be by the great body of our farmers keeping flocks steadily from 75 to 150, and raising yearly 100 or 200 birds, which must be of the very best, and the aggregate will reach enormous sums, and become one of our leading industries. The time is not far distant when this will come. We can see it. Speed the day when it will.
Many of our states have the most stringent laws regarding the sale of diseased poultry, aided and sanctioned by the large cities. Every diseased fowl that appears in the market stalls is confiscated, and the seller or owner is made to pay a severe penalty. Such a law should be on our statute books and be in force. —Geo. D. Goodhue.
“The people there eat it all down, the ropey flesh, and diseased liver, and never murmur. It is cheap.”
Long before modern food-safety inspections, this Yakima agricultural editor described a supply chain in which spoiled birds were traded like currency. The call for state regulation anticipated today's fights over food inspection, farm-to-market accountability, and what consumers are willing to accept because it is cheap.
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