Thousands Join PETA in Opposing Chicken Prison

For Immediate Release:

9 August 2018

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]

THOUSANDS JOIN PETA IN OPPOSING CHICKEN PRISON

Over 3,000 Compassionate People Agree: Authorities Should Stand With the Public and Block Farm Proposal

Newark, Nottinghamshire – A proposal has been submitted for a new intensive chicken farm near Tuxford that would condemn up to 360,000 gentle birds at a time to a life of misery – and in response, PETA has sent a petition with over 3,000 signatures from local residents and other concerned members of the public urging Bassetlaw District Council to reject the plan. Previous PETA exposés have revealed horrific suffering on UK chicken farms.

In the petition, PETA points out that, in addition to causing cruelty to animals on a massive scale, a farm of this kind would likely have many negative effects on the local area, including increased traffic from vehicles, the erection of additional buildings on the site – which would likely compromise the character of the landscape – and the generation of enormous quantities of manure and environmental pollutants such as ammonia.

“Thousands of compassionate people have spoken, and Bassetlaw District Council should heed their concerns for animal welfare, the environment, and the health of the community,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “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, would spend their time foraging, exploring, and taking dust baths. But on farms, even so-called “free-range” or “organic” ones, they’re often prevented from engaging in these natural forms of behaviour. And they may be as young as 6 weeks old when they’re sent to the abattoir, where they’re shackled and hung upside down and their throats are slit.

PETA further notes that diets heavy in cholesterol and saturated fat, both of which are found in chicken flesh, can increase a person’s risk of falling victim to many of the UK’s top killers, including heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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