Gaia organized a protest action this Thursday in front of the McDonald’s restaurant, Place de la Bourse in Brussels. Gaia activists unveiled their campaign there, aimed at denouncing the treatment of broiler chickens by the fast-food giant.
“Unlike many of its competitors, McDonald’s stubbornly refuses to commit to better living conditions for broiler chickens and continues to sell meat from the worst breeding and slaughtering practices,” Gaia denounces. Chicken meat then used for chicken burgers and nuggets, stars of the fast-food chain.
The campaign, called “Unhappy Meal”, an unfortunate version of the famous children’s menu, is urging the fast food giant to act and take measures. GAIA’s campaign is also being rolled out online with a website, www.unhappymeal.be, and a wide distribution of parody ads on social media.
“In these farms, the chickens have no access to the outdoors and the density can reach 22 birds per m², which is less than an A4 sheet per chicken,” Gaia points out. “The ammonia from the excrement-saturated litter causes skin burns and respiratory problems. Raised from fast-growing breeds, these chickens grow extremely quickly, increasing their weight sixty-fold in about forty days. This rapid growth leads to serious welfare problems, such as leg and joint pain, lameness and even paralysis.”
With its new campaign, GAIA is seeking to convince McDonald’s to sign the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a commitment to better living and slaughter conditions for broiler chickens. Many companies have already signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, including McDonald’s competitors such as Subway and KFC, as well as supermarket chains Colruyt, Cora, Delhaize, Lidl, Aldi and Carrefour. All of these companies have committed to meeting the BCC criteria by 2026. The BBC criteria include reducing the density of birds in farms, banning fast-growing chicken strains, providing access to natural light and enriching the chickens’ living environment.
“This ‘surprise’ action, as well as the campaign revealed this Thursday, risks having a significant impact on McDonald’s,” rejoiced the animal rights association, which could carry out other actions on other sites.
