First, let me say, I am NOT a vegetarian, nor am I a PETA member. However these pictures are appalling! If you want to research this any further pick up a copy of The Ethics of What we Eat: Why our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer.
Battery Cages where egg laying hens are kept. Note – not only can they not move, they are debeaked.
Debeaking – beaks are seared off with a red hot blade. One reason this is done is to prevent them from pecking their neighbor to death….
Another look at the caged hens…. and their waste.
And this is how the “Free Range” Boiler chickens are kept. Their only freedom is that they are not in individual cages….
The above two pictures are “Free Range” turkeys. Also debeaked. Like many “free-range” and “organic” animals, these young turkeys are crowded together in a filthy shed and will not see the sun or breathe fresh air until the day they’re taken to slaughter.
In today’s Turkey Farms, the turkeys are bred (and drugged) to grow quickly and maximize the “white meat.” Because of this they are often crippled under their own weight, and can not mate naturally.
These are the “Pig Factory” farms. Again – horribly crowded. Pigs are social animals and very intelligent. On these farms there is no mental stimulation, which often leads to insanity and compulsive chewing of the metal cages.
The gestinational pigs don’t fare much better, often kept in these confining cages for their entire life.
I was gonna show you the cows, but it was just too heartbreaking. Especially the veal calves. And the pictures of beef cattle walking in waste halfway up their legs. The feedlots are abominable. The confinement of beef and dairy cattle in shoulder to shoulder conditions is awful. The cows look at you with human-like eyes….
One other thing – the waste of these animals (way too many animals for the size of the area they are confined in) kept on these farms is destroying the air, water and soil around them. To say nothing of the waste and indigestion produced gases that contribute to global warming. I’m just saying…..
So, I will leave you there. I encourage everyone to become educated about the food you eat, so you can make wise choices. There are ethical farms and companies out there, it just takes some work to find them…..
A couple other good books are: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, 101 Reasons Why I’m A Vegetarian by Pamela Rice and a book I have just purchased, and hope is good – The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.
Then, there’s corn……..
