A number of celebrities have written a letter to McDonald’s on behalf of Mercy For Animals, crying foul over the fast food giant’s treatment of egg-laying hens.
A MFA investigation exposed the abhorrent cruelty at one of McDonald’s suppliers, and a host of stars – including Ryan Gosling, Zooey Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone, Maria Menounos, Kristin Bauer, Ed Begley Jr., Bryan Adams and Steve-O – have added their names to the letter.
“On behalf of compassionate people everywhere, I implore you to help end the needless suffering of these animals by adopting strict and meaningful animal welfare policies worldwide, including the commitment to prohibit the purchase of eggs produced by hens who spend their miserable lives crammed into tiny wire cages,” reads the letter. "In MFA’s investigative video, McDonald’s egg suppliers are shown burning off the beaks of baby birds without painkillers, chicks are shown trapped and mangled in cage wire suffering from untreated wounds, live chicks are slowly suffocated in trash bags, and dead and rotting corpses are left in cages with hens still laying eggs for McDonald’s Egg McMuffins.
“While all of these abuses are unconscionable, perhaps the worst form of torture forced on these innocent animals is the use of battery cages. As you should know, battery cages are considered so cruel that leading animal welfare experts condemn them, and the entire European Union, as well as California and Michigan, have banned their use. A growing number of your competitors have already committed to only buying eggs from cage-free suppliers. It’s time for McDonald’s to stop clowning around and help put an end to some of the most abusive factory farming practices.
“It’s a good time for some great changes at McDonald’s. As the largest egg buyer in the entire country, McDonald’s has the power – and the moral responsibility – to ensure that the eggs in its Egg McMuffins don’t come from rotten egg suppliers.
“As a civilized society, it’s our moral obligation to prevent cruelty to animals – including those used in food production. Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.”
To read the full letter and find out more, click here.
