PETA's Third Letter to Burger King

October 26, 2000

Mr. Rob Doughty, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations
Burger King Corporation
17777 Old Cutler Rd.
Miami, FL 33157

2 pages via fax: 305-378-7714

Dear Mr. Doughty:

When I spoke with you a week ago, you assured me that Burger King was doing so much regarding animal welfare that you needed a week to meet with Burger King?s vice president in charge of Research and Development to put a letter together for PETA that would make us happy. When I spoke with you last night, you said that you were almost done but needed one more day. As far as I can tell, the letter you finally sent really could have been thrown together in 30 minutes, assuming any of these plans were in place when we spoke on October 18.

In your letter, you say that Burger King expects its suppliers to comply with the Humane Slaughter Act, avoiding the fact that the Act does nothing, because it is not enforced (inspectors have been taken off slaughter lines). You offer no indication that you will do anything to ensure compliance with the Act, ignore the fact that you have not actually hired Dr. Grandin (although you told me you had), and say nothing about the flagrant violations by one of your suppliers, IBP, Inc. At this point, we still have no indication that Burger King would do anything at all if its major supplier were to send every animal kicking and screaming, fully conscious, down the slaughter line through skinning and dismemberment.

The one bright spot in your letter, that you plan to hire Dr. Grandin and form an animal welfare committee, is totally negated by the committee?s mandate, which is, shamelessly, to enforce "industry guidelines." You seem to think that we do not realize that industry guidelines are archaic and cruel. Quite appallingly, they do not offer even the slightest protection from animal cruelty. Industry guidelines allow for slicing off the beaks of animals without painkillers, cramming seven or eight hens into an 18-by-20 inch space for their entire lives, starving and dehydrating hens for up to 14 days to force another laying cycle (causing a third of them to die), and the list goes on. McDonald?s has decided to challenge industry guidelines and is requiring serious improvements of its suppliers. If your plan is to ensure that suppliers adhere to industry guidelines, you are doing nothing, and not one animal?s life will be improved. You could put the Pope on such a committee and nothing would change.

Let me assure you that my hand of cooperation is still offered in good faith, but your letter does not indicate to me that Burger King has any interest in doing anything whatsoever to alleviate the suffering of animals raised and killed for its restaurants. Unless you agree to hire Dr. Grandin and follow her counsel, pledge to meet and exceed McDonald?s standards of animal welfare, and agree to bi-monthly briefings with Dr. Gross on behalf of PETA (as agreed to by Dr. Grandin), you can expect an international campaign against Burger King.

Sincerely,

Bruce G. Friedrich
Vegetarian Campaign Coordinator

cc: Dr. Temple Grandin
Dr. Steven J. Gross, Humane PAC
Mr. Colin Storm, CEO
Ms. Mikel Durham, President, Burger King North America
Mr. Frank Capaldo, Executive Director, National Franchisee Association, Inc.