‘Mush-room for Innovation’: PETA Pushes Tyson to Convert Closing Slaughterhouse to Fungi Farm: “Save the Workers, Save the Cows!”

For Immediate Release:
November 25, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Following the announcement that Tyson Foods is shutting down its Lexington slaughterhouse and will lay off over 3,000 employees in January, PETA sent a letter today to Tyson CEO Donnie King with a win-win proposal: upgrade the facility to a mushroom farm.

PETA points out that the mycelial makeover would not only allow workers to keep their jobs, but would make their work far safer and less disgusting, as they’d no longer have to go home smelling of blood and offal—and employees could be proud to bring their children to see how they make a living. And as more consumers choose vegan options, demand for healthy, protein-packed fungi will continue to grow.

“Killing and slicing up thousands of terrified cows per day is a cruel, filthy, and dangerous business, but growing tasty truffles and exquisite enokis is a job anyone can be proud of,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages Tyson to do right by animals and its workers by converting its Lexington slaughterhouse to a mushroom plant.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free Vegan Starter Kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to King follows.

November 25, 2025

Donnie King, CEO

Tyson Foods Inc.

Via e-mail

Dear Mr. King:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally, including many thousands across Nebraska and Arkansas—with a suggestion: We hear that Tyson will be shutting down a meat processing plant in Nebraska in January, but we’d like to urge you to rethink that closure and keep people employed by embracing the future of food, converting this plant into an indoor mushroom farm, and starting to produce zero-cholesterol, high-protein versatile mushroom products. A mushroom farm would be far less hazardous than running a slaughterhouse. People wouldn’t go home smelling of blood and offal, and employees could be proud to bring their children to see how they make a living.

Plant-based proteins are far more sustainable—mushrooms require significantly less water than animal agriculture—and can be produced at much lower costs than animal products. In addition, consumers are increasingly choosing vegan options. Tyson has the scale, supply-chain expertise, and brand recognition to lead the protein industry in a bold new direction, rather than chasing a market that continues to shrink and relies on the torture and deaths of billions of animals each year.

Mushrooms are delicious and healthy, and they make a satisfying meal in dishes like vegan stroganoff, Wellington, pasta, soups, and stews. With rapid growth cycles and a nutritional profile that surpasses that of animal proteins, mushrooms offer a powerful way to help Americans lose weight and reduce their risk of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. They also support immune function and promote brain, heart, and gut health.

We welcome the chance to discuss how Tyson could seize the opportunity to grow in this revolutionary direction and prove that there’s always mushroom for innovation. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder