Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	1 December 2000 Local shoppers urged to forget turkey and ‘Go Veggie for Christmas’ Viva! campaigners dressed in black and wearing ‘blood-stained’ animal masks will be demonstrating outside burger bars, butcher’s shops and supermarkets across the UK on Saturday December 9th to protest against cruelty in British slaughterhouses. The campaigners will carry graphic placards and distribute information about Viva!’s Sentenced to Death campaign against abattoir cruelty. They will ask shoppers to forget turkey this Christmas and try a vegetarian festive meal instead. Free vegetarian cooking guides will be available. The protests follow a major expose of the Britain’s slaughter industry by Viva!. Video evidence shot at three British abattoirs shows animals being stunned for as little as two seconds and regaining consciousness as they bleed to death. Clearly conscious sheep and pigs are shown struggling violently as they hang from shackles on the slaughter line. Viva! has reviewed the latest scientific literature for its 58-page Sentenced to Death report which reveals that each year, five million sheep and two million pigs regain consciousness before they die. The toll of suffering is caused by the inaccurate and brief placement of electric stunning tongs, long stun-to-knife intervals and the cutting of only one carotid artery at slaughter. The report also reveals that 62 million chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese regain consciousness each year. 8.4 million are still conscious when they enter the scalding tank. UK legislation states that turkeys can be shackled by their legs for up to six minutes and other birds for up to three minutes before they are killed - despite evidence showing that the procedure causes extreme distress. Chickens and turkeys are bred to grow so fast that most suffer from painful leg deformities. Slaughterhouses are continuing to pay workers according to the number of animals killed and both workers and inspectors are under pressure not to stop the line, whatever the needs of the animals. Slaughterhouses frequently have no trained staff. Vets and inspectors are obliged to observe stunning and killing once a day and Viva! believes that major animal welfare problems are going unnoticed. Says Viva! spokeswoman Becky Smith, “Christmas is supposed to be about peace and goodwill but in fact it’s a time when millions of animals are cruelly slaughtered for the dinner plate. Viva! campaigners will be asking shoppers across the UK to show some compassion this year by choosing a vegetarian Christmas meal. That way, everyone can enjoy a truly cruelty-free celebration. ” Ends For full details of local demonstrations, a fully referenced Sentenced to Death report, pictures or video footage, please contact Becky Smith or Juliet Gellatley on 0117 944 1000. Demonstrations will be taking place in the following towns and cities: Basingstoke, Birmingham, Blackburn, Blackpool, Boston, Bracknell, Brighton, Bromley, Burnley, Cardiff, Chicester, Christchurch, Claygate, Cobham, Crantock, Derby, Dorchester, Dundee, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gosport, Hastings, Hemel Hempstead, High Wycombe, Kilmarnock Kings Lynn, Lincoln, London, Manchester, Market Harborough, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newport, Sheffield, Paisley, Plymouth, Poole, Preston, Southampton, St. Albans, Stockport, Stirling, Stourport, Torquay, Totnes, Winchester, Worcester. Members of the public who would like a free copy of Have the best (veggie) Christmas ever - Viva!’s vegetarian Christmas guide - should send an SAE to Viva! or call Viva! 0117 944 1000. Read the guide on line here.