Most kids get butterflies in their stomachs when they have to read a book report aloud in class. This week, bright elementary student Rose McCoy spoke before hundreds of McDonald's investors and executives at the company's annual meeting. Armed with 20,000 of the nearly 125,000 signatures that PETA collected from young consumers, our superstar volunteer brilliantly made our shareholder resolution stand out in the room full of suits. She asked the fast-food behemoth to require its suppliers to switch to a less cruel method of slaughtering chickens.

"Controlled atmosphere killing," already in use by McDonald's European suppliers, prevents birds from having their throats cut while they are conscious and from being scalded to death in defeathering tanks. Rose, a lifelong vegan, told the shareholders, "Kids like me love animals, and we don't want to see them suffer anymore for McNuggets. If McDonalds can spend a billion dollars to make its restaurants look pretty, then can't it make this simple change?"

Please join Rose in asking McDonald's to stop the worst abuses of chickens in its suppliers' slaughterhouses.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

Sometimes, in order to beat ‘em, you have to join ‘em. That’s what PETA does when we buy stock (or use stock donated to us by supporters) in companies that conduct experiments on animals so that we can submit shareholder resolutions against animal testing. This year, PETA has submitted resolutions to General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer, which have shareholder meetings coming up in the next few weeks, and Bayer, Proctor & Gamble, and Covance, whose meetings aren’t far behind.

We’re calling for more transparency regarding the experiments that these companies conduct, accountability for not meeting minimum animal welfare regulations, and increased use of non-animal methods. Anyone who owns stock in these companies can vote in favor of PETA’s resolutions.

Pfizer and Bayer both contracted out their experiments to notorious animal hellhole Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS) until the facility shut down following a PETA investigation. Aside from the pain of toxicity testing, animals at PLRS endured oozing wounds, abscessed teeth, parasite infestations, bloody feces, hematomas, infections, and physical and verbal abuse by employees.
 

Because our resolutions appear in materials that go to all stockholders (educating them about cruel policies), most of the companies challenged PETA's resolutions, but our attorneys fought hard and won the right to take our case to the shareholders.

If you or anyone you know holds stock in these companies, please vote in favor of PETA’s shareholder resolutions. If you would like to donate stock in a company so that PETA can file a shareholder resolution, e-mail PlannedGiving@peta.org.

Written by Michelle Sherrow