United Poultry Concerns Annual Report for 2005

Federal ID: 52-1705678

A Financial Statement is available upon written request to: Officer of Consumer Affairs, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218

Officers & Directors
Karen Davis, PhD, President-Director
George Allan Cate, PhD, Vice President-Director
Joan Meanor Holtgraver, MA - Secretary Treasurer-Director

United Poultry Concerns holds that the treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl in food production, science, education, entertainment, and human companionship situations has a significant effect upon human, nonhuman, and environmental welfare. We seek to make the public aware of the ways in which poultry are treated and to advance the compassionate and respectful treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl. UPC conducts full-time educational programs and projects, including our quarterly magazine Poultry Press, which in 2005 won praise from Utne magazine as one of the best nonprofit publications in North America, our website at www.UPC-online.org, and our sanctuary for chickens.

United Poultry Concerns works with individuals and groups around the world on issues relating to the treatment of domestic fowl. UPC president Karen Davis is on the steering committee of the California Animal Association, a coalition of advocacy groups representing the interests of animals at the California State Capitol, and a member of the Advisory Board for the award-winning magazine, VegNews. In 2005, United Poultry Concerns was certified by Independent Charities of America to receive donations through the 2006 Combined Federal Campaign. Our CFC Agency Code for 2006 is #1844.  

United Poultry Concerns maintains a permanent full-time office and sanctuary, education center, and poultry adoption, sponsorship, and placement service at our headquarters at 12325 Seaside Road, Machipongo, Virginia 23405. We are grateful to all of our members and supporters for enabling us to fulfil our mission in 2005. From all of us at United Poultry Concerns, thank you for your strong and continuing support.

Highlights of Our Activities and Accomplishments in 2005

Sanctuary

• Adopted 19 abandoned chickens from Pets Alive in Upstate New York, June 26
• Adopted 44 chickens abandoned on a Brooklyn parking lot, Oct. 28

Actions * Investigations * Campaigns

• Urged Pier 1 Imports to stop selling feather-filled products. Successful!
• Urged “The Family Pet,” News 12 Long Island, to stop supporting duck-hatching projects in the schools
• Urged Albertsons grocery chain to stop selling duck meat
• Researched information for and actively supported California Assembly Bill 1587 to prohibit certain methods of killing farmed animals, and CA. Senate Bill 662 to include spent hens and small game birds under California’s Methods of Slaughter law. Both bills received media coverage but failed to pass.
• Supported California Assembly Bill 1685 to outlaw the slaughter of farmed animals on high school campuses. The bill did not pass.
• Urged University of Delaware to stop using live birds in classroom “nutritional” experiments, Feb 8. This is an ongoing effort.
• Urged AARP to stop promoting ostrich races
• Pressured the National Chicken Council, McDonald’s and KFC to adopt less cruel poultry slaughter methods. This is a major ongoing campaign.
• Launched INTERNATIONAL RESPECT FOR CHICKENS DAY, MAY 4. This is a major annual UPC project including library displays and other outreach activities.
• Held INTERNATIONAL RESPECT FOR CHICKENS DAY Demo in Takoma Park, MD, May 8
• Co-authored a letter with the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights to every state veterinarian in the U.S. urging the least cruel methods of mass-killing birds in disease outbreaks, May 17
• Urged Essex County, MA District Attorney to prosecute three teenaged boys who killed and tortured chickens at Camp Evergreen in Andover, Mass on May 11. In Oct these criminals were found delinquent on charges of vandalism and animal cruelty.
• Urged Congress to Support HR 817, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act
• Held World Farmed Animals Day Leafleting in Silver Spring MD, Oct 3
• Urged the Humane Society of the Black Hills (SD) to investigate Reptile Gardens’ “chicken basketball” and “tic tac toe” tourist attraction
• Urged the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to support the least cruel methods of killing poultry in disease outbreaks

New Literature and Website Documents

• “A Tale of Two Holocausts” by UPC President Karen Davis, PhD, Animal Liberation Philosophy and Policy Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, Jan. (www.cala-online.org/Journal/)
• New Book: The Holocaust and the Henmaid’s Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities by UPC President Karen Davis, PhD. Published by Lantern Books
• “The Avian Flu Crisis in Canada: Ethics of Farmed-Animal Disease Control,” Feb 28
  (www.upc-online.org/slaughter/22805karenflu.htm)
• Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Symposium “Chicken Behavior,” Sept 21
  
•  “The Life of One Battery Hen,” Spring (www.upc-online.org/thinking/lifeofhen.htm)
• “Hens Will No Longer Starve But They Will Still Suffer,” June 9
  (www.upc-online.org/molting/60905suffer.htm)

Teachers Conferences

• Minnesota State Teachers Conference, St. Paul, Oct 20
• Virginia Association of Science Teachers Association Convention, Roanoke, VA, Nov 17-19

Animal Agribusiness Conference Participation

• Future Trends in Animal Agriculture, USDA, Washington DC, Sept 21

Public Comment Submissions on Poultry Welfare to US Department of Agriculture

• “Treatment of Live Poultry Before Slaughter,” Oct 25
  www.upc-online.org/Welfare/102505treatment.html

Keynote Speaking Engagements & Exhibitor Tables

• Two Days of Thinking About Animals in Canada, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario, Feb 24-25
• Environmental Law Conference, University of Oregon, Eugene, March 3-6
• Grassroots Animal Rights Coalition Conference, New York City, March 31-April 3
• Conference on Holidays, Ritual, Festival, Celebration, and Public Display, Bowling Green State University (Ohio), June 3-5
• Animal Rights 2005 National Conference, July 7-11
• Taking Action for Animals, Washington, DC, July 16-18
• Farm Sanctuary Hoedown, Watkins Glen, NY, Aug 5-7
• American Vegan Conference, Summertown, TN, Aug 10-14
• Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair (Canada), Sept 9-11
• Future Trends in Animal Agriculture, US Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, Sept 21
• Salisbury University (MD) Environmental Philosophy Class, Oct 24

Additional Community Outreach – Exhibitor Tables

• Livestock and Poultry Welfare Symposium, Marine Humane Society, Novato, CA, Sept 22
• 9th Annual Charlottesville (VA) Vegetarian Festival, Sept 24
• Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary’s 8th Annual Open House, Sept 25
• 13th Annual Eastern Shore Birding Festival (VA), Oct 7-9
• Vegetarian Society of Washington, DC, Thanksgiving Celebration, Nov 24
• United Poultry Concerns annual Thanksgiving Open House, Nov 26

UPC in the News: Articles * Letters-to-the-editor * Display Ads

PRINT MEDIA (Including Internet Publications)

• Activate For Animals (AV Society) Feb issue
  
• The Washington Post Feb 12
  
• Long Island Press (NY) March 30
  
• Earth First! March-April issue
  
• Satya Magazine April issue
  
• The Diamondback (University of Maryland-College Park) Display Ad April 14
  
• The Western Producer (Canada) April 21
  
• Minnesota Daily (University of Minnesota) Display Ads April 21, 28, May 2
  
• Satya Magazine (Display Ad) May issue
  
• The Gazette (Takoma Park, MD) May 11
  
• Inter-CountyLeader (WI) May 18
  
• Earth First! May-June issue
  
• Takoma Voice (Takoma Park, MD) June issue
  
• Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) June 20
  
• Minneapolis Star Tribune July 15
  
• Columbus Dispatch (OH) July 31
  
• Feedstuffs: The Weekly Newspaper for Agribusiness Aug 1
  
• Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY) Aug 19
  
• Chicago Sun-Times Sept 6
  
• Eastern Shore News (VA) Oct 13
  
• Animal People (article, book review, display ad) Nov issue
  
• Utne Magazine Nov-Dec issue
  
• Minnesota Daily Dec 8

BROADCAST MEDIA (Radio and Internet Live & Taped Interviews)

• Jeff Katz Radio Show, KNEW San Francisco Jan 14
  
• Mark and Kim Show, STAR 102.1 Knoxville, TN Jan 31
  
• Diane Thompson Show, KNX Los Angeles April 25
  
• Go Vegan Texas! KPFT Houston April 25
  
• Animal Concerns of Texas, NPR-KTEP El Paso May 23
  
• KOHU Radio, Hermiston, OR April 29
  
• Watchdog with Karen Dawn, KPFK Los Angeles June 7
  
• Animal Talk with Suzanne Dragan, WCTU New Brunswick, NJ May 1
  
• Background Briefing, ABC Radio National Network Sydney, Australia June 26
  
• Tom & Judy Show, WMST Radio Mount Sterling, KY July 6
  
• Rural Route, KFRM (Clay Center, KS) & KSIR (Fort Morgan, CO) July 27
  
• www.Vegcast.com with Vance Lehmkuhl, Philadelphia, PA Nov 7
  
• Horizons with Tyrone Barksdale, WHUR-FM Washington, DC Nov 10
  
• Vegan Freak Radio Show with Bob & Jenna Torres, Upstate NY Nov 12
  
• Stan Milam Radio Show, WCLO Janesville, WI Nov 16
  
• 1550 Today with Paul Roberts, WNTN Newton, MA Nov 16
  
• This Morning with Stephanie Ross, KWIX-Land Moberly, MO Nov 17
  
• The Frankie Boyer Show, The National Radio Network (Boston, MA) Nov 18
  
• The Morning Show with Jonathan Mark, WHHO Hornell, NY Nov 21
  
• Northland Notebook with Ted Elm, WWJC Duluth, MN Nov 22
  
• Living Jubilee with Diane Summers, KFUO  St. Louis, MO Nov 23
  
• Wyoming Today with Bob Beck, WPR-KUWR Laramie Nov 23
  
• Animal Matters with Karen Meicht, KZFR Chico, CA Dec 29

Thank You!
Karen Davis, PhD
President

United Poultry Concerns takes this opportunity to thank the foundations and trusts for assisting our programs in 2005:

The Marino Foundation
The New York Community Trust
Ariel Fund of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund