John Oliver Demands Justice for Chicken Farmers

After waging war on family leave policies last week, John Oliver focused his energy on something else near and dear to the hearts of many Americans: chicken.

John Oliver doesn’t have a problem with chicken, but he does have an issue with the inhumane treatment of the human beings behind the operations by the big four poultry companies.

The poultry industry produces 160 million chickens per week, according to a National Poultry Council Board Member.

To keep up with America’s constant need to eat more chicken, John Oliver revealed that the big four poultry companies rely on contracting farmers.

When Oliver divided up the responsibilities of raising and producing chicken, it could seem fair at first glance. Poultry companies own the millions of chickens, while the farmers are left with expenses for infrastructure and equipment.

However, John Oliver pointed out the problem with this plan: while farmers are covering the costs, the companies are continuing to own the source of profit.

“That essentially means you own everything that costs money, and we own everything that makes money.”

Despite the high demand, John Oliver reported that a high percentage of the farmers live at or below the poverty line.

When a spokesperson from the National Chicken Council asked which poverty line John Oliver was referring to, Oliver skipped the logistics and pointed out the real problem with even needing clarification.

“The poverty line is like the age of consent, if you find yourself parsing exactly where it is, it you’ve probably already done something very, very wrong.”

As if being a vital part to a booming industry and still living in poverty wasn’t enough, John Oliver pointed out the fact that the chicken farmers being exploited are, for the most part, voiceless.

Farmers who choose speak out against the companies, their practices or the unfavorable conditions are often punished, Oliver reported.

John Oliver broke down the legislature perpetuating the issue. Rules protecting the farmers are in writing, but cannot be enforced because of legislature in the agriculture appropriations bill that prohibits the USDA from putting those rules into practice.

Though the farmers don’t currently have a say, John Oliver noted that Ohio Representative Marcy Kaptur introduced a bill that would forbid the poultry companies from retaliating against unhappy workers.

Thanks to Last Week Tonight, viewers know exactly who the 51 members are who could vote to pass the bill after John Oliver introduced them with a name, photo, and catchy background music.

Since the bill didn’t pass through the members the first time around, John Oliver proposed a creative, and publicly scarring, way for citizens to get back at those who don’t vote in favor of giving the farmers rights.

Oliver said that if enough citizens participate in a rumor mill, a colorful and non-desirable label could be added to the Wikipedia page of the naysayers.

[Photo By Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]