Ad's Stark 'Meat Kills' Warning Designed to Drive Home Lifesaving Message

For Immediate Release:
November 5, 2009

Contact:
Ashley Byrne 757-622-7382

Jamestown, N.Y. -- In the wake of a deadly E. coli outbreak that was traced to ground beef from Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms--and that is suspected of killing two people and sickening dozens more--PETA will place a billboard in Jamestown that reads, "Meat Kills: Go Vegan." Emblazoned with a list of deadly conditions--including food poisoning, heart disease, and cancer--that are linked to meat consumption, the ad steers people to PETA's Web site, which features healthy eating tips, vegan recipes, and information on foodborne illnesses and other diseases.

"E. coli is just one symptom of a very sick and cruel industry," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "With diseases running rampant on crowded, filthy factory farms--and considering the known link between meat-eating and heart disease--the safest thing to do with meat is to throw it out."

The threat of E. coli infection, listeriosis, campylobacter infection, and other bacterial infections is only the beginning. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans.

Animals pay a terrible price too. Many cattle are castrated and branded without being given any painkillers, are fed a diet of hormones and antibiotics, and are often transported to slaughter in all weather extremes without access to food or water. At slaughterhouses, they are strung up by one hind leg, have their throats cut, and are skinned--sometimes while they are still conscious.

For more information, please visit PETA's blog.