Help Stop Cruelty to Animals
Maybe it's because I'm worn out by the political bickering and the worrisome news about the market being in a tailspin, but I just clicked on a link to a breaking story about pigs being tormented, raped, and beaten in an Iowa slaughterhouse. I normally protect myself from seeing such things, thinking that I don't need to watch graphic videos of animal abuse since I'm already vegetarian and the videos are too upsetting.
This video brought me to tears, but I'm glad I watched it. It reminded me that I should keep prodding myself to stay awake and aware of abuse and injustice. The truth hurts, but it can also heal -- if we take it personally and take steps to make a difference.
Workers at the Iowa plant -- which supplies pigs to Hormel and other companies -- hit pigs with metal rods, kicked them, and ripped across their backs with clothespins. They sprayed paint up pigs' nostrils and in their eyes and slammed piglets onto the concrete floor. The undercover investigator saw a supervisor ram a cane into a pig's vagina and shove a metal rod up pigs' anuses. Workers bragged about hurting animals and urged the investigator to abuse pigs. One worker told the investigator, "You gotta beat on the bitch. Make her cry." The investigator was instructed to pretend that a pig scared off a willing, voluptuous 17- or 18-year-old girl, and to beat the pig for it.
No one wants to see and hear such vile things, but we can't ignore them either. This kind of cruelty is a reflection on our country, our sense of pride for being decent people. If you think the video is too disturbing to watch, you'll know why we must not support such abuse. Who are we as a country if we aren't acting -- and eating -- based on our most basic principles of decency? Who are we if we passively choose to eat bacon or pork chops rather than push ourselves just a little to try new, more humane, foods instead?
Businesses will not do the right thing on their own -- they just won't. Profit will trump animal welfare in most every case. It is up to caring people to push for change, and to be the change we want to see in the world.
We can all bring about positive changes by not buying products that harm animals, by eating a more plant based diet. We can reject cruelty simply by eating veggie dogs rather than hot dogs, or substituting tempeh, or Fakin' Bacon, for bacon. If you live in California, you can vote in favor of Proposition 2, the statewide initiative that would make it illegal for farmers to cram pregnant pigs in small gestation crates and calves into veal crates, and to force six or seven hens to live in tiny cages where they can't do anything that is natural to them.
No matter where you are in the world, you can do something to make a difference for animals.
As Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Pigs are sentient feeling beings that deserve better than what you described. The sanctity or humane treatment of our food supply is as important to our health as anything else. If we ignore abuse to stuff sausage and ham in our gullets then we swallow the abuse as well. The hormones surging through a pig while being abused course through its entire system. Anyone eating these animals will ingest high levels of stress hormones and may likely be affected by feeling more stress. Animals like pigs, such as horses are suppliers of hormones to the medical industry because they have a similar effect on our system. Eating abused animals stresses humans which causes them to have stress related diseases like heart attacks, cancer, arthiritis and the list goes on. Pigs are for lovin' not for the oven!
I already support many animal rights groups. What else can we do to stop things like this...and even more worrying..
I spend most of my free time and about 30-40% of my income (a very modest one as an artist) supporting animal rights issues.
I have a real gripe with what I see happening in this comment column. The Hormel pigs have all but been forgotten and people who chose to be vegan, and are putting forth the notion that anything less is simply not good enough. PERIOD. Others, not so "pure" either become defensive, discouraged or annoyed--soapboxes are mounted--and no one gets anywhere.
The road to great change is always accomplished by baby steps.
There are now wonderful alternatives to factory farms, and before I will worry one millisecond about the meat eating habits of my fellow citizens, I will do everything I can think of to convince them for the sake of their OWN health and that of their CHILDREN, the ENVIRONMENT, AND the ANIMALS to STOP trading with them...the sooner the better.
Local & farmers markets are the fastest growing segment of the food industry, by the way.
People ARE paying attention.
http://www
http://www
fantastic information on independent family farms raising pastured animals under strict regulation
"rant" over
Good points. I think I saw the video on a local cable station about a year ago, and it was horrendous. I vowed to never eat pork again, but of course I relented, more than just a bit. It's a tough row to hoe to be a vegan in America's fast food regime, so incremental steps that benefit animals is a worthwhile pragmatic approach.
Thank you for the extra informatio
It really isn't that hard. I went from being a fast-food-eating carnivore to vegan overnight, while living with my parents who think that a meal ain't a meal without animals in it. And I can't stay on a "diet" longer than a week.
It's been two years now, and I've never had a problem. I don't know why people think it's so hard.
Thank you for this article, though incredibly disturbing - this information needs to be known. i agree fully that the way we treat our animals is a reflection of our society. Those people are depraved monsters and I truly hope they get punished to the full extent of the law. Thank goodness for PETA and the couragous work they do... and to think of all the farms that exist where there are no PETA cameras watching. The only decision that remains for me personally - is to cut meat out of my diet period.
Your description of this footage (which I can't view at work) reminds me vividly of a horrific video shown by Gail Eisnitz (author of "Slaughterhouse") at an Animal Law conference at Pace University Law School several years ago. Misogynistic profanities were lodged by the male feedlot workers toward mostly pregnant sows as they tortured them to death and sexually assaulted them with all forms of prods and weapons they could scrounge up. The MSM probably wants us to believe these are "isolated incidents" as would the USDA, but they are SOP for the industry. This is one of the reasons Linda McCartney was once quoted as saying, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarian
"Slaughterhouse" is a must read. If you demand the right to eat meat, you at LEAST ought to have the integrity to read about where it comes from.
I agree that while "humane slaughter" is a little oxymoronic, it's a good first step for people who aren't ready to give up meat yet.
While I agree that it would be nice to treat animals in a more humane way and supportive of those who choose to live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. I do not support prop 2 or any other law to restrict my choices or the rights others enjoy. If you cannot convince someone to your point of view through your words and instead must resort to using the legislature to force your view on others, then the rights of everyone has been decreased.
...well... some people think it's more than "nice" to treat animals in a more humane way. and the whole point of prop 2 is that it's about the ANIMALS' rights not to be abused (some would consider many animals to be tortured, as i do), not the right of unconcerned people to be allowed to eat abused animals.
prop 2 doesn't prevent people from eating animals, it attempts to make the animals lives, lives that they are losing for you to eat them, less cruel and painful. here's a quoted summary of part of the proposition:
>>>It is cruel and inhumane to confine animals in cages so small they can’t turn around or stretch their limbs. All animals deserve humane treatment, including those raised for food
What exactly does prop 2 do to prevent you from having choice? You are either for the food industry's profits at any cost, or you are for animal welfare. Those are your choices. There aren't any others. You want more choices, then you'll have to pay extra for them because it costs money to treat animals humanely. It costs less money to mis-treat living beings. Period. If this crap doesn't make you re-think your choices, then you have serious ethical and moral issues you need to deal with. These human scum that mistreat animals are beyond reason; they need to be forced -- BY LAW -- to do the right thing.
who gets to decide that the right thing is? If I own stock in a company I feel that the right thing would be to maximize profits. Some people believe that the right thing would be to prohibit eating any animals at all. Is the ability to lay down and stretch limbs enough or should the animal be able to walk around and run a little right? Is 1/2 an acre per animal enough or is the right thing to have each animal have a full acre each?
Why can't people who own these animals make these decisions? If a person doesn't like how that company treats the animals, they don't have to buy from them and can campaign against them to make others aware.
We understand that most people do not choose to be vegan - and that's fine. But how can anyone argue that animals raised for food should not be treated humanely? What's the downside? Yes, it may cost a little more - but not that much. And since some people are cruel and obtuse (and perhaps, by self selection, those are the people who work at slaughterhouses), and some businesses are greedy in the extreme, laws have to be passed to maintain appropriate treatment of animals. Animals - especially those raised for food - are helpless pawns. They have no voice. It's up to caring humans to act in their behalf.
then what exactly is the point of laws that prohibit murder?
why do you feel the need to support farming practices that are brutal and inhumane? in order to force this life on these poor animals, they are fed massive amounts of drugs. those drugs end up on your dinner plate, so it impacts your health.
you might want to reconsider your stance on prop 2 for selfish reasons.
incidentally, humans are animals, too.
We have empowered the federal government to regulate food production industries. Not only is that necessary, but the deregulation of the Bush administration (manifested in budget slashing for inspectors, etc.) has resulted in numerous deaths through various forms of food poisoning.
Companies that do not treat their animals humanely do not care about your health, either. They care about making a profit. A "downer cow" is a sick animal who not only should not be abused, it should not be in the food production system.
The rights of "everyone" are in no way decreased if the majority votes in favor of the law AND the courts do not find the law in violation of minority rights and, therefore, unconstitutional. That's the way democracy works.
When it comes to getting regulations into law that demands humane treatment of farm animals, it is almost impossible to get anything done.
There is only one realistic solution that will help avoid such disgusting barbaric cruelty and that is to stop eating animals and put the meat packing factories out of business.
"As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: In their behavior toward creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right." - Enemies, A Love Story, by; Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel Prize winner for Literature.
"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men." -- Leonardo Da Vinci
Your solution is extreme and unrealistic. Humans evolved as meat eaters -- meat eaters that had sacred traditions about honoring the sacrifice of the animals. What the hell happened to that?
Actually humans are not in the carnivore or omnivore category, a great article below on exactly what humans are designed anatomically to eat.
"The Comparative Anatomy of Eating" by Milton R. Mills, M.D.
http://www
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ARTICLE !!!!!
I watched the video. I also read the journal. It was hearbreaking and I cried for two or three days. However, as a result, I signed the PETA petitions and wrote letters to the companies and that action helped me and maybe in a tiny way, the pigs.
IN THIS CASE, the outcry was swift and LOUD. Hormel has stepped in and has demanded that ALL of their suppliers adhere to humane criteria. Employees are to receive training in appropriate care. This particular management company and farm have already set this in motion, and when I checked last Friday, it appears that between 8 and 18 of the employees have been or soon will be fired. Criminal prosecution is likely, the Sheriff's Department said.
The Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary, Doris Day Animal League, ASPCA, PCRM (physicians committee for responsible medicine) and of course the watchdog PETA all have on line action groups people can join and participate in in terms of petiitons etc. on behalf of animals. These groups can call up tens to hundreds of thousands of emails/signatures within 24 hours, and voices are heard.
Things change. It benefits us all.
BY THE WAY, Barack Obama has said during this campaign, that the way we treat our animals reflects the way we treat each other. For that alone, I would vote for him, even if there weren't at least a thousand other reasons to do so.
I'm glad you mentioned the firing of 8 - 18 of the employees involved. This type of behavior goes way beyond what any training can fix. The people who participated in these vile acts should all be fired and procecuted to the fullest extent of the law, as well as made go to phychiatric counseling. People who abuse animals in this manner have other very dark issues. What they did was absolutely sick. There is no excuse for this type of horror to ever be inflicted on any animals regardless of whether they're being sent to slaughter or not. How disgraceful.
I'm sorry, but no: Hormel has not in reality demanded that their suppliers "adhere to humane criteria." Hormel is in the business of selling factory farmed pigs. That is by ANY sane definiton inhumane. It ALWAYS involves intense crowding, gestation crates, no sunlight until the animals are shoved onto a transport truck, tail docking...
http://www
http://www
http://www
and search google for the free video "Earthlings"
I've been a vegan for over 20 years - my three kids are vegan and have been all their lives. They are healthy, happy smart, and active - my eldest daughter being a highly competative athlete. Eating meat is not necessary. Period. Drinking milk is not necessary. Period. Consuming animals in any way shape or form is not necessary. Period. We're very fortunate to live in a time when there are atlernatives to animals products of all kinds. If I can raise a vegan family, anyone can. Think about the animals you eat. Most of them are vegetarians. Cows, pigs, chickens - eat plants. For their sake - and yours - save a step and eat the plants yourself.
Thank you Kathy Freston for this article. I could not watch the video because reading about it was enough, and I've also read and viewed other materials on these very same issues of animal abuse. I highly recommend "The Good Good Pig" by Sy Montgomery and "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, two pigs that will further open your hearts and minds and educate everyone about animals and our role in their lives.
Hormel, Smithsfield, and companies that profit from farm factory practices and farm factories should be held accountable. Farm factories needs to be shut down completely. All of them, completely, period, full stop. They are illegal based on moral, scientific, social, and environmental grounds, so I am baffled that they are not illegal for legal reasons.
Great article, I would point out that there are a lot of products other than actual meat that you wouldn't normally think of as being cruel to animals that are, in fact, adding greatly to the suffering of animals.
Cosmetics / shaving companies are some of the worst of them, and the list of companies that test on animals is INSANE. For example, Coke and Pepsi only recently stopped hurting animals (in response to public pressure) to see if their recipes were "safe".
As I learned when I went vegetarian, too, there are things with animals in them that you never really thought of before - jello... moon pies... candy corn... some energy drinks... We're giving up leather now, and it feels great to have a clear conscience.
First, do no harm.
Many people reading this blog are meat eaters but would like to find ways to join the swelling masses who want to help stop this type of animal abuse. Currently there are many items that are for sell that are organic and free range. At my Farmers Market, there is a butcher who sells organic beef from well cared for cattle. It does cost a more, but in the long run very much worth it if we can stop this kind of abuse. If more and more people stopped buying the commercial meats and bought free range and organic, we can force the big companies to comply with PETA regulations. Money always talks.
My Grandfather was a farmer. He butchered his own chickens, pigs, cows, etc. for years. NEVER did he ever treat his animal in any way other than with the utmost care and respect. There is no reason whatsoever to be cruel to animals just because they are being used as a food source. I know for a fact that animals can be dispatched (for lack of a better word) quickly and humanely; and without the animal being upset and frightened out of it's mind. It requires skill and patience, but it can be done.
The fact that I have not eaten pork in 25 years does not salve my conscience, as a citizen and consumer, that this vile behavior is going on under the noses of US authorities. The individuals involved in these brutal acts are dangerous criminals and need to be prosecuted. The meat slaughter house needs to be closed. The owners of the plant and the distributor need to be heavily fined for their failure to maintain humane standards and to adequately supervise. Let's face it: better oversight must be implemented for all slaughterhouses in the US to insure this stops everywhere under the jurisdiction of the Dept. of Agriculture and FDA. Many studies strongly suggest that people who torture animals are lacking in normal conscience and empathy, are anti social and dangerous to human beings as well. Lets get these people off the streets. Chris Bork
This was definitely too disturbing for me to watch the video. What's especially sad is that many people simply don't WANT to know...ign
I think HuffPo should have a regular segment devoted to cruelty of animals. There is a lot to be said and people need to know. We are so numb to it as a general rule and that's why it needs to be everywhere, so it can't be ignored. There's homeless animals and puppy mills and limited shelters and education is needed on how to treat animals. Just the fact that there are 30 million homeless cats and that one cat can contribute to the birth of 420,000 kittens is something the average person is unaware of. The knowledge of that might force someone to get their cat spayed, even if they intend to keep it inside, because anything can happen.
Anyway, thanks for writing about this. I know it's sad, but it needs attention.
I am so happy that huffpo is dealing with this sad and important topic. I also want to see more of these articles.
My heart goes out to the animals caught up in this hellish practice of factory farms.
I personally will not buy that crap anymore.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
