Protecting poultry

Serving turkey on Thanksgiving Day is one of the cherished and enduring American traditions. Each year, the president publicly spares a turkey from its intended fate, though millions more are served up with stuffing and gravy. Yet few Americans may be aware that the law that protects other animals from inhumane slaughter doesn't include turkeys and other poultry.

The Humane Society of the United States wants to change that circumstance. In a campaign called Petition for Poultry, the animal rights organization is asking people to sign a petition that urges Congress to add turkeys and chickens to the list of animals that must be rendered "insensible to pain" before slaughter.

It is a worthy effort and is not intended to make meat eaters feel guilty or exaggerate the conditions under which some slaughterhouses operate. In October, an undercover investigation at a poultry processing plant in Maryland showed workers torturing chickens on the assembly line - throwing live animals against walls, "spiking" one on the floor as though it were a football and generally causing the animals unnecessary pain.

It is unethical for a civilized society to ignore the unnecessary suffering of animals, said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. While the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act protects cattle, hogs and sheep from such treatment, it excludes poultry, which are the majority of animals slaughtered each year.

"It's especially important that we think about this during the holiday times when we're thinking about others and thinking about kindness and thinking about all sorts of good values," Pacelle said. "We should apply those same values to the animals that are reared for food."

Anyone interested in more information about the petition can get it on the Humane Society's Web site (www.hsus.org) Congress shouldn't have to wait for a petition to know that most Americans favor the humane treatment of all animals, even those that end up on the dinner table.

[Last modified November 25, 2004, 00:12:21]