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Walmart-at-the-Crossroads-FINAL-06.04.15

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no authority under <strong>the</strong> federal w<strong>at</strong>er law to demand an evalu<strong>at</strong>ion of possible pollution.<br />

224<br />

This case,<br />

which has received a gre<strong>at</strong> deal of <strong>at</strong>tention from local environmental groups, is still ongoing.<br />

A Humane Society of United St<strong>at</strong>es (HSUS) investig<strong>at</strong>or fur<strong>the</strong>r discovered environmental<br />

viol<strong>at</strong>ions when he worked <strong>at</strong> three Rose Acre facilities in Winterset, Stuart, and Guthrie Center, Iowa<br />

for 15 days in 2010. Nearly four million laying hens and about one million young hens (pullets) were<br />

confined in <strong>the</strong>se factory farms. One worker <strong>at</strong> Rose Acre Farms claimed, “The manure pit under a<br />

pullet shed had not been cleaned in two years.”<br />

225<br />

O<strong>the</strong>r workers <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> facility have noted th<strong>at</strong> some<br />

hens are blinded because of high ammonia levels.<br />

226<br />

This case illustr<strong>at</strong>es <strong>the</strong> unsanitary and inhumane<br />

conditions both workers and animals are subject to in Rose Acre’s egg facilities due to less than<br />

adequ<strong>at</strong>e regul<strong>at</strong>ion of production processes.<br />

C. Supplier 3: Moark, LLC<br />

In 1957, Hollis Osborne cre<strong>at</strong>ed Moark Productions, which became Moark, LLC after merging<br />

with Land O’Lakes in 2000. Since its beginning, Moark has focused on acquiring a variety of<br />

companies.<br />

227<br />

For example, in January 2013, Moark purchased <strong>the</strong> rights to an existing Eggland’s Best<br />

franchise for a cash payment of $2.0 million <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> close of sale.<br />

228<br />

Moark, LLC also markets eggs using<br />

popular brands, such as Land O’Lakes, Eggland’s Best, and a number of local and premium labels.<br />

This company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc. in 2006.<br />

229<br />

i. Labor<br />

penalties.<br />

230<br />

From 2010 to 2014, Moark was cited for 21 OSHA viol<strong>at</strong>ions and fined almost $66,000 in initial<br />

ii. Environment<br />

In November 2005, Moark was involved in an environmental dispute. The Kansas City Star<br />

reported th<strong>at</strong> Moark, LLC had been oper<strong>at</strong>ing for years without a st<strong>at</strong>e-issued permit. The company<br />

repe<strong>at</strong>edly viol<strong>at</strong>ed pollution laws, angering many residents in <strong>the</strong> region. Neighbors near Moark’s<br />

facilities claimed th<strong>at</strong> chicken manure had turned pristine streams and lakes cloudy. All three of <strong>the</strong><br />

Page !50

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