Help Secure Basic Protection for Billions of Birds: Sign the Petition for Poultry

Help Secure Basic Protection for Billions of Birds: Sign the Petition for Poultry

Target:
USDA

It's time to close a gaping loophole that has brought unnecessary suffering to billions of chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other birds who are slaughtered for food. To help end this staggering problem, The HSUS is circulating a petition calling upon Congress to amend the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) to specifically state that birds are included in its provisions.

Passed in 1958, the HMSA stipulates that livestock be rendered insensible to pain before they are shackled and killed in slaughter plants. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not consider birds to be livestock, therefore exempting them from the HMSA's modest protection.

As a result of the USDA policy, processors continue to slaughter billions of birds annually using such inhumane methods as shackling them upside-down, electrically stunning them into paralysis (but not unconsciousness), and sometimes even drowning them in tanks of scalding water%u2014all while countless birds are fully conscious.


 

 Take Action!

Sign our Petition for Poultry and urge the USDA to protect the nine billion birds killed each year for food from the worst abuses.

And tragically, sadistic slaughterhouse cruelty is also a serious problem. For example, an undercover investigation at a West Virginia Pilgrim's Pride slaughterhouse revealed workers stomping live chickens and hurling them into concrete walls.

Mimi Brody, director of federal affairs for The HSUS, states, "The Petition for Poultry, demonstrates to Congressmembers that their constituents support explicit inclusion of birds in the HMSA%u2014and oppose the shocking cruelty that billions of animals endure during slaughter each year."

To date, more than 140,000 people have signed the petition. The incredible response shows that people across the country demand that animals raised for food deserve better than the cruelty they currently endure.

What You Can Do

Sign the Petition for Poultry and pass it along to friends and relatives.

E-MAIL THIS PAGE PRINTER FRIENDLY

See the Video

Petition for Poultry

Electric Stunning

Related Links

Turkeys and Chickens Get Their Day in Court

Worker Rights and Animal Welfare Groups Join Forces for Humane Slaughter

A Century of Cruelty: The Jungle Revisited

Still a Jungle Out There: The HSUS Takes USDA to Court to Ensure a Humane End for Birds

An HSUS Report: Welfare Issues with Electrical Stunning of Poultry

An HSUS Report: The Economics of Adopting Alternative Production Practices to Electrical Stunning Slaughter of Poultry

Human Health Implications of Live Hang of Chickens and Turkeys on Slaughterhouse Workers

An HSUS Report: The Welfare of Animals in the Broiler Chicken Industry

An HSUS Report: The Welfare of Animals in the Turkey Industry

The HSUS Guide to Vegetarian Eating

Choice Eats: Chicken-Friendly Products



It's time to close a gaping loophole that has brought unnecessary suffering to billions of chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other birds who are slaughtered for food. To help end this staggering problem, The HSUS is circulating a petition calling upon Congress to amend the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) to specifically state that birds are included in its provisions.

Passed in 1958, the HMSA stipulates that livestock be rendered insensible to pain before they are shackled and killed in slaughter plants. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not consider birds to be livestock, therefore exempting them from the HMSA's modest protection.

As a result of the USDA policy, processors continue to slaughter billions of birds annually using such inhumane methods as shackling them upside-down, electrically stunning them into paralysis (but not unconsciousness), and sometimes even drowning them in tanks of scalding water%u2014all while countless birds are fully conscious.


 

 Take Action!

Sign our Petition for Poultry and urge the USDA to protect the nine billion birds killed each year for food from the worst abuses.

And tragically, sadistic slaughterhouse cruelty is also a serious problem. For example, an undercover investigation at a West Virginia Pilgrim's Pride slaughterhouse revealed workers stomping live chickens and hurling them into concrete walls.

Mimi Brody, director of federal affairs for The HSUS, states, "The Petition for Poultry, demonstrates to Congressmembers that their constituents support explicit inclusion of birds in the HMSA%u2014and oppose the shocking cruelty that billions of animals endure during slaughter each year."

To date, more than 140,000 people have signed the petition. The incredible response shows that people across the country demand that animals raised for food deserve better than the cruelty they currently endure.

What You Can Do

Sign the Petition for Poultry and pass it along to friends and relatives.

E-MAIL THIS PAGE PRINTER FRIENDLY

See the Video

Petition for Poultry

Electric Stunning

Related Links

Turkeys and Chickens Get Their Day in Court

Worker Rights and Animal Welfare Groups Join Forces for Humane Slaughter

A Century of Cruelty: The Jungle Revisited

Still a Jungle Out There: The HSUS Takes USDA to Court to Ensure a Humane End for Birds

An HSUS Report: Welfare Issues with Electrical Stunning of Poultry

An HSUS Report: The Economics of Adopting Alternative Production Practices to Electrical Stunning Slaughter of Poultry

Human Health Implications of Live Hang of Chickens and Turkeys on Slaughterhouse Workers

An HSUS Report: The Welfare of Animals in the Broiler Chicken Industry

An HSUS Report: The Welfare of Animals in the Turkey Industry

The HSUS Guide to Vegetarian Eating

Choice Eats: Chicken-Friendly Products


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We signed the "Help Secure Basic Protection for Billions of Birds: Sign the Petition for Poultry" petition!
# 295:
4:25 am PDT, Sep 18, Simos Tarabatzis, Greece
# 294:
12:19 am PDT, Sep 18, Nicole Ng, Singapore
please go VEGAN/VEGETARIAN to save the animals, ourselves and our beautiful earth!
# 293:
5:35 am PDT, Sep 11, Lynda Harding, United Kingdom
# 292:
3:53 am PDT, Sep 11, LuCy J Boogaard, Netherlands
# 291:
2:01 am PDT, Sep 11, Tamarah Swensen, Netherlands
# 290:
6:17 am PDT, Sep 9, Angela Rhodes, Greece
# 289:
9:49 am PDT, Sep 8, Heidi Roberts, United Kingdom
# 288:
3:30 pm PDT, Aug 23, Stefanie Raum, Spain
# 287:
2:23 am PDT, Aug 18, Ligia Iovan, Romania
# 286:
7:43 pm PDT, Jul 28, Marina Payne, Oregon
For more impact, add a personal comment here
# 285:
9:29 am PDT, Jul 26, Austin Kendall, Florida
# 284:
10:34 am PDT, Jul 18, Name not displayed, Wisconsin
ALL LIFE IS VALUABLE.
# 283:
12:09 pm PDT, Jul 12, Emily Leung, Massachusetts
# 282:
2:25 am PDT, Jul 10, Poisonivy Kitten, Nevada
# 281:
10:12 am PDT, Jul 2, Judith Jaehn, California
End cruelty NOW!!!
# 280:
10:48 am PDT, Jun 23, Hubert Delgrange, France
No more cruelty, please.
# 279:
2:35 am PDT, Jun 6, Annelies Ooms, Belgium
# 278:
12:47 pm PDT, Jun 4, MDHJohnHollyMKS Quinn, Georgia
# 277:
10:22 pm PDT, May 30, Dyanna Gough, Arizona
# 276:
8:00 pm PDT, May 23, Name not displayed, Oregon
# 275:
12:48 pm PDT, May 22, Dianna Siever, Virginia
What would you do for a piece of chicken? Is it worth boiling someone alive, or hanging them by their ankles and slicing their thought? Now imagine it were a dog or cat I was speaking of.
# 274:
6:05 pm PDT, May 20, Michelle Sliker, New Jersey
# 273:
2:54 pm PDT, May 12, SUSAN BRASS, California
# 272:
7:35 am PDT, May 9, Natasha Polychuk, Canada
This has to end!!!!!!!!!!! People are sick monsters!!!!!
# 270:
9:54 am PDT, May 6, Anita Kofta, Wisconsin
# 269:
8:17 am PDT, May 6, Francesca Ferri, Italy
# 268:
5:20 pm PDT, May 5, Rebecca Graham, Massachusetts
# 267:
5:51 pm PDT, May 3, Name not displayed, Wisconsin
# 266:
10:08 am PDT, May 2, DIANE Symons, Pennsylvania
# 265:
9:34 am PDT, May 1, BiLL Fowlie, Maine
# 264:
6:56 pm PDT, Apr 30, Roxie Schliesman, Wisconsin
# 263:
7:30 am PDT, Apr 30, JAMES SULLIVAN, Illinois
# 262:
2:30 pm PDT, Apr 29, Andrea De Nicolo, Italy
For more impact, add a personal comment here
# 261:
6:08 pm PDT, Apr 27, Nicole Hardin, Alabama
# 260:
6:53 am PDT, Apr 27, Cynthia Morarend, Virginia
# 259:
6:40 am PDT, Apr 27, Jason J Green, Virginia
# 258:
7:36 pm PDT, Apr 23, Alicia Maria Mutti, Argentina
# 257:
4:28 pm PDT, Apr 22, Aleasha Casaretto, Texas
We must stop cruel practices of ALL kinds. All creation deserves respect and consideration, without which we are uncivilised. Let's get civilised and protect the rights of animals as well as humans.
# 256:
4:50 am PDT, Apr 22, Izzy Wilhelmsen, Norway
# 255:
6:21 pm PDT, Apr 20, Carolyn Tonahill, Louisiana
# 254:
6:03 pm PDT, Apr 20, Jacolin Schultz, Wisconsin
# 253:
4:33 pm PDT, Apr 20, Judy Seymour, Maryland
I urge you to include birds in the Humane Slaughter Act --if you don't care about humane treatment, think about what it does to your body to eat a stressed and abused animal.
# 252:
10:23 pm PDT, Apr 19, Karenlee Holland, Arizona
# 251:
8:59 pm PDT, Apr 19, Bea Brinkley, Australia
Chickens and other poultry deserve the same protection as other farm animals. Their lives is horrible enough. Please do the right thing!! Thanks
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