Thousands Join PETA in Opposing Chainhurst Chicken Prison
Thousands Join PETA in Opposing Chainhurst Chicken Prison
Over 15,000 Compassionate People Agree: Authorities Should Stand With the Public and Block Farm Proposal
Maidstone – A proposal has been submitted for an egg farm in Chainhurst that would condemn 192,000 gentle birds – 64,000 per building – at a time to a life of misery and inevitable slaughter. In response, PETA has sent a petition with over 15,000 signatures from local residents and other concerned members of the public urging Maidstone Borough Council to reject the plan. The applicant claims the facility would be “free-range“, but PETA exposés of UK farms have shown that such labels, while making consumers feel better about purchasing eggs, don’t prevent chickens from suffering.
In the petition, PETA points out that, in addition to causing cruelty to animals on a massive scale, the planned farm would likely have many negative effects on the local area, including through the erection of buildings on the site – which would likely compromise the character of the landscape – increased traffic from heavy goods vehicles, and the enormous quantities of manure and environmental pollutants such as ammonia it would generate.
“Thousands of compassionate people have spoken, and Maidstone Borough Council should heed their concerns for animal welfare, the environment, and the health of the community,” says PETA Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner. “PETA is calling for this plan to be scrapped, sparing thousands of birds a lifetime of suffering and an agonising death.”
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – notes that chickens are curious, active animals who, in nature, spend their time foraging, exploring, and taking dust baths. But on farms, even “free-range” or “organic” ones, they’re often prevented from engaging in these natural forms of behaviour. And when their worn-out bodies can no longer produce enough eggs to be profitable, they’re sent to slaughter, typically to be turned into “low-grade” meat.
The group further notes that cramming stressed animals together on farms like this one is not only is a living hell for animals but also creates a perfect breeding ground for infectious diseases. Confining animals on faeces-ridden farms, transporting them in filthy lorries, and slaughtering them on killing floors soaked with blood, urine, and other bodily fluids means deadly pathogens emerge and can spread from animals to humans. Taking into account the negative impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on our society, it’s imperative that these facilities are no longer built in the UK.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]
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