If you haven’t heard, Peta has been negotiating with KFC’s Canadian branch for the last 7 months about improving the treatment of their livestock. And guess what? It worked! They have agreed to the following actions:

• Phase in the purchasing of chickens from suppliers that use controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) up to 100 percent—the least cruel form of poultry slaughter ever developed. KFC Canada is the first major restaurant chain to commit to phasing in the exclusive purchasing of chicken meat from CAK slaughterhouses.
• Add a vegetarian “chicken” item to the menu of 65 percent of all Canadian KFCs. (Order it in a wrap without the mayo and it will be vegan!)
• Improve its animal welfare audit standards to reduce the number of broken bones and other injuries suffered by birds.
• Urge its suppliers to adopt better practices, including improved lighting, more space for birds, lower ammonia levels, and a phaseout of growth-promoting drugs and breeding practices that painfully cripple chickens.
• Form an animal welfare advisory panel to monitor the changes and recommend further advancements.

Victory! Now let’s see if the other KFC’s will follow suit. I already wrote a letter to the KFC in America urging them to alter their ways as Canada has. You can do the same here. I didn’t expect it, but ended up getting a letter back from KFC:

Thank you for contacting KFC. The topic of animal welfare is very
important to us, so we appreciate hearing from you.
KFC has strict animal welfare standards for all our suppliers and we are
committed to the humane treatment of poultry. We receive our chicken from
the very same suppliers as other fast food companies and supermarkets. The
industry has been working with these suppliers to explore alternative
methods of stunning. We look forward to learning whether our Canadian
franchisee’s action has any positive benefit on the humane treatment of
poultry.
Thank you again for contacting KFC and sharing your viewpoint.
KFC Consumer Affairs
Louisville, KY

Well, it’s no phasing out of meat production, but it sure is a huge step in the right direction. KFC is finally listening. And if a major fast food chain like KFC alters their ways, hopefully other fast food chains will hop on board!