Imagine for a moment that you are a chicken in a U.S. slaughterhouse. As you make your way toward a violent death, you are dumped out of your crate and your legs are violently forced into shackles so that you are hanging upside down. In fact, there's a good chance that your legs will end up breaking―but no one will care. As you hang upside down, struggling to escape, you are dragged through an electrified water bath that's meant to paralyze you, not render you unconscious (of course, being rendered unconscious would be kind considering what will happen next).
A blade will cut your neck as the blood slowly drains from your body. If you're lucky, you'll lose consciousness. But many birds miss the blade and are still conscious during the final step of the killing process, when they are run through the scalding-hot water of a defeathering tank.
This is the standard method of chicken slaughter in the U.S., but in a monumental victory for chickens, a new, less cruel slaughter system that eliminates all these abuses is finally being implemented. Progress is slow, but it is happening at last.
I'm pleased to tell you that chicken suppliers Bell & Evans in Pennsylvania and Mary's Chickens in California are switching from the standard method of chicken slaughter described above (electric immobilization) to controlled atmosphere killing (CAK), becoming the first U.S. chicken suppliers to do so. This is a true milestone in the fight to help animals who are raised for food.
CAK is a far less cruel slaughter method that renders birds unconscious before they are removed from transport crates. This development will help reduce the suffering of millions of chickens who are killed for food each year. In light of this major advancement for animals, it's time that big corporations like McDonald's begin requiring their suppliers to use CAK.
Please join me in contacting McDonald's and urging the company to require its suppliers to switch to CAK.
Just a few years ago, people laughed at the idea that anyone would care about chickens. But because of the hard work of caring individuals like you, our goal of reducing the suffering of chickens who are killed for food is now becoming a reality. Thank you for your compassion and for helping to make this victory for animals possible.
Sincerely,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
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