DES MOINES (AP) - Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has some harsh words for an embattled kosher meatpacking plant that's accused of child labor violations and was the site of a huge immigration raid.

It's an unusual move for a governor to knock a company that employs hundreds in a rural part of the state, but Culver said past violations and new allegations at Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville called for the criticism.

He published his thoughts in a guest column in the Des Moines Sunday Register, where he said Agriprocessors has "chosen to take the low road in its business practices." Culver also charged that the meatpacker has taken advantage of a failed federal immigration system.

"In doing so, this company has fallen far short of meeting the high business standards that Iowans expect," Culver said.

Culver closed his commentary with a reference to the 1906 Upton Sinclair novel, "The Jungle," about the horrors of the meatpacking industry and its cruelty toward immigrant workers.

"There will be no industrial 'jungles' in Iowa on my watch," Culver wrote.

In May, a federal raid led to arrest of 389 people on immigration charges. Hundreds of line workers have been convicted and charges filed against two low-level supervisors, but the plant's owners haven't faced any charges connected to the raid, Culver noted.

Earlier this month, the Iowa Division of Labor Services accused Agriprocessors of employing dozens of underage workers.

In a written statement, Chaim Abrahams, a manager at Agriprocessors, said the company located in Iowa two decades ago to supply good quality, reasonably priced kosher meat. He said it has provided jobs to hundreds of people and stimulated growth in Postville and throughout the state.

Abrahams invited Culver to visit the plant, meet with its leadership and "see the truth firsthand."

"In the end, we are certain that the Governor will see firsthand that our plant is anything but a 'jungle' and that when all the bitterness of the last few months is taken out of the equation, that we are indeed on a course to being on an even higher road," Abrahams said in the statement.

Culver's office on Monday said the governor decided not to visit the Postville plant at this time.

When asked why Culver decided to write a guest column in the state's largest newspaper, spokesman Troy Price said it was published because of the governor's concern over Agriprocessors' alleged actions.

"All Iowans, not just those who work within his administration, have a right to know the level of the governor's concerns and the fact that their government is acting responsibly in response to the disturbing reports," Price said Monday in a statement.

In the column, Culver noted that before the federal raid, Agriprocessors had a history of sanctions for safety and environmental violations. With the new allegations, he said he has directed his cabinet members overseeing the meatpacking industry to make certain they are aggressive in applying Iowa's laws to the company.

Price said the governor is confident that the oversight will be firmly yet fairly applied.

"Compliance with the law is the sole issue here; it is the state of Iowa's duty to assure that compliance," he said. "Only when the law is fully complied with, will Iowa's workers and consumers and Iowa's environment be adequately protected."

Due to what he called unsafe working conditions at the Postville plant, Culver said he's also asked the Iowa Workforce Development agency to prevent Agriprocessors from listing positions on the state job-listings service.

In addition, Culver has called on Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to move quickly on the alleged violations brought to his attention.

"You should know that both the Lt. Governor and I strongly urge your prompt prosecution of all alleged criminal or civil law violations that are supported by sufficient evidence," Culver said in a letter last week to the attorney general.

Abrahams said the company's policy is not to hire underage workers, and that if it finds any they are immediately dismissed. He noted that the company has hired a former U.S. attorney as a compliance officer, and a former Occupational Safety and Health Administration official to monitor federal state and safety requirements.