One animal rights group is bringing their complaints directly to Aheusuer-Busch on Wednesday.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a protest at Budweiser’s brewery in downtown St. Louis on Wednesday. The organization alleges that the brewery’s famous Clydesdales, which have become synonymous with the brand for some 90 years, have been mistreated. They specifically claim that the horses’ tailbones have been “mutilated” and “cosmetically amputated” to improve their appearance, per a PETA press release.
During the protest, attendees wore lifelike horse masks and handed out 90 cans of beer, according to local news platform Fox 2 Now. (The brewskis in question were cans of Ripple White Ale from 4 Hands Brewing Company in St. Louis.) Protesters also brought signs proclaiming “Budweiser Has Blood on Its Cans,” as the group’s release states.
PETA claims that the practice is “speciesism,” the practice of placing humans before animals:
“This anniversary marks 90 years of Budweiser’s painful disfigurement of horses for solely cosmetic purposes,” PETA senior vice president Kathy Guillermo states. “PETA is calling on Budweiser to modernize and end its 19th century practice of amputating horses’ tailbones.”
Allegations about Budweiser’s use of the tailbone amputation procedure first emerged in February, as VinePair contributing editor and columnist Dave Infante reported for his industry newsletter, Fingers. PETA claims to have video evidence of staff members at Anhesuer-Busch’s Warm Spring Ranch discussing the practices. Anhesuer-Busch, however, has not directly addressed the complaints. (At the time of publication, the company hadn’t responded to a request for comment from VinePair.)
This is far from PETA’s first commercial protest — the organization is nearly infamous for its bombastic claims and wide-reaching boycott calls. Other corporations flagged by PETA protests include Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, and General Motors.
PETA has nicknamed the scandal “TAILGATE.”
