John Oliver explains why you should support chicken farmers, despise chicken companies

John Oliver points his withering gaze a Big Chicken

(Image credit: Last Week Tonight)

last updated 18 May 2015

The U.S. chicken industry is booming, with Americans eating more chicken than ever, John Oliver explained on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. That's great news for the four companies that dominate the industry: Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrim's, and Sanderson Farm. "I know what you're thinking," Oliver said. "You're thinking, oh, this is just going to be another story about how horribly chickens are treated." It isn't — though if you're worried about that, blame the chicken companies, not the farmers, Oliver said. Because chicken companies treat their indentured farmers horribly, too.

Most U.S. chicken farmers live near or below the poverty line, Oliver said, "which sounds insane: How can the people who make the meat we eat the most barely be making a living?" The main reason is contract farming: The farmers own the land and everything else that costs money, but the Big 4 chicken companies own the profitable chickens. In many ways, they own the chicken farmers, too — and they can (and allegedly do) destroy the farmers for speaking out about their indentured servitude.

"At this point, you may be angry at the chicken industry, but careful," Oliver said: "You need to save a little room, because you're about to get even angrier." There's a good chance that's true. But it's John Oliver, so there are laughs mixed in with the horrible stories you never knew you didn't know — and there's a cathartic Sean Connery cameo as well. At the end, as he often does, Oliver issued a call to arms. A vulgar one. Hopefully it will stick. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.