Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Arizona State University recently discovered arsenic in feather meal from poultry raised in U.S. factory farms. Food companies routinely feed arsenic to poultry in order to fight infection and turn their flesh an "appetizing" pink color.
In addition to arsenic, scientists found caffeine, antihistamines and a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. These drugs were included in poultry feed to keep animals awake longer so they eat more, to calm the animals, and to fight infection, respectively. Fluoroquinolones are already illegal because they can breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria that harm humans. But apparently that hasn't stopped the poultry industry.
Factory farm workers are often unaware of the chemicals they feed to poultry. Obviously, consumers are also unaware of the drugs fed to the animals they eat.
A recent investigation of a North Carolina Butterball slaughterhouse by Mercy for Animals revealed shockingly sadistic, unnecessary cruelty to turkeys. Slaughterhouse workers were caught on video kicking, stomping on and dragging turkeys, bashing their heads in with metal rods and neglecting severely injured birds.
The cruelty displayed in these videos mirrors sadism exposed during a 2006 investigation of an Arkansas Butterball slaughterhouse. The 2006 expose documented an employee crushing a bird's head until it exploded and another employee sexually assaulting a female bird. These disgusting, malicious acts were unrelated to meat production and performed only for the sick amusement of sadistic workers. Clearly, animal abuse is an ongoing issue in poultry slaughterhouses nationwide.
Despite the USDA-confirmed abuse in the 2006 case, Butterball was not charged with animal cruelty. The U.S. currently has no federal law protecting chickens and turkeys raised for food, and the prosecutor assigned to the case chose not to charge Butterball for animal cruelty under Arkansas state law. Without federal protection, the cycle of animal abuse will continue all over the U.S. Please sign the petition to convince Congress to create a federal law to protect poultry from sadistic abuse.
In the beginning of
April, I started a
petition to urge the FDA
to stop requiring any
animal testing on any
drugs. I almost have
3,000 signatures, but I
need your help to get
more! We need to show the
FDA that we won't stand
for this any more.
Please,...
Joseph Kony deserves to
be arrested tomorrow.
He's spent two decades
committing horrific
crimes against humanity.
However, if he were to be
arrested, would the
children be safe? Not in
the least. So, what can
you do? 1. Only buy
fair trade 2...