fuzz16 wrote:
do you really think a company cares about how the animals are raised, or killed. their going to do the cheapest way for them. waiting for an animal to be dead before cutting it up takes time, time that could be used to prep more, so why would they wait when they could do five more in the time it takes to kill one?
or psf to spread hog manure over land and in turn destroy habitats and causing possibly cancer in the future.
People who are in the agricultural industry are animal lovers. There may be employees who work in poultry houses or something that don't really care and are just there for a job. But by and large, the people involved in agriculture love animals because honestly, there is not a lot of money to be made in the industry. You HAVE to love what you're doing to be a part of it.
Because that is the case (case being, not a lot of money to be made), you are right- the focus is on profits. For this reason, production animals do not live in vast pastures with acres to roam and green grass to eat. It costs to much. So they are in tighter conditions, fed a less natural diet, etc. However, this doesn't mean that production animals are abused.
I have seen videos on the internet of people processing animals before they are unconcious, beating livestock with tools to get them to move, etc. I will stop there because I know it's a very graphic presentation. This
is abuse. But this abuse is not supported by or encouraged by the ag industry. Conditions may not be as luxurious as we wish them to be for animals as pets or the like, but they are not the horror that is seen in these videos. Although measures are taken to decrease cost and increase profit, beaten, abused, scared, sick, and dead animals don't help profits any- they are a loss. Like I said, some company employees may be there for "just a job", and these are often the people who are caught abusing animals. When that happens, there are corrective actions taken against these workers. Such acts are not simply not acceptable to you, me, or the farmers.
I hope this gives you a better understanding and explains things a bit better, although I could say so much more. I am directly involved in the ag industry, am studying it at college, and animal production in the U.S. is something my major focuses heavily on. I'm also great friends with many dairy and poultry farmers and am familiar with their practices. With that said, I don't know everything. But I am exposed to the industry enough that I hope what I've said can put your mind at ease. I understand where you're coming from, because information like this video is EVERYWHERE. It's hard not to believe it, and I did for a long time too. But these videos are comprised of very isolated incidents. Many and MOST farmers care very, very much about the welfare of their animals. Not only because they want the best for them (like any of us), but also because sick, dead, or abused animals are quite frankly just not condusive to efficient production.
I hope that explanation helps a little more. Please know I'm not trying to argue with you or what you're saying, because I know you speak from what you have seen as well.
I just hate to see people turned away from the ag industry by misinformation like this video, so I try to give the other side whenever possible for consideration too.
