The Plot Chickens: PETA Urges Vegan Rebrand to Save UK’s Oldest Pub

The Plot Chickens: PETA Urges Vegan Rebrand to Save UK’s Oldest Pub

St Albans – Following news that the UK’s oldest pub, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, has gone into administration – soon to be re-opening under new management – PETA has seized the opportunity by reviving an old request to Mitchells & Butlers to re-open it as an all-vegan pub with a shiny new name. In a letter sent to CEO Phil Urban this morning, PETA suggested a name more in line with today’s understanding of the sentience of animals – such as Ye Olde Clever Cocks.

“We trust that the name of the pub does not intentionally promote cockfighting, but it does call to mind the violence and cruelty of a hideous blood sport that has been outlawed in the UK for more than a century,” writes PETA Director of Vegan Corporate Projects Dawn Carr. “Changing the pub’s name to Ye Olde Clever Cocks … would encourage people to rethink the way we treat chickens.”

In addition, the letter (available here) encourages Urban to re-open the establishment with an entirely vegan menu, noting that it’s “a more inclusive, kinder, and environmentally friendly way to see the pub into the next 1,000 years.” The group notes the success of other pubs that have made the switch and has offered to supply the pub with a month’s supply of vegan chicken if it agrees to an animal-friendly name change and to serve only plant-based meals going forward.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – notes that chickens are smart, social, and sensitive animals who love their families and value their own lives. At the abattoir, they’re shackled upside down, their throats are slit, and they’re scalded in defeathering tanks – sometimes while still conscious.

PETA offers a free vegan starter kit full of recipes, tips, and more. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

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