1. This work byValerie LangWaldin, J.D., M.L.S., Associate
Professor HVCC is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License.
2. But farm animals include any animals, domesticated or wild, which are farmed
for a variety of reasons.
This is what you think when you think of a
farm animal, right?
3.
4. Most are raised to be killed.
Some are more profitable alive.
◦ Egg laying chickens
◦ Sheep for wool
◦ Horses, mules & burros for their physical abilities
◦ Bees for honey
5. Overview of U.S. Livestock, Poultry, and
Aquaculture Production in 2007
6. more farm animals were living in the United
States than there were humans on Earth.
In 2007
8. U.S. Livestock Business Critics
Farm animals are well treated.
Farm animals must be thriving
because there are so many of
them.
American Meat Institute – 2009
◦ “Optimal handling is
ethically appropriate, creates
positive workplaces and
ensures higher quality meat
products.”
High productivity is an
indicator of the efficiency of
the system, not the well
being of the animals in the
system.
Undercover footage which
is the rule and not the
exception.
Bottom of page 53
9. 2005 – Compassion Over Killing undercover video prompted USDA to do its own
investigation, resulting in the law applying to livestock transported in trucks
too.
28 Law of 1873 – Federal – only rail
10. Top of page 55 – paragraph … “ The law required slaughter by humane methods at slaughterhouses subject to federal inspection. This meant…”
ANSWER: LIVESTOCK HAD TO BE RENDERED INSENSITIVE TO PAIN BEFORE BEING
SLAUGHTERED
Humane Slaughter Act of 1958
11.
12. See page 55 in text!
Specific goals of these organizations include
14. So they must arrive alive at the slaughterhouse. Cannot be drugged.
Byproducts (or rendered products) include hooves, bones, beaks, feet, feathers,
fat, inedible organs and tissues to become gelatin, soap, candles, lubricants,
paints, varnishes, cement, pharmaceuticals, pet food, toothpaste and cosmetics.
Animals killed for meat must be processed
immediately.
15. Prior to 1997, livestock were fed these
byproducts as protein supplements.
1997, USDA outlawed this practice for cattle
to prevent the spread of Mad Cow Disease.
◦ Rendering plants also process whole carcasses of
farm animals that die of illness and other dead
animals, such as euthanized pets.
17. Culling is rejection of inferior or undesirable animals. Example: male chicks of
laying breeds will never lay eggs and are not acceptable meat chickens. So,
millions are routinely killed each year when they are one day old.
Culling
26. Of the 2.2 million farms reported by USDA statistics
in 2007, 1.9 million were owned and operated by
individuals and families.
But many of these farms operate under contract to
corporate farming operations.
27. More than 60% of farms in the U.S. have 1-40
cattle and calves.
Less than 2% of the farms in the U.S. have
over 1000 cattle and calves.
But when it comes to the total amount of
cows and calves in the country, the small
farms only have about 10%, while the factory
farms have about 30%.
28. Animal Feeding
Operation (AFO)
Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operation (CAFO)
Facilities where
animals, feed, manure
& urine, dead animals
and production
operations are all on a
small land area
Facilities where
animals, feed, manure
& urine, dead animals
and production
operations are all on a
small land area
More animals than
AFOs
29. Both AFOs and CAFOs are highly concentrated
No grazing areas so that the animals
can be fed, housed, medicated and
processed with ‘efficiency’.
30. Females are artificially inseminated. Pregnancies
are spaced close together.
Mothers and offspring are separated quickly to keep
the process moving.
Antibiotics, hormones, and growth enhancing drugs
are used to ensure rapid growth and prevent deadly
diseases. The goal: meat quantity.
31. ECONOMIC, LABOR COSTS
DOWN, PRODUCTION UP
ANIMALS…
Lots of meat at cheap
prices
Food dispensed with
machines
Eggs collected by
conveyor belts
Chickens (who are
intelligent sensitive
animals) don’t see
humans until slaughter
Animal Abuses
Old days – animals
were more cared for –
a bond with the
farmers – if an animal
was sick it was noticed
and cared for
39. Beef cattle shipped by rail to places like
Chicago and Kansas City for slaughter.
Add refrigeration and electricity and
slaughterhouses were able to move to rural
areas.
40. 1950s
◦ Large meat companies set up feedlots for cattle and
corn became the primary feed for beef cattle.
◦ Before this, cattle mostly ate grass.
◦ Corn-fed beef has a richer more fatty taste and
cattle raised on these diets get fatter more quickly.
◦ Add that to the fact that it’s cheaper and demand
for corn-fed beef rose.
41. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act,
which requires that animals be rendered insensible to
pain prior to slaughter, is the only major law affecting
the handling of farm animals.
A few states have humane slaughter provisions
but enforcement is lacking.
Federal Humane Methods of
Slaughter Act
44. 2007 USDA Report
◦ 20.7 gallons of milk
◦ 27.4 pounds of cheese
◦ 25.2 pounds of ice cream
◦ Combination of factory farming, high tech breeding
and antibiotics and medicines has resulted in
higher production of milk per cow over time
1998-2007: Milk production per cow up 18%
Figure 4.8
45. Dairy cows = Milk
producing machines
• Most dairy cows live in
small indoor stalls or are
confined to large dirt pens
called dry lots.
• The fact is, to produce milk,
cows must have calves.
• Therefore, dairy cows are
kept pregnant almost
constantly, through artificial
insemination.
• Calves are taken away as
soon as possible after birth
so they don’t drink the milk.
• Any male calf or cow that
ceases to produce milk is
slaughtered for beef.
• Health problems include
mastitis, lameness due to
back and leg problems.
46. One of the most controversial drugs given
to dairy cattle: bovine growth hormone
(BGH) which can increase milk production
by 25% - used in dairy herds since 1993
BGH enlarges cows’ udders so much that cows suffer from spine
and back problems not to mention dragging their udders in dirt and
manure. BGH is banned in Europe and Canada.
47. Dairy cattle spend long periods of time on
concrete surfaces, metal gratings, ands
dry lots.
Many are killed because they are lame while
being raised, or sent to slaughter when adults,
as “downers”, sold for as little as $1.
48.
49. Veal is meat from young calves raised to
produce light, delicate flesh.
Veal farmers buy unwanted calves from the dairy
industry and raise them for veal.
50. Separated early from their mothers –
extremely confined – no exercise or muscle
Fed diets low in iron so they are kept light in color – become
anemic – can’t stand up and have health problems. This (low iron
diets and extreme confinement) is banned in Britain.
51. 2006 – AZ bans use of confining crates for
veal calves
2008 – CA voters pass Prop 2
◦ Outlaws caging of farm animals so that they cannot
stand, turn around, lie down, or fully stretch their
limbs.
◦ Effective 2015
53. The animal is then hoisted up with one leg and its throat is cut. The animal is hoisted so
that no animal falls into the blood of other slaughtered animals. Then the animal moves
down the assembly line to other processing stations where its tail, hocks & hide are
removed and the belly is cut open.
Slaughterhouse
54.
55. Cattle are directed single file through a chute that leads to the stunner, which
shoots a stun bolt into the animal’s forehead and supposedly renders the
animal unconscious.
Preferred method of slaughter is stun gun.
57. 5 main performance categories:
◦ Stunning proficiency
◦ Insensibility on the bleed rail
◦ Electric prod usage
◦ Slipping and falling cattle
◦ Vocalizing cattle
58. “Survey of Stunning and Handling in Federally
Inspected Beef, Veal, Pork, and Sheep
Slaughter Plants”
◦ Only 3 out of 10 were able to stun at least 95% of
the cattle with one shot.
◦ Problems with maintenance, supervision, too much
use of electric prods, transport of downed animals
with forklifts
59. 28 of the 44 plants stunned 99% - 100% of
the cattle on the first captive bolt shot.
◦ That means 16 out of 44 did not.
◦ And this was during a planned, prepared-for audit
where procedures were undoubtedly cleaned up.
◦ 8 of the 44 plants failed the audit - p. 64 .
◦ Grandin says plants must have zero tolerance.
60.
61. 2001 USDA records and worker interviews of workers (making $9 an hour)
claimed to see many conscious cattle moving down the bleed rail.
They Die Piece by Piece
62. Between 1996-1997 alone, 527 recorded violations
in which live animals were skinned, cut or scalded
p. 64
63. That’s about 7 animals a minute or one every 10 seconds. A line is supposed to stop
when a conscious animal is detected but according to reports this does not happen, and
if it did, production would be slower.
Most plants process around400 animals per
hour.
64.
65. Mostly dairy cattle
Illness, injury or other causes
Tossed alive onto trash heaps or dragged
around stockyards
66. Animal groups have tried to get the Downed
Animal Protection Act passed by Congress
which would require critically ill or injured
farm animals be humanely euthanized.
◦ Then in 2003 a downed cow in Washington State
tested positive for mad cow disease.
The USDA quickly announced a ban on the processing
of downed cattle for human consumption unless the
animal was deemed fit for slaughter by a veterinarian.
68. Of the nearly 34 million cattle that were slaughtered in 2007,
less than 1,000 cattle that were re-inspected were actually
approved by the veterinarian for slaughter. This represents less
than 0.003 percent of cattle slaughtered annually.
71. Jewish = “kosher” Muslim = “halal”
Teachings require animals killed for food be
moving and healthy
72. Religious slaughter
Exempt under Federal Humane
Slaughter Act
As long as animal suffers loss of consciousness by
anemia of the brain caused by the instantaneous
severance of the carotid arteries
…But therefore cattle are not stunned before being
bled out.
73. .
Animals that struggle against restraints stay
conscious the longest.
74. The idea is to induce “near immediate collapse” with throat cutting that is done
precisely with a razor sharp knife. Jewish law requires removal of the lymph nodes
and sciatic nerve which is difficult to do on the hindquarters so these portions of the
animal are often sold in commercial markets. See page 66, textbook.
There are upright devices recommended but
not required by the law.
76. Most common – 2007 - 9 billion broilers
Highly social – pecking order – usually one male
and a dozen or so females
Average lifespan 6-10 years
Like to forage, peck, flap wings, take dust baths
Hens prefer to lay eggs in a private nest.
If the hen has mated with a rooster, the eggs
become chicks.
77. Pecked to death, eaten, injured
Factory farming’s solution - debeaking
Conditions like this lead to aggression.
78. The National Chicken Council (NCC), based in Washington, D.C., is the national, non-profit trade association representing
the U.S. chicken industry. NCC is a full-service trade association that promotes and protects the interests of the chicken
industry and is the industry’s voice before Congress and federal agencies. NCC member companies include chicken
producer/processors, poultry distributors, and allied industry firms. The producer/processors account for approximately 95
percent of the chickens produced in the United States. p. 67
National Chicken Council
79. Day old chicks are moved into chicken hatcheries where food and water are
dispensed by machine. Antibiotics are given to prevent spread of diseases and
drugs are administered to speed up growth.
Broiler chicks
80. Egg production is way up but consumption PER CAPITA is down – meaning there
is increased demand from food manufacturers and restaurants but individually
Americans are eating less. See graphs in text on page 68.
Laying hens
81. Only females are kept. Males are killed, either by suffocation or grinders,
because of their breeding (by humans) which makes them not meaty enough for
human consumption.
Laying-hen chicks are sorted when they are
one day old.
83. Outlawed in Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland and E.U. will phase out
by 2012
About 95% of all egg laying hens are confined
to battery cages.
85. Beginning 2015
Will outlaw caging of farm animals so that
they cannot stand, turn around, lie down or
full extend their limbs
So how do you think this will play out?
◦ Estimated to increase production costs by 20%
◦ Egg prices in CA probably will not go up because
out of state egg producers will start marketing their
eggs in CA.
Eliminate CA’s egg industry in a few years…?
86. Humane Methods of Slaughter Act does NOT apply to poultry so chickens do not
have to be made unconscious before their throats are slit.
Chicken Slaughter
87. Gathered by feet and carried upside down to
crates
Shackled upside down to a conveyor belt
If they are made unconscious prior to their
throats being slit (some slaughterhouses have
this) their heads are dunked in water while an
electric current passes through the shackles
to make the chicken unconscious.
88. Birds then pass by an automated cutting
blade which slits their throat.
Blood drains and after about 90 seconds they
are dipped in scalding water to loosen their
feathers before being forwarded to the
cutting stations.
◦ Just part of a regular night’s work
89. Grandin noted from a 2006 audit of 19 poultry plants that 5 of these plants passed the
audit even though there were serious abuses. Grandin maintains that “when plants are
required to uphold a higher standard, they are capable of doing it. Unfortunately there
are some people in the producer community who want to make standards so low that
even the worst places can pass.”
National Chicken Council Standards = Lax
90.
91. Raised the same way broiler chickens are raised. Unnatural crowding leads to
pecking and cannibalism. Slaughtered at 3-6 months. Production steadily
increasing (Figure 4.14 p. 70).
Modern turkeys are bred to gain weight fast.
92.
93. Ducks Geese
Raised indoors
Big states: Wisconsin
& Indiana
Federal law (FDA)
prohibits use of
hormones
Slaughtered by
electrocution baths &
throat slitting
Raised inside for first 6
weeks then outside
Big states: California
and S. Dakota
Federal law prohibits
use of hormones
Slaughtered by
electrocution baths &
throat slitting
95. This causes the birds’ livers to become fatty and swollen 6-10 times their
normal size.
Foie gras comes from force feeding male
ducks and geese a rich mixture of corn, fat,
salt and water.
96. An electric pump forces the mixture down the bird’s throat through a12”-16”
tube, several times a day. They are kept in cramped cages to keep them from
losing weight.
About 2-4 weeks prior to slaughter the
process starts.
97. Animal advocacy groups maintain the birds suffer pain from
unusually swollen abdomens and throat lesions.
Autopsies have revealed severe liver, heart and esophagus disorders.
98. Considered a delicacy
About $50 a pound
Mostly comes from France
Production has been banned in Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Israel, Norway, Poland,
Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K.
California passed a law in 2004 to ban the
production and sale in CA, effective 2012.
99. Sonoma Foie Gras of Sonoma, CA
Hudson Valley Foie Gras of Ferndale, NY
101. Some facts: A pig is a young swine that is not sexually mature. A young female
hog is called a gilt and an adult female hog is called a sow. Hogs is a generic
term. Hogs are curious, intelligent and supposedly smarter than dogs. Pregnant
sows like to build nests of grass and under natural conditions give birth to
piglets (a litter averages 8) twice a year. Normal life expectancy is 12-15 years.
Gene Baur
102. 2007 – 61% of all hog farms - less than 100
3.9% of all hog farms raised 5,000+
3.9% of all hog farms have 56% of the hogs.
103. Up to 12,000 – concrete or slatted floors – short tethers or in cages to keep the
animals fatty (and not toughen the meat) – aggression due to crowding – tail docking
and teeth clipping are standard without anesthetic– antibiotics, hormones
Hog-Raising Practices
104. Breeding sows are kept in stalls or tethered until ready to give birth. Gestation
crates are about 7’ – 2’ . She eats, urinates and defecates where she stands.
In 2006 – USDA reported almost 70% of sows on U.S. farms give birth this way.
Spent breeding sows are slaughtered at 2-3 years of age. The piglets are
slaughtered at 4-6 months of age when they reach about 250 lbs.
Gestation Crates
105. Industry Officials Animal Advocates
Crates are necessary to
keep aggressive sows
from fighting and
therefore miscarrying
fetuses.
Protects sows from
environmental
extremes & hazards
Get beneficial attention
What would you say
are some of the cons?
106. BANNED in U.K. and Sweden
European Union phase-out 2013
Florida – 2002 – outlawed
Arizona – 2006 – outlawed
Oregon – 2007 - outlawed
Colorado – 2008 – voluntary phase-out
California – 2009 voted to phase-out by 2015
107. Electrocuted or stunned – cardiac arrest or
unconscious
Hoisted up by their back feet and bled out
◦ Should be bled out within 30 seconds of stunning to
avoid consciousness
Lowered into vats of scalding water to remove
hair before being processed
Audits scores were good in 2008 but you have to
remember these are not surprise audits
◦ And as we saw in PK, it is absolutely terrifying for these
animals.
108. Also covered by Humane Slaughter Act –
supposed to be unconscious before being
hoisted onto the bleed rail and cut open
111. Vegans oppose farming of animals for human
consumption and use.
Vegetarians do not eat meat, but some consume
secondary products like milk and eggs.
Small but increasing minority – 2.3% in 2006
ADULTS
Many do it for the reasons we have seen in this
presentation, others for health reasons, or
environmental, or religious.
112. No legally enforceable meaning because they are not
clearly defined. Cage free could still mean in a concrete
pen without access to the outdoors; the animals are just
not in battery cages.
113. Growing demand in the U.S. for meat and other
animal products that are raised or slaughtered
more humanely.
Thanks to PETA and others…
114. Required by USDA to give their chickens some
access to the outside but there is NO
VERIFICATION PROCESS to prove claim
115. Free range
Pasture fed
Free roaming
Means the animals must have been allowed to eat
grass and live outdoors during at least part of their
lives.
Rare inspections. USDA relies on claims on livestock
producers.
117. But it’s kind of like an honor system: farmers must provide documentation to the
U.S.D.A. that they are following standards.
Farmers are not allowed to use this label
unless they meet requirements of the U.S.
National Organic Program.
118. ◦ U.S. Government’s National Organic Program
No growth hormones or genetic engineering
The animals are not fed animal byproducts.
Some restrictions on manure management, slaughter
procedures, antibiotics & pesticides, and access to the
outdoors
To use the label organic farmers must meet their
standards. Not optional. But the standards aren’t
particularly rigorous or enforced.
119. ◦ Some animal protection groups
developed and implemented their own programs to
define and certify welfare-friendly farming operations.
◦ To be called “Certified Humane” the producers must
meet specific criteria on manure management, slaughter
procedures, diet and lack of growth hormones,
antibiotics & pesticides, and access to the outdoors
through inspections and verifications.
Additional (Optional) Certifications (with inspections and verifications):
◦ American Humane Association’s American Humane Certified
◦ Humane Farm Animal Care program is funded by HSUS, ASPCA and
some others.
120. Antibiotics administered to farm animals are consumed by those who eat those animals. This
nontherapeutic use could lead to antibiotic resistant diseases. Also animal to human disease
transmission (known as zoonoses) can result including anthrax, brucellosis, leptospirosis,
tuberculosis, streptococcus, orf, avian influenza, ringworm and mad cow.
Human Health Issues
121. WHAT YOU CAN DO
Farm Sanctuary
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
