Hy-Line International or Hy-Line is a multi-national genetics company that raises and sells commercial/industrial laying chickens. It is a subsidiary of the German EW Group.[1] The firm has subsidiaries in multiple countries including Brazil, Japan, and the United Kingdom and has 60 distributors in more than 50 countries worldwide.[2]
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hatchery |
| Founded | West Des Moines, Iowa (1936) |
| Headquarters | West Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
Key people | Jonathan Cade, President |
| Parent | EW Group |
| Website | Hy-Line.com |
Corporate
editThe firm is a subsidiary of the privately owned German livestock breeding company EW Group. Its president is Jonathan Cade; Thomas Dixon serves as the firm's director of international sales and marketing[3]
Operations
editHy-Line directly operates subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa.[4] Many of its subsidiaries were formerly distributors bought out by Hy-Line, including Hy-Line Italia (formerly Valversa) and Hy-Line South Africa (formerly Hy-Line Chicks).[5] In several countries it has instead signed exclusivity deals with distributors. In India, Amrit Group has distributed Hy-Line chickens since July 2014 when a new 'poultry hub' was established as part of plans to capture 30% of the Indian egg-laying market by 2017–2018.[6][7] Sales in Vietnam are exclusively licensed to the Ba Haun Company since 2013.[8]
Products
editProducts of the company include the Hy-Line W-36, Brown, and Silver Brown lines.[9]
Criticism
editHy-Line International has been subject to criticism from animal rights group Mercy for Animals following the release of a video alleged to have been filmed inside of a Hy-Line hatchery, showing the process of chick culling. The video went viral and received widespread media attention across the English-speaking world.[10][11][12][13]
Hy-Line Australia was sued in 2013 for unsafe practices at its chicken hatchery at Huntly near Bendigo, after a fire in one of its sheds in April 2009 left an employee trapped due to a lack of fire exits. The man escaped by breaking through floorboards. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.[14][15]
Sponsorships
editHy-Line Australia is the name-sponsor of the Hy-Line Australia Oval, which is a home ground of the Heathcote District Football League.[16] It also sponsors the Hy-Line International Research Award of the Poultry Science Association.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ter Heerdt sells shares to EW Group". poultryworld.net. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ http://www.hy-line.com/aspx/links/links.aspx?navid=9 Archived 2011-07-12 at the Wayback Machine Hy-Line website, links
- ^ http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/17068/leadership-changes-at-hyline-international Poultry Site, leadership changes at Hy-Line
- ^ "Hy-Line's South African success story" (PDF). PositiveAction Magazines. PositiveAction Magazines. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Hy-Line Acquires Italian Egg Layer Distributor Valversa". PoultrySite. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Amrit Group to foray into 'Hy-line' layer breed chicken". India Times. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Amrit Group to set up poultry hub in Bengal". Hindu Businessline. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Ba Huan to supply US quality chicken". VietnamNews. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ Product Information. Hyline 2014. (self-published source). Accessed August 2014.
- ^ "Baby Chickens 'Cooked Alive' At Hatchery, Animal Rights Group Contends". Huffingtonpost Canada. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Chicks 'ground alive' by poultry producer". Herald Sun. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Chicks Being Ground Up Alive Video". Huffington Post. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Baby chicks ground up alive: animal rights video goes viral". BoingBoing. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Trapped worker sues Hy-Line chicken farm". Bendigo Advertiser. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Trapped man's case over as Hy-Line settles out of court". Bendigo Advertiser. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Hy-Line Australia Oval, Huntly". FoxSportsPulse. FoxSports. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Poultry Science Association Announces Award Winners". PoultrySite. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.