|
| I never knew things had got this bad for animals....
http://www.eatthis.org.uk/
So you think you know where your food comes from! But how many people
really know how that piece of meat got on their plate? In the UK, more
than 950 million animals are slaughtered for food every year. The
average meat-eater will consumes about 2000 animals including pigs,
chickens, cows and lambs, in his or her lifetime, plus half a tonne of
fish.
The majority of animals are reared in factory farms, where they are
denied fresh air, proper exercise and the freedom to carry out their
natural behaviour. Throughout the process of forced pregnancy,
fattening, transport and slaughter, the objective of the farming and
meat industries is to obtain maximum profit. When their times comes to
die, slaughter is a brutal, bloody end.
In recent years, outbreaks of BSE and foot and mouth disease have
shown us that the more that animals are stressed and exploited, the
more likely they are to get sick. The illnesses that farmed animals
suffer very often end up affecting those humans who eat them, making
large numbers ill and even causing - as in the case of BSE - many
human fatalities.
Chickens - who's in your nuggets?
There are two types of commercial chickens, 'broilers' raised for meat
and 'laying hens' who are used to produce eggs.
Broiler chickens are crammed into dark, dingy sheds, sometimes up to
100,000 at a time. They are bred to reach their optimum
slaughter-weight in just six weeks. They put on so much weight, so
quickly that their still-developing legs often buckle under the
strain. Access to food and water points is difficult, as the birds are
unable to force themselves through the crush. Weaker and sicker birds
collapse and die from thirst and hunger.
There are two types of commercial chickens, 'broilers' raised for meat
and 'laying hens' who are used to produce eggs.
Broiler chickens are crammed into dark, dingy sheds, sometimes up to
100,000 at a time. They are bred to reach their optimum
slaughter-weight in just six weeks. They put on so much weight, so
quickly that their still-developing legs often buckle under the
strain. Access to food and water points is difficult, as the birds are
unable to force themselves through the crush. Weaker and sicker birds
collapse and die from thirst and hunger.
The cramped conditions may also lead to abnormal aggressive behaviour,
such as pecking at each other, which can turn to cannibalism. To try
to stop this from happening, chicks have the ends of their beaks
sliced off with a hot blade. Inside the sheds, the litter that lines
the floor is typically not changed for the duration of the birds'
lives. They are forced to stand and sleep in their own faeces and
urine, which covers their feet, causing ulcers and sores and often
burns away the feathers on their breasts. Because of the terrible
conditions, bugs and germs run rife. Farmers put antibiotics in the
food in an attempt to fight off disease and infection.
They are then sent off to slaughter when only six weeks old, to be
made into nuggets and other chicken meat products for people's plates.
The life and death of turkeys is virtually identical to that of
chickens.
Cows - who's in your burger?
There are two types of cattle: dairy and beef. Those raised for beef
are heavier and carry more meat.
You might believe cattle have a nice, happy life out in the fields,
but they are kept in sheds for nearly half the year. Over the winter
months, they are commonly penned up in individual, narrow stalls,
standing in their own excrement and urine. Nearly all animals show
signs of foot injury caused by standing on concrete-floors to which
they are not suited.
Cattle regularly have their horns chemically burnt off to prevent them
from harming each other in the confined, stressful conditions of the
sheds and during transport. Male beef calves are often painfully
castrated with no anaesthetic, despite being slaughtered at 10-12
months old - which is before they are even old enough to breed.
When barely a year old, many cattle are sent to livestock markets
where farmers and dealers bid on them. Handlers invariably have little
sympathy or concern for the animals and routinely slap, kick and beat
them to goad them around the ring. Even in the height of the summer,
animals at markets are rarely given any water to drink.
From market, they will be transported to another farm for further
fattening or will be sent for slaughter. Typically killed when still
less than a year old, they are destined to end up as meat for burgers
and other beef products.
Pigs - who's in your bacon?
Pigs are sensitive and playful animals, much like dogs. Most pigs
today are raised inside filthy, cramped factory farms, where breeding
sows are forced to produce as many piglets as possible in a
never-ending cycle of pregnancies.
A week before they are due to give birth, sows are moved to a
farrowing crate - a cage-like structure built from metal and concrete
that is only a little bit bigger than the sow herself. Inside this
device she is unable to stretch, turn around or move freely, in order
to prevent her from crushing her babies. Crushing is an occasional
natural occurrence in the wild, and only made more likely in factory
farms due to the abnormally large litters modern sows are forced to
produce.
At three or four weeks old, the piglets are taken away from their
mothers. A high protein diet causes them to grow very big, very fast.
As with other animals produced for food, the freakishly large pigs
suffer painful leg and joint problems. The filthy, cramped and
unnatural conditions also lead to heart and breathing problems, as
well as infections that affect the gut, skin, brain and nervous
system. To fight off disease, pigs are routinely fed a cocktail of
drugs.
Although having a natural lifespan of 15 years, pigs are typically
slaughtered when only 3-6 months old, to be made into sausages and
other pork meat products.
Sheep and lambs - who's in your chop?
Just because you see sheep and lambs out in the fields, doesn't mean
they are living a natural life and are happy and healthy. You see
sheep standing out in rain, snow or scorching heat - but it's not by
choice. They have nowhere else to go, no shelter, and frequently not
even enough water to drink.
Each year, millions of newborn lambs die within a few days of birth.
This is mostly from disease, exposure, or malnutrition. And hundreds
of thousands of adult sheep also die in the fields annually, often due
to pregnancy complications. Naturally, sheep would give birth to one
baby at a time. But nowadays, through genetic selection and special
feeding programmes, they routinely give birth to two or three.
Shortly after birth, lambs are subjected to two painful mutilations:
castration and tail-docking. Males are castrated in order to prevent
unplanned breeding (even though many lambs are slaughtered before they
reach sexual maturity). Tails are cut off to prevent flies laying
their eggs in the dirty skin underneath.
Sheep suffer lameness, bug infestation, rotting teeth, blindness,
viral and bacterial infections, caused by the stress on their bodies.
Ewes (female sheep) often miscarry, their wombs collapse and their
teats become infected.
A range of "preventive" drugs for a wide range of parasites have to be
given, either by injection, pouring them down the throat, or
submerging the animals in a chemical 'sheep dip'.
Although they can live for 15 years, sheep are typically slaughtered
at 3 -10 months old to be made into lamb chops and other meat
products.
Fish - who have you battered?
Fish, like humans and other animals, have a brain, nervous system and
pain receptors all over their bodies. When under stress and faced with
dangerous situations, they display symptoms including pounding
heartbeat, fast breathing, adrenaline rush, writhing and gasping.
When hauled up from the deep, fish undergo excruciating decompression.
The intense internal pressure ruptures the swimbladder, pops out the
eyes and pushes the oesophagus and stomach out through the mouth. Fish
caught in nets will die of crushing or suffocation, or have their
bellies sliced open on the decks of the ships.
On commercial fish farms, salmon, trout and other species are reared
in dirty, cramped, underwater cages and pens. Due to overcrowding in
the cages, infections and diseases spread easily. Many become ill with
painful lice, which eat them alive from the outside in. The industry
tries to control the lice through the use of antibiotics and toxic
pesticides.
Salmon are killed by first being clubbed on the head and then having
their gills cut so that they bleed to death. Many trout are condemned
to a slow and agonising death by suffocation in air or on ice.
Eggs - Who have you scrambled?
Hatcheries breed different types of chickens for egg production or for
meat. Each year, 'useless' male chicks born of the egg-laying variety
are 'disposed of' as they are of no use to the industry as they can't
lay eggs. Sick, weak and male chicks are sorted from the rest and
thrown into giant sacks or crates to be sent to the gas chamber or a
giant mincing machine into which they are tossed alive.
75% of eggs produced in the UK come from 'battery' hens. Battery farms
consist of row upon row of wire mesh cages stacked on top of each
other inside huge windowless sheds. Four or five hens are crammed into
each cage, with less space each than three-quarters of an A4 piece of
paper. They can barely move let alone stretch their wings.
The stress of living in such conditions will often cause the hens to
be abnormally aggressive, pecking at and pulling out one another's
feathers. In extreme cases this leads to cannibalism. Decaying corpses
of dead birds are rarely removed from the cages, as the farm workers
might not even notice them. To try to avoid hens injuring each other,
they have the tips of their beaks sliced off when they are chicks.
Before they are 18 months old, hens are usually worn out and not
'profitable enough for the industry. These are sent for slaughter and
sold for just a few pence, to be used as ingredients in cheap products
such as stock cubes.
Milk - What's that a pint of?
Just like human females, cows produce milk only after giving birth. In
order to provide the vast quantities demanded by consumers, cows are
kept in a constant cycle of pregnancies. Soon after birth - typically
at one or two days old - calves are taken away from their mothers.
Separation causes great anxiety for both. Cows bellow for days at the
loss of their young. There is no real demand for a great many of the
calves, they are essentially a waste by-product. Some go for pet or
baby food, or have parts of their stomach removed to make rennet (an
ingredient used in certain types of cheese). Some will be reared for
meat or to give milk.
By the time they are five years old, dairy cattle will be too worn-out
to produce the quantities of milk required. These tired-out female
cows will be killed and incinerated as older cattle currently cannot
be used for food because of fears that they will pass on BSE to
humans. Some may be in an advanced stage of pregnancy when destroyed.
The physical burden on cows causes them to become exhausted and
emaciated. 20% of UK dairy animals are lame. Swollen udders prevent
them from standing or walking properly and dirty, crowded and damp
winter housing causes them foot problems.
Slaughter - How are they killed?
Modern abattoirs typically slaughter around 150 chickens or 5 pigs and
sheep per minute. At these speeds it is almost impossible for the
animals' welfare to be properly considered. Treating animals with
respect and compassion is not a priority. Inside slaughterhouses,
traumatised animals are often prodded and beaten to hurry them along.
Sheer terror can cause them to shake and defecate uncontrollably.
To render them insensitive to pain before they have their throats cut,
animals are 'stunned' using a variety of methods. All too often,
however, stunning goes wrong. Even when effective, if the animals are
left for too long after stunning has taken place, they will start to
regain consciousness. This may be before having their throats cut, or
whilst they are hanging upside down, bleeding to death.
To stun cattle, a 'captive bolt' pistol is used. This fires a
retractable rod into the brain to knock them out. But incorrect
placement of the gun leads to many animals not being stunned properly.
They then have a chain tied around one leg and are hauled upside down
to have their throats cut.
Pigs, sheep and lambs are stunned using tongs, which fire an
electrical current through their brain. Sloppy work means they may
receive agonising shocks to the face or head. Inaccurate placement of
the tongs, them being applied for too short a time and/or the use of a
too low a current increases the chance of animals being conscious when
their throats are cut. After stunning, pigs and sheep are also
shackled upside down by one back leg. Investigators have witnessed
thrashing, conscious pigs slipping their shackles, dropping headfirst
to the ground spurting blood from their necks, and being hoisted back
up again to die. Some slaughterhouses kill pigs with carbon dioxide
gas, which causes severe respiratory distress. They can be seen
hyperventilating and trying to escape from the gas chamber.
To stun chickens and turkeys, the birds are first shackled upside down
- which in itself causes immense pain and distress - and are then
dunked into an electrified tank of water. Dangling wings often touch
the water first, receiving agonising shocks. Many birds raise their
heads, miss the water completely and are fully conscious when they are
dragged past the neck-cutters. Even this stage may not kill them
outright and some are alive when they enter the feather-loosening
scalding tank.
Wanna know more?
http://www.eatthis.org.uk/
|
|