Exposed the human suffering they found on factory farms. We are bringing in all of a the feedback throughout the show. Twitter is lit up over this topic. Yes. I do the research and then maybe lisa right i have to go vegetarian and the pros and cons over these new inspections. The cons core prate greed will lower the quality and safety. To be fair, daniel says. The u. S. D. A. Is revamping the inspections and shifting the responsibility to industry employees. The u. S. D. A. Says that plants are required to conducting their own tests for the bacteria, and this will lead to 5000 fewer illnesses each year. It is a move they favor. It is much more preferred and the data is true. It is good for u. S. D. A. And good for the industry and good for the consumers. Chickens zip through the rate of the lines 140 per minute and a second to view every 2. 3 and the high speeds raises the questions on the slaughter and the live birds are moving quickly and not rendered fairly. Will the new rules make you feel better and safer about the food you are eating and giving the industries more selfmoderating a good idea . We are joined by the Human Society of the United States, dr. William james a former u. S. D. A. , and currently con summits for poultry and Meat Companies and working for the u. S. Da and included inspecting the poultry on the pack tri lines. Dr. James, the new rules remove 800 u. S. D. A. Inspectors and how is that a good thing . We have conducted inspections in the same way and this new system focuses on the tasks that are related to food safety to devote more resources to, what we are doing is removing the inspectors from the line whose dotties are enforcing the Quality Control measures and the plants are more responsible to perform and redirecting some of the resources towards performing tasks like enforcing operational sanitation, taking bacteria samples at the end of the line, and evaluating the process control measures at critical control points that the plants are implementing. This system focuses more on food safety than the current systems. Phyllis, do you an agree and two, it sounds like we are privateizing the inspection industry, do you agree . I disagree with dr. James. I worked with it. I was in the First Program on the pilot program, it is the biggest disaster that ever hit the United States. I disagree with putting out the new program, because in this new program, they said that the companies would have to test for bacteria and now leaving it up to the company to test nor even less. There was selfregular eye lags in the past and how did that work out . When the fox guards the chicken house, things dont work out so well. Keep in mind right now Consumer Reports from 2014 found that virtually all, 97 of the chicken breasts tested in the United States were contaminated with bacteria and that is under the current inspector and then think about that with less inspectors. The inspectors cannot see the bacteria. Second of all, there were a number of pilot plants that i worked in and helped to develop this system within before reaching alabama where she had the opportunity to work in them. It is important to recognize that what we are all about is inspecting for those very few disease conditions or conditions that we see in poor processing on poultry opposed to the lumps, bumps and bruises that occur and the plants are capable of removing. So an it is important to recognize there are only two conditions online that we inspect on that have a food safety component to them. Dr. James, how can cutting number of inspectors possibly improve the Animal Welfare or the publics health. Less than a half second is bad enough already. Phyllis, right now 140 chickens inspected in a minute. Talk about the rate, how will decreasing the rate or increa increasing the speed affect . It gives the inspector more time so make sure that the fee cal material is not inside of the chicken. Line speed ises can go quickly. Here is something interesting, so the u. S. D. A. Opted not to increase the line speed, paul, was 175 birds a minute, what they have said and saying at least 2010 publicly, was they are going to use more chemicals to kill the patho steppes jens on the chickens. It is critical to bathe the car ruckuses in a chlorine bath. It is harming the exports that want to take in the chlorine birds. Keep in mind why they have so much feceses on them. They are raised by the tens of thousands inside of massive warehouses where they have been bred to grow obese so fast and they have taken few steps by the six week lives before collapsing into feces and they arrive to the slaughter plant with the feces and put through the slaughter system that is so an inhumane and lots of birds going into the hot water and they are drowning to death and all of those feces mix with all of the over birds and that is why some of the u. S. D. A. Inspectors call it a feecal soup and the solution is chlorine. Nothing that we heard is actually so. The way that birds are raised today provides a much cleaner and better bird coming to the slaughter plant than was the case back in 1957 when we began inspecting birds. What about the increase use of antimicros and chemical baths on the chickens . Those treatments are a result of investigations that prove that they work. Birds do come to slaughter with bacteria on them. All animals, no matter under what conditions they are raised, have bacteria on them, just like every living bean has bacteria on them and in the intestinal track. No way shes allowing them to come to germany and the eu is not allowing it. Why are they so concerned about the chemicals that we are handing cavalierly here . The European Union is not concerned about the chemicals that are used which are f. D. A. Used and tested and they are safe. Nothing is being used that poses a risk to the consumers. Get that straight. He consult with the f. D. A. On a that. Pardon me . They came to my house and make a documentary and they are concerned, the germans were at my house. We should point out, do correct me if im wrong, that these Government Agencies that charged with protecting our health are not doing independent research to find out whether or not that the chemicals are safe for human consumption and bad nor the factory workers and relying on the data that is provided to them from the industry, is that correct . They are relying on the data to confirm what f. D. A. Has done testing for. Because f. D. A. Does follow up on chemicals and vaccines and other medicines that are approved to ensure it is long term use over larger populations continues to show that it is safe. All right. Still ahead, it is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the u. S. , working in a slaughter plant. The workers blame the chemicals for severe health. And we hear about the mississippi chicken and the shocking discover they made after talking to the low wage workers inside of the plants. H i stand in pain and i was really, really hurting. I was standing there in tears, hurting, until somebody came to carry me off the line and take me to the nurses station. That was a former poultry plant worker and the majority of the workers are minorities or women. We reached out to the industry and lobbying organizations to come on the show. The National Chicken council declined and saying it is too early to respond. The National Poultry federation is inspecting and at least 90 days before writing the regulations to guide how to process goes forward. Joining us now is anita and john on the documentary film mississippi chicken. Welcome to both of you. You have talked a number of people and you have to footage from inside of the plant and what were some of the biggest findings . So, i actually worked as a worker and advocate over six years in a half dozen states for the poultry workers and worked on the film with john, and we found a number of complaints that the workers have, ranging from a hasment by the supervisor ises and denial of pay for all hours worked and the most common complaint were work place injuries and the line speed was the primary issue instigating the injuries. Phyllis, talk a little bit about what your experience was in terms of working in the plant, what did you see, were there cases of Health Issues because of the things going on in the plant . Yes, maam, im coughing right now because of the chemicals in the plant. I have a fellow inspector retiring due to living on oxygen and pills because of the acid. Go ahead, please. Highly allergic to it. We had an inspector retiring because of the tsp. I have seen the little Migrant Workers and come and so scared of the jobs and their arms are swollen, they are afraid to go to the supervisors because of retaliation and losing their jobs. This news program talks about turning the inspection over to the company employees, most companies are hiring imMigrant Workers, these imMigrant Workers most of them that i have been associated with does not speak english, they only do what the supervisor tells them to do, if they say pass, they pass it. I have seen this with my own eyes. And like i said, i have seen Numerous Accidents because of the line speeds. Phyllis, people are agreeing with you. And saying. Dr. James, we talked about this earlier, the chemicals that bebathe the chickens in, what is the Research Showing in your opinion, how are these chemicals, the chlorine affecting the workers . It is useful to see what the bureau of labor statistics says about these things. 20 years ago, the number of workers injured per one hundred per year was pretty high, 23, 24. Over the past 20 years as the line speeds have increased the injuries have decreased and down to five injuries per one hundred, which is exactly the same as it is for all other Food Industries combined, whether we talk about bottled water, wine, cheese, peanut butter. The poultry Industry Safety record is as good as any other food producing industry in the United States. Anita or john, what did you discover while researching the documentary and are the statistics kept on the people that are hurt or ill . The statistics are misleading and what we see again and again, we have the stories of workers, daniel slipped and fell and hurt his back and sent back to work by the local town doctor with pain medications so the plant wouldnt have to report a losstime injury. He complained again about severe back pain, got stronger pain medication and again was sent back to work and sat in a cold break room for the 8hour shift so he wouldnt have to report a losstime injury and four months later we fought the right for him to go to a specialist and he had surgery and had unreparable injury and hes still living in pain after ten years. We have to go by the Data Available to us, and plus under the new system, closer monitoring of the plant injuries and worker and illnesses is required. After 15 years of pilot programming no increase in illness and injuries among the u. S. D. A. Inspectors working under these conditions. Paul, the u. S. D. A. Is saying it is not their responsibility to be concerned with the workers and frankly it is not their job. It is consumer health. Whose is it that they have safe worked conditions . Right now the chickens are slaughtered when fully conscious, they are dealing with birds that are fighting for their lives and that is a problem in and of itself, but for the chickens and the workers, u. S. D. A. Admits there is an a controlled atmosphere stunning and generally accepted as more human than the current method and it is better for the birds and for the humans. So the fact is that chickens are excluded by the u. S. D. A. From the basic protections of the federal humane meds of slaughtering. If the animals were pigs or cattle. They are not covered by the act. That is the point. They are not covered. So the u. S. D. A. Cannot enforce the laws which congress has not passed. The congress is adding any species to the slaughter act. They are not adding them, the fact is the cattle and pigs slaughtered the same way, the u. S. D. A. Would shutdown the plants. It is time for the chicken industry to move to the system that is more humane and that is controlled stunning. Lively debate on facebook saying. All right, do you remember hearing how half a million residents in ohio not to drink or use the water . We havent forgotten this story. Runoff of the fertilizer is feeding the algae and why the communities across the country facing similar issues and what if anything is being done. Consider this the news of the day plus so much more. We begin with the growing controversy. Answers to the questions no one else will ask. Real perspective, consider this on Al Jazeera America j were here in the vortex. Saturday, 7 30 eastern. Only on Al Jazeera America. Hi, im vonny and the creator of food bay. Com here to investigate what is in your food. There is water crisis in toledo, ohio. Poor application of the fertilizer is feeding the toxins and this is not the first time and not limited to the residents living near the lake. Joining us is jen miller and trekkeder of the ohio club. The federal clean water act brought lake erie back to a safe body of water and what is happening, you are headed back to the lake erie of old. Thank you for bringing that up and for having me. We have dead zones, they are massive areas of toxic algae killing out the fish, all the natural habitants of the water there. And they contain this toxic algae contains a very, very dangerous bacteria. Jen, looking at a dog along the lake side and what happens if the dog drinks that water . The dog will become very sick and if the owner gives the dog a bath the owner can get very sick. What is being done with this. Four hundred thousand people in toledo going without water. It should be a wake up call. The scientists and environmentalist have been warning about this for many, many years and science was ignored and the Public Health risks have been ignored and we expect that the crisis will continue. In fact, the algae is not expected to be at the height until september of this year and we could see another issue this year in terms of Drinking Water ban, and well likely see it again until we address the issues at hand, and those include whats the solution to the lake erie toxic algae problem and we have responses. What is the solution . Well, we have to regulate the fertilizatiers allowed to t be put on the fields. The factory farms are putting untreated waste on the fields and animal waste is not treated at all. They can put almost unlimited elements out there. The Ohio Legislature tried to limit the animal waste and that was stripped out of the bill, out of the lobbying influence. So the biggest cause of the toxic algae in there is from the agra business and yes we have to regulate the fertilizer and how much waste should we be producing and how many farm animals should we have. We eat more eat than other nations on the face of the planet and we have huge numbers of animals in small places and the land cant accommodate all of the manure and so should we be eating less meat, that is a real question posed by this. On that note, we are out of time. I want to thank all of the guests now. For more check us out online. Until next time, see you there. Welcome the aljazeera america, dell walters. Here are the stories we are following for you. It verifies that the witness accounts were true, that he was shot multiple times. The attorneys for Michael Brown releasing the results of a private autopsy on the teen that was shot and killed in ferguson, missouri. President obama is meeting with the Security Team involving in iraq. The security