People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is pressuring Jill Biden to forego eggs this Easter but instead use potatoes for the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll event.
In a statement, PETA wrote, “Ahead of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, PETA sent a letter to Dr. Jill Biden today asking the first lady to modernize the celebration by replacing eggs with dyed Easter potatoes.”
“Children love animals and would be sad to learn that the eggs used for fun and games at the White House come from tormented hens whose lives are spent in cages that afford them less space than a standard sheet of typing paper,” added PETA.
The White House has yet to respond to PETA’s request.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling on the White House to roll a different way this spring — swapping chicken eggs for potatoes at the annual Easter Egg Roll. https://t.co/9eBg4krRjP pic.twitter.com/l8wOqvyvxu
— The Hill (@thehill) March 12, 2024
Per WAFB:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on First Lady Jill Biden to ditch the eggs this Easter and instead use potatoes for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
PETA on Monday issued a pun-filled open letter calling on the first lady urging not to use “thousands” of chicken eggs for the event.
“Beloved in all their wonderful forms, potatoes are an American staple that make for the perfect spudstitute for the thousands of eggs used in the event — plus, these plentiful plants aren’t stolen from exploited hens,” PETA wrote.
The organization said that millions of chickens suffer and die each year in the U.S., and that even farms using “cage-free” and “free-range” labels keep chickens in “cramped, filthy sheds where they can’t even stretch their wings, root in the soil, or breathe fresh air.”
“In starch contrast, a potato roll would support U.S. potato farmers and teach tots that our fellow animals are sensitive, feeling beings who deserve respect. Chickens form complex social hierarchies and can recognize more than 100 individuals of their own species. They feel pain and fear, just as humans do,” PETA wrote.
Due to the record-high inflation and numerous avian flu outbreaks last year, many parents switched eggs for potatoes to save a few bucks.