The Plot ‘Chickens’: Will Ye Olde Fighting Cocks Be Saved by Vegan Rebrand?
Following the 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.
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks – or 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. Changing the pub’s name to Ye Olde Clever Cocks would encourage people to rethink the way we treat chickens.
The Plot ‘Chickens’
In addition, the letter encourages Mitchells & Butlers to re-open the establishment with an entirely vegan menu, noting that it would be more inclusive, kinder, and environmentally friendly.
Many other pubs have made the switch successfully, and PETA has even offered to supply the pub with a month’s supply of vegan chicken if it agrees to serve only plant-based meals going forward.
Chickens Are Sentient Beings
Chickens are smart, social, and sensitive animals who love their families and value their own lives. Yet those raised for meat, called “broiler chickens”, are among the most abused animals.
Newly hatched chicks are dumped into huge, windowless sheds with tens of thousands of other birds. There, they live amid their own waste for their whole lives, and because of the way they are selectively bred, they develop such a large upper body that they can barely support their own weight. Many suffer from crippling leg deformities, breathing difficulties, heart attacks, and burns.
At the abattoir, they’re shackled upside down, their throats are slit, and they’re scalded in defeathering tanks – sometimes while still conscious.
And it isn’t just chickens – cows, pigs, sheep, and fish also have feelings, thoughts, and personalities, just as we do. Yet the meat, dairy, egg, and fishing industries treat them like machines – something that may have been tolerated back when the pub first opened but is impossible to justify in this day and age, given how much we now know about animal sentience.
Try a Vegan Rebrand
Try a personal vegan rebrand and order a free copy of our vegan starter kit or check out our guide to vegan fried chicken, which can be delivered straight to your door:
If you run a company and are looking to grow your vegan menu, download a free copy of our vegan fried chicken guide for takeaway businesses:
