SAFE CHALLENGES KFC CRUELTY

Claims made by KFC general manager Rod de Vries that chickens served at their restaurants are raised under high animal welfare standards has been rubbished by SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek. In a recent article published in the Nelson Mail, de Vries states that KFC has had a very close and long-term working relationship with Inghams and Tegel to ensure that welfare standards are maintained to the very highest levels. Mr de Vries does not elaborate what these high standards are and conveniently ignores the reality of meat chicken (broiler) farming in this country. 

New Zealand's 80 million broilers lead miserable short lives inside overcrowded windowless sheds. Up to 20 birds per square metre are packed wall-to-wall. These animals have been selectively bred to grow so fast that they reach their slaughter weight at a mere six weeks of age. The animals' unnaturally heavy bodies place great strain on their legs and recent research shows that most New Zealand meat chickens cannot walk normally. They are routinely fed antibiotics to keep disease at bay and to speed up their growth even further. Pushed to their physical and biological limits, over three million of these baby birds die each year before even reaching the age of six weeks.

"Consumers opposed to the mistreatment of animals are advised to stay clear of KFC and other outlets selling the abused bodies of baby chickens," says Hans.

06 July 2007