U.S. authorities have accused another sanitation company of illegally employing at least 20 children to clean dangerous meat processing facilities, the latest example of illegal child labor, authorities say. It is said to be common.
The Department of Labor has asked a federal judge for an injunction to stop Tennessee-based Fayette Cleaning Services LLC from hiring minors, saying that as of Dec. 12, at least four children were employed at one Iowa slaughterhouse. He said he believes he is still working.
U.S. law prohibits companies from hiring anyone under 18 to work in meat processing plants because of the dangers involved. The Department of Labor alleges Fayette used underage workers in a dangerous environment where animals were killed and surrendered. The agency said children are disinfecting dangerous equipment such as head splitters, jaw pullers and meat band saws.
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The department’s legal filing details the serious injuries sustained by a 14-year-old boy while cleaning belts on a drumstick packing line at a Virginia factory. Investigators said records show Fayette learned the employee was a minor after the child was injured and continued to employ the minor anyway.
The Associated Press left phone and email messages seeking comment from Fayette.
A Tennessee-based company is accused of employing children to clean meat processing plants.
The latest findings include the death of a 16-year-old working at a poultry farm in Mississippi, the death of a 16-year-old in a sawmill accident in Wisconsin, and Packers Sanitation Services at 13 meat packing plants last year. Reports of more than 100 children being illegally employed by the Institution (PSSI). PSSI paid more than $1.5 million in civil penalties.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last year sent a letter to 18 of the largest meat and poultry producers to highlight the issue as part of the administration’s efforts to crack down on child labor violations more broadly. The number of children illegally employed in the United States has increased by 88% since 2019, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Labor.
The bureau said the cleaning company operates in about 30 states and employs more than 600 people, and the investigation is ongoing. Initial findings identified 15 Fayette underage employees at a Perdue Farms plant in Accomack, Virginia, and at least nine at Seaboard Triumph Foods in Sioux City, Iowa.
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A Perdue Farms spokesperson said in an email that the company terminated its contract with Fayette prior to the filing, but declined to provide further details. Seaboard Triumph Foods has been contacted for comment.
