Protect Investigators’ Rights

Several state legislatures have introduced bills that seek to penalize undercover efforts meant to expose animal cruelty on factory farms.

Cruelty to animals must be exposed and dealt with and often that requires investigators have the freedom to gather information and document inhumane acts. By making illegal the right to investigate such activities, cruelty to animals is dealt a backwards blow and perpetrators are allowed to continue the abuse.

Animal cruelty poses a definite risk to a community and society as a whole. Intentional animal cruelty is of particular concern as it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates an individual may be predisposed to committing acts of violence. Investigative reports exposing animal cruelty should, therefore, be of great concern to law enforcement and the judiciary and to all citizens of a community where such acts are perpetrated.

Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to animals to be an unquestionable warning sign. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders; and the FBI uses reports of animal cruelty in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals.

Undercover investigations are a necessary piece of our democratic system and have been crucial in uncovering illegal activities. Uncovering animal cruelty regardless of its source and location is requisite to living a humane life; therefore, we do a disservice to our fellow human beings when we allow cruelty to animals to go unreported.

If you live in one of the states listed below, contact your legislators and urge them to oppose bills that limit uncover investigations of animal cruelty on factory farms. If you are not a resident of one of the states below, contact your legislators and let them know you oppose any efforts in the legislature to hamper undercover investigations of animal cruelty in factory farms in your state.

Arkansas – SB 14
Indiana – SB 373 and SB 391
Nebraska – LB 204
New Hampshire – HB 110
Wyoming – HB 126

Enforce Animal Welfare Act

Many farm animals like goats die because of lies and information deliberately withheld from federal inspectors

According to a news story, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (SCB) “has continued to flagrantly violate the Animal Welfare Act [AWA] – leading to more animal deaths – and deliberately withheld information from federal inspectors about the existence of a herd of 841 animals, many of whom suffered with significant illnesses.

“A scathing five page USDA report dated Oct. 31, 2012 reveals the existence of a herd of 841 animals at Santa Cruz Biotech (SCB). The report states that several SCB staff had lied to federal inspectors, denying the existence of these animals. This herd included a dozen animals with unreported and untreated illnesses.

“A later USDA report Dec. 18, 2012 discloses even more federal violations, multiple sick animals, and the deaths of two other animals.”

While we would all like to see an end to using animals in biomedical research, as long as animals are being used, they deserve to be cared for under the guidelines of the AWA.

Please write the secretary of Agriculture and urge him to enforce the provisions in the AWA and to fine SCB to the fullest extent for its violations of the AWA and to revoke the company’s license.

The Honorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

When you think about it…farmed animals are getting justice albeit slowly.

The easiest way to help farmed animals is to adopt a vegan lifestyle.

Even just a few years ago, we would rarely if ever read about animal abuse on factory farms. After all, the animals were going to be killed, so why would we concern ourselves about workers abusing the animals beforehand. Yet, today, we find numerous cases of animal abuse being brought against workers at factory farms and slaughterhouses. And, in fact, one such case resulted in a $500 million settlement.

Some in the factory farm world want to stifle undercover investigations of their practices. They don’t want the abuse revealed. However, until we have glass walls on our factory farms and slaughterhouses, we must rely on first-hand experience of undercover investigators. Abuse of any animal is cause for concern as nonhuman animal abuse can lead to human animal abuse. In the book Slaughterhouse by Gail Eiznitz, she relates stories of slaughterhouse workers who beat and abused family members because they carried such rage from killing animals all day long.

When you think about it…justice for farmed animals is justice for all animals.

When you think about it…celebrating abuse should not be a Thanksgiving tradition.

Turkeys are very social animals, and roost in trees with their companions.

This Thanksgiving, millions of Americans will sit down at tables ladened with food. Will a dead bird be one of the items, maybe even the centerpiece, on those tables? Sadly, the answer is yes. How can we celebrate a day that bids us give thanks when we are systematically killing millions of animals, many of whom suffered inordinate pain and trauma during their short, factory-farmed lives?

Thanksgiving celebrations should be life-affirming and joyous. When giving thanks, we should reflect on our care and concern for the planet and all her inhabitants. Celebrating abuse and suffering just doesn’t seem festive. Few who follow a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle can rejoice when they see what is happening at factory farms around the country. Only when we embrace the true meaning of Thanksgiving, a time of fellowship and love—for all animals—will we be able to celebrate fully and completely.

Join many of us who will sit down to tables also ladened with food but not ladened with misery. Join the vegan/vegetarian movement. For when you think about, Thanksgiving should be about celebrating life, not devouring death.

Animal Cruelty Costs Company

Paws Up!
To the U.S. Department of Agriculture for fining Triple F Farms, a ferret farm in Pennsylvania, $44,000.

According to a news story, “A large Pennsylvania ferret farm that supplies animals to the Centers for Disease Control as well as pet retailers, has been fined $44,000 by the federal government for violating animal welfare and labor laws.

Ferrets and other small animals deserve our protection.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) fined Triple F Farms, Inc., in Sayre, $16,679 for violating at least eight regulations of the Animal Welfare Act, and the factory must pay employees $28,124.98 in back wages for 38 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act….”

Take Action: Send USDA a note of thanks for the actions taken in this case and urge them to continue to protect the animals of this country.

Dr. Gregory Parham
Administrator
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
USDA/APHIS/AC
4700 River Road, Unit 84
Riverdale, MD 20737-1234
Tele. No.: 301-734-7833
E-mail: ace@aphis.usda.gov

Read our initial post on this issue.

Goodbye to gestation crates

Paws Up!
To Safeway, Inc. and to Denny’s for announcing they will work with suppliers of their pork products to eliminate the cruelty of gestation crates.

According to a news story, “The nation’s second-largest grocery chain [Safeway] said it will adopt purchasing policies that favor more humane treatment of pigs.”

Eliminating gestation crates is progress, but you can help pigs even more by enjoying a vegetarian/vegan diet.

And in another news story, “Denny’s has pledged it will only purchase bacon, sausage and other pork products from companies that don’t take part in the practice [of using gestation crates].”

Pregnant sows live for four months in gestation crates that are about the same size they are.
Several states have banned the practice of confining sows to gestation crates and additional states have legislation pending. In addition to Safeway and Denny’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s have also announced they will require their suppliers to eliminate gestation crates; and Smithfield and Hormel along with Cargill are also on board to eliminate gestation crates in their operations.

Take Action: Write notes to these companies and applaud their decision to work to end the cruel confinement of sows in gestation crates. Urge them to put their policies into practice as soon as possible. In the meantime, consider changing your diet to reflect a more compassionate way of eating. Check out our article on vegetarian/vegan eating and our plant-based section. A vegetarian/vegan diet promotes healthy eating, environmental sustainability, and best of all compassion for farmed animals.

Steven A. Burd, CEO
Safeway, Inc. Corporate Headquarters
5918 Stoneridge Mall
Pleasanton, CA 94588
Tele. no.: 925-467-3000

John C. Miller, CEO
Denny’s Corporation
Corporate Office Headquarters
203 E. Main St.
Spartanburg, SC 29319
Tele. no.: 864-597-8000

Source:
Spokesman.com
Reuters
GoUpstate.com

Take Action Against Ag-Gags

Undercover investigations have successfully exposed many cases of animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect within factory farm operations.

Several bills that seek to penalize undercover efforts to expose animal cruelty are currently under review in New York, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. Many of these bills have been in legislative rest since the 2011 session and are now coming under revision or amendment. All of them call for stiff penalties for undercover investigations concerning animal abuse in agricultural facilities; and some go further and extend that to other animal operations such as puppy mills. The Minnesota bill also criminalizes the act of exposing food safety and labor issues.

Animal cruelty must be exposed and dealt with and often that requires investigators have the freedom to gather information and document such inhumane acts. Investigative reporting has played a historical role in exposing wrongdoings, and undercover exposés have been vital tools for educating the public and lawmakers about the inherent cruelty in factory farming operations. Such reports surface all too frequently, including three since the beginning of this year and ten since the start of 2011. A strong example of this type of investigation was the release of footage from a North Carolina Butterball turkey farm which showed workers maliciously throwing birds against walls during transport loading, hitting birds in the head with metal bars, and birds living in filthy and fly-ridden conditions, some with serious yet untreated illnesses. Often these reports lead to legal action, as in the above example which led to felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges against five Butterball employees by state authorities.

Contact your representatives to urge them to oppose these bills; make sure to read over the bill for your state and tell them why you oppose it. If you are in one of the states below, this is a crucial time for you to articulate your voice to your legislators. If you are not in one of the states below, contact your representatives and let them know you will oppose any future ag-gag efforts in the legislature.

Iowa – HF 589
Indiana – SB 184
Minnesota – H 1369
Missouri – SB 695
Nebraska – LB 915
New York – S. 5172

When you think about it…what is the true cost of fast food?

Hamburger

Travel anywhere in the world and you can almost be certain to see a fast food restaurant. Whether it’s the golden arches, the late great Burger King mascot, or any of a dozen other symbols of fast food, we are assured that a once purely American way of eating has made its way around the globe.

What isn’t seen is the environmental devastation fast food has caused. In Central America the rainforest is being clear cut at an alarming rate just to create grazing land for cattle. In many parts of the world, monoculture farms of soy beans and other grains are planted not to feed starving humans but to feed cattle, pigs, and chickens who will be slaughtered to fill the massive need of the fast food industry. Nor will you see the amount of water used to raise these animals, or the tons of antibiotics fed to them to keep them healthy long enough to reach slaughter. You won’t see the pollution engendered by the amount of waste generated by cattle, pig, and chicken factory farms—but if you live near one, you will see, and smell, it.

How did we wind up here? How did we decide that fast food is an appropriate way to eat and that exporting the concept and the chains was good for the rest of the world? To make cars more affordable, the assembly line was created. That same assembly line idea was translated in the mid-1900s to mass producing many products, including food. Before the advent of fast food, the average person might eat small amounts of meat and rarely more than once a day, if that. Today because the cost of mass production brought down the price of meat products, we can eat them three times a day, every day.

We may pay only $.99 for a quick bite, but what do we pay in hidden healthcare costs, what does our planet pay in terms of environmental degradation, and what do the animals pay in terms of lives lived in horrid conditions? When you think about it…fast food costs far more than $.99.

When you think about it…horse slaughter is a symptom of greater concerns

Now that Congress has passed an appropriations bill that will allow for the inspection of horse meat in the United States, many in the humane field are debating the best way to protect horses. There are many answers to the question of how to protect horses from slaughter; but like the cat and dog overpopulation issue, the long-term solution is in changing the attitudes of those who breed, train, own, or work with horses.

In the horse community, many horse owners do not consider the purchase or adoption of a horse to be a life-long commitment. Many complain they cannot afford to keep multiple horses and don’t want to pay board for a horse who is no longer showable or needs maintenance to stay sound. So, the old horse must go to make room for a new, competitive mount. These owners may delude themselves into thinking someone else will care for their aging equine in his or her retirement. The mythical home that just wants to trail ride or admire and groom the old horse is just that, a myth. Just as with dogs and cats, it is important to remember that we must care for our horses their whole lives, not just during the fun parts. All companion animals deserve it; especially those that carry us on their backs or pull our carts.

Providing such equestrians with their fresh, young mounts are the many breeders and horse registries, including those for Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Arabians, Appaloosas, and others. While many registries carefully manage their breed, others promote the mass production of horses, without care to overall hardiness, overpopulation, or the ethics of individual breeders. Unbeknownst to many of their members, some of these organizations even lobby for the reinstatement of horse slaughter. To them, it is an easy outlet for the glut of horses bred every year. United Horsemen, an organization that promotes legal horse slaughter in the United States, has published a list of industry groups that also want to see horses slaughtered in the country.

When you think about it…the real solution to horse slaughter is in changing the way we think about our relationship to horses. Those of us in the horse community need to work to establish a new tradition of lifelong care, even if it means skipping a few seasons of horseshows.

When you think about it…what does modern Thanksgiving really celebrate?

Photo by John Eckman/Flickr

Today, the Thanksgiving holiday can have different meanings to different people. For most of us, it is a time for celebrating family and friends (and football). For others, it is a time for volunteering in their community and helping the less fortunate. Somewhere among this is a varied remembrance of traditional harvest festivals, and all the imagery that entails. Most of all, modern Americans associate Thanksgiving with lots of food, particularly seasonal favorites that we think to with child-like nostalgia and excitement. Casseroles, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and bread dressing are all expected to be present, featuring a baked and basted bird as our holiday centerpiece. Ironically, few of these things were fare that the pilgrims  would have enjoyed, and even turkey didn’t become a mainstay of the American holiday table until after major advertising campaigns by the poultry industry following World War II.

Many are surprised to learn of Benjamin Franklin’s disapproval of our choice of the Bald Eagle as national bird, thinking it looked more like a turkey as it was originally drawn on the seal, and preferring the latter. In a 1784 letter to his daughter Sally, he stated:

“I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

Its hard to imagine what Franklin’s reaction might be to learn that our main relationship to the turkey nowadays is as an object of over-consumption during the winter holidays. It isn’t hard to imagine his alarm at seeing the conditions of turkeys raised for food today: birds bred to grow so large so quickly that they cannot fly or even move much on their own (a Broad Breasted White will grow to 35 pounds in 19 weeks, and have been bred to grow 57% larger than they normally would). They are unable to reproduce naturally, and rely instead on artificial insemination methods by humans, without which they would die as a species in one generation. They have their toes and beaks cut off without the use of anesthesia in painful measures that serve to keep the birds from maiming each other in the dark, confined spaces they are kept in by the thousands. Over 46 million turkeys have been raised and killed just for consumption on Thanksgiving day, last year.

The historical legacy of Thanksgiving celebrates abundant harvests, but perhaps our modern celebration of abundance has this backwards. New research reveals that Americans end up wasting a staggering 50-60% of the food that we grow. Further, we use large amounts of grains to fatten Thanksgiving turkeys and other livestock on factory farms; grains that could be better utilized feeding needy humans rather than force-feeding it to animals who aren’t adapted for such foods in their diet anyway.

Turkeys have been shown to recognize each other through the unique qualities of their individual voices, and over twenty distinct turkey vocalizations have been identified. They have also been shown to communicate amongst each other by the way they change the colors of their skins and necks. When you think about it…perhaps the best way to give our thanks for the bounty of the Earth is to appreciate and respect its wonders.

Be an example of compassionate living to your family, friends, and loved ones this holiday by embracing both tradition and taste-buds! Check out these amazing sites below for a slew of vegan and vegetarian recipe ideas and menu plans. Have fun trying something new, or better yet take a conventional favorite and re-imagine it meat-free!

Vegan.com Thanksgiving Holiday Feature 2008 – An entire meal plan; check out the stuffed winter squash! This is a great introduction to  veganizing those mashed potatoes and gravy, etc.

Vegan.com Thanksgiving Holiday Feature 2009 – The Roasted Wheatmeat with Oyster Mushroom and “Sausage” Stuffing makes our mouths water (even if it does have a funny name)! Of course more traditional favorites are to be found.

Meatless Mondays: 15 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes – We can’t wait to try the wild rice pilaf with butternut squash, cranberries, and pecans; the picture of the Seitan Roulade with Sage and Sweet Onion Stuffing blows us away!

VegKitchen Thanksgiving Recipes – A wide collection of recipes sorted by category for quick reference.

VegWeb.com Thanksgiving Category – This user-submitted recipe site is a great source for finding ideas for specific ingredients, or to take ideas from to make your own concoctions.

21 Day Kickstart India – Vegan Cooking Videos - Indian cooking videos galore, for those of you who want to bypass convention this year, or for the simply culinary curious.

Happy Thanksgiving from NHES!