I think this is an appropriate article for my first blog.
I don't exactly know what I'm doing, but I know that I have a lot to say. So, here goes nothin'.
I'm a young liberal student, and I may sound naive, but I cannot read something like this and keep my mouth shut. Since so many people pay no attention to cows (unless discussing what type of steak they'd like for dinner) I decided to blog. Now, I have a special place in my heart for cattle, but my feelings extend to all livestock, including pigs <3, sheep, and goats.
This is a CNN article: http://articles.cnn.com/2012-01-23/us/us_scotus-livestock_1_number-of-animal-rights-humane-society-wayne-pacelle?_s=PM:US from January 23, that discusses the humane treatment of livestock by state.
In California there was previously a state law mandating the "humane treatment" of downed livestock headed for the slaughterhouse. Basically, "downed" livestock is livestock that has been abused to the point that they cannot even stand.
When this happens, instead of being humanely euthanized, they are just shipped off to be butchered even sooner. What a great idea huh? I'm sure there are tooons of Americans who are just salivating at the idea of eating meat that came from a cow who could not even stand after being overfed and pumped full of antibiotics.
Anyways, this law was a step in the right direction. It did not solve the source of the problem, but humanely euthanizing the animals when they are downed is a far better option than sending them to the slaughterhouse. This law was implemented in 2009 after the Humane Society posted extremely disturbing, and scarring, undercover footage of cattle being abused at a California slaughterhouse. The workers were seen "dragging, prodding and bulldozing weak, 'non-ambulatory' cows into slaughter pens. Water from hoses was used on some cattle lying on their sides, to force them to their feet". These cows were so overweight from overfeeding that their legs literally could not hold them. Have you ever seen an obese human (not a rare sight these days), who is forced to travel in a wheelchair because their legs cannot hold them? Same thing. Except the cattle have no choice but to lay on the ground while they whither away.
The undercover footage is extremely disturbing, but I encourage every person to watch it, and hopefully the level of cruelty can be understood. The footage can be seen above.
Under this penal code, if not humanely euthanized, there would be criminal charges for the sale, purchase or shipment of the animals. So, getting to the point, this court case was brought by a meat trade group on behalf of pig farmers in California, who opposed this law. To sum it up, the Obama administration sided with pork producers (of course) and decided that it was okay for this to happen. The article states that "The Supreme Court has long ruled that interstate commerce is under federal jurisdiction, trumping any state efforts to regulate it". Well, no shit. Obvioussssly money and abuse trumps cruelty and common moral sense. Since Congress kisses Monsanto's ass and other multinational corporations that deal in agribusiness, why would this law ever have any teeth? I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.
This isn't anything new. Since America's demand for meat is so high, cattle is increasingly being abused for production purposes. When most people think of a cattle farm, they picture acres of green grass being grazed on by cattle. Well, that would be a dream for these animals. This livestock is piled together so close they can barely move, forced to eat corn (which is not in their natural diet), live in feet upon feet of their own feces, and be pumped full of antibiotics to prevent diseases from spreading (as a result of this treatment).
Is this the kind of meat we really want to eat? Now I admit, as much as I try to buy organic, there are times when I go to the grocery store and buy a cheap pound of ground beef. However, my conscience always kicks in. In the back of my mind I'm always picturing the helpless cattle that cannot even stand due to this abuse, all so that we can have a hamburger. When people tell me that it doesn't matter, and that "animals are made to be eaten", I always think, what if this was your friend, husband, or child? How would you feel if the situation was reversed? What if your child was pumped full of antibiotics, forced to eat unimaginable amounts of food that is not natural to them, gain weight to the point that they cannot walk, live in 2 feet deep of shit, and then shipped off to be butchered and sent to McDonald's? I'm guessing you wouldn't be supportive.Although I feel that I've been naturally programmed to sympathize with the less fortunate and with animals, that is not why I think this is wrong. These corporations and farmers are completely heartless; fact. I admit, I am not the best environmentalist or most aware consumer; I buy genetically modified food from price chopper and once in a while I eat foods that have are loaded with fructose syrup. But every time I eat something I try to be better. I make a conscious effort to be aware of what I put into my body, and how it affects me.
Now I admit, I looove cows. I think they're the most adorable lovable creatures. However, I eat them. I'm not supporting vegan-ism or vegetarianism, but is it that much to ask to humanely butcher our food? Do we really have to make their lives miserable before we butcher them for the sake of a Big Mac?
"Globalized industrialized food is not cheap: it is too costly for the Earth, for the farmers, for our health. The Earth can no longer carry the burden of groundwater mining, pesticide pollution, disappearance of species and destabilization of the climate. Farmers can no longer carry the burden of debt, which is inevitable in industrial farming with its high costs of production. It is incapable of producing safe, culturally appropriate, tasty, quality food. And it is incapable of producing enough food for all because it is wasteful of land, water and energy. Industrial agriculture uses ten times more energy than it produces. It is thus ten times less efficient.”
― Vandana Shiva
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