A new Huffington
Post article
by MFA’s president, Nathan Runkle, draws attention to this week’s presidential pardon of
two Foster Farms turkeys in honor of Thanksgiving. But don’t let this poultry industry PR stunt fool you.
As a
Mercy For Animals undercover investigation into an American Humane
Association “American Humane Certified Foster Farms poultry facility showed,
Foster Farms is no friend to birds. Our hidden-camera footage exposed chickens
run over by transport trucks, workers ripping out the feathers of live birds
for fun, and birds scalded alive in hot water feather-removal tanks. Following
the secret video’s release, three workers were
suspended and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office opened a criminal
investigation.
Sadly, this abuse is not singular, and without meaningful animal welfare requirements Foster Farms chickens will continue to suffer. Foster Farms turkeys, who are also American Humane Certified, suffer tremendously too. They are bred to grow so big so fast their own bones can’t even support their body weight. This is animal cruelty no company with morals should condone.
For more than a decade, AHA has been slapping its “humane” certification on products from some of the worst factory farms in North America, including big-name turkey producer Butterball—another company MFA has outed for rampant animal abuse. That’s why more than 130,000 caring consumers have petitioned AHA to update its standards to minimize on-farm abuses and mandate less cruel killing systems that reduce the suffering of birds. Foster Farms must also stop pretending that its AHA certification prevents animal abuse and implement truly meaningful animal welfare requirements.
You can help by telling Foster Farms to stop abusing birds and selling lies:
And remember, the best way we can protect birds and other farmed animals this holiday season is simply to leave them off our plates. Visit ChooseVeg.com for seasonal vegan recipes and more.