Activists Protest McDonald's Subpar Animal Welfare Standards During Annual Shareholders Meeting

CHICAGO, May 23, 2018 (Newswire.com) - On Thursday, May 24, members of Animal Equality will protest in front of McDonald’s new Chicago headquarters to urge the company to eliminate the cruelest standard practices used by its chicken suppliers. Since March, thousands of consumers have participated in a robust campaign by Animal Equality and other animal protection organizations calling on the fast-food giant to reduce the suffering of the hundreds of millions of chickens raised annually for McDonald’s menu items.

Animal Equality’s campaign, McChickenCruelty.com, has included a petition reaching McDonald’s executives; social media actions, and demonstrations in front of McDonald’s restaurants and at McDonald’s Worldwide Conference in Orlando. At this protest, Animal Equality will showcase iAnimal, the organization’s pioneering virtuality reality experience which gives viewers a glimpse inside gruesome factory farms like those which raise chickens for McDonald’s. Animal Equality will also feature aerial and mobile billboards around the event which depict the miserable lives of chickens.

Chickens raised for McDonald's are bred to be so unnaturally big their own legs can't support their weight. They are crammed into dark sheds and trapped in filth, unable to engage in most natural behaviors. As one of the most iconic brands in the world, McDonald's has the power and social responsibility to eliminate the cruelest farming practices used by its producers and reduce the suffering of hundreds of millions of animals.

Ollie Davidson, Animal Equality Corporate Campaigns Coordinator

Date: 5/24/18
Time: 11am-1pm CT (aerial banner to fly over protest at 12pm)
Location: McDonald’s New Chicago Headquarters, 1043 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL

Nearly 90 companies — including many of McDonald’s competitors such as Burger King, Subway, and Jack in the Box — have already committed to making meaningful changes that will improve the lives of chickens. Meanwhile, McDonald’s continues to drag its feet.

On March 25, a full-page ad ran in the New York Times announcing a joint coalition effort from some of the nation’s largest nonprofits in their aligned ask for McDonald’s to commit to welfare reforms for the chickens in its supply chain. The coalition of animal protection groups, including The Humane League, Animal Equality, Compassion in World Farming, Compassion Over Killing, Mercy For Animals, and World Animal Protection, have united to ask McDonald’s to implement higher, science-based animal welfare standards for its chicken supply chain by switching to healthier breeds of birds, providing more room for the chickens to move, monitoring air and litter quality, and providing environmental enrichment. More information can be found at the coalition’s website, TruthAboutMcdonaldsChicken.com.

“Chickens raised for McDonald’s are bred to be so unnaturally big their own legs can’t support their weight. They are crammed into dark sheds and trapped in filth, unable to engage in most natural behaviors,” said Ollie Davidson, Animal Equality’s Corporate Campaigns Coordinator. “As one of the most iconic brands in the world, McDonald’s has the power and social responsibility to eliminate the cruelest farming practices used by its producers and reduce the suffering of hundreds of millions of animals.”

For more information, contact: 
Ollie Davidson
773-791-8297
[email protected]

Notes to Editors
Animal Equality is an animal protection organization that works toward a world without animal suffering. Animal Equality is a voice for farmed animals all over the world inspiring society, companies and policymakers to adopt compassionate changes for animals. The organization is active in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and India.

Source: Animal Equality