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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"If you haven’t been in a hen plant, you don’t know what hell is”
If you havent been in a hen plant, you dont know what hell is, he says. My late father was a veteran of both theaters in WWII and a butcher for decades before he became a business rep and organizer for the Meat Cutters Union. When he returned from an organizing trip to chicken processing plants in SW Va while I was in HS he was literally pale and just shook his head in disbelief... wouldn't describe it in anything but the vaguest terms./blockquote]
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Sarah lets call her that for this story, though its neither the name her parents gave her nor the one she currently uses undercover is a tall, fair woman in her midtwenties whos pretty in a stock, anonymous way, as if shed purposely scrubbed her face and frame of distinguishing characteristics. Like anyone whos spent much time working farms, shes functionally built through the thighs and trunk, herding pregnant hogs who weigh triple what she does into chutes to birth their litters and hefting buckets of dead piglets down quarter-mile alleys to where theyre later processed. Its backbreaking labor, nine-hour days in stifling barns in Wyoming, and no training could prepare her for the sensory assault of 10,000 pigs in close quarters: the stench of their shit, piled three feet high in the slanted trenches below; the blood on sows snouts cut by cages so tight they cant turn around or lie sideways; the racking cries of broken-legged pigs, hauled into alleys by dead-eyed workers and left there to die of exposure. Its the worst job she or anyone else has had, but Sarah isnt grousing about the conditions. Shes too busy waging war on the hogs behalf.
Were sitting across the couch from a second undercover, a former military serviceman well call Juan, in the open-plan parlor of an A-frame cottage just north of the Vermont-New York border. The house belongs to their boss, Mary Beth Sweetland, who is the investigative director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and who has brought them here, first, to tell their stories, then to investigate a nearby calf auction site. Sweetland trains and runs the dozen or so people engaged in the parlous business of infiltrating farms and documenting the abuse done to livestock herds by the countrys agri-giants, as well as slaughterhouses and livestock auctions. Given the scale of the business each year, an estimated 9 billion broiler chickens, 113 million pigs, 33 million cows and 250 million turkeys are raised for our consumption in dark, filthy, pestilent barns its unfair to call this a guerrilla operation, for fear of offending outgunned guerrillas. But what Juan and Sarah do with their hidden cams and body mics is deliver knockdown blows to the Big Meat cabal, showing videos of the animals living conditions to packed rooms of reporters and film crews. In many cases, these findings trigger arrests and/or shutdowns of processing plants, though the real heat put to the offending firms is the demand for change from their scandalized clients fast-food giants and big-box retailers. Weve had a major impact in the five or six years weve been doing these operations, says Sarah.
IF YOU HAVENT BEEN IN A HEN PLANT, YOU DONT KNOW WHAT HELL IS, SAYS AN ACTIVIST. CHICKEN SHIT IS PILED SIX FEET HIGH, AND YOUR LUNGS BURN LIKE YOU TOOK A TORCH TO 'EM.
In its scrutiny of Big Meat a cartel of corporations that have swallowed family farms, moved the animals indoors to prison-style plants in the middle of rural nowhere, far from the gaze of nervous consumers, and bred their livestock to and past exhaustion the Humane Society (and outfits like PETA and Mercy for Animals) is performing a service that the federal government cant, or wont, render: keeping an eye on the way American meat is grown. Thats rightfully the job of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the agency is so short-staffed that it typically only sends inspectors out to slaughterhouses, where they check a small sample of pigs, cows and sheep before theyre put to death. That hour before her end is usually the only time a pig sees a government rep; from the moment shes born, shes on her own, spending four or five years in a tiny crate and kept perpetually pregnant and made sick from breathing in her own waste while fed food packed with growth-promoting drugs, and sometimes even garbage. (The word garbage isnt proverbial: Mixed in with the grain can be an assortment of trash, including ground glass from light bulbs, used syringes and the crushed testicles of their young. Very little on a factory farm is ever discarded.) Save the occasional staffer who becomes disgruntled and uploads pictures of factory crimes on Facebook, undercover activists like Juan and Sarah are our only lens into what goes on in those plants and soon, if Big Meat has its way, well not have even them to set us straight. A wave of new laws, almost entirely drafted by lawmakers and lobbyists and referred to as Ag-Gag bills, are making it illegal to take a farm job undercover; apply for a farm job without disclosing a background as a journalist or animal-rights activist; and hold evidence of animal abuse past 24 to 48 hours before turning it over to authorities. Since it takes weeks or sometimes months to develop a case and since groups like HSUS have pledged not to break the law these bills are stopping watchdogs in their tracks and giving factory farmers free rein behind their walls.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/feature/belly-beast-meat-factory-farms-animal-activists#ixzz2nBJwBLoQ
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DetlefK
(16,423 posts)It basically went like this:
People don't want to go without meat. We live in a society where going one day without meat is considered sensational.
->
People will pay any price for meat.
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The companies could very well treat their animals properly and slap the additional costs on the sales-price and people would still be willing to pay that.
But nobody wants to be the first to start hiking prices. The companies could very well use the evidence collected by activists for aggressive campaigning ("Our meat costs more because we don't feed our animals with trash." , but there's a proverb in Germany: "A crow won't pick another crow's eye out."
Whether you buy cheap food or cheap T-shirts from Bangladesh, remember:
Do you want to know which corners had been cut during the production so you can buy a low-quality-product for a fantastically low price?
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)and I have been to their farms and know how they raise their animals. The prices at some farms are much higher than stores and others are much less expensive (you're buying either a 1/2 or whole animal)
But the meat is delicious and I know that it was raised and butchered in a humane way. But we still go for meatless meals because the veggies are so darn great too. (Lots of those from my garden)
shireen
(8,333 posts)I'm hoping to create a small vege garden next spring. Always interested to hear what others are doing.
Ranchemp.
(1,991 posts)potatoes, green beans, etc.
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)have created different beds and also I plant in the margins of the area. I have different perennial herbs; rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, lemon grass, horseradish...basically all the herbs I use for cooking. Summer herbs; basil, dill, fennel and various medicinals. The veggie garden is also what we eat, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes (although I've yet to have a satisfying crop), I tried peanuts one year and will do that again, broccoli, eggplant, I have an artichoke plant that I baby along because they're zone 10 and I'm zone 7. I also planted fruit and nut trees and planted a berry garden with asparagus. It sounds very ambitious, but really, once you plant the perennials, the rest is fairly easy. Some years, I have an abundance, the last 2, I've only sort of done things that happen along. I've just finished my drip system and next year, I'll be able to work the garden more, rather than just keep things alive because it's hot and they're drying out.
Plant what you like to eat. There's nothing like having something at each meal from the garden. You can start working the ground now. Figure out where you want the garden to go and then lay down cardboard over the area. That helps kill the vegetation there and adds to the tilth of the soil when it decomposes. Then get the leaves that are piling around and pile them on the cardboard. In the spring either add some soil (some garden centers deliver) or just work down into the earth and plant your little seedlings. This doesn't work well with rows and dropping seeds, but is great for seedlings. If you are plant crazy, in February you'll start some seeds in little pots and nurture them into little plants that you can later transplant into your garden space.
As you can see, once I get started, I can blather on endlessly about digging in the dirt. Have a wonderful time. I just got my first seed catalog of the winter from Baker Seeds. I'm off to dream.
BTW...this is very OT, but are you a Strauss? There are so few Shireens in the world.
shireen
(8,333 posts)And inspiring.
No, not a Strauss. There are quite a few people with my name, actually, maybe not in the US but certainly in Malaysia (where I'm originally from) and Iran (since the name is Persian, tho' I'm not).
I see you use the no-till method. That's been recommended by quite a few people. I've got cardboard ready to go, just need to figure out what to do when.
Thanks!
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)and it will start breaking down and will smother anything that is underneath it. Yes, no till is the only way to go for many reasons. Here's a garden site...YourGardenShow.com...my garden is Tara's Garden if you want to see my craziness.
cilla4progress
(24,760 posts)raise our own eggs. Buy lamb, beef, from friends - animals raised outdoors on pasture by small family. Only buy organic chicken (expensive, but price coming down). Eat almost no pork, and when we do, buy from local producers.
Almost hate to eat out, since we can't source the meat, veggies.
I can't stand the thought of an animal suffering so I can stuff my fat face!
Bigmack
(8,020 posts)bluestate10
(10,942 posts)the time to look for them. The farmers are well versed in organic, free range farming. As you pointed out, prices for free range meat is around 3x what is paid for factory produced meat. But if more consumers buy from family farms, the price comes down.
Bigmack
(8,020 posts)Used to raise and butcher my own cattle and hogs and turkeys and chickens.
Did 'em in myself. Birthed most of them, too. Named many of them.
And now I simply can't eat meat from unknown sources.
The conditions on factory farms are enough to gag a maggot.
It's not just the horrible conditions... they are bad enough to put me off eating the poor animals. It's also the simple fact that animals kept like that cannot be good for us to eat. Full of hormones, antibiotics, heavy metals, etc.
Thankfully, I have enough money to be choosy. The poor don't. They have to eat the cheapest protein they can... and that shit is poison.
cilla4progress
(24,760 posts)Wrong in every way!
Berlum
(7,044 posts)there you have it: Big Meat, Inc. (R)
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)But, I have met several in my home region that have to objective of making certified organic vegetables and fruit and free-range meat available to everyone, as a matter of fact, their primary objective is to make wholesome food available to the poor, at affordable prices. Those people are creative thinkers that avoided getting lost in the bullshit cloud that most of the pure food crowd blows up, a crowd where only those with enough money to buy over priced items are served.
Historic NY
(37,452 posts)the meat looks better and tastes better. Its all local and they even have a large organic section.I don't have to go through the smoke and mirrors light show that the supermarket uses to make it look more appealing.
athena
(4,187 posts)You would do more to reduce animal suffering by eating less meat and other animal products than by buying local and/or organic.
Moreover, the current level of meat consumption simply cannot be satisfied by small farms. It's not possible to end factory farming and go back to small farms without significantly reducing the amount of meat, eggs, and milk we consume.
If you're interested in finding out more, read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Or take a look at:
The Truth about "Humane" Farming
(This page is not graphic, but the page it links to is.)
The Organic and Free-Range Myth
LWolf
(46,179 posts)I don't eat meat every day. Maybe once a week, or more often if I take that small portion and put it in a soup that lasts several days. That's the usual pattern for the work week during the winter: crock-pot on Monday, lasts through Thursday.
I can get local meat and poultry, though, that is pasture-raised. I pass by small herds out grazing every morning on my way to work, and can get more organic, truly free-range grass-fed protein than I could possibly eat, even if I wanted to eat meat every day. I've got a dozen places to choose from that raise and process meat as humanely as it can be done.
I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian nor obsessed with meat every day. I've had to consciously explore other protein sources, since my tendency to blood sugar issues requires careful eating. Soy doesn't like me, and I don't like soy. And non-gmo, organic soy products aren't that easy to come by, either.
I DO eat quorn, which is not a soy-based protein. That provides me with low fat, low calorie, low-to-no-cholesterol, protein and fiber. I also like cheese, but organic, humanely produced milk can be hard to find. When I lived down the road from a friend who kept milk goats, I played with making my own. These days, I skip most cheese.
I have, up until this summer, had my own eggs from my own small flock of organically-fed, free-range hens. The last of the flock died of old age this summer, though, and I haven't decided when to start again. I love eggs, and could eat them as my ONLY source of protein and never get tired of them, but I don't like wasting yolks, and don't need the extra fat.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)Organic vegetable are easier due to the technology options a farmer can use and still remain true to the idea of pure organic.
Free range meat requires space. The more space each animal is given, the more land that is needed to raise a herd or flock of a certain size. Ultimately, the concept of free range animal raising will run headfirst into the need of human for land to build housing on. The same constraint will be reached with organic produce, but with produce, a technically proficient farmer has an array of adjustments at his or her disposal.
I have began to look more favorably on "natural" meat and produce. The meat is not free range, but animals are provided space to move around, and/or allowed to range over a larger space on occasion during their raising. The animals aren't given anti-biotics or feed animal byproduct food.
Ranchemp.
(1,991 posts)and hunt for our meat, yet certain members condemn us hunters because we do hunt rather than support those horrid factory farms or eat chemically laced animals.
I just don't get it.
cilla4progress
(24,760 posts)I have no problem with carnivores. It's all about how the animal lived and died. If it's done with respect, gratitude, care, that's what matters.
LWolf
(46,179 posts)to get plastic-wrapped meat that you never saw alive than to kill your food yourself.
Who had the better quality of life before becoming dinner? The wild game, or the factory-raised meat?
wryter2000
(46,077 posts)Or give it to someone else to eat. I just feel, if you're not going to eat it (and it's not a pest), leave it alone.
Ranchemp.
(1,991 posts)to counter them taking our chickens, we built a HUGE enclosed area for them and we leave the coyotes and hawks alone, they actually keep the rodent pop. under control.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Honestly, I think hunting sucks ass and you'd be better off not killing animals at all, but at least you're fucking honest and aware of what the hell you're eating.
villager
(26,001 posts)Youngest son -- who eats a lot of meat at his mom's house -- is thinking of joining him someday.
"Well, it's an honest way to get your meat," I tell him.
Ranchemp.
(1,991 posts)I have no patience for those that condemn those of us who choose to hunt for our food, yet, they have no problem going into a supermarket to buy a steak, ribs, hamburger to eat, that, to me, smells of rank hypocrisy.
BTW, I also commend you on being a vegan, I have no truck with those that choose that lifestyle, it's just not for me and my wife.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)flvegan
(64,413 posts)Bless you "Sarah" and "Juan" and HSUS, PETA and Mercy For Animals.
I've visited battery egg farms, and I truly know what hell is. This isn't so much about what you eat as much as it is how what you eat is treated, and how that's just okay with the enduser. Notwithstanding those here and elsewhere that make an effort to just do better.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)in Diet for a New America were enough to convince me I had made the right choice. I can't imagine how much worse the full physical, sensory-overload reality of those disgusting places must be.
no words at this moment, just a combination of and
Autumn
(45,120 posts)are spoiled rotten provide me with eggs. I told my Husband if I ever had to move into a city my girls would go with me. I don't think I could bring myself to buy store bought eggs.
Bigmack
(8,020 posts)All you have to do is listen to the contented little chuckles coming from your own hens....and the eggs taste better.
A LOT better.