USA - Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Once again a segment of animal agriculture has played right into the hands of one of our most vehement adversaries.
Again, it was an animal slaughter plant, and again an undercover operative of the Humane Society of the United States recording obviously brutal treatment of dairy calves.
It happened in Grand Isle, Vermont. The U.S. Department of Agriculture shut down Bushway Packing, Inc., on Oct. 30 after viewing video footage showing week-old Holstein and Jersey calves being bled and cut while still conscious.
What were these guys thinking – especially the USDA inspector watching it all!
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Many of us might rightly take exception to the HSUS’s perception of all forceful handling of balky calves as abusive, and we can be justifiably critical of their covert methods. But, images of kicking and thrashing calves having their necks slashed should sicken even the most calloused producer.
Indeed, dairy producers quoted in Associated Press reports were appalled at the inhumane handling of calves. The veal slaughter facility had been shut down by USDA three times earlier this year, and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called behavior and attitudes on the HSUS’s clandestine video “unequivocally unacceptable.”
That’s a mouthful.
It doesn’t matter that the “bad actors” in this latest drama are not farmers or cattle producers. They are part of the agricultural sector that handles animals. Their misconduct affects all of us.
Livestock producers can’t afford to look the other way. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard from farm to retail. Else, we provide more fuel for the fires stoked by legions of affluent vegan opponents to animal agriculture.
We know within the industry that almost without exception livestock producers take good care of their animals, often placing the welfare of their cattle, hogs or sheep above their own.
But, agriculture today is under the intense scrutiny of animal rights organizations like HSUS and PETA, and most consumers have scant connection to or understanding of agriculture. Even the slightest exception to industry standards for humane treatment and slaughter of farm animals is unacceptable.
The last thing conscientious livestock producers and processors need are more Vermonts.
PostScript:
Publication of this column in the Friday, Nov. 13, Bolivar Herald-Free Press produced a number of responses from readers opposed to production and slaughter of farm animals for food.
While I respect individual rights to make dietary choices, I see no point in debating the fundamental ethic of killing animals for food. The practice is as old as mankind and as much a part of our nature as a leopard its spots.
Ironies in the growth of animal rights activism are the abundance and low cost of food in this country, thanks to producers. A hungry populace would be much less concerned about the morality of sacrificing animals for their own survival.
I suppose the carnivorous “nature” of humankind could be debated, but mine is pretty firmly established. I was raised a hunter and farmer.
My dad taught me to be a good steward of the land and caretaker of animals, both those kept as companions and those raised for food.
As a hunter I learned to always seek a “clean” kill. I personally don’t care for trophy hunting, but have never hesitated to hunt for food, financial reward (’coon hides represented Christmas money when I was a boy) or to eliminate predators.
I’ve raised hogs for market, beef for my freezer and chickens for the pot.
Vegans might label me and my kind barbaric. If so, 97 percent of American men, women and children are barbarians. Almost all of us eat meat.
The difference between farmers and most other Americans is that they never see dinner on the hoof, but in Styrofoam boxes imprinted with a smiling clown or some other icon.
Those meat eaters far removed from the grittier aspects of production, however, have reason to oppose animal rights extremists who would put an end to livestock production.
Millions of Big Macs and Happy Meals and such start out small Ozarks farms.
Jim Hamilton is a senior writer for Neighbor Newspapers.
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Source: newsroom - meattradenewsdaily.co.uk
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