Tell the Chicken Industry: Stop Putting Profits Above Animal Welfare
- by: ASPCA
- recipient: U.S. Chicken Industry
Industrial breeding has created chickens that grow at a freakishly rapid rate: up to three times faster than just 60 years ago. These huge birds commonly have no room to move, crammed by the tens of thousands into dark sheds.
Many chickens collapse under their own weight and spend much of their lives lying in their own waste, with open sores and wounds, unable to walk. These unhealthy conditions could potentially increase the risk of chickens contracting dangerous foodborne bacteria like Salmonella. A 2010 analysis of fresh, whole chicken bought at grocery stores nationwide found that two-thirds harbored Salmonella and/or Campylobacter, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease in humans.
Switching to slower-growing chickens raised in better conditions means healthier birds, less suffering, and birds that may be less likely to transmit foodborne illnesses.
It's up to us to speak out. Tell the chicken industry to stop putting profits above animal welfare and switch to slower-growing chickens raised in healthier, more humane conditions.
Dear [decision-maker],
Today's fast-growing chickens grow so large, so fast that many can barely stand. Raised in cruel conditions, they often spend their short lives suffering and sick.
No animal should be forced to suffer, and consumers should have higher-welfare choices at the store. It's time for the industry to stop maximizing profits at the expense of chickens and consumers. Chickens deserve better, and so do we.
It's time for slower-growing chickens raised in healthier, more humane conditions.
[Your comments will be inserted here]
