Animal rights group PETA has issued a heartfelt appeal to Tyson Foods’ CEO, urging the company to lease its soon-to-close, 328,000-square-foot Emporia meatpacking facility and repurpose it as an “Animal Empathy Museum” with a vegan café. The proposal seeks to transform a space once marked by animal suffering into a beacon of education and kindness.

In a letter to Tyson CEO Donnie King, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk described the site as a “soon-to-be-shuttered house of horrors,” emphasizing the facility’s history of animal suffering. She stated, “There’s no undoing the pain, misery, and terror that cows and pigs have suffered for old eating habits, but an empathy museum would be one way to honor the millions killed and show people why they should leave animals off their plates.”

The letter also mentioned plans for a vegan café that showcases ‘compassionate living’ and offers plant-based cuisine, including some items from Tyson’s plant-based brand, Raised & Rooted.

Tyson Foods, headquartered in Arkansas, is one of the largest meat producers, supplying beef, chicken, and pork products to major retailers and restaurants. Its Emporia plant is scheduled to close in February 2025, a move expected to affect over 800 workers. While some may be relocated to other Tyson plants, many will face unemployment. PETA argues the proposed museum could create new jobs and attract tourists to the area.

Explaining the museum’s vision, Newkirk described how the space would highlight the often-overlooked emotional depth of cows and pigs, featuring exhibits about their intelligence and social behaviors. She elaborated, “Our empathy museum would include informational displays highlighting fascinating and often conveniently ignored facts about these animals and would remind visitors that pigs and cows should not be seen as bacon, chops, or burgers but as living, feeling beings just like themselves. Pigs can play video games, can form strong social bonds with other pigs, and are intelligent problem solvers. Cows are social animals who have best friends and long-term memories, like to play, and display various personality types.”

PETA’s proposal aims to inspire a shift in public consciousness, urging Tyson Foods to embrace a future focused on empathy and sustainability. Newkirk concluded, “We would remind visitors that in the 21st century, when the food industry—including Tyson—is producing superior vegan options that are delicious and healthy and the demand for vegan meats is ever rising, there is absolutely no justification for continuing to kill and eat animals.”