PETA ask Waterford Mayor to erect memorial plaque for chickens killed in motorway accident

The chickens were killed after a lorry was overturned en route to Carlow.

Animal rights organisation PETA are calling on Waterford's Mayor to erect a tombstone in memory of a group of chickens that were killed after a lorry was overturned in west Waterford on 17 April. The lorry had been carrying a load of chickens en route to Carlow when it overturned and resulted in the spillage of hundreds of chickens at the city bypass. The driver was treated for non-threatening injuries at University Hospital Waterford, while an undetermined number of chickens died as a result of the accident. In response to the news, PETA have reached out to Waterford City and County Council Mayor, Pat Nugent to request permission to erect a memorial tombstone at the scene of the accident. Included in their request is a version of the planned plaque (see below), which would read: "In Memory of the Chickens Who Suffered and Died in a Lorry Accident at This Spot: Try Vegan." The intention is to "remind all drivers, including those with animals on board, to slow down and travel safely - while also pointing out that everyone can prevent abattoir-bound vehicles from travelling along the motorway by choosing vegan meals". In a statement, PETA director Elisa Allen said the animal's suffering had been "for nothing more than a roast or some nuggets". Allen's letter to the Mayor made a similar argument, while also inserting a version of the proposed memorial tombstone: "Our memorial would also let people know that the best way to prevent animals from dying in incidents like this one is to spare them the terrifying trip to the abattoir altogether by going vegan," she wrote. "It'd also remind drivers who transport animals to slaughter of their responsibility to the thousands of living beings they haul every year as well as to the motorists whose lives are endangered when a vehicle overturns." A PETA spokesperson told JOE that they had not received confirmation that the Mayor had seen or read their request, nor has he responded to JOE's invitation to comment.