LOGAN — Animal rights advocates are coming to Cache Valley this week to sound the alarm about the living conditions and treatment of turkeys on large factory farms. On Friday the group PETA will hold a demonstration in Logan to raise awareness of the 46-million turkeys it says are killed each year for the Thanksgiving holiday. The group’s DeLana Barrett says they’re traveling to 30 states to educate folks, at a time when bird flu cases are also on the rise in some parts of the country. Barrett says commercial breeding and raising of animals can create hotspots for disease to spread.
“Animal agriculture, turkeys for instance, they live in filthy, overcrowded factory farms. That’s not healthy for them, it is not healthy for us to consume. Turkeys are slaughtered at just six months of age in factory farming.”
Nicole Perreira said Peta’s “Hell on Wheels” truck will make a stop at Natural Grocers (1075 N Main St #110) at 12 pm. This will be part of their nationwide truck tour.
Barrett says in the wild, turkeys can live between three to four years. In Utah and California commercial flocks are already being affected by bird flu, which is also spreading among dairy cows. Barrett is encouraging people to consider other food options for their Thanksgiving table. But she knows that’ll be a challenge, as about 88-percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation.
PETA says three out of every four emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in animals, and Barrett says reliance on animal agriculture only exacerbates this. But she notes turkey consumption across the U-S has decreased in recent years.
“The majority of foods already on grocery store shelves are vegan – from fresh fruit to vegetables, grains, legumes, all of those things are already vegan. Processed vegan foods are just a small portion of that.”
Barrett says animals like turkeys feel pain and enjoy companionship, and suggests people make the switch. The United States, however, is the world’s largest producer and exporter of turkey products, meaning it’s a significant driver of the farm economy.