The Naked Chef has landed himself in hot water with animal rights groups again for electrocuting a chicken and suffocating male chicks for his television show.
The Daily Mail reports that Jamie Oliver drained blood from the neck of the electrocuted chicken and used a container to suffocate the chicks. He has previously created controversy for cutting a lamb’s throat for the cameras.
Oliver’s purpose was to educate the public on the horrendous ways animals are treated when slaughtered for food. He urged them to purchase meats from places that raise the animals in a kinder fashion.
“I think if even a small percentage of people watching were informed and decided to shop differently as a result that would make a real difference,” Oliver said.”I don’t think it is sensational to show people the reality of how chickens live and die at the moment. It may be upsetting for some people, but that’s how things are… if seeing some of the practices helps to change the shopping habits of just five per cent of people watching, then it will be worth it.”
A spokesperson for the animal rights group RSPCA called Oliver’s stunt “misguided… The lights, the cameras, the noise could be frightening and cause animals potential distress.”
Oliver also ruffled feathers with his own advertiser, British supermarket chain Sainsbury, for refusing to participate in a debate.
