United Poultry Concerns Annual Report for 2003

Federal ID: 52-1705678

Officers & Directors
Karen Davis, PhD, President-Director
George Allan Cate, PhD, Vice President-Director
Joan Meanor Holtgraver, MA - Secretary Treasurer-Director

United Poultry Concerns holds that the treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl in food production, science, education, entertainment, and human companionship situations has a significant effect upon human, nonhuman, and environmental welfare. We seek to make the public aware of the ways in which poultry are treated and to advance the compassionate and respectful treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl. UPC conducts full-time educational programs and projects, including our quarterly newsletter PoultryPress, our website at www.UPC-online.org, and our sanctuary for chickens.

United Poultry Concerns works with individuals and groups around the world on issues pertaining to the treatment of domestic fowl. Our sanctuary is accredited by the American Sanctuary Association and The Association of Sanctuaries. UPC is an active member of The Summit for the Animals, an annual meeting of the heads of national animal protection organizations in the United States. In 2003 United Poultry Concerns was a financial sponsor of Farmed Animal Watch (farmedanimalwatch.net), a weekly email digest of information on farmed animal issues, and of the Animal Rights 2003 National Conference.

United Poultry Concerns maintains a permanent full-time office, sanctuary, education center, and poultry adoption, sponsorship, and placement service at our headquarters at 12325 Seaside Road, Machipongo, Virginia 23405. We are grateful to all of our members and supporters for enabling us to fulfil our mission in 2003. From all of us at United Poultry Concerns, thank you for your strong and continuing support.

Highlights of Our Activities and Accomplishments in 2003

Sanctuary

• Adopted 20 "spent breeder" hens from the Eastern Shore chicken industry
• Adopted 5 chickens who fell off slaughterhouse-bound trucks
• Adopted 60 Buckeye hens
• Built a fenced predator-proof chicken house (making 6 houses in all)
• Helped individuals and humane societies around the country place chickens, turkeys and ducks in good homes

Actions * Investigations * Campaigns

• Urged the San Diego County DA to Prosecute the Ward Egg Ranch for Throwing Thousands of Live Hens into Wood-Chippers
• Urged the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to Remove Gregg Cutler from Its Animal Welfare Committee
• Urged the AVMA to Adopt a Policy Statement Opposing Forced Molting
• Urged the American Association of Avian Pathologists to Withdraw an Award from Gregg Cutler
• Challenged the University of California, Berkeley to Supply Records on the Student Killing of a Chicken in an Art Class
• Stopped the Harvard Phoenix Club from Conducting Chicken Abuse Fraternity Rituals
• Asked Baking Companies to Include Vegan Alternatives to Eggs in Package Instructions & Recipes
• Asked President Bush to Stop Using Chickens to Detect Deadly Chemicals in Kuwait
• Urged the CA Dept of Food & Agriculture to Stop Killing Birds to Control Exotic Newcastle Disease
• Condemned Fox Broadcasting for Promoting Chicken Abuse to Boost Ratings
• Urged Trader Joe's to Stop Selling Eggs from Battery-Caged Hens
• Urged Prosecution of Sadistic Tyson Chicken Slaughterhouse Workers in Grannis, Arkansas
• Urged the Poultry & Egg Industry to Adopt Basic Chicken Welfare Standards: National Chicken Council, KFC, Tyson, United Egg Producers
• Publicized Virgil Butler's Testimony on Cruelty to Chickens By Tyson Foods
• Urged Congress to Stop Reimbursing Cockfighters with Taxpayers' Money
• Urged the NHSPCA Not to Serve Animal Products at Fundraisers
• Got Dairy Queen To Remove Chicken Abuse Ad
• Helped Stop Miller Brewing Co. Sponsorship of the Annual Chicken-Flying Contest in Berryton, Kansas

Public Education Materials & Website Documents

• Poultry Slaughter: The Need for Legislation: www.upc-online.org/slaughter/poultry_slaughter.pdf
• Animal Welfare and Food Safety Issues Associated with the Forced Molting of Laying Birds (13-page document submitted to all AVMA Delegates at their annual Convention in July): www.upc-online.org/molting/52703.htm
• Experimental Use of Chickens and Other Birds in Biomedical & Agricultural Research. A 47-page White Paper commissioned by the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS): www.upc-online.org/genetic/experimental.htm
• Brochure: "No one knows how many . . . The Use of Birds in Agricultural and Biomedical Research." Published by NEAVS in collaboration with United Poultry Concerns

Teachers & Sanctuary Conferences

• NSTA National Convention, Philadelphia, March 27-30
• "Sanctuaries 2003," The Association of Sanctuaries, Portland, April 27-29
• Virginia Association of Science Teachers, Portsmouth, Nov 13-15
• NSTA Convention, Kansas City, MO, Nov 13-15

Animal Agribusiness Conferences

• Exotic Newcastle Disease meeting, Los Angeles, Feb 13
• Future Trends in Animal Agriculture, Washington DC, May 28
• Future Trends in Animal Agriculture, Washington DC, Sept 17
• Cloning Issues Relating to Animals Raised for Food, Wash DC, Nov 4: www.upc-online.org/genetic/102803ge.htm

Public Comments Submissions

• Comments (50 pp) to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Re: Humane Standards for Farm Animals: www.upc-online.org/industry/CommentsEdit1.pdf

Keynote Speaking Engagements

• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Feb 25-26
• Compassion for Animals Action Symposium, Tampa, FL March 7-9
• Animal Rights Conference, Washington DC June 27-July 1
• UPC Annual Forum, Promoting Veganism, Boulder, CO, Aug 16-17
• Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary Fundraiser, Poolesville, MD Sept 21
• VegFest DC 2003, Vegetarian Society of Washington DC, Oct 25
• EarthSave Miami 8th Annual Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Nov 29

Additional Community Outreach

• Vigil for Chickens, Washington DC, April 18
• White House Easter Egg Roll Protest, Washington DC, April 21
• Delmarva Chicken Festival Protest, Dover, DE, June 21
• Protested at the AVMA Convention re AVMA's Endorsement of Forced Molting - Leafleted Thousands of Veterinarians, Denver, July 18-19
• Richmond Vegetarian Festival (VA), July 26
• Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival (VA), Sept 27
• World Farm Animals Day Table & Vegetarian Food, Eastern Shore Community College (VA), Oct 3
• Eastern Shore Birding Festival (VA), Oct 3-5
• Student Demo at the University of New Hampshire Protesting the NHSPCA Serving of Dead Chickens to Raise Shelter Funds, Nov 15
• UPC Open House Thanksgiving, Machipongo, VA, Nov 22

UPC in the News

PRINT MEDIA Atlantic Monthly * Business Wire * U.S. Newswire * Broadcast Interview Source * Hartford Courant * New Yorker * Cleveland Plain Dealer * San Francisco Examiner * Wall Street Journal * San Francisco Chronicle * Colorado Springs Gazette * AnimalNet * Animal People * North County Times (San Diego, CA) * San Diego Union-Tribune * AVMA Convention News * DVM Newsmagazine * Veterinary Practice News * LA Times * New York Times * DawnWatch * FarmedAnimalWatch * The Nation * Eastern Shore News * Eastern Shore Post * Baxter Bulletin (Arkansas) * Washington Post * The Tartan (Carnegie Mellon) * Harvard Crimson * Reader's Digest * Associated Press.

BROADCAST MEDIA WSKY-FM Radio (Gainesville, FL) * WOWO (Ft Wayne, IN) * KOGO (San Diego, CA) * WAQY (Springfield, MA) * "Animal Talk" WCTC (New Brunswick, NJ) * KAFM (Grand Junction, CO) * LR49 Latitude Radio (B.C Canada) * Animal Matters KVFR (Sacramento) * Louie Free Show * Mike Siegel Show (Seattle) * KFTK (MO) * KQDS (Duluth, MN) * WPHT (Philadelphia) * Minnesota Morning Show * Ed Ball Show: Ed's Health Foods * Go Vegan Texas KPFT Pacifica (Houston) * In Tune to Nature WRFG (Atlanta) *

Thank You!
Karen Davis, PhD
President

United Poultry Concerns takes this opportunity to thank the following foundations for assisting our programs in 2003:

The Marino Foundation
The Nalith Foundation
The New York Community Trust