MEMBERS of the Wyre Forest Vegans took to the streets of Birmingham on Saturday, July 27 to march for animal liberation.

Chants of “it’s not food, it’s violence” rang loud and clear during an organised march to close all slaughterhouses in the city centre, with a large group of vegans taking part in the protest.

Ella and Judy Stokes, from Kidderminster, who became members of the Wyre Forest Vegans within the last two years, joined in the march, holding a large banner.

Judy said: “We’ve come today to spread the message of veganism and show people that we are a big group. It’s not a weird thing now, it’s something that’s becoming more and more normal.”

Wyre Forest Vegans organiser Samantha Blockley said on the day: “I became vegan just under two years ago.

“I’d come across a YouTube video of the egg industry and there was a conveyor belt and people working in the factory were just throwing baby chicks, day old chicks, onto the belt and they were falling into a big grinding machine and they were ground alive.

“I was so shocked. I had no clue about any of that and I immediately started crying and evaluating everything about where I thought my food was coming from.”

The British Egg Industry Council, which represents the egg industry in the UK, follow a Code of Practice and are monitored by the Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency and are“committed to eliminate the need for disposal of male day-old chicks”. A spokesperson said: “In the UK, disposal of male chicks is carried out by exposure to argon, which is quick and painless.”

"Maceration is not used by pullet hatcheries in the UK for disposal of live male chicks, although it is a legally approved method of disposal of chicks and is widely used in other countries."