Labour Maori Development spokeswoman Nanaia Mahuta also shares the fears of the union leaders. She said Talley's locked out workers for 89 days in a previous round of disputes which were later resolved with the help of Wanganui's Ken Mair.
Ms Mahuta appealed to iwi chairs, meeting at Whangaehu Marae this week, to help resolve the situation.
Ms Fenton said Talley's response to talks was "not surprising". Michael Talley, one of the family members, had said it was "not in his DNA to talk to unions", she claimed, adding that the Talley's Group was the worst meat processing company to deal with.
"If people knew the extent of the bullying that goes on from this company, they would be horrified."
In one incident, a staff member who had asked their MP, on Facebook, to help settle an employment agreement had their job security threatened, she claimed. Workers were also allegedly penalised if they took sick days or belonged to a union.
Asked to respond to the allegations of bullying and intimidation, Affco operations manager Rowan Ogg made no comment.
"We are in the process of bargaining with the union for a collective that has expired, a process which is governed by a bargaining process agreement. In accordance with that agreement, we won't be making any media statement at this point."
Ms Fenton's visit was part of the Jobs That Count campaign, which is about valuing the skill and commitment of meat workers.
"We want New Zealanders to get to know meat workers and understand they contribute to our number two industry. They're not just slaves - they're human beings with lives and families."
Times are tough for them. The number of animals to be killed is reducing, and seasons are getting shorter.
When the animals run out, workers are expected to use up their holiday pay and exist through a two-week stand-down before they get help from Work and Income. Ms Fenton added they were effectively on "zero-hour" contracts.