Animal rights activists held a protest outside the Guildhall in central Cambridge on Sunday (22/12), urging the public to re-think turkey consumption at Christmas.

Animal Justice Project (AJP) and Speciesism WTF staged a human art installation, depicting a Christmas dinner, with one stripped-down campaigner posing as a turkey atop the dinner table, ready to be carved and eaten. Activists approached passers-by, asking them, “do you think this is humane?”

AJP also commissioned a digital advertising van that drove around Cambridge, showcasing the treatment of turkeys on modern-day farms.

Sean Barrs, an AJP campaigner, said: “Turkeys are intelligent, curious, and sensitive animals capable of forming close bonds and expressing emotions. Yet, every year, millions endure short, grim lives in intensive farms only to be slaughtered for holiday feasts.

“Animal Justice Project urges the public to choose kindness this Christmas by leaving animals off their plates,” he continued.

In the UK, approximately 9 million turkeys are killed annually, with most consumed during the Christmas season. However, a survey conducted for Tesco’s 2024 annual report found that festive consumer habits are changing, with 27% of respondents said they plan on serving plant-based options in their Christmas dinner.

In 2019, AJP investigated the Pastures Farm Poultry in Northampton and its onsite slaughterhouse, which was marketed as having the highest welfare standards. The farm labels its produce as “free-range poultry from farmers who care.”

However, AJP claimed that “the reality was quite different, with live plucking and the scalding of live birds carried out.”

This is the latest in a series of animal rights protests in the city. Two weeks ago (07/12), AJP held a sit-in demonstration in Cambridge Tesco, blocking access to the frozen food aisle to prevent customers from purchasing turkeys for their festive dinners.

In September, Speciesism WTF, another animal rights group, held its own art installation outside The Guildhall, highlighting animal exploitation in the dairy industry. The display featured a line of “milked women” alongside an activist dressed as a “farmer.”

This protest comes amid ongoing criticism of Cambridge University’s use of animals in scientific research, as it conducted the highest number of animal procedures in the UK in 2023.