Star Sees Tiny Chicks and Tells VFC: “It’s heart-breaking. This is really, truly devastating.”
Much-loved star of Downton Abbey and Unforgotten, Peter Egan recently went way out of his comfort zone to go undercover inside a UK factory farm. He took the bold step alongside vegan fried chick*n company and activist brand VFC because he wanted to see for himself how birds live inside typical farms and to encourage others to see it, too.
At the unnamed Shropshire farm, Egan stepped inside an immense barn – one of eight on the site – which held more than 25,000 chicks, all just two days old. Immediately, he looked down and saw a dead bird at his feet and another chick gasping for breath. “It’s really bleak, isn’t it?’ he said, looking around him, visibly shocked.
Egan was clearly emotional throughout his time in the barn. “You sort of find yourself at a loss for words,” he said at one point. “The only words that are appropriate are: it’s disgusting, it’s horrible, it’s inhumane, it’s uncaring.”
Animal-lover Egan has been vegan since he took part in Veganuary in 2016 and hopes others will open their hearts to animals and make changes to their diets, too. With the climate crisis escalating and animal agriculture a key driver, there are many reasons why choosing to eschew animal products is a positive step.
Says Egan: “Anyone who eats meat or poultry or fish should see intensive facilities like this and see just how disgusting they are, and ask themselves the question: do you care?”
Egan is a supporter of many animal charities including Animals Asia, Humane Society International, Veganuary and Animal Aid. He recently launched a petition to change the law to extend the Animal Welfare Act to animals in laboratories – a protection currently denied them.
About VFC
VFC was founded in the UK in December 2020 by Matthew Glover (co-founder of Veganuary) and renowned chef and restaurateur Adam Lyons. Its aims are to end the injustice of factory farming and inspire people to “cluck the system” and choose vegan foods. Its mission statement reads: Ours is an act of positive rebellion against a system that has brought us climate change, environmental destruction, factory farming and slaughterhouses. We applaud those who fight serious injustice with placards and demonstrations, with letters to MPs. We salute those who take to the streets with megaphones or lock themselves to railings. Our way to dismantle this destructive system is with great food. This is our sit-down protest.
Thank you Peter for making public these barbaric atrocities.
It’s happening on a massive scale, and everywhere. It sometimes seems like an impossible dream that it can ever be scaled back.
Thanks to those like yourself, your late wife and all your supporters, you are making a difference, shedding light and hope on this dark and cruel reality.
Thank you.