EcoLiving Ideas

By Dede Tabak on Jan 30, 2012

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What do Ryan Gosling, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone and Ed Begley Jr. all have in common? No, they aren’t starring in a new movie together. They all sent a letter to the CEO of McDonald's, Jim Skinner, asking the company to establish a 100 percent cage-free purchasing policy for their egg suppliers.

These celebrities sent the “I’m Hatin’ It” letter after an undercover video aired depicting the mistreatment of egg-laying hens in several locations of Sparboe Farms, the egg supplier McDonald’s uses. The video shows hens being crammed into cages, dead hens left rotting in cages with live hens, and workers burning off baby hen beaks without painkillers. McDonald's stopped using Sparboe Farms after the video aired, but Mercy for Animals, the animal rights organization behind the “I’m Hatin’ It” letter campaign, believes that the fast-food chain needs to do more than terminate business with Sparboe Farms; McDonalds has a moral responsibility to make significant changes to their egg-buying policy. Instead of switching egg suppliers, the organization is urging McDonald's to use its fame and power to change the inhumane way egg-laying hens are treated.

“On behalf of compassionate people everywhere, we 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.”

These celebrities aren't the only ones to speak out against factory farming. Martha Stewart partnered with the organization Farm Sanctuary and recently aired a PSA urging viewers to end this towards these animals. “On animal farms, these sensitive animals are unable to engage in their natural behaviors and are treated like unfeeling machines.”

Since McDonald's is the largest egg buyer in the United States, these celebrities, along with others, believe that if McDonald's changes its policy, that not only will other corporations take their lead, but that egg-suppliers will also change their policies and prioritize animal safety. Now, isn’t that a happy meal?

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