*NOT FOR WEAK STOMACHS OR HEARTS*

sofaking6

I eat all kinds of meat and I do enjoy it. I buy locally and organically as much as possible.

Something else to think about: the factory farmers show as much concern for YOUR well-being as they show for the animals'. The filth, the hormones, the drugs and the pollution these farms create hurts all of us. A company that is willing to torture millions or billions of animals is certainly willing to sneak some defective product into your grocery store. I do believe that it's important to just TRY to not buy factory-farmed meat whenever you can.

leavinglasvegas

I'm gonna be the heartless witch and say that I really dont care...

Animals are animals, they were put on this earth for us to EAT and utitlize. Indians used every inch of an animal. the meat to eat, the skin to wear, the bones to carve into utensils. I dont believe in inhumane treatment of animals but we have to kill the somehow (i didnt even watch the video so im not sure what they did in it..)

Animals dont have feelings so they dont relaly have rights either.


maybe its just the meat love r in me.

You do realize that YOU are an animal?
Who said they are put hear for us to eat? Can you provide some sort of proof? I highly doubt that. Because technically, we are also food for larger carnivorous animals like lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! But I never saw a bear raising humans for torture and profit....
Indians did use every inch of an animal. They did not PRODUCE them with hormones and torture them by stomping on their heads and slapping them against a wall, ram long objects up their anuses or hook them up from there eye sockets while still alive. They hunted them in the wild for sustinance, NOT PROFIT. (Read the testimony on the Perdue and Tyson cases. The things that the workers admitted to doing are dispicable.)
How do you know animals don't have feelings? Modern science can disprove that statement. Dogs get happy when they see their owners, protective of the children they are raised with, and many animals are smart enough to protect their young. They even show signs of depression when they are seperated too early.

If you want to eat meat, that is your choice. I think the point here, is to understand the connection and how it gets to your plate. Someone else stated that they hunt for their food and you are more grateful for it that way. Kudos. I would never kill an animal for food, but I respect people who can. Why? Because if you want to say that animals are here for our food, then go get it yourself. Don't blindly expect that some corporation is putting your best interest or the best interest of our planet first. The number one goal of economics is PROFIT. Not you.

JMun

I'm a Pescetarian of 5 years.

I do not consume pork, poultry, beef & a multitude of other living creatures.
I DO still eat eggs, some varieties of seafood and some dairy.

It has been my experience that people tend to get a little on the defensive side when you open up the subject of consuming flesh. There's this weird all or nothing mentality I come across when folks realize that although I eat mainly vegetarian I'll still eat fish for dinner. I call it the "all or nothing curse".

I choose to abstain from most animal products for environmental and compassionate reasons. But I'll focus on the environmental reasons here...

Every been on a factory farm? I have. I worked in hog barns & caught chickens for slaughter in holding barns when I was a teenager. Thats some pretty gnarly *kitten* right there. Animals weren't meant to live like that. We pump 'em up full of antibiotics to keep disease at bay. Then we stuff some steroids into them to get them bigger faster (cos eventually the antibiotics don't work and they succumb to disease). I don't know about you but I certainly don't want to eat food like that.

A 2007 UN Food report stated that the production of animals for food accounts to more greenhouse emissions than ALL transportation combined. Let's consider the amount of plant based protein (feed) that our livestock must consume in order to get them ready for human consumption. Plant based protein that is already perfectly fine for human consumption. The feed to chicken ratio is 4:1 and feed to beef is even worse at 54:1. This (unprocessed) plant protein could feed the world. A world where 25,000 people die of starvation every day.

Ever thought about how much a cow poops? One cow will let loose 10 tons of manure in a year. Where does that manure go? It doesn't just disappear. It needs to be processed and it can't all be used in environmentally friendly ways. Hog manure is full of ammonia and recent studies in my province (Manitoba) have been pointing at our water shed deterioration over the last several years since our hog industry started booming.


We've all been sold this grand idea that a meal isn't a meal unless there's meat involved. Back in the 50's farms were small mixed crop operations. You had a few dozen chickens, maybe a dozen hogs some mixed crops in your fields. It was all about diversity. Fast forward to today and you have hundreds (sometimes thousands) of chickens under one roof in a single barn in an operation that perhaps has a dozen barns in total. Do you think that this is sustainable farming?


Limiting your meat intake and stopping to think about the environmental impact your food has is worth your time. Bleeding heart compassionate reasons aside, just focus on the stats & numbers side of the argument to go Veg

If you're eating meat. Eat local. Eat organic. But just think about it.

kayemme

anyone who eats factory farmed meat should do themselves a favor and get on the usda/fsis list of recalls. i'm not here to judge you; i just want you to be informed.

i just received an email alert about turkey feed being medicated (what?) and the turkey feed is on recall.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp

edit: here's the open list http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp

and here's what the classes mean:

FSIS has reason to believe that the retail locations listed received the recalled meat or poultry products described in the news release. Lists may not include all retail locations that have received the recalled product or may include retail locations that did not actually receive the recalled product. Therefore, it is important that you use the product-specific identification information in the news release, in addition to this list of retail stores, to check meat or poultry products in your possession to see if they have been recalled.

For large volume recalls, it may take several days to assemble the initial list. Lists may be updated as additional information becomes available.

"No retail sales" indicates that no retailers were identified for the recall in question. For example, the product may have gone exclusively to restaurants and institutions, and in this case there would be no retailers in the distribution chain.

Finally, FSIS will provide lists when retail sales are associated with a Class I recall. There will be no distribution lists associated with Class II or Class III recalls.

amg_89

Grokette, that's awesome that you have such an abundant local source for food. I live in the midwest and you would think we'd have plenty of those options available. But sadly, all anyone grows around here is corn and apples. And since I live in a fairly small town, no whole foods stores come here and Wal-mart has taken over. Hooray! So I have to do most of my grocery shopping there. Booooo. Slowly, more organic foods and free-range beef etc are appearing there, so that's a good sign!

What part of the MIdwest.........

I am actually part of an organization bringing awareness to Local and Self-Sustainable Food Supply (both animal and plant sources)


http://eatsouthernillinois.org/

I'm actually at Eastern Illinois University, so Charleston. I fear that Illinois is becoming a state like Iowa that drives many of its residents out because of the mass production of corn and beans. Other than private gardens that may grow cucumbers and other veggies and the occasional apple orchard, corn and beans is all we grow.

Nich0le

I'm not going to watch the video, my husband has been a butcher and is a locally well known chef. There are some disgusting practices out there, for all foods (even our beloved veggies!) We have always used locally grown produce, dairy and meat, we don't purchase chickens from big farms that have beakless frankenchickens and most of our beef, pork and lamb are from a local butcher that my husband worked with many years ago and he actually has toured the farms where the meat comes from.

Humans are meant to eat meat, it has been proven that the best diet is not a totally carniverous and not a total vegetarian diet but somewhere happily in the middle. Animals proteins offer health benefits that other protein sources don't, BUT this is a personal choice and we all have the right and the ability to make the choices we feel are right for us.

If you don't like meat, dont eat it, if you do try to find it from a local source when possible or buy free range. Just like everyone here has a choice to buy frozen meals or make them on their own we also have the choice to decide if we want to know what happens to our meat before it ends up on our plate.

IN other words, eat what makes you happy and let others decide for themselves!

JMun

Humans are meant to eat mea

Is that why we have mainly flat teeth for grinding? Evolution would dictate our diet. Our current teeth are not designed for tearing flesh. Even though we've been capable of cooking our food if our diet was destined to be meaty our bodies would have adapted accordingly. You can easily eat a well balanced diet that involves zero meat. I think saying 'humans were designed to eat meat' is kinda baseless considering the mainly flat teeth in your mouth that are there to grind rather then tear.
The biggest land animal is a vegetarian. Elephants

NeuroticVirgo

I don't agree with the way the animals are treated, and I didn't even watch the video because I know it would make me cry. But videos like this I do feel like they pick on one area, I doubt they would show you the nice farm that treats their animals correctly because they are trying to push heir point about not eating animals at all..... I could never live on a farm though, the only way I continue to eat meat is by not thinking about where it came from....my husband likes to hunt, and I already told him never to take me because I'd be like that guys wife in the blue collar comedy stand up "Run Bambi Run!"

azlady7

I just watched this and I probably will think twice about eating my lamb tonight but I don’t really think this is the right place for this sort of post, there are allot of people on this site trying to get healthy for themselves and their families and its hard enough without having to feel guilty at the same time. Whilst I would agree with you that people should be aware of the source of their food, I cant help but feel this would be better suited to somewhere like facebook.

I kinda agree here. I mean I am having a hard enough time being able to afford my healthier eating lifestyle and I feel guilty about that fact. Now I need to feel guilty for buying whatever meat I can afford now too?!?! IF i could afford organic or free range I would totally buy it, but I cant, so now I will go in there and eat my eggs whilst feeling like I am some evil person because the poor chicken that laid may or may not have been abused. great.

CelticWarrior

I dont like the way they handle their biz, but it isn't gonna stop me from eating meat. You need meat, protein, it is good for your body.

However ......... I would have no problem hunting down my own food to survive if needed to. You can't blame what a slaughter house does on anyone but themselves ,maybe the goverment needs to set some rules how they go about it. But meat is essential to our way of life.

I personally worked in a chicken plant I can tell you that cow hanging like that was to drain the blood and not all places of businesses handle things in a cruel manner.

oreganoqueen

Thanks for this. It's totally kicked me back into only eating free range, organic meat rather than going along with what my housemates want to do. Still not going to be vegetarian, although tbh I eat like one most days anyway.

ucheobu

hmm:noway:

NeuroticVirgo

Animals dont have feelings so they dont relaly have rights either.

ahem......this is malarkey. baloney. nonsense. etc.

Ask my dog if she would like to go for a walk, and watch her go crazy with excitement. Tell me she doesn't have feelings. Ask her to go outside when it's raining and watch her cower in reluctance. Of course animals have feelings.

Doesn't mean I buy into PETA's shenanigans, and it doesn't mean I'm going veggie, but that statement is so silly.

I totally think animals have feeling, which is why I could never look at an animal and then slaughter it for food...nope couldn't do it, I feel guilty when I go fishing. But if you think about it, that's nature, and it sucks being at the bottom of the food chain. We're the only species that feels guilty about eating another one, I mean, I really doubt the lion feels guilty when it rips away at a baby gazelle, I can't imagine that's a very nice way to die either....

amg_89

"I kinda agree here. I mean I am having a hard enough time being able to afford my healthier eating lifestyle and I feel guilty about that fact. Now I need to feel guilty for buying whatever meat I can afford now too?!?! IF i could afford organic or free range I would totally buy it, but I cant, so now I will go in there and eat my eggs whilst feeling like I am some evil person because the poor chicken that laid may or may not have been abused. great."

I did not intend to guilt anyone into anything. My intent was to inform. Trust me, I'm a college student. I'm poor. I scrounge money to go grocery shopping and some days I literally live off of oatmeal because that's all I can afford. But when i save up some money, I buy organic. Don't try to play the victim. We all struggle.

msarro

Ex-pure vegetarian, now 95% vegetarian who grew up on a farm and is substantially native american *gasp* speaking. I didn't watch the video, don't really need to. I've been on farms and been on the killing floor in a butchery. I know what happens. Videos like this are propaganda. Many corporate farms are like this - and that's why if you're going to eat meat, you shouldn't support them. Caveat emptor.

Deal with local farmers, and local butchers. They need your money more, and they treat their animals better.

See, small farmers can't afford to treat animals badly. Most of them are a bad season away from being homeless, so they have to get money every way they can. A major source of income for them that many never consider is showing their animals in local/county/state/national fairs. A single prize can be literally thousands of dollars at state fairs; if you show 30-40 animals and even a quarter of them place, you could easily go home with 50,000+ dollars. That's for one singular fair. Many small farmers tour 20-30 fairs a year (at least the farms I worked on growing up). Animals that are abused, mistreated, unhappy, underfed, etc simply don't win prizes. Small farmers, from an economic standpoint, simply can't afford to treat their animals badly. The only ones who can are companies like Tyson, Purdue, Hatfield, etc.

If you don't have access to a local farm, try and buy through a co-op or farmer's market. Same with most animal products.

But I do agree in so much as people need to recognize that something died for their meal. Most people never think of that. Hell, most people don't realize that when they order a dozen wings that they've funded the death of not 1, not 2, but at bare minimum 6 animals. I can justify one animal dying to feed many people. Killing 6-12 animals for one persons meal is gluttonous and disgusting. Just keep in mind what is on your plate and how it got there and recognize it for what it is.

As for comments that animals don't have feelings, they have a central/peripheral nervous system just like you do. Human beings in reality are not actually special. We are "just animals." We're primates. We're mammals (hence women having mammary glands), with fur. Prove that the 'human experience' somehow makes us special, because biologically speaking we're not really that different from every other mammal.

As for perception, pain is most likely the exact same sensation for other animals as it is for us, and fMRI's have shown that to be the case. Pain is a basic alerting system for the living organism, and as such could be considered a pivotal function. It tells you something is wrong and homeostasis has been broken. It cues the release of chemicals such as adrenaline and histamines. If you think animals don't feel pain, then why does an animal with a hurt leg limp, and whimper when applying weight? They feel pain - just like you and me.

In some ways, animals actually sense far more than we do. Dogs and cats can see/hear far outside of our normal spectrum. Fish have arguably the greatest touch senses on earth (their sides are literally one massive nerve based on the lateral line), so you better believe that they feel every single micrometer of that hook going through their cheek.

amg_89

Ex-pure vegetarian, now 95% vegetarian who grew up on a farm and is substantially native american *gasp* speaking. I didn't watch the video, don't really need to. I've been on farms and been on the killing floor in a butchery. I know what happens. Videos like this are propaganda. Many corporate farms are like this - and that's why if you're going to eat meat, you shouldn't support them. Caveat emptor.

Deal with local farmers, and local butchers. They need your money more, and they treat their animals better.

See, small farmers can't afford to treat animals badly. Most of them are a bad season away from being homeless, so they have to get money every way they can. A major source of income for them that many never consider is showing their animals in local/county/state/national fairs. A single prize can be literally thousands of dollars at state fairs; if you show 30-40 animals and even a quarter of them place, you could easily go home with 50,000+ dollars. That's for one singular fair. Many small farmers tour 20-30 fairs a year (at least the farms I worked on growing up). Animals that are abused, mistreated, unhappy, underfed, etc simply don't win prizes. Small farmers, from an economic standpoint, simply can't afford to treat their animals badly. The only ones who can are companies like Tyson, Purdue, Hatfield, etc.

If you don't have access to a local farm, try and buy through a co-op or farmer's market. Same with most animal products.

But I do agree in so much as people need to recognize that something died for their meal. Most people never think of that. Hell, most people don't realize that when they order a dozen wings that they've funded the death of not 1, not 2, but at bare minimum 6 animals. I can justify one animal dying to feed many people. Killing 6-12 animals for one persons meal is gluttonous and disgusting. Just keep in mind what is on your plate and how it got there and recognize it for what it is.

As for comments that animals don't have feelings, they have a central/peripheral nervous system just like you do. Human beings in reality are not actually special. We are "just animals." We're primates. We're mammals (hence women having mammary glands), with fur. Prove that the 'human experience' somehow makes us special, because biologically speaking we're not really that different from every other mammal.

As for perception, pain is most likely the exact same sensation for other animals as it is for us, and fMRI's have shown that to be the case. Pain is a basic alerting system for the living organism, and as such could be considered a pivotal function. It tells you something is wrong and homeostasis has been broken. It cues the release of chemicals such as adrenaline and histamines. If you think animals don't feel pain, then why does an animal with a hurt leg limp, and whimper when applying weight? They feel pain - just like you and me.

In some ways, animals actually sense far more than we do. Dogs and cats can see/hear far outside of our normal spectrum. Fish have arguably the greatest touch senses on earth (their sides are literally one massive nerve based on the lateral line), so you better believe that they feel every single micrometer of that hook going through their cheek.

^This^