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May 3, 2010

Claws are out | PETA takes aim at cannery

By Jackie Farwell

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has jumped into the fray surrounding the future of a recently shuttered Prospect Harbor sardine cannery. The state is close to striking a deal with an undisclosed seafood processing company to purchase the plant from Bumble Bee Foods and save 128 jobs, according to the Associated Press.

But PETA is urging Gov. John Baldacci to “can the cruelty” and instead convert the facility to a blueberry cannery. “Lobsters and sardines both deserve a reprieve,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a press release. “Investing in a plant that cans berries instead of living beings would save countless sea animals’ lives and pay Mainers dividends for years to come.”

In the letter, PETA asserts that lobsters are bright animals who feel pain, remember past acquaintances and deserve respect. “In the spirit of our president — and for the sake of the animals and the workers of Maine — please declare, ‘Yes, we can (blueberries)’,” Reiman urges Baldacci.

David Farmer, the governor’s spokesman, has said Baldacci hopes to announce a deal for the 135-year-old plant by mid-May. Farmer, reacting to the PETA letter, said to Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz, “But what about the blueberries?”

 

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