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MONTH: JAN-FEB 06
Industry rejects poultry killing by gas
Industry arguments against extending Humane Methods of Slaughter Act coverage to poultry tend to center on a claimed lack of acceptable alternatives to the present system of shackling birds upside down, then dragging them headlong through an electrified “stunning bath.”
An alternative, controlled atmosphere stunning, is already widely used in Europe. Slaughterhouses using controlled atmosphere stunning gas newly arrived birds in their transportation cages, using either carbon dioxide or a mixture of nitrogen and argon.
McDonald’s Corporation in November 2004 agreed to study the feasibility of requiring suppliers to shift to controlled atmosphere stunning, in exchange for PETA withdrawing a shareholder resolution that sought to require McDonald’s to do the study.
In June 2005 McDonalds concluded that “current standards for animal welfare are appropriate for the company’s global supply chain at this time.”
PETA pursued a similar resolution at the May 2005 Applebee’s International Inc. shareholders meeting, but it drew less than 6% support.