Consumer Group Asks Virginia Government to Reclassify PETA as a Slaughterhouse

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom formally petitioned Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), requesting that the government agency officially reclassify People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as a slaughterhouse.

An official report filed by PETA itself shows that the animal rights group put to death nearly every dog, cat, and other pet it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 animals. Not counting pets brought to PETA for spaying or neutering, the organization killed 2,981 of the 3,061 "companion animals" it took in. According to VDACS, the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in Virginia was 34.7 percent in 2006. PETA's "kill rate" was 97.4 percent.

"It is absurd to classify PETA as a 'humane society' when its employees are slaughtering nearly every companion animal they bring in," said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. "PETA has killed over 17,000 pets since 1998. Given the group's astonishing habit of killing adoptable dogs and cats with such ruthless efficiency, it's only fair that the state of Virginia refer to PETA as a slaughterhouse."

CCF's letter to VDACS Commissioner Todd Haymore reads as follows:

You can read the text of CCF's letter to VDACS at http://consumerfreedom.com/downloads/reference/docs/080116_VDACS_letter.pdf

To speak with a spokesman contact Tim Miller at 202-463-7112.

For more information about PETA's massive euthanasia program, visit http://www.petakillsanimals.com/.

Media Contact

Tim Miller - 202-463-7112 

Center for Consumer Freedom