Bird Flu Outbreak Prompts Pointed PETA Billboard in Madison

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

For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2015

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Madison, Wis. — As the H5N2 bird flu death toll mounts in the Midwest—with nearly 13 million bird deaths on poultry farms since early March alone—PETA plans to place a billboard in Madison that shows a chicken hanging by the feet in front of a blood-spattered wall, with the caption, “Bird Flu. The Writing Is on the Wall. Go Vegan.” 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—and that the kindest and healthiest choice is to go vegan.

“You’ll never catch the flu from a piece of tofu, but when tens of thousands of birds are crammed into filthy sheds and surrounded by their own waste, diseases spread and even mutate quickly,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on people who are concerned about animals or their own health to do what so many other diners are doing nowadays—and that’s choosing healthy vegan meals.”

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.

For more information and to see the billboard, please visit PETA.org.