Filthy Poultry Farms Breed Fatal Flu. Tofu Factories Don’t.

The outbreak of the new H7N8 strain of bird flu in Indiana’s top poultry-producing county has prompted officials to order the deaths of more than 400,000 chickens and turkeys—and in response, PETA plans to place this provocative billboard in Dubois County.

PETA hopes to remind everyone that crowded poultry farms, where animals stand and sleep amid their own waste, are breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria and viruses like avian flu.

On a poultry farm, one shed may house tens of thousands of birds who are never allowed outside and don’t have the opportunity to breathe fresh air. These sensitive, inquisitive animals are surrounded by their own waste and breathe in ammonia-laden air that burns their lungs and damages their immune systems. When one bird gets sick, the disease can quickly spread to all the other birds in a shed—and coming into contact with infected chicken meat or eggs puts consumers’ health at risk.

Fortunately, vegan products such as tofu, meat-free tenders, plant-based “turkey” and other deli slices, egg-free mayonnaise, and more are widely available and carry none of the disease risk—or the saturated animal fat and cholesterol—that turkey and chicken flesh and eggs do.