WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — On Tuesday, a small group of just three protesters from Direct Action Everywhere (DXE) launched what is expected to be five days of demonstrations outside Perdue Farms’ corporate headquarters near Salisbury. The group, holding a sign depicting Perdue CEO Kevin McAdams with the caption “I Torture Chickens,” protested against alleged animal abuse and health concerns at a Perdue subsidiary in Northern California. Despite the group’s small size, they were significantly outnumbered by law enforcement and private security. The protest was led by Curtis Vollmar, who stated that in addition to raising awareness about animal welfare, the group’s ultimate goal is to end all animal agriculture. Perdue’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, Andrea Staub, refuted the allegations, emphasizing the company’s transparency and efforts to work with animal welfare organizations. Though DXE has used more aggressive protest methods in the past, including entering private farms and protesting at the homes of Perdue employees, Vollmar assured that this week’s protest would remain nonviolent. Ahead of the protest, Perdue increased security by placing temporary fencing around its headquarters and setting up a designated “first amendment zone” across the street for protesters. The company emphasized that these measures were taken out of caution to ensure the safety of both employees and the community. DXE plans to continue its protests in Wicomico County throughout the week.
