United Poultry Concerns PO Box 150 Machipongo, VA 23405
Phone: 757-678-7875 Fax: 757-678-5070 www.upc-online.org

Like birds, rabbits will be slaughtered fully conscious.

A full-page ad in the July 28th edition of The New York Times (sponsored by The Humane Farming Association, Animal Rights International, and the Animal Welfare Institute) notes that the US Department of Agriculture has classified rabbits as "poultry" to avoid including them under the 1958 Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, from which "poultry" are excluded.

For more information, see the ad as a PDF (60k) at

http://www.hfa.org/about/rabbits.pdf

What Can I Do?

Please contact the USDA today and voice your dismay at this new classification of rabbits. While expressing your concern about rabbits, please urge the USDA that ALL farmed animals including chickens, turkeys, and ducks should be included under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. Write to:

Mike Johanns, Secretary of Agriculture
US Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave SW
Room 200-A
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: 202-720-3631
Fax: 202-720-2166
Email: agsec@usda.gov

Salutation: Begin your letter: Dear Secretary Johanns. Keep your letter to 3 paragraphs on one side of one page. Letters sent via regular mail may have more impact than an email – but all letters are better than no letter. Thank you.

United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes the
compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl. www.upc-online.org

:(

Thank you for bringing this to attention... I'll definitely be writing a letter.

Poultry is defined as domestic fowls, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, or geese, raised for meat or eggs. Poultry is birds; how on earth can they say a rabbit is poultry?? It seemed kinda far-fetched to me so I got on the USDA website and they do have "poultry, shell eggs, and rabbit" listed under one classification! Seems very weird to me.

USA - Uninhibited Slaughterhouse of Animals

Poor little rabbits, who the hell is eating rabbits anyway? Fully conscious, real nice, I really think you could bring back a Roman Coloseum type bloodbath and people would make it the #1 show.

Thanks Manic - I cross posted this on a Small Animal Rescue site I belong to - lots of bunny lovers there. This is sick!!

USA - Uninhibited Slaughterhouse of Animals

Poor little rabbits, who the hell is eating rabbits anyway?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05220/550380.stm
http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/2/cmi_1332342/cid_29

They just can't kill enough fast enough, hence even further down into animal agribusiness pockets the USDA crawls.

Sickening.

Killing them at three pounds? And how much of that is meat? So everytime someone eats a pound of rabbit they're killing a whole rabbit? Jesus.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05220/550380.stm
http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/2/cmi_1332342/cid_29

They just can't kill enough fast enough, hence even further down into animal agribusiness pockets the USDA crawls.

"The Easter Bunny syndrome - a reluctance by many Americans to eat animals that are cute and fuzzy - hasn't helped, either, according to Pat Lamar, president of the Professional Rabbit Meat Association.

But it seems the bad reputation is fading and fuzzy is becoming fabulous."

Fuzzy is becoming fabulous?? Professional Rabbit Meat Association?? Oh, how sad.

Thanks Manic! I'm going to write a letter.

First french fries are fresh veggies, and now rabbits sprout wings. Sad.

This is pretty sick. :( I'll write too even though I'm not American.

That is disturbing and morally bankrupt O_O Though I'm not the least bit surprised since this is the USDA we're talking about, they've invariably been the friend of modern agriculture and modern husbandry. The almighty dollar is far more important that stopping animal cruelty or pollution. Just look at what Monsanto gets away with time and time again ~shakes fist~

Thanks for the info and the headsup.

Sickening.

:(

This is pretty sick. :( I'll write too even though I'm not American.
Encourage boycotting US rabbit meat imports into your country. Table 1 in the report below shows the value of exports to various countries:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cei/IW_2005_files/RHD_Indiana_061505_files/RHD_Indiana_061505.htm

Since when do rabbits have beaks and wings, and lay eggs. Well, except for that easter commercial?

Sickening.

Killing them at three pounds? And how much of that is meat? So everytime someone eats a pound of rabbit they're killing a whole rabbit? Jesus.

yeah probably 2 or 3 :(... thats just rediculous, i hate it when media makes big stories about "hip" things like killing animals for fun "hunting" and something new to eat. calf heart, is that a joke, i know 99% people are meat eaters but damn, if i was out with someone at a restaurant and they said they wanted a calf heart it beat them over the head with the plate full of crap when it was served to the table:whack:

yeah probably 2 or 3 :(... thats just rediculous, i hate it when media makes big stories about "hip" things like killing animals for fun "hunting" and something new to eat. calf heart, is that a joke, i know 99% people are meat eaters but damn, if i was out with someone at a restaurant and they said they wanted a calf heart it beat them over the head with the plate full of crap when it was served to the table:whack:

Seriously... I thought that was REALLY bizarre. Ick. That's like getting a glass of chicken blood or something, it sounds satanic.

Morally bankrupt... That was a good way to put it.

a lot of people seem to agree that it's wrong to subject rabbits to torturous slaughter...but what about ducks, turkeys, geese, and chickens? if you think it is cruel to do this to animals, remember it's not just the cute fuzzy ones who fear and suffer...this is what happens to other "poultry" animals killed for meat, and what happens to egg laying hens, too! boycotting eggs is only consistent, imo. anyway, i agree with you all, this is pretty gross. write those letters!

a lot of people seem to agree that it's wrong to subject rabbits to torturous slaughter...but what about ducks, turkeys, geese, and chickens? if you think it is cruel to do this to animals, remember it's not just the cute fuzzy ones who fear and suffer...this is what happens to other "poultry" animals killed for meat, and what happens to egg laying hens, too! boycotting eggs is only consistent, imo. anyway, i agree with you all, this is pretty gross. write those letters!

I think it's all equally bad... what disturbed me wasn't that RABBITS were going through it, but that they're getting away with what they're doing. They're bending the rules in such a screwed up way, and hardly anyone cares...

I think it's all equally bad... what disturbed me wasn't that RABBITS were going through it, but that they're getting away with what they're doing. They're bending the rules in such a screwed up way, and hardly anyone cares...

Yup, I totally agree!!!
Grrr.