The USDA has been deceiving and lying to chicken consumers for years.  The Humane Slaughter Act, a federal law that protects animals killed for food from suffering during and before death, does not apply to chickens.  Previously, other petitioners have pointed this out to the USDA, who have simply claimed that the Humane Slaughter Act was intended for animals raised for red meat, and that there are other laws that protect chickens.  While the Humane Slaughter Act might not have been intended for chickens, the law “protecting” chickens, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, only relates to the quality of the meat, not the bird.

Sign this petition if you want to support a law that gives chickens the same protection that the Humane Slaughter Act gives other animals: euthanasia when sick or dying, safe transportation, and unconsciousness during slaughter.  Chickens already spend their entire lives malnourished, crowded together, and in danger of being stepped on due to an extreme lack of space.  They at least deserve to not be in pain during the last moments of their torturous lives.  Without the protection of a law that gives chickens a painless death, these poor birds will have their necks slit and bleed out to die.  This death is extremely painful and involves needless suffering.  If enough signatures for this petition are acquired, the USDA will have one less valid argument for the painful deaths of innocent birds.