Christmas is a season of joy, celebration, and generosity. Families travel across the country, tables are decorated, and meals are shared in honour of togetherness and warmth.

But behind the centrepiece of a traditional Christmas dinner lies a hidden reality: 9 million turkeys are slaughtered in the UK every year - millions of which in the build up to Christmas. As people gather to celebrate peace and goodwill, countless animals endure suffering, confinement, and slaughter in the name of tradition. We’re asking you to help change that story.

Take Action: Help us Reach 10,000 Homes Before Christmas

You can help by door-dropping our brand new A Kinder Christmas flyers and inspire kindness where you live b posting them through letterboxes. Each flyer delivers a powerful message: leave turkeys and all animals off the table and choose compassion instead.

Every flyer is an act of courage. Every doorstep is a chance to inspire change. Together, we can move towards a world where animals are treated with dignity and respect. The only way that can happen is if they are left off the dinner plate. 

• Order our new flyers for free here. 

The Harsh Reality for Turkeys

Turkeys are affectionate, social beings. They recognise each other by their gobbles, forming strong bonds. Every turkey is unique. Turkeys even become attached to their favourite people. They love to play and are excitable in nature but also gentle, purring just like cats when they are content or being stroked. Turkeys are sensitive, intelligent animals who deserve compassion and respect.

Turkeys that are farmed for food will often spend their entire lives in vast, filthy sheds, never even seeing the outdoors. They are unable to carry out natural behaviours such as foraging or dustbathing. Excessive feed promotes rapid weight growth and causes their legs to buckle and fracture. 

Every turkey killed for Christmas experiences an agonising death. They will be rounded up and caught by violent ‘Turkey Catchers’ who depopulate the sheds. They will be swung around, kicked and handled aggressively as undercover footage has shown. The turkeys will then be gassed to death or live-shackled before electrocution. Their throats will be slit; many will remain fully conscious for this final heartbreaking act. 

The Quiet Cost of a Christmas Meal

Last year, around 9 million turkeys were slaughtered in the UK, alongside millions of chickens, thousands of pigs, and hundreds of thousands of geese. These are not commodities but individuals with preferences, relationships, and rich inner lives.

• Turkeys: killed at 3–6 months; can live up to 10 years. Social and affectionate; free-living turkeys can fly up to 55 mph, but farmed birds are bred so large they often suffer painful leg issues and cannot fly.
  
  
• Chickens: killed at 6 weeks; can live up to 10 years. Curious animals who enjoy dust-bathing and exploring; rapid growth frequently causes heart strain and leg deformities.
  
  
• Pigs: killed at 6 months; can live up to 20 years. Emotionally sensitive and intelligent; many spend short lives in crowded sheds, unable to root, play, or form natural bonds.

Behind the centrepiece of a Christmas plate lies confinement, overcrowding, unnatural growth rates, and long journeys to slaughter. Many are already sick or in pain by the time they are killed. At a time when we celebrate life, we take it from those who have barely begun to live.

We Can Decide What Christmas Looks Like

Traditions evolve. What once accepted is often reconsidered as society grows more compassionate. More people than ever are choosing plant-based festive meals that are just as delicious and celebratory, without the violence.

Together, let's reach 10,000 homes across the UK with our important message: Every meal is a choice that either supports a cruel industry or helps build a kinder world.

As always,

For the animals!

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