PETA addresses treatment of hens in letter sent to McDonald's executives and consultants.

The following letter was sent to McDonald's executives Jack Greenberg, Jack Daley, Bob Langert, and Walt Riker, and to McDonald's consultants Temple Grandin, Diane Halverson, Joy Mench, Janice Swanson, Jeff Armstrong, and Ken Olson.

August 17, 2000

Jack Greenberg, CEO
McDonald's Corporation
1 Kroc Dr.
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Dear Mr. Greenberg:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is pleased to learn that there is agreement among several members of McDonald's Blue Ribbon Animal Advisory Board that forced molting is a process that is both cruel to laying hens and a significant factor in spreading Salmonella enteritidis (Se). Scientific evidence is overwhelming that forced molting results in suffering for both humans and hens. We urge McDonald's to alleviate what suffering it can by refusing to purchase eggs from producers who force molt their hens.

Every year, forced molting causes intense and unjustifiable misery for millions of egg-laying hens as they are starved and kept in pitch dark for up to two weeks in order to shock and trick their bodies into one more laying cycle. Hundreds of thousands of hens die while those who survive shed their feathers, lose up to 35 percent of their weight, and grow weak and susceptible to disease. During this period, the starving survivors peck frantically at their empty feed trays and many resort to eating manure-covered feathers. There is nothing natural about this process; during a natural molt, hens still consume vast amounts of food and do not die by the thousands in crowded cages amidst the feces-covered corpses of their cagemates. The practice is banned in most civilized countries.

Forced molting has been proved harmful to humans by government scientists. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently sponsored a study on forced molting and reported that "forced molted flocks produced Se positive eggs twice as frequently as non-molted flocks for a period up to 140 days following the molt" and reported that Se infections would be significantly reduced if forced molting were eliminated. Furthermore, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advises that, "in an effort to reduce human illnesses caused by Se, FSIS is encouraging poultry and egg producers to eliminate forced molting practices and adopt alternatives that reduce public health risks."

The Food Animal Concerns Trust in the United States also reports that by using non-confinement systems that preclude forced molting they were able to reduce Se by 70%. And the top consumer groups in the U.S. have taken a strong stance against the practice, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumers Union, and Public Citizen. Countries that ban forced molting, and encourage non-confinement systems report that their poultry are now practically Se free. Even the United Egg Producers Animal Welfare Committee recently wrote that "we do not believe that feed restriction or withdrawal to induce a molt should be continued."

The serious risks to human health and animal welfare caused by forced molting can no longer be ignored; the occurrence of fatal Se poisonings and severe animal suffering caused by the practice are all too real. In this case, it is clear that the paths of human and animal health and welfare are one in the same. We encourage McDonald's advisory board to immediately address the issue of forced molting by recommending that McDonald's obtain signed assurances from egg suppliers that they either do not engage in the practice of forced molting, or that they will cease the practice immediately.

We look forward to your response to this serious public health and animal welfare issue.

Sincerely,

Bruce G. Friedrich
Vegetarian Campaign Coordinator