And the hits just keep on coming for McDonalds. An animal rights organization is urging McDonald’s Canada to take a firm stand against what it calls “shocking animal cruelty” captured on a graphic video it says was taken at two Alberta farms, which shows dead hens rotting in the cages, and chicks being covered in feces. . As The Globe and Mail reports [3], McDonald’s, however, says while it does get eggs from Burnbrae along with many other Canadian companies, it says its eggs do not come from the farms referenced in the W5 story.
“They’re so crammed inside those cages they can’t spread their wings, they can’t walk, they can’t turn around, they can’t engage in any of their natural behaviour,” said Stephane Perrais, director of operations with Mercy For Animals Canada.
“They spend one year of their miserable life in there, basically producing eggs and after that time period, they’re considered spent by the industry because their productivity is declined, and then they’re slaughtered.”
The group says the footage was taken by an undercover investigator who was hired as a farm worker by Ku-Ku Farms and Creekside Grove Farms for 10 weeks in May.
The video also shows dead hens rotting in the cages, and chicks being covered in feces.
A statement said McDonald’s said it does not condone animal abuse by its suppliers.
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“We care about the humane treatment of animals and believe they should be free from cruelty, abuse and neglect,” said spokeswoman Karin Campbell in the written statement emailed to The Canadian Press.
“Abuse is never tolerated in our supply chain and McDonald’s has strict policies in place concerning the treatment of animals that our suppliers must adhere to at all times. We also work with our suppliers and outside experts to continuously improve our standards and practices, both within McDonald’s and across the industry.”