PETA: Al Sharpton joins campaign against KFC's animal abuse

[Karmadillo]

http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=5838

Fort Myers, Fla. — PETA’s target KFC, which announced plans at its investor meeting to market more heavily to African Americans, has a new foe to contend with: the Rev. Al Sharpton. Under a banner that reads, "KFC Tortures Chickens," PETA members will show Rev. Sharpton’s new video exposé of some of KFC’s cruelest practices at a Fort Myers KFC. The demonstration is the latest salvo in PETA’s international "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" Campaign. Rev. Sharpton is calling on the black community to join PETA’s boycott of KFC:

Date: Thursday, February 3
Time: 11 a.m.
Place: KFC, 4336 Palm Beach Blvd.

"If KFC wants to take our money and use it to pay for sloppy practices that hurt animals, I say we send them a message that this is not going to happen," says Rev. Sharpton. PETA plans to air the video on African-American-oriented TV programming, including BET, across the country.

The improvements that PETA and Rev. Sharpton want KFC to make have already been endorsed by members of KFC’s own animal welfare advisory panel, but the company won’t budge. They include modernizing slaughter procedures so that birds are not scalded alive in defeathering tanks, eliminating the excruciating debeaking of baby chicks, and stopping the use of unhealthy growth-promoting drugs that cause birds to become crippled under their own weight.

Rev. Sharpton is the latest in a growing roster of celebrities who have joined PETA’s "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" Campaign. Seinfeld star and ex-KFC pitchman Jason Alexander had his contract with KFC canceled after PETA enlisted him to speak to company execs about the suffering of chickens. PETA has had additional high-profile support from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, comedian Richard Pryor, rock icons Sir Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde, actors Pamela Anderson and Bea Arthur, and civil rights leaders Alice Walker, Kweisi Mfume, Dick Gregory, and Dr. Cornel West.

more...

[MikeG]

1. I'm still eating the Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Sorry.

[KnowerOfLogic]

6. Yeah...don't think about it....it's just so much easier that way. Besides

they're ANIMALS! They DON'T COUNT!!! (sarcasm, most definitely).

[Sterling]

7. I was with you until I read this

This KFC's lame statement on their site. I was acustomer of KFC's about five minutes ago. That was before I realized they are doing everything they can to avoid responsibilty for the way their animals are treated.


http://www.kfc.com/about/pr/072104.htm
PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS BY KFC PRESIDENT GREGG DEDRICK - JULY 21, 2004
The reason I'm here today is to set the record straight on this Pilgrim's Pride incident.

As we stated publicly yesterday, KFC is appalled by the actions of Pilgrim's Pride employees at this one facility in Moorefield, West Virginia. As a responsible corporate citizen, we require all our suppliers to treat animals humanely. This behavior by Pilgrim's Pride employees is not only appalling, it violates the standards we have in place for all our suppliers.

So what are we doing about it?

We've told Pilgrim's Pride that KFC will no longer buy product from this facility until they can assure us there are no instances of animal abuse there;
We've placed an inspector at this facility to monitor activity to be sure our guidelines are being followed;
We've asked Pilgrim's Pride to fire the employees found to be responsible;
We've asked Pilgrim's Pride to place security cameras in this moorefield facility to ensure that this behavior is not repeated again;
We've sent a letter to all suppliers to make sure they continue to follow the industry's animal welfare guidelines, and strictly enforce them; and
Pilgrim's Pride is one of our many suppliers, and we are just one of many fast food companies that buy from this Moorefield, West Virginia facility. In fact, we only buy 15% of all the product this facility produces - our other fast food competitors buy the other 85%.
So why did PETA single us out? Why did they mischaracterize this Pilgrim's Pride facility as a "KFC facility?" Why did they attempt to make it look like we raise and process chickens, when they know we do not?

We think it's outrageous that PETA is unfairly singling out KFC. They've done this because we're the most recognized brand selling chicken today, and our name, Kentucky Fried Chicken, is synonymous with chicken. So we have become their target. The truth is, we sell about 5% of all the chicken in America today -- that's less than the leading burger chain. But because our brand stands for chicken, they've targeted their campaign on us. Not on any other supermarket or QSR chain. Yet these companies buy their chicken from the same suppliers you do - like Pilgrim's Pride. You didn't see them hold today's press conference in Texas, where Pilgrim's Pride is located. They held it here to try to exert pressure on us.

There's nothing wrong with being a vegetarian. And we respect that's what PETA's ultimate goal is, but we're proud that we sell world-famous chicken. So we'll never see eye to eye with them.

Our responsibility, and we take it seriously, is to be sure we have the proper standards in place for our suppliers. While we have set standards for our suppliers, it's ultimately up to them to enforce them every day. We audit them regularly, but they have to enforce them.

I want you to know we have the same animal welfare guidelines that our competitors do. The same standards for our suppliers as our fast food competitors. They are on our website, KFC.com, and we have a copy available for you today.

We ask you today to stop being a pawn used by PETA. For example, some of the TV press coverage today said this is a "KFC videotape investigation." The Courier-Journal today failed to mention that we're just one of the many fast food customers of this facility - the entire article made it look like it was a KFC facility. In fact, almost all the press coverage made it look that way. And the media is not publishing all the facts. This ongoing PETA campaign of distortion, deceit and duplicity is outrageous. Their publicity ploys, like today's call for our CEO to step down, are ludicrous.

PETA has distorted the truth time and time again. Here are just a few examples of mistruths:

a fabricated letter by the Dalai Lama;
claiming Jason Alexander is anti-KFC;
claiming a former president of KFC was forced out of the company for meeting with PETA; and most importantly,
saying we don't enforce animal welfare standards with our suppliers. In fact, our animal welfare advisory council, made up of some of the world's most-renowned experts in this area like Dr. Temple Grandin, have endorsed our actions as recently as this morning.
What's more, PETA not only distorts the truth, they have harassed our executives and engaged in a campaign of harassment, invasion of privacy and what I'd call "corporate terrorism."
Bruce Friedrich, PETA's vegan campaign director, publicly said "all fast food establishments should be bombed, and he would say 'Hallelujah' to anyone who did this.

That same person was arrested and convicted for criminal trespass at the home of a Senior Executive at Yum! Brands on Christmas Eve, and that's not the first time PETA has invaded our privacy at our homes, church, at work, and with our families, our neighbors and their children.

According to the FBI, PETA funded the legal defense of an animal liberation front arsonist who was convicted of torching a Michigan State research lab.

This is not your warm and fuzzy animal rights group. This pressure through intimidation, harassment and invasion of privacy should not be tolerated. It is nothing short of "corporate terrorism."

We call on the news media and all Louisvillians to tell PETA enough is enough. Tell them their tactics are not welcome in our community. And join us by calling on Congress to strip PETA of their not-for-profit tax-free status. We hope you are equally outraged that taxpayer dollars are being used to fund this campaign of deceit, duplicity and terrorism.

[Piperay]

8. Self-deleted

why bother.

[donheld]

2. Popeye's is better anyway

[Pam-Moby]

3. I am with you Al, No KFC buying from my family....n/t

[Carolab]

4. We call it "Korporate Fucked Chicken" at my house. n/t

[Pam-Moby]

10. LOL good one. n/t

[underseasurveyor]

5. Cool

Right on Al:thumbsup:

I can't remember the last time I ate at KFC. It's been at least 10 years. Just the thought of eating KFC turns my stomach:puke: McD's is #1, KFC is #2 on my WNE (aka weenie;-) ) list. (WNE = Will Not Eat)

[Piperay]

9. Good for Sharpton

he has a kind heart. :thumbsup:

[goodhue]

11. that rocks!

Way to go Al! And congrats to PETA.

[smbolisnch]

12. Great to hear this!

Keep it up Al!! :bounce:

[cheezus]

13. Now if only peta had credibility

rather than being known for throwing blood on people and telling children their mommies are murders, they might have majority opinion on their side for something like this

[Skip Intro]

14. tired lines

:eyes: