Jackson Free Press

The people at PETA are no chickens. Members of the Norfolk, Va.-based organization escorted their "crippled chicken"--another PETA member clad in a chicken suit and toting a cane--across the street to and from the McDonald's at 1010 N. State St. yesterday in a bold attempt to garner attention to the restaurant chain's alleged use of animal cruelty.

Maya Lilly, the media spokeswoman for the effort, said McDonalds' chicken suppliers regularly employ a treatment of chickens that would be illegal if used on a dog or a cat. Lilly said chickens routinely have their bones broken and their throats slit while still conscious or are scalded to death in boiling water while still alive. Lilly also claims that the USDA has approved a more humane process for chicken slaughter that chains in Europe and other international locations are using, but that McDonald's restaurants in the United States refuse to enact it.

The organization is targeting McDonald's in particular because the chain sells chicken meat at a rate that is one of the highest in the world. "McDonald's has the market power to make the changes. Now (we) just need the consumer support," Lilly said.

PETA is calling for the public to boycott McDonald's restaurants, and the protest on North State Street was just one stop in the crippled chicken and PETA's national campaign. "Most consumers are compassionate people, and most people (who see the campaign) are moved to take action," Lilly said.

Appeals to consumer pathos aside, the campaign also preaches a practical approach to reforming animal cruelty practices. "Less cruel slaughter improves working conditions, decreases labor costs and decreases contamination," Lilly said.

Though yesterday's protest had a decidedly chicken-centric aim, the members of PETA emphasized that their efforts for animal rights are all-inclusive.

"Can we still eat the burgers?" one man shouted from his car to the sign-wielding chicken, to which the chicken shouted back, "There are plenty of vegetarian options!"

McDonald's, responding to PETA in a statement, asserted that it "is a strong advocate of good animal handling practices and seeks to achieve humane treatment of animals by purchasing its meat products from suppliers who maintain high animal welfare standards."

Previous Comments

ID

163683

Comment

How about a "Soylent Green" sort of death for the chickens? They could put them on little chicken cots with a nice pillow behind their head, show them films of happy chickens clucking around in fields of corn or maybe opening up little chicken gifts at Christmas. Inject them with about 120mg of Mcoxycontin and they would od peacefully not thinking about the part of a McChicken McNugget McMeal they are about to Mcbecome. Of course the price of a kids meal would increase to about $46 but hey, my kids would be eating Mchappy Mcdead Mcchickens

Author

Alex0393

Date

2011-05-29T18:48:51-06:00