Activists Protest at Home of Perdue Slaughterhouse Director

February 23, 2025, Santa Rosa, CA – On Sunday evening, animal rights activists held a home demonstration in Northeast Santa Rosa outside the home of Jason Arnold, Director of Operations for Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. The protestors delivered speeches with a megaphone, asking Arnold to meet with them to discuss findings of criminal animal cruelty at Petaluma Poultry, saying that emails sent to him requesting a meeting and previous visits to his home have gone unanswered.

The protest, which was organized by the animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), was the second demonstration outside Arnold’s home this year -- and activists say the demonstrations will continue until Arnold addresses the criminal animal cruelty at his slaughterhouse or resigns. DxE investigators have documented systemic animal abuse at Petaluma Poultry factory farms and its slaughterhouse, including evidence of birds who entered the slaughterhouse scalder while still conscious and were boiled alive and birds suffering from infectious diseases that threaten public health. DxE says the findings demonstrate clear violations of California Penal Code Section 597 , which prohibits subjecting an animal to “needless suffering” or inflicting “unnecessary cruelty upon the animal.”

DxE investigator Zoe Rosenberg is currently facing criminal charges in Sonoma County for rescuing sick birds from the Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse in June 2023. Her trial is set to start May 16, 2025 in Santa Rosa.

Petaluma Poultry is a wholly owned subsidiary of Perdue Farms , the fourth largest poultry producer in the United States. It supplies to major grocery chains including Trader Joe’s and Safeway. DxE is also calling on retailers that sell Petaluma Poultry chickens to cut ties with the company.

Protestors outside Arnold’s home on Sunday held a large banner reading “Jason Arnold, Cut Ties with Perdue.” Multiple police cars arrived at the protest shortly after 6 PM but left soon after. Additionally, a man in a private vehicle identified himself as private security.

“As Director of Operations, Jason Arnold has an opportunity to influence the end of criminal animal cruelty – from chickens being boiled alive to rampant untreated disease – in Perdue’s facilities,” said Karin Lease. “If he refuses to even learn about these issues, then he should resign and find a job far away from animals.”

Last year, celebrity chef Tyler Florence and all of his San Francisco restaurants cut ties with Petaluma Poultry after protests brought these findings to their attention. A representative from Florence’s team said , “This action reflects Tyler’s ongoing commitment to exploring partnerships that align with his values and the betterment of the culinary community at large.” This month, the Michelin Guide restaurant Playa in Mill Valley officially cut ties with Petaluma Poultry, citing ethical concerns and “potential public health risks.”

Investigators with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) enter farms, slaughterhouses, and other facilities to document abuses and rescue sick and injured animals. DxE’s investigatory work has been featured inThe New York Times,WIRED, and Vox . DxE activists have been subjected to FBI raids and felony prosecutions for their investigative work. In 2022, DxE activists won the first-ever acquittal in an open rescue case. Visit DxE onFacebook, Instagram, Twitter and at directactioneverywhere.com.