Compassionate Living
CL
- FREE -
Go ahead, take it.
THE MAG OF MFA. SPRING/SUMMER 2007 ISSUE 1
ANIMALS
AND THE
LAW
The Shocking Truth
CHEW
ON THIS
Exclusive Interview
MercyForAnimals.org
The oppression animals face by the
meat, dairy, and egg industries cannot be
overstated.
Every minute in America, over 16,000
farmed animals take their last breath
while suspended upside-down on a
slaughterhouse line. Each year, the
meat industry subjects billions of cows,
pigs, chickens, and turkeys to abuse so
extreme that it could warrant felony level
cruelty-to-animal charges if committed
against a dog or cat. These acts of abuse
occur out of sight, and largely out of
mind, from a country of complacent
consumers.
Welcome
to the premier issue
of Compassionate Living – Mercy For
Animals’ newly expanded and improved
magazine. We have chosen to retire our
publication’s original title, Outrage, in
exchange for one we feel more accurately
reflects MFA’s mission – creating a
society where all animals are treated with
the respect and compassion they deserve.
Each issue of CL will be packed with
exclusive interviews, helpful advice,
thought-provoking exposés, essential
news updates, opportunities to meet
key activists behind MFA’s work, action
alerts, tasty and satisfying vegan recipes,
and much more. I hope you find its
content informative, entertaining and
inspiring.
“Nothing in all the world is more
dangerous than sincere ignorance and
conscientious stupidity,” declared Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in From Strength
to Love. It is this attitude of apathy, the
mentality Dr. King warned against, that
has led many consumers to choose palate
preference over principle. Adopting
a vegetarian diet is perhaps the single
most important act each of us can take
to end animal cruelty. As conscientious
and compassionate citizens, we must do
more than merely dream of a day when
animals receive their due consideration
– we must embody such change. We
must first look at our beliefs, our choices,
our actions, and our inactions.
By leading lives that reflect the change we
wish to see in the world, we are changing
more than ourselves – we are changing
the future. With all our collective acts
of compassionate living, we can create a
world where animals receive the respect
they so rightly deserve.
Mahatma Gandhi once proclaimed,
“We must be the change we wish to see
in the world.” These wise words have
long been echoed by many of history’s
most progressive thinkers and outspoken
social justice leaders. Gandhi’s motto
of personal responsibility certainly still
rings loud and clear today when we are
confronted with the harsh reality of
animal suffering at the hands of humans.
2 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
Nathan Runkle
Executive Director
CL
Compassionate Living
| dearfriends
Contributors
Derek Coons
Maureen Jacob
Amy MacKenzie
Rhiannon Mehring
Lizz Petroff
Nathan Runkle
Priya Shanker
Anya Todd R.D.
Mercy For Animals (MFA) is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal
advocacy organization that
believes non-human animals are
irreplaceable individuals who have
morally significant interests and
hence rights, including the right to
live free of unnecessary suffering.
MFA is dedicated to establishing
and defending the rights of all
animals.
Given that over 97% of animal
cruelty occurs in the production of
meat, dairy, and eggs, MFA’s main
function is promoting a vegetarian
diet. MFA works to be a voice for
animals through public education
and advertisement campaigns,
research and investigations,
working with news media, and
grassroots activism.
MFA relies on the generous support
of compassionate individuals to carry
on our lifesaving work. To become a
member, simply send a contribution
of $15 to:
Mercy For Animals
P.O. Box 363
Columbus, OH 43216
1-866-632-6446
Info@MercyForAnimals.org
Thank you for your commitment to
making the world a kinder and more
compassionate place for all beings.
| newswatch
Go — Bye-Bye — Fish
Omnivores and pescavegetarians wanting
to satisfy their craving for the “catch of the
day” may not be able to find any seafood
anymore, especially if it’s in the year 2048.
That’s what researchers predict if current
trends in habitat destruction and commercial
over-fishing continue. After analyzing data
and historical records from over a thousand
years, researchers found that marine
biodiversity — ocean fish, shellfish, birds,
plants, micro-organisms, ocean mammals
including seals, killer whales, and dolphins
— has declined dramatically, with 29 percent
of species already in collapse. Why does this
matter in the big picture? Because the loss
of biodiversity makes ocean ecosystems less
resilient in recovering from the effects of
global climate changes, such as aggressive
natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes,
floods, typhoons, etc. The solution? Experts
say that to protect the existing marine
ecosystems, and inevitably human life,
stricter controls on commercial fishing need
to be enforced. Consumers also have the
power to make a difference by eliminating
fish from their diets. Reuters.
2006 Election Victories for Animals
Arizona voters overwhelmingly passed a historic
initiative to improve the lives of farm animals
— the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act.
Proposition 204 passed with 62 percent of Arizonans’
votes making Arizona the first U.S. state to ban veal
crates, and the second state to ban gestation crates for
pigs — Florida was the first to do so in Fall 2002.
Sixty-nine percent of Michigan voters said “NO!”
to opening the first target-shooting season on the
state’s official bird of peace — the mourning dove.
Well-funded hunting groups wanting to overturn a
100-year-long Michigan tradition of protecting doves
initiated the proposal. The crushing win at the polls of
“NO” votes exceeded the “yes” votes by more than 1.3
million, all thanks to a two-year grassroots campaign by
The Committee to Keep Doves Protected. The Humane
Society of the United States.
Mainstream Vegan Money
Machine
No longer considered a “hippie fad,” the
vegan lifestyle is translating into a growing
$50 billion annual natural-products
industry. There are more than 1.7 million
vegans in the United States, according to
a 2000 poll conducted by the Vegetarian
Resource Group, based in Baltimore,
MD. Choices for vegan consumers are
growing along with demand, as more niche
businesses cater to vegans, and mainstream
grocery stores carry more products, said
John Cunningham, consumer research
manager for the vegetarian group. The
market for foods replacing meat and other
animal products is estimated at $2.8 billion,
according to Mintel International Group
Ltd., a research consumer company. Arizona
Daily Star.
tip
Want to keep up-to-date on
all the important animal rights
and vegetarian headlines? We
have you covered. Sign up today for
MFA’s free monthly enewsletter, The Voice, at
www.MercyForAnimals.org.
Gazoontite!
Don’t Bring Home the Bacon
According to researchers, daily consumption of more
than an ounce of smoked and processed foods such
as bacon, sausage, or corned beef, increases the risk
of developing stomach cancer from 15 percent to 38
percent. The culprits in such meats are likely the high
salt content, which irritates the lining of the stomach,
or the carcinogenic nitrate and nitrate additives. More
reason to just skip the bacon. Time Magazine.
Spring/Summer 07
If you’re a fanatical germaphobe, then you might build
yourself a self-containing bubble and never come out
after reading Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, by
Michael Greger, MD. Greger traces the human role in the
evolution of the virus, whose humble beginnings belie its
transformation into a killer mutant strain with the potential
to become as ferocious as Ebola and as contagious as the
common cold. In the face of the coming pandemic, Greger
reveals what we can do to protect our families and what
human society to can do to reduce the likelihood of such
catastrophes in the future. The entire book is available
online for free at BirdFluBook.com.
| meetmfa
No
(
Joe
Schmoe
W
alking into the student union of the University
of Illinois Champaign-Urbana to cash a check,
Joe Espinosa never imagined that his exposure
to a short video on animals in modern day factory
farms would forever change his life. It was October
1992, and Joe was a semester and a half away
from graduating with a degree in Biology.
Growing up, Joe worked on his uncle’s
family-owned dairy farm and had never
seen the grotesque conditions displayed on
the video footage in front of him. An animal
advocate was there to answer questions and
offer literature on vegetarianism. Joe was
immediately impressed with the advocate’s
polite demeanor when fielding questions and
dealing with resistance.
The advocate spoke about the standard practices on
modern day factory farms and explained how
small, family-owned farms were succumbing to
the pressures of these massive factory farms and
were shutting down by the droves. Joe could
relate, as his uncle had recently lost his farm
as well. Eager to learn more, Joe attended a
meeting of Students for Animal Rights, and he
became vegetarian a month later. The advocate
that introduced Joe to veganism is the Co-Founder
and Executive Director of Vegan Outreach, Matt Ball.
Upon meeting Matt and learning of the massive suffering
of farmed animals, Joe felt compelled into action.
Today, Joe is one of the most prolific vegetarian
leafleters on the planet. Since the fall of 2003,
he has distributed over 70,000 booklets on
college campuses. In addition to working 40
hours a week as a social worker, each Tuesday
he travels to college campuses in Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, and Wisconsin to leaflet. According to
Joe, “there is no substitute for consistency.”
Q. Tell us about the Adopt-A-College Program.
A. It’s a systematic effort, created by Vegan Outreach, to
leaflet colleges across the country. Activists participating
are linked by a Yahoo Group, which allows us to report
our results and share information. The results are posted
on the Vegan Outreach website to coordinate our efforts.
4 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
Activist Spotlight: Joe Espinosa
Vegetarian since: November 1992
Vegan since: December 1994
MFA Activist since: Spring 2006
Featured Activism: Leafleting
Resides in: Steger, Illinois (about 35 miles
South of Chicago)
Favorite Food of the Moment: Boca Spicy
Chik’n Patties
Q. Where do you seem to get the best responses?
A. I have really enjoyed leafleting colleges in Indiana. The stu-
VegNews Names MFA 2006 “Non-Profit of the Year”
VegNews, America’s premier vegetarian lifestyle magazine, recently released its highly
anticipated 2006 Veggie Awards issue – and Mercy For Animals is honored to have been
selected as the Non-Profit of the Year!
From the November/December holiday 06 issue of VegNews magazine:
“When Nathan Runkle was 11 years old, he was exposed to the mistreatment of animals,
turned veg overnight and began a career as a professional animal advocate. Now, at the
ripe age of 22, Runkle has seen the organization he conceived and leads, Mercy For Animals,
become an effective force for change. Founded in 1999, MFA grew from a Dayton, Ohiobased grassroots effort to a powerful statewide organization after conducting ‘open rescues’
at the two largest egg farms in Ohio in late 2001. MFA has since merged with Chicago’s
Protecting Animals USA to form a 10,000-member organization that uses cutting edge,
modern design and pro-veg MTV commercials to reach a young audience.”
dents are remarkably polite and receptive. There will always be
people who want to argue with you, but it’s best to just be polite,
make a few good points, and move on. There are far too many
people who are ready to have this information for us to
waste time trying to win an argument with a meat eater.
Two New MFA Pro-Veg Commercials Hit the Airwaves
Mercy For Animals’ two powerful new pro-vegetarian TV commercials, “Hidden from View”
and “Old MacDonald,” recently hit the airwaves in Chicago, Cleveland and Columbus.
The chilling 30-second spots take viewers behind the closed doors of America’s factory
farms, giving a shocking glimpse into the unseen suffering endured by billions of chickens,
pigs, and cows.
Q. What is your #1 goal when leafleting?
A. Ending animal exploitation is the moral imperative of our time. My goal is to share this burden
with others, as they have the power to stop sentencing
animals to brutal fates of suffering and death. I have
already made the decision to be vegan, which spares
about 35 farm animals each year. Helping others to reduce their consumption of animal products, become vegetarian
or vegan spares so many more.
Q. What have you learned about activism that
may help others who want to leaflet, but feel
intimidated?
A. It may be hard to believe, but I tend to be a
shy person. To this day I am still a bit nervous every
time I pull into the parking lot of a school to leaflet,
even schools that I have been to many times before.
But what activists need to keep in mind is that what
they are doing is right, standing up against oppression
is something that the best people have always done. The
reward in terms of the reduction in animal suffering is well worth
overcoming any nervousness we might feel.
Q. What keeps you motivated?
A. To me, it’s a matter of justice, and I feel compelled
to do this work. Knowing that my efforts have spared
tens of thousands of animals from the horrible experiences of factory farms is a rich reward.
Q. Why Leaflet?
A. Rather than sitting around wishing people would stop
| actionreport
The commercials have already exposed over half a million MTV, MTV2, and Bravo
network viewers, many for the first time, to the untold cruelty involved in the production
of meat, dairy, and egg products. Viewers are encouraged to learn more at MFA’s
ChooseVeg.com website.
MFA Reaches Millions of Shoppers with Launch of Anti-Fur Ad Campaign
In December of 2006, MFA launched over 100 new antifur advertisements on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red
Line subway system – the most ridden train line in the city.
The ads urge residents, students and tourists to choose
compassion over violence by choosing fur-free fashions.
Over the course of the month, MFA’s ads were viewed by
over 2 million riders.
The first ad pictures two young, fur-bearing animals looking directly at the viewer next to bold lettering, “Two
Great Reasons Not to Wear Fur.” Text follows, explaining
how animals are trapped, drowned, gassed, electrocuted,
clubbed, and skinned alive to make fur-trimmed garments.
TWO GREAT REASONS
NOT TO WEAR FUR
>> Animals are trapped, drowne
d, gassed, electrocuted, clubbed
,
and skinned alive to make fur-trim
med garments.
Choose Compassion
Choose Fur-Free Fashion
SHE NEEDS
R FU R
HE
MORE THAN WE DO
MercyForAnimals.org
1.866.632.6446
Animals raised on fur farms
live their entire lives confined
in tiny, barren cages. Their
misery only ends when they
are gassed, electrocuted,
clubbed, poisoned, or skinned
alive.
●
caught in leghold
traps can suffer for days many will chew off their
own feet in a desperate attempt to escape. These
cruel traps also mangle and kill countless dogs, cats,
endangered species, and other non-target animals.
● Animals
Choose Compassion. Choose Fur-Free Fashion.
MercyForAnimals.org
1.866.632.6446
The second ad design shows a fox looking up from inside a log and proclaims that “She Needs Her Fur More Than We Do” along with a
description of the deplorable living conditions on fur farms. The ad also explains how animals trapped in the wild for their fur may suffer for days with the trap clamped painfully into their flesh.
By the Num6ers: 2006 Year in Review
supporting the cruelties of factory farming, we should go out
and ask them to, with compelling and accurate information that
might move them to stop. In leafleting, you can be an effective
activist anytime. I’m able to reach a large number of people,
and it’s statistically likely that the information I distribute will
change some people’s diets, which spares many animals from an
existence of horrible suffering.
Throughout 2006, MFA members were highly active working on behalf of the animals. The numbers
are in, and they speak volumes to the tireless work our members have done over the past year. In
2006, MFA: • Conducted over 170 public outreach events, including lectures by our humane educators at high schools and colleges, video showings, educational exhibits at festivals and conferences,
vegan feed-ins, and leafleting outreach on busy street corners, outside concerts, and on campuses •
Distributed over 160,000 pieces of vegetarian literature • ChooseVeg.com, our popular pro-vegetarian website, attracted over 85,000 visitors and received more than 500,000 page views.
Spring/Summer 07
| veganhealth
AskAnya
Anya Todd is a vegan registered and
licensed dietitian who graduated
from Case Western Reserve University
and completed her internship at the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Active in
animal rights for nearly 20 years, Anya
resides in Ohio with her vegan boyfriend
and not-quite-vegan animal companions.
Though she follows a well-balanced diet,
she never turns down a plate of vegan
french toast, especially if topped with
strawberries and bananas. Here, Anya
answers your pressing questions about
vegan health and nutrition.
Q:
A:
How much protein do I need,
and is it possible to get enough
through a plant-based diet?
Protein intake is a common concern and often a
misunderstood issue when speaking with regard
to a vegan diet. Its function in the body is to assist with cell growth and repair, as well as assist in immunity
and hormone production. The daily human body requirement
is approximately 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram of body
weight (To get kilograms, just divide
your weight by 2.2). Therefore, a
healthy person weighing 130lbs would
require approximately 60grams of
protein per day. Please note that these
requirements vary through life stages
(childhood, pregnancy, lactation).
Q:
A:
Quick Chili
If I do not consume dairy
products, how can I get the
calcium I need?
Despite what the dairy industry claims, milk is
not the only way to obtain calcium and maintain
strong bones and teeth. There are many plant
sources that will supply calcium while leaving out the cholesterol and saturated fat found in the milk from animals. It is
recommended for the average adult under 50 to consume approximately 1000mg of calcium per day. For
those people over 50, the amount increases
to 1200mg per day.
Though the Atkins
craze is slowing,
Americans
still consume
considerably more
protein than what
is recommended.
In today’s society, we tend to have the
mentality that one can never have too
much of anything – and this applies
to protein as well. Though the Atkins
craze is slowing, Americans still consume considerably more
protein than what is recommended. Excessive amounts of
animal protein have been linked to osteoporosis and kidney
disease. There are a variety of plant foods that can provide
substantial amounts of protein without the cholesterol and
saturated fat that is offered in animal protein. Soy, seitan, quinoa (a grain), beans, and nuts are just a few of these protein
powerhouses. There is no need to worry about the issue of
‘complementary proteins’ in order to ensure you are getting
all your essential amino acids. That is far too complicated
and eating should not be complicated. A well-varied vegan
diet can provide your body with the protein it needs. Now go
enjoy that tofu stir-fry without any worries!
6 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
| veganflavor
Curried Tofu with
Peanuts
Luckily, more common foods in a vegan diet
are being fortified – everything from soymilk
to orange juice to granola bars now provides
an ample amount of calcium. An 8-oz glass
of fortified soymilk or rice milk provides
300mg. Tofu processed with calcium can
provide 250mg in a 4 oz. serving. Blackstrap
molasses, soy yogurt, and collard greens are
also excellent sources. Like any other nutrient, calcium is best
obtained by eating a variety of foods. A vegan who lives on a
diet based heavily on Swedish Fish and coffee is sure to run the
risk of a deficiency. So, if you think you would benefit from a
calcium supplement, it is important to note this mineral is best
absorbed in amounts of 500mg or less.
tip
For one-stop vegan health info,
recipes, tips, and videos, check
out ChooseVeg.com. A vegan food
pyramid, cancer-fighting recipes, and
videos on preventing disease through
plant-based foods are all just a click away.
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup TVP*
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup water or vegetable
stock
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 cup chopped peanuts,
whole or chopped
1 pound tofu, drained and
sliced
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup peas (fresh, frozen, or
canned)
1 carrot, diced
Sauté the onions and garlic in
oiled frying pan. Add remaining
ingredients and cook over
medium heat for 10-20 minutes.
Add a little water if needed.
Variations: Use garlic powder
or ginger instead of garlic. Use
different nuts or vegetables.
*TVP = Textured Vegetable
Protein and is made from soy
protein and can replace beef.
Pour the boiling water over the
textured vegetable protein and
let stand until softened.
Braise the onion, bell pepper,
and garlic in water until the
onion is soft, then add the
remaining ingredients, including
the textured vegetable protein.
Simmer at least 30 minutes.
FeaturedProduct
Have a killer craving for cheesy pizza? Or cheesy
potato fries? Or just need to inhale an entire
tub of mac & cheese? Being a vegan doesn’t
mean you have to trade those comfort foods
in with your past omnivorous lifestyle — all
thanks to Vegan Gourmet®’’s line of cheese
alternatives from the Follow You Heart®
Natural Foods company.
The 100% non-dairy cheeses are all natural and
free of cholesterol, animal products, casein and
gluten.
With four delicious flavors to satisfy any food craving — rich cheddar,
savory jack, zesty nacho and tasty mozzarella — Vegan Gourmet®’’s
cheeses can be used in casseroles, sauces, baking, and even fondues.
It melts just like the real thing for anything needing that ooey, gooey,
stretchy cheesiness! Follow these tips for best results:
Spring/Summer 07
Apple Crisp
4 large tart apples
3/4 cup sugar or other
sweetener
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup Spectrum Naturals
Spread or margarine
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Peel the apples, if desired,
then core and thinly slice
them. Toss with 1/2 cup
sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and
cinnamon. Spread evenly in a
9” x 13” baking dish.
Mix the rolled oats with the
remaining flour and sugar.
Add the Spectrum Naturals
Spread (or margarine) and
work the mixture until it is
uniformly crumbly. Sprinkle
evenly over the fruit.
Bake for 45 minutes, until
lightly browned. Let stand 10
minutes before serving.
• Keep the dish covered, as cheese melts best in a moist
environment.
• Keep slices thin for faster and even melting.
• For fondues, melt chunks of cheese completely on
medium heat setting, then turning the heat down and
stirring occasionally. If the fondue becomes too thick,
just add a little water.
• When making thick-crust pizzas, pizza bagels, or
French bread pizzas, shred the cheese, and place under
broiler at 450° F.
• When baking casseroles, cover until almost finished,
then uncover to brown cheese under the broiler at 450° F.
Can’t find Vegan Gourmet®’s cheeses in your local grocery store?
Visit FollowYourHeart.com or call (818) 725-2820, for ordering and
distribution information.
ANIMALS &
| coverstory
Inflicting third-degree burns to cattle: legal
Neglecting a companion dog or cat:
• Lumberton, North Carolina: a resident at a mobile
home park sees a young girl throwing a squirming
pillowcase into a pond. Authorities find three six- to
eight-week-old cocker spaniel puppies alive inside.
• Albuquerque, New Mexico: a 5-month-old
Chihuahua is recovering from severe head and internal
injuries after being thrown against a wall.
• Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania: a stray cat is found shot
in the arm and meowing in agony.
These are just some of the latest disturbing animal abuse
cases that have captured the attention of the news media
and left the public shocked and outraged. All cases are either
undergoing legal investigation, or the perpetrators have been
criminally charged and are serving jail time.
Here are some other recent, less publicized, but far more
common, instances of animal cruelty:
THE LAW
“…if one person is unkind to an animal, it is
considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people
are unkind to animals, especially in the name of
commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once sums
of money are at stake, will be defended to the last
by otherwise intelligent people.”
– Ruth Harrison, Animal Machines
8 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
• A day-old calf is torn from his mother’s side as she
bellows in distress. He is chained by his neck in a
wooden crate too small for him to even turn around.
Motherless and alone, he languishes in isolation for 16weeks before being shipped to slaughter.
• A newly hatched male chick -- deemed “worthless”
by the egg industry -- is thrown into a huge blenderlike machine, where his body is torn apart while he is
still alive.
• A young steer is burned with a hot iron (branded),
his testicles are ripped out of his scrotum (castrated),
and his horns are cut off. He endures these agonizing
procedures without a single drop of painkiller.
• A 6-week old chicken is snapped into a moving
shackle, has her throat slit open by a mechanical blade,
and is drowned in scalding water.
By Maureen Jacob
Spring/Summer 07
Illegal
Confining 5-11 hens to a single cage:
legal
What is the difference between these acts of animal cruelty,
which rarely grab headlines, and the previous ones? The
answer is simple: they involve institutionalized animal abuse
-- occurring in the name of profit and food production. These
inhumane acts are, for the most part, considered perfectly legal
under current American laws.
This article aims to expose the little known truth behind the
legal loopholes in our country’s federal and state laws that
often render over 97% of domestic animals – those that are
bred and killed for food – outside the legal realm of protection
from egregious cruelty.
To the shock of most consumers who mistakenly
believe that cows, pigs, and chickens are protected from
mistreatment, chilling acts of neglect and abuse are routinely
allowed to continue behind the walls of factory farms and
slaughterhouses. It often happens without so much as a blink
of an eye from local, state, or government agencies. In fact,
every year in the U.S. alone, nearly ten billion farmed animals
are subjected to crowded living conditions, painful mutilations,
traumatic transports, and inhumane deaths. The perpetrators
of such treatment could face felony level cruelty-to-animals
charges if farmed animals were granted the same legal
protection as dogs, cats, and other companion animals.
Quite simply, such exemptions are out of step with the values
of most Americans who show widespread support for laws
to protect all animals. A 2003 Gallup poll indicated that
nearly two-thirds of Americans “support passing strict laws
concerning the treatment of farm animals.” A Zogby poll
conducted that same year found that nearly 70 percent of
Americans find it “unacceptable” that farm animals have no
federal protection from abuse while on the farm, and more
than four-fifths of Americans believe there should be effective
laws to prevent farmed animal cruelty.
Quite simply, institutionalized
animal abuse is, for the most
part, perfectly legal in the
United States.
| coverstory
History &&Federal
Animal
Laws Laws
History
Federal
Animal
Since the early nineteenth century, laws have been created to
protect animals from cruelty. In fact, the original laws created by
many states in the early to mid 1800’s were established for the
protection of farmed animals such as cows, sheep, horses, etc
– animals who possessed monetary value to the owner.
Today, not a single federal law exists that provides protection to
animals raised for food during their lives on the farm. Shockingly,
you can cram a farmed animal in a cage so small that they can’t turn
around (battery-cages, veal crates, farrowing stalls), you can rip off
their body parts without pain killers (castration), you can starve
them (forced-molting), and you can deny them access to veterinary
care. There is no federal law preventing any of these acts.
These laws were created not so much to protect the animals for
their own sake, but rather to protect the interests of the property
owner. For example, laws were passed that made it a crime to
destroy another person’s livestock. Most of these early laws
excluded dogs and cats.
There are currently only two areas where some farmed animals
have any federal protection whatsoever -- transport and slaughter.
However, even these laws are weak to the point of absurdity.
Ironically, the situation today is somewhat reversed; dogs and cats
are granted some legal protection on the state and federal level,
but many federal and state laws now exclude farmed animals.
A quick breakdown of federal laws pertaining to animal welfare
follows:
Twenty-Eight Hour Law
Enacted: 1873; repealed, reenacted and amended in 1994
The 28 Hour Law prohibits the interstate transport of animals for more
than 28 hours without being unloaded for food, water, and rest.
This law is frequently violated with truckers sometimes going 36 hours or
more without giving the animals a break. The law is rarely enforced by
the Attorney General and the maximum penalty is only $500. Animals
transported by air or water, or within state borders, receive no protection
under this law.
The law does not regulate the actual conditions in which the animals are
transported. For example, the law does not prevent animals from being
overcrowded or from having to endure freezing temperatures.
Humane Slaughter Act
1958
The Humane Slaughter Act is supposed to require that livestock
slaughter “be carried out only by humane methods” to prevent “needless
suffering.”
However, this act does not apply to chickens, turkeys, or fish – which
make up over 95% of the animals slaughtered for food in the United
States. Thus, the law covers less than 5% of the animals slaughtered for
human consumption.
The law also does not apply to ritual slaughter, such as Kosher slaughter,
despite the fact that some of the worst abuses have been found in
Kosher slaughterhouses.
Even when an act of cruelty is actually considered illegal under the law, it
is unlikely to be enforced. The USDA has never bothered to criminally
prosecute anyone for violating the Humane Slaughter Act. Further, the
Act applies only to slaughterhouses under federal meat inspection - not
state-inspected or small custom facilities.
10 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
The federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) does not provide protection for mice, rats, birds, or any farmed animal.
Animal Welfare Act (AWA)
Congress passed the AWA in 1966
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is the federal law that governs
the humane care, handling, treatment, and transportation of
animals used in laboratories.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not prohibit any experiment,
no matter how painful or useless; it simply sets minimum
housing and maintenance standards for confined animals.
The AWA also applies to dog and cat breeders, puppy mills, zoos,
circuses, and various other animal handlers.
The Animal Welfare
Act, however, does not
cover farmed animals
(used or intended for use as food or fiber).
Birds, rats, and mice, which make up nearly 90% of the animals
used in animal experiments, are also not covered by the Act.
Like the other federal laws, the AWA is rarely enforced. A
document from the USDA showed that in 2005, a mere 70
inspectors were responsible for inspecting over 8,000 facilities,
making any type of meaningful inspection nearly impossible.
State
Animal Laws
& Common
Farming
Exemptions
State
Animal
Laws
& Common
Farming
Exemptions
All fifty states have anti-cruelty statutes – varying in degree,
language, coverage, and criminal status (some consider animal
cruelty a misdemeanor, while others classify it as a felony).
Given the ineffective federal legal protection for farmed
animals, one may assume that such animals receive greater
protection at the state level. In this context, the only
significant protection for farmed animals are criminal anticruelty statutes which are intended to prohibit “unjustifiable”
and/or “unnecessary” suffering to animals. In fact, many
of such statutes were originally enacted to protect farmed
animals. Thus, the question is simple: do state criminal anticruelty statutes protect farmed animals from cruelty today?
The answer is, for the most part, no. While these laws have
never worked well to protect farmed animals, there is a fast
growing trend to ensure that farmed animals are removed
from the reach of these statutes entirely.
The trend, pushed forward by the heavy hand of agribusiness
interests wishing to escape potential cruelty prosecution, is to
remove legal protection to farmed animals by deeming legal
anything viewed by the farming community as “accepted,”
“common,” “customary,” or “normal.” Essentially the very
corporations that profit from farmed animal exploitation are
now being given the power to decide what is and isn’t cruel.
Spring/Summer 07
David Wolfson, lawyer and author of Beyond the Law: Agribusiness
and the Systematic Abuse of Animals Raised for Food or Food
Production, termed these laws Common Farming Exemptions
(CFEs).
CFEs allow states to get away with carrying out acts that
previously may have been considered illegal, such as
using battery cages, veal and gestation crates; debeaking,
dehorning, tail docking, castration, branding and beak searing
without anesthesia; forced molting, force-feeding, skinning,
dismemberment, suffocation, scalding, gassing, grinding up; and
withholding veterinary care.
Other states go a step further and entirely exclude certain
animals, such as poultry, from their anti-cruelty laws. This is
quite significant given that poultry account for 95% of the
nearly ten billion farmed animals slaughtered each year.
At least thirty states have managed to pass their CFEs through
the legal system and avoid prosecution for their inhumane
farming practices.
Essentially the very
corporations that profit from
farmed animal exploitation are
now being given the power to
decide what is and isn’t cruel.
| coverstory
Amidst the gloom, there is some hope on the horizon.
Farmed animals are beginning to gain protection in a number
of states when citizens, not lobbyists for agribusiness, are
given a chance to draft and vote on initiatives relating to
farmed animal welfare.
In November of 2006, for example, Arizona voters passed
the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act (Proposition
204), making it the first state in the nation to ban veal crates
and the second state to ban gestation crates for pregnant pigs.
Eleven out of fifteen Arizona counties supported the measure.
A similar measure gained support of voters in Florida in 2002
– banning gestation crates.
These efforts, however, involve massive amounts of time and
financial resources and face fierce opposition from animal
exploitation industries. Further, many states prohibit or are
working to severely restrict such citizen-initiated issues from
ever making it on the ballot.
Calves raised for veal are isolated in crates so narrow they are unable to even turn around.
How
DidThis
This Happen?
How
Did
Happen?
As we can see, gone are the days of the small family farmer.
The big red barn and open pastures have been replaced with
windowless metal sheds, wire cages, and tiny stalls. Intense
factory farming has become the accepted standard in today’s
agricultural system whose end goal is to produce maximum
amounts of food for maximum profit.
As the saying goes, “for the love of money is the root of
all evil,” and the same might be said of commercial animal
abuse — money feeds its hungry belly. This is big business
and big money. Annual sales among the meat packing, meat
processing and poultry processing industries are estimated at
more than $100 billion per year.
(T) Sow in gestation crate. (B) Debeaked hen.
With all this money comes power, and commercial farmers
and organizations have used that power to designate huge
budgets in enlisting lobbyists to ensure that their inhumane
money-making machines can continue to operate at maximum
effortlessness, without being hindered by anti-cruelty laws.
Enforcement
Enforcement
Not only are the laws weak, but they’re also rarely enforced.
Police and public prosecutors frequently view animal cruelty
cases as a low priority, and let those responsible for the
abuse off the hook, particularly when the victims are farmed
animals.
Convictions are infrequent and often dealt with a slap-on-thewrist mentality - punishments are typically limited to relatively
small fines. Currently, eight states do not even consider
animal cruelty a felony under any circumstances, no matter
how egregiously cruel the crime. And while most states do
consider certain types of animal cruelty a felony, the majority
of these statutes specifically exclude farmed animals.
Even if the police and prosecutors were eager to enforce
criminal anti-cruelty statutes, it is virtually impossible for
enforcement agents to ascertain what occurs on the average
farm because a farm is private property. Without any
regulatory inspection powers, police and law enforcement
12 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
officers associated with Societies for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals and humane societies must demonstrate
probable cause to obtain a warrant to search private property
for evidence of abuse. Unless the agency is informed
by someone “on the inside,” it is extremely difficult for
information to be discovered, and evidence obtained without
a valid warrant will be suppressed.
In certain states the obstacles are even greater. In
Tennessee, for example, the anti-cruelty statute specifically
states that although the SPCA is statutorily authorized to
investigate animal abuse, it cannot do so in the case of
farmed animals. Instead, law enforcement investigations
relating to farmed animals, and entries onto farms, can only
be conducted following an examination by “the county
agricultural extension agent of such county, a graduate of
an accredited college of veterinary medicine specializing in
livestock practice or a graduate from an accredited college
of agriculture with a specialty in livestock.” A small animal
veterinarian does not make the cut.
Compared to the monstrous budgets of commercial farms,
typically, animal advocacy groups operate on much smaller
pools of monies that limit their clout in getting legislators’
attention and votes.
According to a recent op-ed in The Arizona Republic, Matthew
Scully, author of Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of
Animals, and the Call to Mercy, brought to attention how the
power of the pork industry’s allies in the Arizona Legislature
proposed a constitutional amendment to bar the public from
passing any laws promoting the humane treatment of farm
animals, effective Jan. 1, 2006. Scully reported that if the
humane-farming initiative passed by the public’s vote, industry
lobbyists planned to nullify the law retroactively.
Evidence of that persuasive monetary clout is also evident in
the recent passing of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
(AETA), a bill that protects animal enterprises by branding
animal activists as “terrorists” and may threaten legitimate
activities such as boycotts, investigations, and whistle-blowing
by law-abiding groups and individuals.
Spring/Summer 07
The list of supporters
who rallied in favor
of the Act reads like
a who’s who of the
animal exploitation
industries, including such deep-pocketed organizations as The
Fur Commission and Animal Agriculture Alliance.
Another key component in this lethal mix of money, profit and
continued animal abuse is society’s misperception of farmed
animals as incapable of experiencing physical or emotional
pain. Agribusiness has long worked to strip cows, pigs, and
chickens of their unique personalities and needs – reducing
them to commodities. In food production, animals are turned
into mere “food-production units,” “crops,” “grain-consuming
animal units” (as defined by the USDA), and “biomachines.”
In an issue of the industry journal Hog Farm Management, John
Byrnes advised: “Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like
a machine in a factory.”
One of the largest egg producers in the U.S. northeast, ISE
Inc., was convicted of cruelty to animals for discarding two
living chickens in a trashcan. ISE appealed the conviction,
claiming that its hens can legally be treated like manure, because
to ISE, it viewed the chickens as inanimate commodities and as
“tools of production.”
In court, when asked if there was a difference between manure
and a live hen, the defense attorney for ISE Inc. bluntly stated:
“No, your honor.”
Once again, to agribusiness, the mighty dollar is more
important than that of a sentient being’s welfare.
In court, when asked if there
was a difference between
manure and a live hen, the
defense attorney for ISE Inc.
bluntly stated: “No, your
honor.”
| coverstory
Such an ethic is sometimes viewed as impractical or not fast
enough. But, quite the contrary, it is arguably the most efficient
way to reduce animal suffering over the long term. The simple
act of one person adopting a vegetarian lifestyle prevents the
suffering and death of thousands of animals. And for every
person who is inspired to become vegetarian, or simply reduce
their consumption of animal products, thousands more animals
will be spared unimaginable suffering.
What
Can We
We Do?
What
Can
Do?
The view and legal status of animals as mere property
has resulted in billions of sentient beings being reduced
to disposable commodities to be bought, sold, exploited,
and slaughtered at their owners’ discretion.
Certainly we must continue to work on improving the existing
animal welfare laws, and to create new ones. We owe this much
to the unfortunate animals who, due to current demand for their
skin, milk, flesh, and eggs, are condemned to the nightmare
reality of factory farms and slaughterhouses. It is our obligation
to provide relief and reduce their suffering as much as possible.
Most importantly, however, we need to focus on attacking the
problem at its roots – rather than merely addressing its symptoms.
To be effective in the long term, we must work to create a society
that respects all of its members, including the weakest, most
vulnerable, and those without a voice – the animals. Adopting
a vegetarian diet is an essential first step toward putting this
commitment and vision into practice.
As Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer said, “To be a
vegetarian is to disagree -- to disagree with the course of things
today… Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it’s a strong
one.”
The Larger
Problem
The
Larger
Problem
One might think that the biggest problem animals face is that
the laws are too weak, or that the laws aren’t enforced, or that
the large corporations have too much influence and money in
politics.
All of these present huge obstacles to achieve any type of
meaningful protection for animals, but they are dwarfed by
the underlying problem: that animals are regarded as pieces of
property--commodities to be owned or consumed.
Since childhood, most Americans have been taught and
conditioned to view certain animals as things – a hamburger, a
chicken nugget, a leather couch, a fur coat – a means to an end
– a something instead of a someone. As long as we regard other
creatures as our property to be bought and sold, to be owned
or mastered, to be slaughtered for fashion or because we like
the taste of their flesh—animals will continue to be exploited
and suffer needlessly, and we will continue to distance ourselves
from our own humanity.
The current oppression of animals is rooted in a belief system,
and economic ladder, that has led humanity down the road of
other injustices throughout our history.
14 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
The view, and legal status, for example, of human beings
as slaves - mere property - led to unmitigated exploitation
and cruelty. Similarly, the current legal status of animals as
personal property has led to exploitation on an unimaginable
scale. Enforcing and developing stronger and more stringent
laws which protect animals from cruelty is crucial. However,
the solution must not end at mere welfare reforms, as it only
treats the symptom of a much larger societal injustice. Just
as we would be foolish to believe that simply passing laws
requiring shorter forced work days, lighter chains, or fewer
beatings would end the injustice of human slavery, we must
not find contentment with simply a few more inches of cage
space or wider crates.
The current oppression of
animals is rooted in a belief
system, and economic ladder,
that has led humanity down
the road of other injustices
throughout our history.
Take
!
The current situation is a product of demand for cheap meat,
dairy, and eggs. Like all markets, the food industry is driven by
consumers. As demand for the flesh, skin, milk, and eggs of
animals declines, so too will the number of animals subjected to
the grim realities discussed in this article.
Regardless of what path we choose in fighting the injustices
against animals– whether it is writing letters to your
representatives, changing your diet, or educating others about
the issues -- it is essential that we take action. The system of
animal exploitation won’t change unless we make it change.
“To be a vegetarian is to disagree
-- to disagree with the course of
things today… Vegetarianism is
my statement. And I think it’s a
strong one.”
Action
1 Go Vegetarian – Every time we sit down to eat, we can
choose compassion over cruelty. Adopting a healthy, non-violent
vegetarian diet is the single most important and powerful action
you can take to end animal cruelty. For free information, resources,
tips, and recipes to help you make the transition to a cruelty-free
diet, visit ChooseVeg.com.
annually by the meat, egg, and dairy industries. Despite the
incredible number of individuals and the routine suffering too
many endure, these farm animals do not receive protection under
the federal Animal Welfare Act. Moreover, 95% of the animals
slaughtered each year do not receive protection under the federal
Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
2 Change the law – As many states in our Nation are moving
backwards, by amending their laws to specifically exempt farm
animals from protection, other countries are moving forward.
Over the past decade the European Union has moved to outlaw
such cruel factory farm systems as the veal crate, gestation stall,
and barren battery-cage. It is high time that our elected officials
stop ignoring the plight of farmed animals.
Contact your elected officials today and urge them to support
efforts to amend these federal Acts to provide protection to all
farmed animals. Further, urge your representatives to support
pro-animal legislation.
In the United States, 10 billion land animals are raised and killed
Spring/Summer 07
3 Expose the truth – Industries that abuse animals work very
diligently to keep their abusive practices concealed from the
public. Few consumers know the truth regarding animals and the
law. Please share this issue of CL with a friend or family member.
| actionalert
Put the Chicken
Before the Egg
Urge Morningstar Farms® to Adopt an Egg-Free Policy
Morningstar Farms®, which is owned
by the Kellogg® company, is currently
purchasing eggs produced by hens
confined inside barren wire battery
cages. Battery caged hens are typically
provided with a meager 67 square inches
of space in which to live—that’s less
than the size of this page. These birds
are so intensively confined for their entire
lives that they are denied their natural
inclinations to spread their wings, perch,
preen, or even walk.
Morningstar Farms® has long been a leader in supplying
delicious vegetarian foods to a growing market. Let them know
that the market also wants them to remove their support from
the cruel battery egg industry. Please encourage them to join
with companies like Gardenburger®, which last year announced
it has taken eggs out of all its products except for one privatesourced item.
Eggs used in Morningstar
Farms products come
from hens confined in
cruel, barren batterycages - like the ones
shown here.
WRITE, CALL, EMAIL
Please contact Morningstar Farms® and politely
request that they remove eggs from their
products. Let them know one of their biggest
competitors, Gardenburger®, has already made
this decision for all but one of its products.
1 Submit Your Comments Online
Visit Morningstar-Egg-Facts.com to send your
polite and thoughtful comments directly to
Morningstar Farms® using an online form.
2 Make a Call:
Call Kellogg®’s customer feedback hotline at
1-800-962-1413, Mon. thru Thurs. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
or Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, Eastern Standard Time.
Say: “Representative.”
Press 2 for product information
Press 1 for general inquiries
Despite being one of the most popular
companion animals in the country,
rabbits are among the most exploited.
Domestic rabbits – cherished for their
playful, gentle natures – are skinned for
their fur, blinded to test cosmetics, and
raised by breeders motivated by profit.
But the exploitation doesn’t end there.
Rabbit meat is a growing U.S. industry.
The rabbit-meat industry follows the
inhumane practices of the poultry
and egg industries, often packing animals in small wire
battery cages. Such confinement can cause a host of health
problems, yet sick rabbits are routinely denied veterinary
care. Investigators have found rabbits living in overstocked,
unsanitary conditions.
The USDA divides animals into two groups: livestock and
poultry. It defines livestock as large animals and poultry as
“chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, capons, rabbits, and other.”
As such, rabbits are exempt from the Humane Slaughter Act.
Often fully conscious while being slaughtered, they are killed
using a number of cruel methods, including a blow to the
head, decapitation, or cutting the throat.
The combination of inhumane treatment and increased
efforts to market their flesh clearly spell bad luck for rabbits.
Take action today to help turn the tide in favor of these
lovable critters.
WRITE, CALL, EMAIL
1 Don’t patronize restaurants that serve
3 Write a Letter to:
rabbit; better yet, ask them to stop.
Morningstar Farms®
c/o Kellogg® Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box CAMB
Battle Creek, MI 49016
2 Ask the USDA to protect rabbits under the
Humane Slaughter Act:
24
Average number of
hours it takes a hen to
lay a single egg. Over
95% of U.S. egg-laying
hens spend their entire
lives crowded into cages so small
they can’t flap their wings or walk.
16 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
Battered
Bunnies
Secretary Mike Johanns
USDA
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Room 200-A
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: (202) 720-3631
Fax: (202) 720-2166
Email: agsec@usda.gov
3 Visit RabbitProduction.com and watch the
film “Rabbits: Pets or Poultry?”
Spring/Summer 07
Rabbits, which are exploited and killed by the
fashion, food, and research industries, are
classified as “poultry” by the USDA.
Unfurgivable
ShopNBC Reneges on
Fur-Free Promise
Less than a year after it pledged to adopt a permanent fur-free
policy, ShopNBC—the television shopping channel and online
retailer for NBC TV—has reneged on its promise. This is
despite the fact that leading clothing retailers like Forever 21,
J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Polo Ralph Lauren, and others have pulled
fur from their stores forever. Animals on fur farms spend their
entire lives exposed to all weather conditions and confined to
cramped, filthy wire cages. They often go without adequate
shelter, clean water, veterinary care, or the ability to engage in
natural behaviors like climbing, burrowing, and swimming. In
these conditions of intensive confinement, the animals suffer
from severe physical and psychological trauma.
Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods,
including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning.
These crude killing methods aren’t always effective, and
sometimes animals “wake up” while they are being skinned.
With so many fashionable, comfortable alternatives available,
there is no excuse for ShopNBC to sell fur apparel.
WRITE, CALL, EMAIL
Please take a moment to let ShopNBC know
that you are outraged that it reneged on its
promise and urge the company to discontinue
its sale of real fur:
William Lansing, CEO
ShopNBC
6740 Shady Oak Rd.
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: (952) 943-6868
Fax: (612) 947-0188
Email: wlansing@shopnbc.com
| exclusiveinterview
...do you want lies with that?
H
ave you ever wondered what lurks behind those nuggets, fries and burgers? Award-winning
journalist Eric Schlosser exposed the gruesome facts in his book Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of
the All American Meal, a provocative exposé of the American fast food industry.
After the success of Fast Food Nation, Charles “Chuck” Wilson, who has written articles for
publications such as The New York Times and Washington Post, urged Eric Schlosser to share his insight
with young people. In Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food, Schlosser
and Wilson empower kids by revealing the sad truth about Happy Meals. Mercy For Animals’ Lizz
Petroff recently had the chance to ask Eric and Chuck about their groundbreaking book.
What inspired you to write Chew On This?
ERIC: Chuck came to me with the idea. His mother runs
a small children’s book company, and he thought that
kids should have access to the information in Fast Food
Nation. After all, they are being targeted by fast food
marketers day and night. Why not give them a different
point-of-view? It seemed like such a good idea, I insisted
that Chuck write it with me.
CHUCK: Young people are bombarded with fast-food
advertising, and they are establishing eating habits that
can stay with them for a lifetime—often with very harmful
consequences.
So we set out to write a book that explained in a very
simple, direct voice where fast food came from, how it’s
marketed, and what can happen to a young person’s body
if he or she eats too much of it. A book like this allows
young people to make their own informed decisions about
what they are eating. We never wanted to be didactic or
heavy-handed; we simply wanted to present a side of the
fast-food story that young people would never see in $3
billion worth of television advertisements every year.
Similar changes have been seen in the hog, poultry, and
egg industry. Some of McDonald’s egg suppliers house 1
million birds under a single roof. Chickens and turkeys are
now processed on disassembly lines that can slaughter an
animal every two-and-a-half seconds.
How has the fast food industry changed the
raising and slaughtering of animals?
CHUCK: We were delighted to stumble upon a few stories
of renegade industrialized animals who managed to cheat
death. We relate the tale of two pigs in England who,
shortly before they were to be killed, wriggled through a
hole in a fence, swam across the Avon River, and remained
on the lam for a week. Eventually they were captured and
bought by the Daily News newspaper and given to a farm
where they are still living peacefully. People named them
Butch and Sundance after the famous renegades in “Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
CHUCK: The fast-food industry’s demand for cheap meat
has had enormous consequences for both animals and
workers. During the late 1960s, McDonald’s bought fresh
ground beef from 175 regional companies. Within a few
years, as the chain rapidly began to spread across the
United States, McDonald’s switched to frozen hamburger
patties and reduced the number of its beef suppliers to
five. This had a huge impact on the centralization and
industrialization of the meatpacking industry. The fast
food chains want a uniform product that tastes exactly the
same at thousands of different locations—and they want
it cheap. A major consequence is that they have turned
animals into industrial commodities on a massive scale.
ERIC: For thousands of years, cattle roamed the prairie,
eating native grasses and co-existing with a wide range
of other species. Today, cattle are being fattened for
slaughter at feedlots that contain as many as 100,000
cattle. They are routinely given antibiotics and growth
hormones. They live in each others’ waste and eat
genetically modified grain out of concrete troughs. These
feedlots are bad for the environment, bad for the health
of the animals, and bad for the health of people who eat
them. Along with mega-feedlots, the industry has brought
us mega-slaughterhouses. Fifty years ago, it was hard to
find a slaughterhouse that could kill 120 cattle an hour.
Today, the largest slaughterhouses process 400 an hour.
It’s all about speed, efficiency, cheapness, and uniformity.
Meatpacking used to be one of the most highly-paid,
unionized jobs in America; now it is one of the lowestpaid industrial jobs—and one of the most dangerous jobs.
18 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
Spring/Summer 07
When researching for the book, was there
anything you discovered that particularly
surprised you?
We also tell the story of a two-year-old dairy cow in
Massachusetts named Emily who was sent to slaughter
by her owner. Shortly before she was to enter the
slaughterhouse, Emily ran away, jumped over a 5-foot
high fence, and then escaped into the woods, where she
foraged alongside deer for forty days and nights. She was
eventually captured by a vegetarian couple and raised by
them until she died of natural causes.
“
Some of McDonald’s egg
suppliers house 1 million
birds under a single roof.
Chickens and turkeys
are now processed on
disassembly lines that
can slaughter an animal
every two-and-a-half
seconds.
“
| exclusiveinterview
er
ss
Eric Schlo
Today, a typical chicken weighs
five-and-a-half pounds after only
six weeks. Their growth rate is
phenomenal and totally unnatural.
It’s the equivalent of breeding a
child who’d weigh 286 pounds by
the age of six years.
Chew on These Facts:
• One
X
in four children and 40
percent of all teens eat fast food
daily.
•
X
Twenty percent of all public high
schools sell “branded fast foods.”
X
• Ninety percent of kids eat at
McDonald’s at least once a month.
• Children
X
see $3 billion plus worth
of fast food advertising every year.
•
X
If a child is obese by the age
of thirteen, there’s more than a 90
percent chance that he or she will
be overweight at 35.
X
• A ten-year-old child diagnosed
with type 2 diabetes can expect to
lose 17 or more years of his or her
life.
20 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org
We tell the story in our book of a 4 million pound pile of
poop at a feedlot in Milford, Nebraska, that spontaneously
caught fire in 2004. Firefighters were not able to pour water
on it because they did not want to pollute nearby streams.
The 30-foot-high manure fire burned for four months
straight. The pictures of the manure pile look like a smoky
Rocky mountain backdrop until you realize it’s something
not nearly as serene.
How have workers been affected by the fast
food industry?
You mention in your book that chickens are now
suffering from heart attacks. Can you explain
what is causing this?
ERIC: The chicken nugget revolutionized the whole broiler
industry—including how the chickens are raised. Thirty
years ago, more than half of Americans bought their chickens whole—but now only about 10 percent do. People have
grown accustomed to eating chicken that’s been cut into strips
or reconstituted into nuggets. To meet this demand, the big
processors started to raise birds that had large chests and to
accelerate their growth in order to cut costs. They started giving antibiotics to chickens and feeding them animal byproducts instead of their traditional meal of choice: grass.
Chuck Wilson
nearby streams or into groundwater—or it can somehow
stray into spinach fields, as seen in the recent E. coli O157:
H7 outbreak.
Thirty years ago, a typical chicken being raised for slaughter weighed about three-and-a-half pounds after a couple of
months on the farm. Today, a typical chicken weighs five-anda-half pounds after only six weeks. Their growth rate is phenomenal and totally unnatural. It’s the equivalent of breeding
a child who’d weigh 286 pounds by the age of six years.
CHUCK: These single-trait engineering techniques have had
unintended consequences. Many birds have developed problems with their legs because of the difficulty of supporting
their top-heavy bodies. It would also be hard to find a person
who raises broiler chickens today who doesn’t have to discard
birds killed by heart attacks. Even though chickens live
only six weeks from hatching to slaughter, many don’t even
survive that brief lifespan. Their hearts simply cannot support
their tremendous rate of growth and simply give out. Sometimes this results in something called “flip-over disease”—the
birds suddenly flip over and die.
You also write about the problem of animal
waste. How much waste is produced in feedlots
and slaughterhouses and where does it all go?
CHUCK: Producing beef, as many have pointed out, is a very
inefficient enterprise. One cow generates the amount of waste
as about 16.4 people. Each steer deposits about 50 pounds
of urine and manure every day. At the big feedlots, this stuff
goes into lagoons that emit hydrogen sulfide and ammonia
that can be damaging to breathe. The manure can leak into
ERIC: The fast food industry pioneered a whole new sort of
service sector employment: low wages, high turnover, no
benefits. There’s a reason why they’re called McJobs. The
fast food industry is the nation’s largest employer of minimum wage labor. And it should come as no surprise that the
fast food chains have for years been some of the strongest
opponents of any increase in the minimum wage. Thanks to
them, the federal minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, is
lower than it was fifty years ago. It’s about 40 percent lower
than it was in the late 1960s, when the industry started to
grow.
Other companies in other sectors of the economy have imitated the fast food labor model. So you increasingly see jobs
that have been carefully designed to provide no training and
that treat workers like they’re interchangeable parts of a machine. These companies have proven very skilled at imposing their labor costs on the rest of society—since taxpayers
now have to pay for the medical care of these poor workers.
How has the fast food industry impacted public
health?
CHUCK: The founders of the fast food industry realized very
early that by appealing directly to children, they could use
“pester power” to bring a whole family into a restaurant. At
McDonald’s, the food is wrapped up like a little present. It
was linked to a free toy and a warm, friendly clown. A warm,
friendly aura has been created around this food—an aura that
can extend far beyond childhood, especially to those seeking
comfort and familiarity. The foods that young people learn
to like from a very young age can determine their eating patterns for the rest of their lives.
Fast food usually tastes pretty good, but it can be very bad
for your health if you eat it all the time. At many fast food
restaurants, as much as 80 percent or more of the business
comes from the same 20 percent of the customers. These
customers have sometimes been called “heavy users” within
the industry, and they are the ones who are most likely to
develop health problems from eating fast food. It is our hope
with a book like this that you might create the sort of awareness where young people look very skeptically at fast-food
marketing and think hard about what they want to eat.
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