Spring 2008 Volume 18, Number 1 PoultryPromoting the compassionate and respectful Press treatment of domestic fowl Chosen one of the BEST Nonprofit Publications by UTNE magazine Vegan – More Than Just “Tofu and Sprouts” a U.S. slaughter plant in 2007 urinating on live chickens and other vicious behaviors. It is time for the humane people of the world to abandon animal-based diets and choose to eat compassionately. Leave “pee pee” steps to baby chicks – take a GIANT STEP! A response to “The Cost of Cheap Chicken,” Jan. 4, 2008 By Karen Davis, President of United Poultry Concerns, The Independent, Jan. 22, 2008 Edited and updated for this issue of Poultry Press. overnments, corporations and others are looking for smarter, Gmore efficient technologies to neutralize the negative impacts of intensive UPC# 11656 farmed animal production. There is this idea, this hope, that 6 billion-plus people on the planet, devouring huge quantities of animal products, can somehow consist with Photo: United Poultry Concerns “humane, sustainable” animal agriculture. United Poultry Jill & Juniper I think this is false, and that if a vegan Concerns solution to our environmental and animal P.O. Box 150 UPC President Karen Davis published welfare problems seems hopelessly idealistic, Machipongo, VA the following Comment in the Internet a shift away from industrial animal 23405-0150 letters section of The Independent, a popular production practices to supply billions of (757) 678-7875 newspaper in the United Kingdom. It is a omnivores is even more so. FAX: (757) 678-5070 response to what The Independent called “the It isn’t just “factory farming.” The Visit Our Web Site: distressing and unnatural conditions endured problem is animal farming (which is all www.upc-online.org by Britain’s 800 million ‘broiler’ chickens” basically industrial, because hundreds and documented in a new video by Compassion in thousands of animals in a single commercial World Farming. location = industrial). Make no mistake: At the same time as these revelations even improved living standards for chickens appeared, People for the Ethical Treatment of and turkeys and other farmed animals are Animals published a video of Tyson workers at far lower than the standards most people UNITED PO U LTRY CON C ERNS WWW .upc -ONLINE .ORG Volume 18, Number 1 would consider minimally acceptable for animals of of the birds, and the company’s product still will pass comparable sentience and intelligence, such as a dog, inspection.” a parrot or a cat. Farmed-animal “welfare” will never By contrast, a vegan diet is not only an opportunity come close to meeting the complex needs of the animals to create a less violent and toxic world, but an involved. intelligent food safety choice that doesn’t depend on the In addition, animal products pose a significant government. Nor will a vegan diet sacrifice jobs or ruin food-safety risk. According to the U.S. Department the economy. As long as people exist, the same amount of Agriculture, the major foodborne pathogens of food will have to be produced and sold, and all plant (disease-causing microorganisms including Salmonella, food has protein. Campylobacter, E. coli, and Listeria) that make people As consumers, we can use our purchasing power to sick and susceptible to arthritis and other degenerative speed technological conversion to the production of all- diseases are to be found in “meat, poultry, seafood, dairy vegetarian foods. In retooling, producers will hire just products, and eggs.” as many workers as before to feed the hungry-as-ever Given the international trade population. For those who in animals’ bodies and in processed “The promotion of Freedom Foods products, care about animals, health, foods containing animal products free range systems and the use of slower growing and the well-being of the – which are increasingly assembled chickens can only ever have a marginal impact on planet, the happy task is not only from different animals bird welfare. The lives of these ‘high welfare’ birds to show people the many but from different countries – it are also miserable and deprived. The fundamental wonderful vegan products, is virtually impossible to regulate problem is the commodification of chickens (and recipes and menu items the agribusiness economy in of other farmed animals). There will always be a that are available – the interest of food safety. Each niche market for less roughly-treated birds, but for delicious cholesterol-free hamburger contains tissue from so long as animals are mass produced, fattened, meats, soy ice creams, and a hundred different “spent” dairy transported and killed for food products, then much more. cows, as noted in Gail Eisnitz’s those engaged in such activities will obey the rules In any event, no book Slaughterhouse. The dairy of the market place and seek to reduce unit costs one should be allowed industry’s brutality to “spent” cows and maximise output. These cardinal rules of anymore to get away with was recently documented in a the marketplace translate inexorably into animal dismissing vegan food as highly-publicized investigation by suffering. Animal Aid believes that it is cruel and a boring “diet of tofu and the Humane Society of the United immoral to treat animals as commodities, which sprouts.” Not that there States at a California slaughter is why we promote the non-animal diet.” is anything wrong with plant. But what was revealed there From “Give it up, guys,” by Andrew Tyler, tofu and sprouts; rather, goes on all the time all over the Director of Animal Aid in the U.K., The what is unacceptable is world. Guardian, March 1, 2008 the stereotype of vegan An icky little grease ball item consumers and foods as like a chicken nugget can be made out of stuff from the meager and ascetic. We can have a happy, healthy life four corners of the earth and is basically an assemblage without slaughterhouses. k of diseased flesh – skin, scabs, sores, bruises, pus. – Karen Davis Chicken nuggets and patties supplied to the USDA’s National School Lunch Program have been said by inspectors to be made out of chickens who “usually have either airsacculitis, a pneumonia-like infection, or inflammatory process, which is similar to an infected cut.” In both cases, “pockets of pus” form in various parts of the body that can be “like a jelly.” However, “Even if a diseased bird is found, little is likely to happen.” An inspector can find “sores on 52 percent United Poultry Concerns • (757) 678-7875 2 P.O. Box 150 • Machipongo, VA 23405-0150 Volume 18, Number 1 UNITED PO U LTRY CON C ERNS WWW .upc -ONLINE .ORG Go Vegan! Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa MorningStar Farms, a Kellogg’s company, is a Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero from leader in providing delicious vegan products. They Marlow & Company include: Vegan with a Vengeance: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Meal Starters Chik’n Strips Animal-Free Recipes that Rock Meal Starters Steak Strips by Isa Chandra Moskowitz from Grillers Original Vegan Burger Marlowe & Company Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles Meal Starters Sausage-Style Recipe Crumbles Vegan Seafood: Beyond the Fish Vegan Burger made with Organic Soy Shtick for Vegetarians by Nancy Berkoff from The Vegetarian New cookbooks: available at your local bookstore or Resource Group k order online: Humane Education Committee Brings Teachers & Students Together for Chickens at New York City Conference, Jan. 26 “‘Chickens Can Fly’” was a wonderful experience even though it was hard for me to stop crying.” – one teacher’s evaluation of the conference hickens Can Fly: Learning About Farmed Animals and Farm Sanctuaries provided Ca unique opportunity in learning to incorporate creative and interdisciplinary lessons about chickens, and other animals raised on farms, into the curriculum for teachers of grades pre-kindergarten to twelve. Organized by Dr. Sheila Schwartz, head of the Humane Education Committee of the United Photo by: Nyree McCray, UFT Federation of Teachers, and a member of United Karen with Flopsie & baby chick Poultry Concerns’ Board of Advisors, the conference Sanctuary, and the Humane Education Committee. featured UPC President Karen Davis, PhD as the Teachers learned how to integrate lessons about keynote speaker (along with other excellent speakers chickens and other farmed animals, as well as plant- including Pamela Rice of NYC’s VivaVegie Society*), based meals, into their classroom programs. The and included a vegan cooking demonstration by luncheon featured delicious soy “chicken” nuggets Certified Health Practitioner Sharon Cahr whose recipe prepared by the cafeteria. Ta dah! booklet “Cluckless Cutlets and More” was passed out free to participants along with an amazing array of To learn more about the United Federation of Teachers books, videos, posters and curriculum guides provided Humane Education Committee, click on: http://www. by United Poultry Concerns, Animal Place, Farm uft.org/member/committees/humane/. United Poultry Concerns • (757) 678-7875 3 P.O. Box 150 • Machipongo, VA 23405-0150 UNITED PO U LTRY CON C ERNS WWW .upc -ONLINE .ORG Volume 18, Number 1 PoultryPress is published quarterly by United Poultry Concerns, Inc., a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of Maryland. Federal I.D.: 52-1705678 EDITOR : Karen Davis GRA P HI C DESIGN : Gary Kaplan UNITED PO U LTRY CON C ERNS , IN C . OFFI C ERS : Photo by: Esther Friedman KAREN DAVIS , PhD, President-Director Karen Davis addresses Chickens Can Fly conference GEOR G E ALLAN CATE , PhD, Vice President-Director *Pamela Rice, founder of the VivaVegie festival will take place. For information, Society, is the author of the terrifically call 212.242.0011 or visit www. JOAN MEANOR k HOLT G RAVER , MA, informative book 101 Reasons Why veggieprideparade.org.