International sandwich megabrand, Subway, have threatened vegan 'tuna' company Good Catch with legal action unless they stop embarrassing the fast food giant.
The move comes after Subway's own 'tuna' subs were found to contain zero tuna DNA. After the New York Times ordered DNA tests on several samples from Subway's sandwiches, the results came back negative for any tuna DNA but did contain an 'unidentified' meat. I have to admit there is a small optimistic side of me which did get slightly excited upon hearing that the sandwiches apparently contained no tuna, just in case Subway themselves were secretly using vegan tuna, but sadly it seems this is not the case. Subway still insist that their tuna subs contain 100% wild-caught tuna... and besides, the DNA does seem to have proven that the ingredients were animal flesh of some kind, even if it wasn't actually tuna. As an abolitionist vegan, arguing over what kind of animal was butchered to create this product is kind of besides the point - all animals suffer, all animals feel pain, no animal wants to die and whether they are using tuna, dolphins, cows or chickens it is still abhorrent. But I was pleased to read that vegan tuna producer Good Catch had jumped right in and capitalised on the story, not only for their own profits but also to draw attention to Subway's potential trickery and to the vegan cause in general. Good Catch have been parking buses featuring the logo 'Our Way' outside subway branches and offering 100% vegan tuna subs as a cruelty-free alternative to Subway's unethical products. However, because the 'Our Way' logo is cheekily similar to the Subway logo, the sandwich chain have complained and demanded that Good Catch stop showing them up and refrain from competing with them for customers. In response, the vegan tuna company has demanded that Subway introduce some vegan fish options onto their menu. In 2021 it is no longer sustainable, ethical or excusable to be fuelling the global marine life apocalypse and it's time that Subway sat up and took heed, rather than simply thinking about their profits. 2-days ago around 15 activists from Meat The Victims in Northern Ireland entered a huge shed containing close to 30,000 broiler chickens. What they found there was shocking.
The premises belonged to the Moy Park chain, one of the largest suppliers of poultry, not only in the UK and Ireland but in the whole of Western Europe. The company's website brags about their "dedication to providing the highest standards of animal husbandry, welfare and bio-security" but footage taken by the activists revealed just how misleading this statement really is. In fact, if this is the 'highest standards of animal welfare and husbandry' as the company's website claims, then we can only imagine how bad the rest of the farms are. The shed was one of four on the farm, indicating the total number of chickens was well over 100,000. The activists entered quietly under cover of darkness and for the first 30 minutes or so simply sat quietly to allow to avoid stressing the birds. As the chickens grew accustomed to their presence, the activists slowly started moving around the shed and examining the birds. Dead chickens lay around the floor of the shed, some looking as though they had been lying there for days, decomposing. Many of the chickens were sick and dying. Some were severely dehydrated, some had gaping wounds, some had respiratory ailments or swellings which indicated internal organ damage or tumours and some were too weak to even raise their heads. I've seen some of the footage and one thing which struck me was how inactive the majority of the birds were. I've cared for rescued chickens and they are very inquisitive, constantly exploring their surroundings. These ones were pitifully reluctant to move. For one thing, they have nothing to stimulate or interest them - there is only the barren floor and the uniform rows of food and water dispensers. If they do try to move through the tightly-packed crowd they are likely to be pecked and bullied. They are also selectively bred to grow faster than their bodies can cope with in a bid to make meat production as quick and efficient as possible. Although only three weeks old, these were already quite large - their organs become too big for their bodies and their legs find it hard to support their own weight. Even when the activists slowly moved through the flock, the birds would merely get up and walk a few feet before slumping down again on the shit-covered floor. Some were too weak to stand or even to raise their heads. These individuals were gently lifted to a makeshift 'sick bay' area where the activists could give them water and let them rest. Nevertheless, some died even while the activists were tending to them, leaving their carers feeling helpless and bereft. Because the chickens spend so much time slumped on the thick layer of faeces which formed their floor, the ammonia had burned their feathers and they were mostly bare-skinned and sore-looking underneath. It's common for feet and legs also to become burnt and deformed by the ammonia in the substratum, which they are sitting, standing or lying on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for their entire lives and from which there is no escape. You can see from one of the pictures above just how densely packed these sheds are, yet at three weeks old, these birds are only half grown. By the time they are deemed ready for slaughter in another three weeks they will literally be crammed shoulder-to shoulder. The activists found it incredibly hard to be in this environment for any length of time because it was stiflingly hot, suffocatingly dusty and even with masks it was hard to breathe. It is little wonder so many of the birds are dehydrated and suffering from respiratory problems. After separating over 30 of the worst casualties - the ones most urgently in need of veterinary attention - and tending to them as best they could - the activists were discovered by the farmer, who promptly called the police. Ordered to leave, the activists tried to negotiate for the lives of these dying birds. They offered to leave immediately as long as they were allowed to take these 30-odd birds with them to receive the urgent veterinary care they so desperately needed but despite the fact that the birds were going to die anyway and would never be worth any money to the farmer, he flatly refused, stubbornly attempting not to lose face. Undaunted, the activists offered to call their own vet, a trusted avian specialist, out to the farm in an effort to save these tiny lives but the police even refused to allow this. Instead, they allowed the farmer to call in his vet, a rude, uncaring woman from St, David's Poultry, an industry-appointed company set up to support and promote this kind of systemic abuse. She appeared to be less interested in examining the sick chickens than in defending the farmer, the company and the industry as a whole. She even openly admitted that none of the 30 or so sick birds would receive veterinary treatment. The only treatment they offer is 'population medicine' where, for example, the entire flock is given routine antibiotics but no care is provided to individual birds. Instead, they will be gassed to death. This is standard industry practice. The vets are only there to 'rubber stamp' the whole process and give the appearance of some kind of respectable, compassionate front to a heartless and abusive industry. Is this not the ultimate betrayal? After being so neglected by the farmer that they can no longer stand or get to food and water by themselves, the veterinary surgeon whose responsibility is supposed to be (at least in the eyes of the public) the care and welfare of the birds, refuses them any treatment other than the gas chamber. Even when caring individuals like those from Meat The Victims are offering to provide specialist medical care at their own expense, these monsters would rather see their victims murdered and thrown into the trash than allow that to happen. This is the real face of the chicken industry. Meat The Victims do an amazing job of getting into these places, helping sick and injured animals when possible and educating the public about what goes on behind closed doors. You can watch the videos of the full inspection on their Instagram account or lend your support at the website here. |