This message was sent to Sen. Chris Coons in response to an article in The Cape Gazette May 8 regarding his role as co-chair of the Senate Chicken Caucus.
I am writing as a supportive constituent, the granddaughter of a family farmer and a fellow alum of Yale Divinity School. My concern is for the destructive impact of the poultry industry on the health of workers, consumers, the environment, and the poultry themselves. I ask you as the Conscience of the Senate to reconsider your advocacy of an industry which is an incubator of deadly viruses and a significant contributor to global climate disruption.
Sadly, you are a leader among politicians who call the poultry industry “essential.” It is essential only for its profitability to corporate owners, not to workers nor to consumers. Consumers do not need antibiotic-injected chicken flesh, fat, filth and disease to thrive. In fact, the health of everyone would improve if the poultry industry with its dangerous and dehumanizing jobs were eliminated and workers compensated for loss of employment.
Ancient wisdom tells us that crises can be both a time of danger and a time of opportunity. My hope is that you will approach this crisis as an opportunity to advocate for bold and humane food system changes that value workers, consumers, animals and the environment.
Dorothy P. Greet
Lewes
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