PETA To Protest At McDonald's

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As part of its nationwide ongoing campaign, activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will picket outside a Riverside McDonald's today to denounce what they call cruel chicken-slaughtering practices by the fast-food giant's suppliers -- a claim McDonald's denies.

PETA plans a 90-minute "McCruely" protest at the restaurant at 7474 Indiana Ave. at 1 p.m.

Demonstrators will hand out leaflets and carry signs decrying what they say is animal cruelty.

"Chickens raised for McDonald's are slaughtered using an outdated method that results in extreme suffering," according to PETA. "As one of the biggest sellers of chicken meat, McDonald's has the responsibility -- and the ability -- to reduce this abuse by demanding that its U.S. and Canadian suppliers use a less cruel slaughter method."

According to PETA's McCruelty.com website, live chickens are routinely taken from trucks and "hung upside down in metal shackles, which can result in broken bones, extreme bruising and hemorrhaging."

"Workers have the opportunity to abuse live birds, and birds have their throats cut while they are still conscious," according to the website. "Many birds are immersed in tanks of scalding hot water while they are still alive."

McDonald's issued a statement, calling PETA's campaign grossly inaccurate. McDonald's "requires our food suppliers to do the right thing -- for animals, for humans and for the environment," the statement said.     

A McDonald's spokesman said chicken farms and slaughterhouses were regularly audited and the company works with "leading independent animal welfare experts" to make sure the birds are humanely killed.

Click on the attached PDF to read a 2009 statement from McDonald's about poultry processed for its restaurants, or visit www.aboutmcdonalds.com and search the issue.