Thank you, Editorial Board, for echoing the call for compassion on factory farms. For years, animal protection organizations have shown the inherent cruelty in cutting the beaks off egg-laying hens and confining them to spaces so small they can’t even spread a single wing. Battery cages will be illegal in the European Union starting in 2012, and the U.S. would do well to follow that example. However, sadly, this is not the only area where McDonald’s is falling behind the times on animal welfare standards.
The company has also repeatedly refused to demand that suppliers use a more humane method of slaughter known as controlled-atmosphere killing, or CAK, which is increasingly prevalent in Europe.
McDonald’s, as one of the largest sellers of chicken meat, has the responsibility and the ability to demand that suppliers switch to CAK.
Chickens raised for meat have their throats cut while they are still conscious. Birds who miss the mechanical blade or are otherwise not killed by it are then scalded to death in defeathering tanks. This occurs because there are no federal laws regarding the treatment of chickens or the way that they are killed.
The cruelty inherent in such practices is obvious to anyone who doesn’t have $1.2 billion in quarterly profits to confuse them. For more information about McDonald’s cruelty to animals, visit McCruelty.com.
