Group Will Challenge Company Execs to Require Suppliers to Stop Abuses
For Immediate Release:
May 23, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Oak Brook, Ill. -- A representative of PETA—which owns stock in McDonald's—will attend the fast-food giant's annual meeting on Thursday and put a pointed question to company officials: Why do they permit their suppliers to use an archaic slaughter method that causes chickens to sustain broken bones, have their throats cut while they're still conscious, and be scalded to death in defeathering tanks? PETA wants McDonald's to require its suppliers to switch to a less cruel slaughter method that is already used by the restaurant chain's suppliers in Europe and now other retailers in the U.S.:
When: Thursday, May 24, 9 a.m.
Where: The Hyatt Lodge at McDonald's Campus, Prairie Ballroom, 2815 Jorie Blvd., Oak Brook
"At a time when corporations are scrambling to put on an ethical face, McDonald's refuses to switch to the less cruel slaughter method despite having the clout to require its suppliers to make the change," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "When they think of McDonald's, anyone who opposes animal suffering is saying, 'I'm hatin' it.'"
The hundreds of millions of chickens killed each year for McDonald's are slammed into shackles and suspended upside down by their feet from conveyor belts—a procedure that often results in broken bones. With the less cruel slaughter method, birds are killed while still in their transport crates, eliminating live throat-cutting and scalding. This method is already in use by companies in the U.S. and around the world, including McDonald's European suppliers, and is recommended by McDonald's animal welfare advisers here in the U.S. Those companies that have made the switch report improved worker safety, higher-quality products, and increased yield.
For more information, please visit PETA's website McCruelty.com.