|
Petition; European Pharmaceutical Companies Use & Want Pregnant Mare’s Blood To Speed Up Factory Farming!
January 19, 2017
Action Alert, Against Animal Cruelty, Animal Abuse, Animal Cruelty, Animal Emotions Behaviour & Instincts, Animal Experiments, Animal Health & Welfare, animals, Consumer Goods, European, Factory Farmed Animals, Farmed Animal Abuse, Food Chain/Products, Horses, Human Greed = Animal Cruelty, Intensive Farming, Petitions to sign please, Pharmaceutical companies, Sentient beings animal abuse, animal cruelty, Animal rights, Animal welfare, European, Factory farming, Pharmaceutical companies, Pregnant Mares Blood Comments Off on Petition; European Pharmaceutical Companies Use & Want Pregnant Mare’s Blood To Speed Up Factory Farming!
Ag-Gag FAIL: Idaho Ordered to Pay $250 Thousand in Legal – Very Graphic Video
June 22, 2016
Agriculture, Animal Abuse, Animal Ag-Gag Law, Animal Cruelty, Animal Emotions Behaviour & Instincts, Animal Equality, Animal Health & Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Animal Investigator, Animal Neglect, Animal Rights, Animal slaughter, Animal Torture, Animal Trade, Animal Treats/Food, Animal Welfare, animals, Animals Denied Treatment After Injury, Animals Disfigured Through Trauma, Appalling Farms & Heinous Abuse, Caught On Tape, Cold Calculated Heartless Bastards, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation anti-videoing legislation — “ag-gag”, Consumer Goods, Cruel Pig Gestation Crates, Culling or Killing, Factory Farmed Animals, Farmed Animal Abuse, Food Chain/Products, Health and wellness, History Of Animal Abuse, Human Greed = Animal Cruelty, Intensive Farming, Livestock killed, Mercy for Animals, sickening, Surveillance, Totally Neglected Left To Die, UnderCover African American, California, Equal Protection Clause, First Amendment to the United States Constitution, United States, United States Bill of Rights, United States Constitution Comments Off on Ag-Gag FAIL: Idaho Ordered to Pay $250 Thousand in Legal – Very Graphic Video
![]() |
by Joe Loria |
“Please, Note there is a video at the end of this post. however it is very graphic”
According to the Idaho Statesman, Idaho has been ordered to pay nearly $250,000 in legal fees for a case, that could have been avoided.
In response to the investigation, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association drafted and sponsored an ag-gag bill, which was passed by the Idaho legislature and signed by Governor Otter in February 2014. This law created a new crime: “interference with agricultural production.” It essentially criminalized undercover investigations on factory farms.
A federal judge overturned this dangerous and un-American law last August for violating the First Amendment and Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. U.S. district judge B. Lynn Winmill stated in his ruling:
The effect of the statute will be to suppress speech by undercover investigators and whistleblowers concerning topics of great public importance: the safety of the public food supply, the safety of agricultural workers, the treatment and health of farm animals, and the impact of business activities on the environment.
The coalition of nonprofit groups that challenged the law has now been awarded $249,875.08 in legal fees. Clearly ag-gag laws are not only unconstitutional, but a huge waste of taxpayer resources. Idaho is now appealing the court ruling, which will result in an even greater waste of taxpayer money.
The governor and lawmakers of Idaho should be ashamed. They clearly don’t value their hard working constituents and will accept money from big corporations at the taxpayers’ expense.
We urge Idaho lawmakers to focus their efforts on improving animal welfare and rewarding the brave whistleblowers who uncover criminal activity in the state’s agricultural operations.
This ruling should also be a wake-up call to the meat, dairy, and egg industries that attempt to keep consumers in the dark about where their food comes from will not be tolerated.
For more information, please visit NoAgGag.com.
VERY GRAPHIC – This is just one of Mercy For Animals Video’s taken in an Ohio Dairy Farm (not the video in question)
Mercy For Animals Petition; Undercover investigation into Perdue Farms
December 12, 2015
Action Alert, Animal Abuse, Animal Cruelty, Animal Emotions Behaviour & Instincts, Animal Health & Welfare, Animal Investigator, Animal Trade, Animal Welfare, animals, Appalling Farms & Heinous Abuse, Breeding Program, Captive Breeding, Cold Calculated Heartless Bastards, Consumer Goods, Farmed Animal Abuse, Food Chain/Products, Guilty, Health and wellness, Human Greed = Animal Cruelty, Intensive Farming, Mercy for Animals, Petitions to sign please, Purposely Inflicted Harm, Sentencing Not Severe Enough, Should Get Prison Term For Offence, Slaughter House Comments Off on Mercy For Animals Petition; Undercover investigation into Perdue Farms
“This is an email I received today, that needs to be shared! Do not believe the lies that these sentient beings are treated with respect before slaughter. How can that be when workers, stand on them to kill them, throw them at brick walls, throw them into crates for moving to slaughter etc. etc. & Inject them with growth hormones…absolutely no respect & it needs to stop!”
“These poor birds grow up without anything that remotely feels like their natural habitat or lifespan. They are injected with drugs to make them grow faster; due to public demand for cheap meat. But these poor birds grow fast unnaturally, therefore their bodies can’t cope with the extra strain put on their internal organs & limbs, i.e. they collapse as their legs can’t take their unnatural rate of growth & heaviness of their bodies. This means they can’t stand or get around normally (which means no food or water). Their poor hearts are not used to such fast growth, so they die painful deaths under the duress of fattening drugs; which their hearts can’t cope with!”
” So when you next eat chicken, just remember the above & what they went trough to be on your dinner plates. Also consider what toxins they are fed, which may affect you through eating it! I would like to bet if this was fluffy cute puppies it would be very different story & uproar; it shouldn’t be, all sentient beings feel pain!!! Please don’t dismiss this just because it’s not puppies & doesn’t pull at your heart strings”
“PLEASE, WATCH THE VIDEO & SIGN THE PETITION BELOW, DON’T FORGET TO SHARE…EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE HEINOUS ABUSE THAT GOES ON AT INTENSE FARMING CENTERS…HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY KNOW HOW DRUGS GIVEN TO THE BIRDS, WILL AFFECT US, OUR CHILDREN or OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN….WE DON’T…AND IF I ATE MEAT…I WOULD BE BLOODY WORRIED about animals being given growth hormones etc!”
“SO PLEASE START BY SIGNING PETITION & SHARING!”
The images are heartbreaking, and stomach-turning.
A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation into Perdue Farms has uncovered disturbing cruelty to animals, including a worker stomping chickens to death, and violently kicking birds and throwing them against walls. Our hidden camera also exposed thousands of chickens crammed into windowless sheds forced to live in their own waste and toxic ammonia fumes.
Viewer Discretion Advised
Bred to put on weight faster than their bodies can withstand, most of the birds have problems walking and many succumb to heart attacks. Before going to slaughter, they are grabbed by their legs and violently thrown into crates, suffering broken bones and other injuries.
As a result of MFA’s breaking investigation, a Perdue Farms worker has just been arrested and charged with four felony counts of criminal cruelty to animals. This is a historic and groundbreaking legal move on behalf of birds raised for meat.“Will he be charged to the fullest degree for animal abuse; or given a suspended sentence…He should be charged with animal abuse & never be allowed to work with or own animals for life!”
But we won’t stop there. Now we’re calling on Perdue—one of the largest poultry producers in the country—to stop paying lip service to animal welfare and implement meaningful policies and oversight at its facilities to end the worst forms of animal abuse.
Tell Perdue to Stop Torturing Animals.
Please, take a moment to sign our petition calling on Perdue to stop torturing chickens. Then please share the hidden-camera video with friends and encourage them to take action too.
And remember, each of us can vote for a kinder world every time we sit down to eat by choosing humane vegan alternatives to chicken and other animal products.
” I think most people think of vegan alternatives as nut cutlets, lentils or beans…YUK!!!! I hate that sort of food. For our Christmas dinner we will be having all the usual traditional foods; but without any meat or meat products. I’m replace turkey for a succulent Quorn Roast, smothered in herbs & spices (Quorn can be delicious, all depends on what you’re adding for taste) & topped with Quorn Bacon. Plus Linda McCartney sausages for pigs in blankets, using Quorn Bacon etc. so our christmas dinner will be delicious without any meat involved at all.”
“I think people think it’s really hard to ditch meat, but truthfully it isn’t! Due to the vast choice of meatless dishes available these days…I think you would be impressed, how easily you can still make your favorite dishes substituting meat with Quorn Mince for your shepherd pie etc. Or Quorn pieces of Chicken to make curries & casseroles etc. Quorn chicken fillets to make any chicken recipes where chicken fillets are needed; just substitute the meat with Quorn! There are so many meatless dishes…you just have to try it…what harm can it do? Nothing, apart from make you more healthy”! I am having Quorn chicken Garlic Kievs, wrapped in breadcrumbs for tea & its scrumptious! Try your kids with Quorn regular chicken nuggets in batter or southern fried Quorn chicken dippers…bet the kids love them & can’t tell the difference!! What have you got to lose??”
Chickens raised and killed by Perdue Farms have been bred to grow so quickly they frequently become crippled under their own weight. Unable to walk without extreme pain, many die of dehydration at factory farms when they can’t reach water. Others die from heart attacks, organ failure, and other problems related to rapid growth. High levels of ammonia due to the filthy factory farm conditions also lead to severe skin and throat irritations, blindness, and deadly respiratory problems.
Birds who survive these wretched conditions are carelessly grabbed by their legs, wings, or necks and violently slammed into transport crates to be trucked to slaughter. At the slaughterhouse, they are violently shackled upside down, painfully shocked with electricity, and cut open at the throat—often while still conscious and able to feel pain.
Learn more and take action at http://PerdueTorturesAnim”als.com.
P.S. Please consider making a special tax-deductible donation to support MFA’s brave investigators who work so hard to expose and stop cruelty to animals at factory farms and slaughterhouses.
Sincerely,
Nathan Runkle
President
Link:-http://www.perduetorturesanimals.com/#petition
GRAPHIC MEDIA: SLICE OF CRUELTY; Hidden-Camera Video Reveals Secret Pizza Topping – Disgusting Animal Animal Abuse
September 30, 2014
Action Alert, Agriculture, Animal Abuse, Animal Cruelty, Animal Dragged Behind Vehicle, Animal Emotions Behaviour & Instincts, Animal Equality, Animal Health & Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Animal Neglect, Animal Severely Beaten, Animal slaughter, Animal Trade, Animal Welfare Act 2006, Animal With Broken Bones By Abuse, animals, Animals Butchered for Body Parts, Animals Denied Treatment After Injury, Animals Disfigured Through Trauma, Appalling Farms & Heinous Abuse, Captive Breeding, Cold Calculated Heartless Bastards, Culling or Killing, Dairy Cow's, Department of Agriculture, Disability, Environmental Health, Factory Farmed Animals, Farmed Animal Abuse, Food Chain/Products, Food Safety Laws, Health and wellness, History Of Animal Abuse, Humans That Offend & Disgust Me, Intensive Farming, Mercy for Animals, Organic Is Better, Petitions to sign please, Purposely Inflicted Harm, Should Get Prison Term For Offence, Slaughter House, Totally Neglected Left To Die, UnderCover, Video, YouTube Cattle, Cruelty to animals, Dairy, Leprino Foods, Mercy for Animals, New Mexico, Papa John's Pizza, Pizza Hut, William Wailes Comments Off on GRAPHIC MEDIA: SLICE OF CRUELTY; Hidden-Camera Video Reveals Secret Pizza Topping – Disgusting Animal Animal Abuse
“This is my personal opinion, it should have been posted a while ago, but its taken a while to write, due to pain. If people want to eat meat & dairy, I can’t stop them. But I feel they have a duty as the consumer to demand the meat they buy, hasn’t been kicked, punched or shocked around its genitals to get it moving; so it can go to slaughter! It’s plain to see (on the video) that downer dairy cows, that simply can’t move unaided, due to illness or broken bones are moved by brute force; instead of being PTS on the spot! I want the consumers to demand CCTV around farms & slaughterhouses, at the end of the day, it’s the consumer who pays for the meat & dairy products, they should care how the animals are raised! Consumers should be assured the meat & dairy products, came from animals given the best welfare standards possible!! It has been well documented that stressed animals, like those seeing their buddies killed in front of them or those that have been beaten or abused; affects the quality of their meat! Have you ever seen a joint of beef in the supermarket fridge, that looks like the skin is bruised? well it probably is bruising; caused by the neanderthals who enjoy kicking & punching the shit out of the animals; because there is nobody to stop them!!” Please read this, regards the above:-http://www.fao.org/3/a-x6909e/x6909e04.htm
“I have seen MANY undercover farm videos showing cruelty before…I find this, the most shocking. The public have a right & need to know how the animals they eat, are actually treated before slaughter!! If there is one video to make you ditch cheese & dairy products…hopefully it’s this one! I became a vegetarian years ago, because I didn’t want to be a party to the abuse, farmed animals suffer daily; although I know not all farms allow their animals to be treated this way! Then a few years later, I saw what happened to the dairy cows, it stopped me immediately drinking milk or eating cheese; all I could see was the images of the animals suffering. I now only drink plant-based “Alpro” milk, I prefer the Hazelnut variety which is made by taking the best whole hazelnuts & blending them with pure spring water (plus a few added vitamins & calcium of course) which I feel is far better for you than milk from a dairy cow; who has been abused her whole life!”
“Many dairy cows suffer beatings or heinous bodily abuse, throughout their life, especially on the conveyor belt of large mega dairy farms, where cows will never feel the grass beneath their feet! The only thing you can be certain of, is that the poor cow (constantly kept producing milk by artificial insemination) has its babies taken away at birth!! These farmers want the last bloody drop out of these poor dairy cows; before they will let them go to slaughter. I should imagine the cows are actually grateful, for an end to their lives of appalling abuse! I am a picky eater, but have found Quorn alternatives, to make any normal meat dishes! I love Linda McCartney’s burgers & sausages, they are tastier than the quorn versions….you name the recipe & there will be some produce, able to make it; without harming any living animal; which is the diet I choose to eat!!
Is your pizza topped with horrific animal cruelty? A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking animal abuse at a milk producer for Leprino Foods – the world’s largest mozzarella cheese maker and major cheese supplier to Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s.
PLEASE SIGN PETITION:-https://www.change.org/p/james-leprino-stop-sickening-animal-abuse-at-world-s-largest-pizza-cheese-supplier
To maximize profits, the dairy industry keeps cows in a constant cycle of pregnancy, birth, and lactation. Typically, baby calves are dragged away from their mothers within a day of birth so that all of their milk can be sold for profit.
Female calves are either sold for meat or used as replacements for the “spent” cows in the dairy herd. Male calves, since they don’t produce milk, are often chained by the neck in tiny wooden boxes until they are killed for veal.
Like dogs, cats, zebras, and all other mammals, including humans, cows only produce milk when they are pregnant or nursing — and for the same reason: to nourish their young. The dairy industry steals this milk from calves for humans.
An undercover investigator with Mercy For Animals documented horrific animal abuse at Winchester Dairy in New Mexico, a milk supplier to Leprino Foods — the world’s largest mozzarella cheese producer. Leprino Foods is a primary cheese supplier to Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s restaurants nationwide. The hidden-camera video footage shows:
- Workers viciously kicking and punching cows, and stabbing them with screwdrivers, causing bloody wounds and injuries
- Cows being violently whipped in their faces and bodies with chains and metal wires
- Workers maliciously shocking sick and injured cows and dragging them with tractors
- Sick or injured cows suffering from open wounds, infections, and injuries left to suffer without proper veterinary care
Expert Opinions
After reviewing the undercover footage, renowned animal welfare experts Drs. Bernard Rollin and Terry Engle and Mr. William Wailes from the animal science department at Colorado State University wrote: “Of all the atrocity videos I have examined on behalf of various animal advocacy groups, this one may well depict the most prolonged, and severest pain being inflicted on innocent, non-ambulatory dairy cattle. … It is clear that the workers enjoy this infliction of pain and suffering, and even make remarks to that effect. … Of equal concern is the overall lack of training in animal care husbandry practices as well as in the importance to the social ethic of these types of unacceptable animal abuse. We all hold the owners/managers equally responsible for this egregious behavior!”
Dairy’s Dark Side
Treated as mere milk-producing machines, cows exploited and killed for milk and cheese endure lives of near constant misery and deprivation.
In order to keep producing a steady supply of milk, the cows are repeatedly impregnated. Several times a day, dairy cows are hooked by their udders to electric milking machines that can cause them to suffer electrical shocks, painful lesions, and mastitis (an infection of the udders). Some spend their entire lives standing on concrete floors; others are crammed into massive mud lots.
Cows have a natural lifespan of nearly 25 years, but the stress caused by factory farm conditions leads to disease, lameness, and reproductive problems that render cows worthless to the dairy industry by the time they are four or five years old.
These highly intelligent and social animals suffer unimaginable abuse from the time they are born and ripped from their mothers’ sides until they are so physically worn out from repeated pregnancies and constant milk production that they are sold for slaughter.
Although unconscionable cruelty and violence are standard practice in the dairy industry, caring consumers can help end the needless suffering of cows by choosing vegan alternatives to milk, cheese, and ice cream. Please visit ChooseVeg.comto learn more.
VIEWER DISCRETION STRONGLY ADVISED
SLICE OF CRUELTY
Published on 16 Sep 2014
Is your pizza topped with horrific animal cruelty? A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking animal abuse at a major pizza cheese supplier — Leprino Foods. Workers were caught viciously kicking, punching, and stabbing cows with screwdrivers, and violently whipping them in their faces and bodies with chains and metal wires. Take action at SliceOfCruelty.com
News Link:http://www.sliceofcruelty.com/
Cruelty Critics:-
“The video shows workers hitting, kicking and punching cows with hands, boots and sharp objects to get them into the milking parlor. The workers are clearly abusing the cattle and causing distress for no reason.” Dr. James Reynolds
“The handling of the dairy cows and calves by workers in this facility is unacceptably rough and overtly abusive. … This facility should cease operations due to severe animal welfare deficiencies and overt animal cruelty.” Dr. Debra Teachout
“Of all the atrocity videos I have examined on behalf of various animal advocacy groups, this one may well depict the most prolonged, and severest pain being inflicted on innocent, non-ambulatory dairy cattle.” Dr. Bernard E. Rollin, William Wailes and Dr. Terry Engle of Colorado State University
“The handling of the cows in this facility is inexcusably harsh, vicious and inhumane. The cows are kicked, beaten, jabbed with electrified prods and struck with sharp objects. … This behavior is gratuitous and unnecessary, as the workers go out of their way to beat the cows…” Dr. Lee Schrader
“I recommend that charges of animal cruelty be brought against the workers and managers involved, and that the facility be shut down. Such despicable cruelty to animals is beyond sickening and must not be tolerated.” Dr. Armaiti May
“The actions of the barn staff in this video are unacceptable, willful acts of abuse. … The callous acts depicted in this video footage do not meet expectations for humane animal handling.” Dr. Sara Shields
“The use of the hip lifter to drag and hoist a cow above the ground was definitely abusive. … Management should be partially to blame for the abusive handling because they failed to provide both training and appropriate equipment for moving downer cows.” Dr. Temple Grandin
“Seriously after watching this, I just don’t understand how any humans with a heart, can contribute to this torture; by purchasing the meat or milk?? It actually breaks my heart that the public don’t know or if they do, don’t want to watch this…but these poor animals suffer from the day they are born…FOR GODS SAKE… PLEASE HELP THEM BY SIGNING THE PETITION BELOW: OPEN YOUR EYE’S!! PLEASE ONLY PURCHASE ORGANIC DAIRY PRODUCTS OR THOSE WITH THE RSPCA LOGO ON, STAND UP FOR THOSE THAT GIVE THEIR LIFE FOR YOU, TO STOP THE ABUSE…IT’S NOT A LOT TO ASK!!!
“Seriously, if you have had the balls to view this video or any other farm animal video (good for you); can you truly eat or drink animal products, knowing what happens?? Knowing they are tortured throughout their short lives?? Please just give it a go, swap your normal diet slowly, i.e milk, swap it for Alpro (probably the Almond milk is the easiest to try first) Look for enriched soymilk, too, which is also fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Then use Quorn mince to make a spaghetti Bolognese, lasagna, shepherds pie & other meat dishes. Try the Linda McCartney sausages & burgers…I’m sure you will be surprised, at how good they actually taste!!!”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-frazier/vegan-diet_b_3996646.html
Top 10 Eco-Friendly Reasons to Buy Organic Meat & Dairy
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-buy-organic-dairy-meat.html#ixzz3EkMTxdct
GRAPHIC VIDEOS: ‘Ag gag’ Bill Probably Wins Battle, But Not War
February 23, 2014
Action Alert, Agriculture, Animal Abusers, Animal Ag-Gag Law, Animal Anatomy, Animal Behavior, Animal Branding etc., Animal Breeders, Animal Cruelty, Animal Dragged Behind Vehicle, Animal Emotions Behaviour & Instincts, Animal Hater, Animal Health & Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Animal Investigator, Animal Neglect, Animal Rights, Animal Services, Animal Severely Beaten, Animal slaughter, Animal Stabbed, Animal suffocated, Animal Torture, Animal Trade, Animal With Broken Bones By Abuse, animals, Animals Butchered for Body Parts, Animals Denied Treatment After Injury, Animals Disfigured Through Trauma, Animals Thrown Out Like Trash, Appalling Farms & Heinous Abuse, Caught On Tape, Cold Calculated Heartless Bastards, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation anti-videoing legislation — “ag-gag”, Cruel Pig Gestation Crates, Culling or Killing, Dairy Cow's, Death Row, Disability, Diseased Animal, Evil Torturing Bastards, Farmed Animal Abuse, Food Chain/Products, Food Safety Laws, Freedom of Information Act, Gross Neglect, Guilty, HSUS, Human Greed = Animal Cruelty, Humans That Offend & Disgust Me, Intensive Farming, Killed, Livestock killed, Mental Disease/Effects, Mercy for Animals, No Enforcement Of Animal Welfare, Non-Profit-Organization, Obscene or Offensive, On going Investigations, Organic Is Better, Petitions to sign please, Profit Through Animal Abuse, Pure Evil Scum, Purposely Inflicted Harm, Sadistic, Sentient beings, SICK POS, Stereotypical behavior, Surveillance, Totally Neglected Left To Die, Video, YouTube Abuse, AG-GAG Laws, animal abuse, animal cruelty, Animal rights, Animal welfare, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation anti-videoing legislation — “ag-gag”, Cruelty to animals, HSUS, Legislation, MFA, Senate Bill 1337, United States Comments Off on GRAPHIC VIDEOS: ‘Ag gag’ Bill Probably Wins Battle, But Not War
“Those who secretly film the atrocious acts of violence are not terrorist; they merely want the PUBLIC to know the truth about the lives of the animals you eat & how they are treated. Imagine how it feels for them? animal lovers, having to watch the abuse happening all around them…to enable the public to see the truth. I think they deserve a bloody medal; for keeping their hands off the MF’ing bxxxxxxd’s committing such horrifying acts !!
YOU the meat-eating public, have the right to know the animals you eat have been treated with respect; before going to slaughter!! AG- GAG laws were introduced to protect those allowing the cruelty to continue to their animals, & protect those who commit the crimes; what happened to freedom of speech??? They don’t want you, the paying pubic to know the heinous acts of cruelty that go on behind their closed doors; because they know they are likely to lose business !!.
NO ANIMAL meant for human consumption should be treated worse than shit on shoes; they are sentient beings more than capable of feeling the pain of every blow, kick, punch etc. They give their lives for you…please don’t let them suffer in silence! AG-GAG Laws were introduced to stop the public knowing the truth…the animals have the right to dignity & the public have the right to know how they are being treated! Please, sign the petition at http://www.walmartcruelty.com/ scroll to the bottom half to sign”
“Watch the videos below. if you can stomach them, is it fair for animals to be treated this way? YOU have the power to help stop this; please use it & stop AG-Gag Laws!!”
Posted: Sunday, February 23, By Randy Stapilus
Backers of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation anti-videoing legislation — “ag-gag” — have already lost the war, even if the legislation passes. Especially if it passes.
Their best hope is to change strategy.
Senate Bill 1337, which has passed the Senate, bars a person who “without the facility owner’s express consent or pursuant to judicial process or statutory authorization, makes audio or video recordings of the conduct of an agricultural production facility’s operations.” More specifically, it’s intended to ban (though various existing laws already theoretically do) the videotaping of what happens to livestock in concentrated animal feeding operations.
This is significant in Idaho, home to some very large CAFO operations in the Magic Valley and southwest. The new bill would punish violators with up to a year in jail or a $5,000 fine; critics note that’s the same as the state penalty for animal abuse.
Similar legislation has been proposed, most often failing to pass, in more than a dozen states; a Utah law is being challenged in the courts.
The Idaho bill was specifically prompted by a video shot in 2012 at Bettencourt Dairy at Hansen, showing workers beating on livestock. Last week another video shot at an Idaho CAFO, which added animal sexual abuse to the mix, was released. Both have had many, many views, and they’ve gone viral on social media.
We can’t know if the videos alone would have generated massive international attention. We do know the videos, combined with legislation to ban shooting more of them, has sent interest in the subject sky high in news reports nationally and overseas.
The story is irresistible: An attempt to keep the lid on what people have already seen. But memories aren’t so easily erased. Nor is the technology, which keeps moving in the direction of disclosure, as privacy advocates regularly remind us.
Among other responses to the bill are petitions — some inside Idaho, some by national animal advocacy groups. Petitions usually do little by themselves, but they can assist organization efforts, and they keep the subject visible.
Not only are smaller and relatively hard-core groups like Mercy for Animals, which released the Bettencourt videos, involved in this, but also larger and better-funded groups like the Humane Society of the United States. The subject of CAFO livestock has gone mainstream.
If you doubt that, watch the latest series offering from Netflix: The satirical but pointed “Farmed and Dangerous.” The initial plot hook involves an exploding cow. Once issues like this get into cultural discussion, national regulation and legislation may, in time, follow. It’s in the spotlight now.
The Magic Valley has benefited recently from arrival of a number of food processors who came there largely because of the easy supply of dairy products. Don’t be surprised if boycotts of some of them start — and lead to business responses. To see this playing out, Google the Wiese Brothers Farms in Wisconsin and read about the videos and other reports that led a frozen pizza company to cut all ties with them.
Nor is that all. If SB 1337 is signed into law (as seems likely), watch for this: An activist who deliberately violates it, shooting more video, intending to get caught, and insisting on a very public trial that could draw more national and international attention, kicking in the cycle all over again.
The problem for livestock operations is not insoluble. The simplest out is to improve and closely monitor operations, then throw open the doors for public viewing.
Some CAFO advocates have argued that much of what has been shown on the videos has been unusual aberrations, that most livestock is treated better before slaughter than the videos suggest. An open-door policy would be the one practical way to prove it.
Some of what inevitably happens in the best of meat processing businesses is of course difficult for many people to stomach, but the operators could fairly argue that if you want your meat at the supermarket, this is how it has to get there. Since most people do want their steaks and burgers, the argument might settle down, on at least higher ground than it occupies now.
Legislation has its uses. But CAFOs here have among other things a public relations problem, and these kinds of laws seldom are much help with that.
* Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor, author of The Idaho Political Field Guide, edits the Idaho Weekly Briefing, and blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com.
Viewer Discretion Advised -WATCH: Walmart Pork Supplier Caught Abusing Mother Pigs and Piglets
Published on 29 Oct 2013
A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking cruelty to animals at Walmart pork suppliers. Workers hit, throw, and drop mother pigs and their baby piglets. Learn more and take action at http://www.WalmartCruelty.com
The video below is just a reminder of how animals are treated, without undercover investigations the public wouldn’t have a clue about the atrocities that happened at this farm!
Viewer Discretion Advised -OHIO Dairy Farm Brutality
Hidden camera video secretly shot by an investigator with Mercy For Animals at an Ohio dairy farm reveals shocking, malicious cruelty to calves and cows. The video, recorded between April and May, 2010, shows dairy farm workers beating cows in the face with crowbars, stabbing them with pitchforks, breaking their tails, and punching, throwing, and kicking calves.
Find out what you can do to help at:
http://mercyforanimals.org/ohdairy/
Read more abut the Idaho AG-GAG law here:-http://www.idahopress.com/members/ag-gag-bill-probably-wins-battle-but-not-war/article_4488bde2-9b58-11e3-a2a3-001a4bcf887a.html
Graphic Video: Pigs Face New Viral Threat
February 21, 2014
Action Alert, Agriculture, Animal Abuse, Animal Abusers, Animal Anatomy, Animal Behavior, Animal Breeders, Animal Cruelty, Animal Emotions Behaviour & Instincts, Animal Equality, Animal Health & Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Animal Investigator, Animal Neglect, Animal Rights, Animal slaughter, Animal Torture, Animal Welfare, animals, Animals Butchered for Body Parts, Captive Breeding, Consumer Goods, Contaminated, Cruel Pig Gestation Crates, Death Row, Department of Agriculture, Disease Outbreaks, Diseased Animal, Environmental Health, Factory Farmed Animals, Farmed Animal Abuse, Food Chain/Products, Food Safety Laws, Genetics, Gross Neglect, Guilty, Health and wellness, Human Greed = Animal Cruelty, Intensive Farming, Livestock killed, Mental Disease/Effects, Mercy for Animals, No Enforcement Of Animal Welfare, Organic Is Better, Profit Through Animal Abuse, Pure Evil Scum, Sentient beings, SICK POS, Stereotypical behavior, Totally Neglected Left To Die, YouTube Abuse, Animal rights, Animal welfare, Cruelty to animals, MFA, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Plague outbreak, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), swine farms, Virus Comments Off on Graphic Video: Pigs Face New Viral Threat
“And people ask me why I don’t eat meat…its not just the abuse they suffer, animals are sentient beings with feelings much like our own! I can’t be a part of that abuse & torture so prefer not to add to it by eating animal meats or stealing milk which is meant for animal offspring; being vegan or vegetarian is so much more healthy!! How would you like to live life in an iron jail for life; barely able to turn around.”
“I just don’t get this, the less an animal has suffered through life, the better the meat is supposed to be!! So why submit these animals to such barbaric torture, don’t tell me it’s to protect the young being sat on; that’s a load of old bull!!
If pigs are allowed to breed freely, are given straw to birth on & raise piglets, more will survive because the mom doesn’t sit on them on purpose!! When allowed, a sow will bring up her piglets just as well as a dog!!” These new viruses are being created by the way the animals are brought up…if your going to eat meat, the least you can do is make sure it came from a disease free farm!!”
On the heels of the recent viral diarrhea outbreak, yet another virus is plaguing pigs on factory farms in the Midwest, this time in Ohio.
“National Hog Farmer” magazine reports, “A new coronavirus has been identified in pig fecal samples from four Ohio swine farms, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.”The article explains that although the symptoms are similar to the ongoing outbreak of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), this is an entirely new coronavirus born of extreme confinement on today’s hog farms.
And according to “Feedstuffs,” the samples were taken from farms that “experienced outbreaks of a diarrheal disease in sows and piglets in January and early February.” The Ohio Department of Agriculture has yet to determine whether this new virus is the cause of the diarrheal outbreak.
Subjecting animals to a lifetime of confinement in crates so small they are virtually immobilized is perhaps the cruellest form of institutionalized animal abuse in existence. Combined with overuse of antibiotics, and unsanitary living conditions, these factory farm environments create a breeding ground for disease.
We can help stop the abuse of pigs and other animals on factory farms, as well as the spread of nasty superbugs, by choosing compassion at every meal. Check out ChooseVeg.com for delicious recipes and tips on transitioning to a plant-based diet.
News Link:-http://www.mfablog.org/2014/02/
Posted By Sarah Von Alt
Want the real simple truth? animals on today’s factory farms – even those raised on so-called humane farms – are treated as mere meat-producing machines, and their short lives are filled with misery and deprivation. See for yourself:
Viewer Discretion Advised -Farm to Fridge – The Truth Behind Meat Production
Mercy For Animals presents Farm to Fridge. Narrated by Oscar-nominee James Cromwell, this powerful film takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration behind the closed doors of the nation’s largest industrial farms, hatcheries, and slaughter plants — revealing the often-unseen journey that animals make from Farm to Fridge.
Learn more at:
http://www.MeatVideo.com
http://www.ChooseVeg.com
http://www.MercyForAnimals.org
WSPA: Welsh Government Takes Forward Factory Dairy Petition
February 21, 2014
Agriculture, Animal Advocates, Animal Breeders, Animal Equality, Animal Health & Welfare, Animal Trade, Animal Welfare, animals, Conservation, Dairy Cow's, England & Wales, Environmental Health, Factory Farmed Animals, Food Chain/Products, Good News, Human Greed = Animal Cruelty, Intensive Farming, Minister for Housing and Regeneration, Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Organic Is Better, Petitions Helped Cause, Profit Through Animal Abuse, Sentient beings, Victory, Wales, WSPA Factory farming, Government, petition, Wales, Welsh Planning Minister, WSPA Comments Off on WSPA: Welsh Government Takes Forward Factory Dairy Petition
“Finally some good news, received via email, not over yet; but proves petitions do work!!!”
Dear Jules
We have good news to share with you.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) petition calling on the Welsh Government to stop factory dairy farms in Wales has successfully passed its Petition Committee hearing.
You might remember that we wrote to you back in December, following news that Welsh Planning Minister Carl Sargeant had approved plans to build a 1000-cow intensive dairy farm, asking you to join us in urging the Welsh Assembly to update relevant planning documents to better support decision-makers faced with factory dairy applications.
The petition received 9246 signatories, including Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd, who came with WSPA campaigners to hand it in to the Welsh politicians.
The concerns laid out in the petition were heard by the Committee on 18 February, who have decided to take the issue further.
Thank you for helping make this one of the most-signed petitions to the Welsh Government.
The fight to stop factory dairy farms in the UK is far from over, but we wanted to celebrate this positive decision with you.
The next steps will see the Committee write to both Carl Sargeant, Minister for Housing and Regeneration, and Alun Davies, Minister for Natural Resources and Food, for more information.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on progress, and you can read more about this on our website.
Thanks for your support,
Suzi Morris