I’m writing to you today to share some major progress.

Recently we set our sights on one of the biggest and arguably most abusive meat corporations on Earth: Tyson Foods. What we now know could be a gamechanger.

But first, let me share one of the reasons we’ve mounted such an ambitious campaign.

Slaughter isn’t something meat companies like the public to think about. But for animals, it’s an inescapable nightmare. And for chickens—this ordeal is especially terrifying. Snapped into metal shackles, the full weight of overgrown birds’ bodies bears down on their frail legs. Millions of chickens suffer broken bones and agonizing dislocations in the final minutes of their lives as they hang upside down awaiting their death. As a disturbing Mercy for Animals investigation recently documented, some live chickens have their feet torn off during this violent process.

Although less cruel alternatives exist, “live shackling” is still the standard method of slaughtering chickens raised for meat. For billions of animals, live shackle slaughter is the final insult in a brutal, broken food system.

Today, there’s reason for hope. Following relentless pressure from supporters like you, alongside our coalition partners, Tyson Foods has publicly announced the first sign of a shift away from this brutal slaughter practice.

It’s clear that systemic change is within our reach. This shows that Tyson Foods sees the writing on the wall. It shows that every campaign initiative, every donation, every tweet, share, and petition signature makes a difference. It shows that when we work together, we can take on billion-dollar industries—and we will win.

There’s no time to lose. As I write this our team is charging forward to ensure that this shift leads to sustained, meaningful change for animals. Tyson has yet to announce plans to roll out changes to all its facilities—or agree to stop selectively breeding birds to grow so large, they can barely walk. Ensuring this happens is a top priority of ours.

This is not a win, yet. But it is a first step. And it’s a big one. There’s a long journey ahead. I assure you, we won’t rest until every animal is free from this abusive food system.

Thank you for fighting this fight together.

 

	For the animals, David Coman-Hidy President

P.S. If you haven’t already, you can add your name right now to our petition, calling on Tyson Foods to end the worst abuses in its supply chain.