People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently re-launched the ‘McCruelty’ campaign against the fast food giant McDonald’s, saying of their treatment of animals, “I’m hatin’ it.”
The original campaign against McDonald’s was launched in 2000, and after the company worked with PETA to make some basic animal welfare changes, the campaign was withdrawn. Now, PETA says, there are more humane methods of killing animals such as chickens, but McDonald’s won’t use them. Controlled Atmosphere Killing (CAK) would allow chickens in McDonald’s suppliers’ slaughterhouses to die relatively painlessly, but they have refused to consider asking their suppliers to switch to CAK—a move that would cost McDonald’s nothing—and so PETA has unleashed their wrath at McCruelty.com. PETA says:
In the U.S., chickens killed by McDonald’s suppliers are slaughtered using an outdated method that results in extreme suffering. As the biggest seller of chicken meat in the U.S., McDonald’s has the responsibility—and the ability—to reduce this abuse by demanding that its U.S. suppliers use a less cruel method of slaughter.
Fast food is an inherently cruel industry. And it’s fairly common knowledge that fast food is not sustainable fare. But when convenience wins out over ethical and environmental concerns, fast food chains thrive. And unfortunately, in a depressed economy, many Americans are having to make their food decisions based on their wallets, rather than their hearts and minds. Lately McDonald’s has had a rise in sales, but it is at the expense of animals and the environment.
If you haven’t already denounced fast food, now is a good time to join PETA in boycotting McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants such as KFC. By convincing these huge corporations to implement changes in their animal welfare and environmental practices, we can make a huge impact on the lives of chickens and other animals that suffer in their factory farms and slaughterhouses, and hopefully reduce the demand for the type of unsustainable so-called “food” they peddle.
