Hy-Line International

Last updated
Hy-Line International
Company type Private
Industry Hatchery
Founded West Des Moines, Iowa (1936)
HeadquartersWest Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Key people
Jonathan Cade, President
Parent EW Group
Website Hy-Line.com

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]

Contents

Corporate

The 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

Hy-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

Products of the company include the Hy-Line W-36, Brown, and Silver Brown lines. [9]

Criticism

Hy-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

Hy-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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">EW Group</span> German company in the agribusiness

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References

  1. "Ter Heerdt sells shares to EW Group". poultryworld.net. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  2. http://www.hy-line.com/aspx/links/links.aspx?navid=9 Archived 2011-07-12 at the Wayback Machine Hy-Line website, links
  3. http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/17068/leadership-changes-at-hyline-international Poultry Site, leadership changes at Hy-Line
  4. "Hy-Line's South African success story" (PDF). PositiveAction Magazines. PositiveAction Magazines. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  5. "Hy-Line Acquires Italian Egg Layer Distributor Valversa". PoultrySite. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  6. "Amrit Group to foray into 'Hy-line' layer breed chicken". India Times. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  7. "Amrit Group to set up poultry hub in Bengal". Hindu Businessline. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  8. "Ba Huan to supply US quality chicken". VietnamNews. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  9. Product Information. Hyline 2014. (self-published source). Accessed August 2014.
  10. "Baby Chickens 'Cooked Alive' At Hatchery, Animal Rights Group Contends". Huffingtonpost Canada. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  11. "Chicks 'ground alive' by poultry producer". Herald Sun. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  12. "Chicks Being Ground Up Alive Video". Huffington Post. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  13. "Baby chicks ground up alive: animal rights video goes viral". BoingBoing. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  14. "Trapped worker sues Hy-Line chicken farm". Bendigo Advertiser. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  15. "Trapped man's case over as Hy-Line settles out of court". Bendigo Advertiser. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  16. "Hy-Line Australia Oval, Huntly". FoxSportsPulse. FoxSports. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  17. "Poultry Science Association Announces Award Winners". PoultrySite. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.