030160 PETA Raises Chicken Slaughtering IssuesJanuary 27, 2003Atlanta - In the debate over poultry processing, producers and animal rights activists can agree on one thing: Consumers don't want to know the gruesome details. As millions of Americans sit down for dinner each night, no one wants to think about the waste-filled sheds, crammed cages and electric stun baths that were part of the chicken's life before it became a delicious drumstick, nugget or wing. That's the conclusion the Farm Marketing Institute shared with poultry industry professionals at the recent International Poultry Exposition here. Animal-rights activists agree. That's why People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is publicizing the most common form of chicken slaughter: a stun bath designed to knock the birds out before their throats are slit and they are dumped into scalding water. PETA says many birds are conscious until the hot water kills them. Chicken industry officials say the method is safe, humane and efficient, and consumers don't want to hear about it. "The message came out clear that the customer said, 'We trust you as the retailers to make sure that the food you're selling us has been produced under animal welfare guidelines,'" said Jill Hollingsworth, the marketing institute's vice president of animal safety programs, who's working with the industry to draft ethics guidelines. Animal rights activists say people might stop eating chickens if they knew about the gory process. "Chickens are probably the most abused animals on the face of the planet," said Bruce Friedrich, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. With worldwide vegetarianism an unlikely ideal, PETA has set its sights on reform. They've launched a national boycott of KFC, saying the fast-food chain should make sure its suppliers provide better living conditions for birds. They also want the stun bath method of slaughter done away with, advocating lethal doses of gas instead.
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