Farm Animals

Farm Animals Anti-Cruelty Act Congressional Hearing/Briefing Report

jhayes — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:14:49 GMT

Grass-roots effort growing to help animals on the farm

Provided courtesy of Jerry Simonelli

On July 17, the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus held a groundbreaking hearing/briefing on the issue of farm animal cruelty. The hearing was a huge success, with attendance filling a large hearing room. Including caucus co-chairs Congressmen Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Jim Moran (D-VA), there were seventeen Congressional offices represented as well as committee, government agency and media representatives. The following distinguished panel made outstanding presentations:

• Professor David Favre: Professor of Law at Michigan State University and a nationally recognized expert on animal law.
• Dr. Stephen Zawistowski: Executive Vice-President of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
• Dena Jones: Program Manager at the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
• Pamela Alexander: attorney and Director of the Animal Law program at Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).
• Brother David Andrews: a Commissioner with the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

Where Do We Go From Here:
The hearing was a good start in educating Congress on farm animal cruelty issues and conditions. The Congress is now in its August recess and when they return, the fall elections will dominate. We will use this time to continue to build grass-roots support for a major push when this bill is re-introduced in the new Congress next January. This is a grass-roots effort and your cumulative help is critical for success.

What You Can Do:

1. Circulate this memo as widely as possible so people are aware of this effort. If you are getting this as a result of a re-circulation and would like to get future notices directly from me, please contact me. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like my memo outlining what the bill does.
Jerry Simonelli
E-mail: jsimonelli@aol.com
Phone: 703-818-2500

2. In January, once the bill is re-introduced, please urge your United States Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 6202 and stress the importance of animal welfare to you as a constituent. Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your legislator or search online.

3. Join the Farm Animals community on the Best Friends Network to learn more about how you can help.

For More Information:
• See the full text of the bill, H.R. 6202: Farm Animals Anti-Cruelty Act.

Photo credit: photo of hearing provided courtesy of Jerry Simonelli, cow photo taken by Jennifer Hayes

Pigs To Be Used in Surgical Tool Demonstration

scratchtopaz — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:41:13 GMT

You can help Farm Sanctuary stop this barbaric practice!

At a medical conference on August 7th in Denver, Colorado, Covidien Electrosurgery will be demonstrating their instruments on pigs that are killed for the purpose of selling their merchandise!

Please click here to read more about the story, and additional items on how you can help!

You Can Help - From Farm Sanctuary
1. Please contact Covidien Electosurgery, the Pig Lab organizers, and urge them to remove live animals from their demonstration.

Bryan Hanson
President, Covidien Electrosurgery
ph: 303-530-2300
fax: 303-530-6285
e-mail: bryan.hanson@covidien.com

2. Politely contact the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and urge them to not promote such live animal labs.
ph: 312-235-4060
fax: 312-235-4059
e-mail: sgo@sgo.org and jenna.cummins@sgo.org

posted by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staff
image by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staff

Pig-Headed

jhayes — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:22:15 GMT

Call to action to recommend alternatives to military “live tissue training.”

By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staff

Last week, a distraught U.S. Army soldier stationed in Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division contacted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This individual was dismayed about an upcoming exercise in which pigs were to be shot to provide soldiers basic training to treat trauma injuries. Despite the media attention and protests of animal welfare advocates to attempt to convince the military officials to call off the exercise, an indeterminate number of pigs were shot, utilized by the soldiers, and never resuscitated.

The Army’s says it saves lives

“It’s saving lives, it’s saving soldier’s lives down range,” noted Major Derrick Cheng, Public Affairs Officer for the 25th Infantry Division. “So for the number of soldiers that we’re trying to get trained and to really prepare them for the deployment, it’s the best training we have available for them.”

He confirmed that the exercise did take place and stated that the pigs, referred to as “live tissue training,” were anesthetized by veterinary technicians under veterinary supervision. He described the training as, “The animals are wounded and our soldiers treat those injuries to simulate the battlefield injuries that they would experience for their comrades, buddies down range in Iraq. In this case it is specialized training for soldiers deploying.” He maintains that this is best training available for the soldiers as the military continues to send troops into combat situations.

“I know that’s also been populated in the media that there’s all these simulations that are widely available, but I think those simulations more replicate what you would have in an intensive care unit in a hospital environment, in a very controlled environment, the Major further commented. “What we are trying to replicate and what we are trying to train our soldiers on what conditions they would experience in a battlefield environment and a lot of those simulations just don’t provide, or adequately provide, the same situation that they would experience down range when deployed.”

Major Cheng noted that the Army does use simulations in other training situations, but explained that utilizing the pigs provides an experience that is as close to battlefield conditions as they have been able to create, though he also noted, “For the number of soldiers that we’re trying to move through, I don’t know if there’s enough simulators, especially in Hawaii. In other ways it’s not cost effective for us and everybody stateside.”

The Major did state the simulators are utilized in other military applications and that the Army is open to new technology as it is made available; however, for this particular training exercise, he noted, “What is available out there does not adequately provide what we are trying to train our soldiers at this time.”

He stated that a Lieutenant Colonel medical professional brigade surgeon has commented that the live tissue training was “significantly better” than the use of simulated devices and also that “we’ve received accounts back from soldiers who have gone through the training and soldiers who have utilized the training and it’s saving lives.”

However, to date, Major Cheng is unaware of any specifically documented cases where someone who has undergone this live tissue training has utilized the skills learned to save a life. Nor has the military developed any method to evaluate the benefits of using live pigs over other training methods.

Humane alternatives are available

The use of animals in such a manner is becoming less and less accepted by people in today’s society. “Pigs are more intelligent and cleaner than dogs,” noted Yvonne McIntosh, Manager of the Pot Bellied Pig Department at Best Friends. “They have personalities and will bond with humans. It’s not really different than shooting dogs. It is not bad enough that 60 to 80 million are factory farmed every year to provide an artery clogging, heart attack inviting meat for folks to consume? The military/our government need to shoot them as well and in the name of medical training no less? [This is] despicable and pathetic, to say the least, especially considering that there are alternative methods for that type of medical training.”

Dr. John J. Pippin, a cardiologist with a history of teaching medicine and Senior Medical and Research Advisor for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine called the use of the pigs “absurd” and instead commented, “There is absolutely nothing about that training, about shooting pigs…that has anything to do with saving a life on the battlefield.”

He noted that the most prevalent cause of battlefield mortality for soldiers who have been wounded is bleeding to death and he believes these exercises mainly attempt to train soldiers in the skills needed to cease hemorrhages. However, the body armor worn by today’s soldiers protects the torso, thus trauma to the limbs is far more prevalent on the battlefield. Yet a pig’s appendages are much skinnier and lack the extra flesh, hands and feet found on humans. This is in addition to differences in skin thickness, tissues, and facial structure. Such extreme anatomical differences make for a poor substitute to working on a human being.

While soldiers may report that they believe the exercise to be beneficial, instead he points out, “Any time you take a young person and you put him through some kind of live animal trauma training, they are probably going to say that was a very educational experience that was very useful. The question is ‘How?’ How do you translate that? That may have been fascinating, you may have thought it was a good learning experience, but until we start sending pigs into battle, there really is not anything demonstrable that I’ve ever seen from the military showing that training soldiers, not medics, not doctors, but training soldiers by shooting pigs has any value whatsoever. I challenge them to document that.”

Despite Major Cheng’s claim that some aspects of the training exercise are not able to be taught utilizing simulators, for that low level of basic training Dr. Pippen disagrees. In fact, he feels that simulators are a far more suitable form of training for the soldiers. “The kinds of skills that simulators teach are a wide variety of emergency and trauma skills and even the military has its own literature about this.”

He notes there are multiple simulators out on the market that the soldiers can use. Laerdal SimMan® and SimQuest Limb Hemorrhage Simulator can both be utilized to train soldiers to treat blood loss. Utilizing these models is not only a more humane way to educate the soldiers, but these mannequins are consistent with human anatomy, making for an easier transition to the field.

For those in need of a higher level of training, such as medics and surgeons, Dr. Pippen recommends real world experience in an actual trauma center and states, “Every aspect of that training is directly applicable to helping soldiers on the battlefield. There is nothing, other than it’s alive, that applies to this when you use pigs or goats to that training. It’s a far, far inferior method.” He encourages the military to expand this program, as it provides not only necessary training which can be used in battlefield scenarios, but also builds teamwork and educates participants on how to transport people who have been injured.

“The point is it can be done, and can be done better, without using live animals and that pertains at any level.” Dr. Pippen went on to say, “If you are going to conduct some kind of training, some sort of lifesaving training, that involves the abuse and death of sentient creatures like pigs and goats, then there is a very serious ethical [issue] involved and that ethical issue multiplies 100 times when you can not demonstrate lifesaving benefits derived from that and I think this is the case with this pig training. I think they’re just doing it because it might be useful, but they don’t really know and if they don’t have any proof, they ought to either stop it or they ought to use humane methods such as simulators that bleed so their front line soldiers can learn how to control bleeding, which is by far the reason that soldiers die in the field.”

No excuse

Prior to this story breaking, PETA had been working behind the scenes on this type of issue for the past six months. Kathy Guillermo, Director of Laboratory Investigations Department for PETA noted this occurrence in Hawaii is far from an isolated incident. “We have received a number of these calls from other people around the country about the same thing.” In response, PETA officials have been in contact with the Department of Defense and have tried to persuade the military to cease using live animals and instead implement the use of simulated alternatives. However, thus far their efforts have not met with success.

The people undergoing this training are not medics, but soldiers who are often shocked and horrified at what they must undergo. “Which of course is why we get the frantic phone calls, the soldiers who are about to go over in defense of their country to another frightening and dangerous place don’t want to have to be killing anybody innocent back home first,” commented Guillermo.

Though their efforts were in vain to halt last week’s trauma training exercise, Guillermo stated, “We certainly were successful in exposing it to people around the world.” With the populace now aware that this is happening, she hopes that public pressure will convince the Army to cancel future classes.

“Blasting conscious pigs with rifles to teach soldiers how to treat human penetrating injuries is like trying to get from Chicago to Los Angeles using a map of New York,” noted Guillermo. “The physiology and anatomy of pigs are drastically different from humans, and more sophisticated non-animal simulators are used in most medical schools. There is no excuse for killing these animals or for depriving our soldiers of the very best training.”

Instead, like Dr. Pippen, she recommends utilizing currently available models, such as the Combat Trauma Patient Simulation System which she notes, “Not only does it bleed and have a point of entry for a bullet and track the bullet through the body, but it actually provides feedback to the people who are providing the care to see if what they’re doing is effective for the kind of injury it is.”

In fact, according to their own document, Army Medical Services: The Care and Use of Laboratory Animals in DOD Programs, 5. Policies and Procedures b. other methods, “Alternative methods to the use of animals must be considered and used if such alternatives produce scientifically valid or equivalent results to attain the research, education, training, and testing objectives.”

Practicing medicine is in the interest of saving lives, not killing. In this case and others throughout the country, not only are there superior educational options available, it is morally wrong to use pigs, intelligent and feeling fellow beings, in such a manner.

Since there has yet to be even one documented case in which a life has been saved due to a fellow soldier’s participation in live tissue training, please take action to try to discontinue the use of live pigs for these training exercises, and instead have the military provide superior and more compassionate human models on which to practice their live saving skills.

Let’s hope that the soldier trainees will never be called upon to use their medical knowledge on the battlefield; however one thing is certain if the switch is made to simulators - they then will truly have been a part of saving lives – those of the pigs.

TWO WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

1. Please contact your United States Representative and both Senators to request that they urge officials in the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Committee on Armed Services to call an end to military training activities utilizing live animals.

Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your legislators. You can also search online for your Representative and Senators. Follow your phone call with an e-mail, reemphasizing your viewpoint and stress the importance of animal welfare to you as a constituent.

2. Contact the U.S. Department of Defense to politely voice your opinion on the use of pigs in their training and offer suggestions on compassionate alternatives. Click on the “Make a Comment” link and address your statement to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

For more information:
• Farm Animals community
• Shooting Pigs Part of Army Training for Iraq
• Associated Press: Army shoots live pigs for medical drill
• Star Bulletin: Choose a better way to teach medicine

Photo credits: photos taken by Molly Wald, Best Friends Animal Society

‘Meager Units of Economic Production’

mikiri — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:36:22 GMT

Proposed law seeks to instill decency in the way the meat industry treats farm animals.

For the rest of the article, please see the Washington D.C. community.

Posted by Michael Rinker

Big News in California - Abuse on the Egg Farm

phhaddock — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:59:31 GMT

Investigators videotape cruelty at large California egg factory farm

Hats off to Mercy for Animals, as one of its investigators gained employment at a California egg factory farm which is not only one of the largest egg producers in the state, but is also part of the single largest in-state financial contributor to the agribusiness opposition campaign for the November ballot measure.

The video shows workers violently forcing young birds into cages where they’re confined so tightly they can’t even spread their wings. Many are forced to live in cages with rotting corpses. After almost two years, workers forcefully remove birds in order to slam them into a metal kill cart which gasses them to death with carbon dioxide. The video also shows a worker stomping on a live bird before kicking her into the manure pit, and a manager swinging a bird around by her neck.

There’s been a firestorm of news coverage in the state about the investigation and its relevance to the ballot initiative, starting with the Bay Area ABC affiliate’s fantastic exclusive and its follow-up story on state lawmakers' reactions. These both are must-watch stories.

The LA Times ran a powerful piece which begins, “An animal protection organization is throwing back the curtains on the West Coast's largest distributor of eggs, releasing a hidden-camera video that shows chickens being mistreated by handlers and locked in cages so small the birds can't spread their wings.”

The AP and UPI ran stories on their wires, and Sacramento’s KCRA ran a strong piece too, along with a follow-up story with the egg producer’s response. Numerous other TV stations and newspapers covered the story, but this is a good sampling.

Source: HSUS

Must-see news story from Bay area ABC news:
Abuse on the Egg Farm

Follow-up story:
Lawmakers React to Egg Farm Abuse

Mercy for Animals video here

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Go to www.humanecalifornia.org to find about the ballot measure to protect these animals and help end this cruelty. Read about simple things you can do to help.

Reprinted with permission;
Photo from sxc.hu; posted by Patricia Haddock

Don't miss Responsible Policies for Animals Inc. Presentation!

steffie92 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:25:02 GMT

Come to the free Responsible Policies for Animals Inc. presentation at the Free Library of Philadelphia next Monday, April 28th!

From the Responsible Policies for Animals Inc.

Friends!

Come to the free Responsible Policies for Animals presentation I’ll give at the Free Library of Philadelphia next Monday, April 28th! Bring friends!

Wherever you are located, tell your Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware friends!

I’ll explain humane, ecological and human-health disasters of factory farming – fattening animals in crowded facilities where today almost all chickens, pigs, turkeys, and others are confined till slaughter. And why plants-only eating and getting our government, universities, and other institutions out of the meat business are the best remedies.

When: 6:45 P.M., Monday, April 28, 2008

Where: 4th Floor, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. More about location: 215-686-5322 / www.library.phila.gov

Local farmer Brian Moyer will also speak – about smaller animal facilities.

Many thanks to Bill Brainerd and Sierra Club for organizing this event!

Responsible Policies for Animals (RPA) shows people how to create responsible policies for nonhuman animals that are also responsible policies for people and ecosystems – basic, enforceable legal rights for all sentient beings, the only reliable way to humane treatment as policy rather than personal choice.

Thank you for supporting RPA! If it’s been a while, donate soon – at the website or address below.

Coming soon: Spring issue of RPA’s newsletter Thin Ice explaining exactly how to educate about animal rights – without relying on ad-based media that never get it right anyway.

Organize an RPA presentation for any size group in your neighborhood, town, school, church, library, or home!

Best wishes,

David Cantor
Executive Director
Responsible Policies for Animals, Inc.
P.O. Box 891
Glenside, PA 19038
215-886-RPA1
RPA4all@aol.com
www.RPAforAll.org
www.ExpertsOfConscience.org

Photo: courtesy of http://www.bigfoto.com/

Posted by Stephanie, Farm Animals Newswriter, with permission of Responsible Policies for Animals Inc.

Anti-Cruelty Measure Certified for California's November Ballot

phhaddock — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:50:32 GMT

The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act will provide the most basic protection to nearly 20 million animals confined in industrial factory farms in California: that they merely be able to turn around and extend their limbs.

(April 9, 2008)—California Secretary of State Debra Bowen today certified an anti-cruelty ballot initiative for the statewide general election on November 4, 2008. Californians for Humane Farms, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary and other animal protection groups, family farmers, veterinarians and public health professionals, said the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act will provide the most basic protection to nearly 20 million animals confined in industrial factory farms in California: that they merely be able to turn around and extend their limbs.

When approved in November, the Act will prevent California factory farms from confining animals in the most restrictive crates or cages-specifically, veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and gestation crates for breeding pigs. The new law would take effect in 2015, allowing producers ample time to transition to more humane and environmentally sustainable systems.

"Across California, millions of farm animals are crammed into cages so small they can barely move for months on end," stated Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "We're heartened that nearly 800,000 Californians signed to put this important anti-cruelty initiative on the ballot, and we look forward to November, when Californians will vote to establish the principle in law that animals raised for food deserve humane treatment."

"Americans oppose cruelty and believe that animals, including farm animals, deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. Hundreds of thousands of Californians signed petitions circulated by volunteers to place the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act on the ballot," said Gene Baur, president of Farm Sanctuary. "In November, Californians will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box and outlaw some of the worst factory farm abuses."

The HSUS has offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento, about 1.2 million supporters in California as well as a wildlife rehabilitation center in San Diego County. Farm Sanctuary operates the largest farm animal rescue and sheltering network in North America, including a 300-acre sanctuary in Northern California. The two organizations led a successful 2002 Florida ballot initiative that banned gestation crates (55%-45%) and in Arizona in 2006 that banned gestation and veal crates (62%-38%). In 2007, the Oregon legislature banned gestation crates. Recently, The HSUS investigated a dairy cow slaughter plant in Chino, Calif., and documented appalling abuses of downer cows.

Facts

Veal crates are narrow wooden enclosures that prevent calves from turning around or lying down comfortably. The calves are typically chained by their necks and suffer immensely.

California factory farms confine approximately 19 million hens per year in barren battery cages that are so small, the birds can't even spread their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live.

During their four-month pregnancies, nearly 20,000 female breeding pigs in California are confined in barren gestation crates-individual metal enclosures only 2 feet wide. The crates are so small, the animals cannot even turn around.

The measure will prevent out-of-state factory farms from setting up shop in California with veal crates, battery cages and gestation crates.

Caging animals in high densities leads to more animal waste and air and water pollution, as well as risk of disease transmission such as salmonella.

Florida, Arizona and Oregon have prohibited gestation crates. Arizona has prohibited veal crates. A bill in Colorado is awaiting the governor's signature to ban both gestation crates and veal crates. And the European Union has already legislated against all three of these abuses.

In California and across the country, restaurants, producers, and retailers-including Safeway, Burger King, Carl's Jr. and Hardees, Wolfgang Puck, Smithfield Foods, San Francisco State University, and University of California-Berkeley-are moving away from supporting crates and cages on factory farms. California city councils have passed resolutions opposing battery cage confinement.

Californians for Humane Farms is a coalition of animal protection organizations, veterinarians, environmentalists, food safety organizations, and concerned citizens who joined efforts to launch a statewide initiative for the November 2008 ballot-one that will improve the lives of millions of farm animals in California.

Source: Farm Sanctuary

To learn more, visit:
Farm Sanctuary www.farmsanctuary.org

Humane Society of the United States www.humanesociety.org

Posted by Patricia Haddock
Photo from sxc.hu

Another Byproduct Of Factory Farming: Livestock Incinerating Fires

phhaddock — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:45:31 GMT

The uninterrupted rows of confined animals and manure pits that make factory farms so harmful to the environment, animals and workers also cause heartbreaking fires.

Another Byproduct Of Factory Farming: Livestock Incinerating Fires

By Martha Rosenberg on OpEdNews: Article Here

Posted by Patricia Haddock; photo from sxc.hu

Ohio Citizens Group Rallies Against Proposed Big Egg Farm

phhaddock — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:48:28 GMT

Ohio Citizens Group Rallies Against Proposed Big Egg Farm

If approved by state regulators, Hi-Q Egg Farm could house 6 million hens

Read the article by Monique Curet in The Columbus Dispatch:
Article Here

Posted by Patricia Haddock
Photo is representative only; photo from sxc.hu

Downer Calf Who Was Founding Resident Mourned by Welfare Group 'Farm Sanctuary'

phhaddock — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:45:35 GMT

On a cold day 18 years ago, a tiny calf, no more than a few hours old, was abandoned and left for dead at a stockyard in upstate New York

By Farm Sanctuary

On a cold day 18 years ago, a tiny calf, no more than a few hours old, was abandoned and left for dead at a stockyard in upstate New York. A dairy industry discard too weak and sickly to even stand, the male Holstein lay helpless in an obscure alleyway, where few signs of life emanated from him-let alone any indication of the magnificent creature he was destined to become.

Saved at the last hour by Gene Baur, then a young activist, the downer calf was named Opie and brought to live at Farm Sanctuary, a seedling operation at the time, which sheltered far fewer animals and was run only by its founders and a handful of volunteers. Here, Opie, who when rescued had a temperature too low to even register on a thermometer, was placed on an IV, given colostrums and bottle-fed 'round the clock until he was well enough to integrate with the other cattle.

On the happy day he was introduced to his new herd mates, Opie was adopted within moments by the now 21-year-old Maya, also one of the first downer calves ever rescued by Farm Sanctuary. Under the cow's watchful eye, Opie, like the organization-which kept building more barns, laying more fencing and making its name known throughout the nation-grew, and then grew some more.

Standing more than six feet tall and weighing about a ton and a half in his prime, Opie, who blossomed into the benevolent, paternal leader of our cattle herd, was an awe-inspiring sight to behold. Visitors, most of whom were at first rendered speechless by and, often, a little fearful of the massive steer, were reassured when they approached Opie and learned that he had a heart that matched his size. No one made an impression quite like Opie did.

Gentle, warm and receptive to any and all affection he was offered by admirers, Opie's dramatic rescue story, seemingly miraculous recovery, radiant personality, and powerful presence helped build the very foundation for our visitor program and proved what a difference our animal ambassadors could make for others of their species. It is impossible to know exactly how many people this magnanimous animal turned vegan, but Opie, once forgotten by a cruel industry, was clearly adored throughout his life by thousands, who were changed for the better from having known him.

Off the farm, Opie's compelling before and after rescue photos were presented at legislative sessions, distributed widely on Farm Sanctuary activist materials, and picked up by media throughout the nation, leading to such advances as the introduction of the Downed Animal Protection Act in the U.S. Congress in 1992. The face of our No Downers Campaign, Opie and his story continued to help us shed light on the critical need for legislation to prevent the marketing and slaughter of animals too weak and sick to walk on their own and advocate for measures to prevent their suffering long after his rescue.

Sadly, as Opie grew older, his joints began to degenerate and we knew that our time with him would be shorter than we had always hoped. We were, however, not ready for the shock we received last week when Opie, whose age weakened his immune system, came down with pneumonia. When he did not respond to treatment after a few days, we ordered extensive blood work, which revealed that Opie's liver was not functioning properly. Opie, we learned, had cancer, making his prognosis much worse than we anticipated.

Yesterday afternoon Opie's liver began to fail him and it became painfully clear that he would not make it through the night. The steer's caregivers and other close friends from the farm held vigil by his side, comforting him and feeding him apples, which he relished with as much enthusiasm as he was able to muster. Fortunately, his passing was quick and peaceful, a comforting sign that after a life well-lived, our sweet boy was more than ready to embark on a new journey.

Opie was a precious soul whose loss leaves us with a sadness that is difficult to bear. From the moment of his rescue so many years ago, Opie was Farm Sanctuary, his life informing every aspect of the rescue, education and advocacy work we have done and continue to do. But in our moments of despair, it is this same fact that lifts our spirits because we know that, no matter what, Opie's memory will continue to live on in our every action and he will always be by our side.
*******************

To learn more about the life-saving work of Farm Sanctuary, go to www.farmsanctuary.org

Posted by Patricia Haddock; photo from sxc.hu

A California Educator Puts Farm Animals on the Ballot One Signature at a Time

steffie92 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:00:54 GMT

By Pepper Ballard, The Humane Society of the United States

Since October 2007, 790,486 Californians have signed petitions in support of an anti-cruelty ballot initiative, and on Feb. 28, 2008, the group leading the effort submitted those signatures to county election offices. For a measure to qualify for California’s November 2008 ballot, 433,971 valid signatures are required.

Jim Corriere was one of nearly 4,000 volunteers across the state who collected the signatures.

A clipboard-slinging Jim Corriere had an unprecedented showdown in the Mexican border town of Calexico, Calif.: After walking for more than four hours along its dusty streets, the crack signature-gatherer only turned up 20 residents who would speak out against farm animal cruelty—and who could speak English and could vote.

To the Imperial County, Calif. man, the trip was well worth it despite its low return. His attitude is born from four months spent combing the largely Hispanic and rural southeastern corner of California looking for voters who want to prevent the worst cruelty on the state's industrial factory farms.

So far, Corriere has personally solicited support from more than 700 people for the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, a ballot initiative sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary and and other animal protection groups, family farmers, veterinarians and public health professionals. If made law, it would simply require that the nearly 20 million animals confined on California's industrial factory farms have enough space to stand up, lie down, turn around and extend their limbs.

On factory farms across the nation, productive animals aren't rewarded with real estate: Caged hens shift their feet within a space far smaller than a sheet of letter-sized paper, sows spend four months of pregnancy holed up in narrow metal cages and calves spend their short lives boxed and chained inside cramped wooden crates.

To illustrate this issue, Corriere laminated a photograph of a confined calf and attached it to his clipboard. When he's out gathering signatures, he lifts the photograph above his head and walks in silence through the crowds.

"When I approach these people, I'm delicate with them. I'm selling something … I'm selling you a concept and the price of it is your signature. Along with that comes your support," Corriere, 45, said, explaining his volunteer work. He spends his work week teaching G.E.D. courses to inmates at Centinela State Prison, a maximum security institution in Imperial, Calif.

Though the 6 foot, 1 inch tall, 250 pound animal advocate doesn't profess his love for animals to his students, he spends virtually all of his spare time sharing his thoughts on animal welfare with strangers. His motivation, he said, is the love he's received from his 18-year-old cat, Catt.

"The one thing I've learned is when you become motivated, and an agent of change, you become emboldened and other people become less threatening," he said.

Corriere set weekly and monthly signature-gathering goals for himself. He already contributes a large portion of his income to a variety of animal welfare groups, including The HSUS, but wanted to do more, he said.

"I can't let any animal suffer on my behalf," he said.

Never missing an opportunity to get a signature, Corriere said he asked the woman who prepared his taxes to sign off on the initiative and has, of course, asked every gas station clerk and grocery store clerk he's encountered along the way. He's walked miles along roads, knocking door to door.

Only occasionally is he ever brushed off or confronted. When that happens, he simply moves on to the next person, the next opportunity.

"When I don't get enough signatures for the day, I feel bad. I beat myself up internally … They need help, they need to get out of these cages," he said. "If we don't do something about it, who will?"

Pepper Ballard is a public relations specialist at The Humane Society of the United States.

Photo by HSUS: Jim Corriere walked for miles gathering signatures for the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.

Posted by Stephanie, Farm Animals Network News Writer with permission of Alyson Bodai of The Humane Society of the United States

'Horton Hears A Cow!'

phhaddock — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:58:52 GMT

A Dr. Seuss fable, the suffering of cows, and what we all must do...

3/28/08: KINSHIP CIRCLE COLUMN
PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST THIS COLUMN AS WRITTEN

By Brenda Shoss

Kinship Circle's column runs in Healthy Planet. Brenda has also contributed to The Animals Voice, Satya Magazine, VegNews, other publications. KC’s One Country’s Companion Is Another’s Cuisine is in the current issue of The Animals Voice Magazine, http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/magazine.html

Horton Hears A Cow!

If we can't feel or see this imaginary stuff, no problem exists, Ms.
Kangaroo huffs. But Horton, an elephant of great girth, was certain
he heard cries from a teeny tiny earth."Then finally, at last! Their voices were heard! They've proved they are here, no matter how small.'"

And so little Whos of Whoville were saved by someone who believed
In their right to remain. Their world on a dust speck was clearly in tatters, till Horton proclaimed: "EVERY VOICE MATTERS!"

In Theodor Geisel's (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) fabled tale, Horton the elephant
hears pleas for help on a dust speck lodged in a clover. Hollywood's version of "Horton Hears A Who" paints an animated universe strangely like our own. No one in the jungle trusts the goofy pachyderm because, as Kangaroo warns: You cannot believe in something you can't see or touch.

Horton defies the code of the jungle to speak for creatures without a voice. This reminded me of animals in society. Specifically, my mind drifted to the cows.

As a rule, we don't hear much about cows. California's Milk Advisory Board assures us they are "Happy Cows," who "make a ton of other delicious dairy products!"

In a Horton-esque twist, cows became news with the release of a video from Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in February 2008. The footage, shot over six weeks in 2007, shows how Westland/Hallmark Meat Company mistreated sick cows trucked in from industrialized dairies. After HSUS gave their video to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office, two workers at the Chino, Calif.-based plant were booked on possibly the nation's first felony charges for animal abuse at a slaughterhouse. So far, none of their superiors face prosecution. http://tinyurl.com/yul2lw

The U.S. Department of Agriculture banned "downed cattle" from entry into the human food chain after the 2003 discovery of a Washington state downer with mad cow disease. Still, close to a half million infirm cows are annually dragged to slaughter, a JAVMA report predicts. Each nonambulatory animal is worth about $30 in hamburger revenue. Big dairy operations account for 90-95% of downed cows, asserts Temple Grandin, an animal science professor at Colorado State University who considers 75% of cases preventable with humane care.

In the HSUS video, Hallmark employees electrically shock the heads, necks, spines and rectums of disabled cows. Former pen manager Daniel Navarro paddles a listless cow in the face and eye. The men hoist cows on forklift prongs and roll their giant bodies over pavement. They fire concentrated water jets into the cows' nostrils and throats.

I'D NEVER HEARD A COW SCREAM LIKE THAT BEFORE.

"One cow is down on the truck when she arrives," the investigator recounts. "Workers shock her from behind, but she's too weak to stand. A chain is attached to her leg and she's dragged with a forklift. As she's pushed along concrete, you can see it causes her so much pain... A worker drives over her leg and face with the wheels of the forklift. I'd never heard a cow scream like that before."

By itself, Hallmark footage is unremarkable. The breaking news is how they got caught.

It took some guy with a pen camera fastened to a shirt button to reveal that downers -- those most likely to test positive for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease -- easily make their way to dinner tables. Among 15 confirmed BSE cases in North America, at least 12 were downers. Impaired cows also harbor more E. coli and Salmonella contamination.

The investigator toiled 12-hour days, at $8 an hour, herding cows down chutes to the kill floor. In an anonymous phone interview, he told the Los Angeles Times he observed "brutalization of animals too weak or sick to walk to slaughter. It was so in-your-face. As cows are making their final steps, there's no USDA personnel objecting to this behavior."

His findings prompted a recall of 143,383,823 pounds of beef on February 17, 2008. Hallmark, a partner of Westland Meat, lost its USDA contract to furnish beef for America's School Lunch Program. Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) suspended its audits, in effect closing the plant. The Office of the Inspector General subpoenaed proof for the Justice Department to pursue criminal prosecution.

It was a whistle-blower's triumph, as if Horton himself had roused sleeping bureaucrats: "The video, the cows, the people...how true! Hence forth, Kangaroo will protect every creature with you!"

But Capitol Hill isn't Seuss-world and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Edward W. Schafer is no Kangaroo. In Congressional Hearings spurred by the Hallmark fiasco, Schafer said it's okay for downer cattle to enter the food supply from time to time. He asked the Senate Appropriations Agriculture subcommittee to strike down a legally binding ban on slaughter of downers.

WHY DO WE NEED A DOWNER LAW?
OUR "RULE" ALREADY SERVES JUSTICE FOR ALL!
The Downed Animal Protection Act would establish an enforceable
industry-wide ban on the transport, marketing and slaughter of all downed animals (not just cows). The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act would require government-contracted producers to comply with basic humane policies, such as merciful euthanasia for downers. Neither bill has seen much movement beyond committee hearings. Secretary Schafer and other egulators believe a downer law is unnecessary.

Perhaps, but it's a gamble. Nonprofit humane groups -- not federal watchdogs -- expose most animal welfare and food security breaches. Westland/Hallmark, or example, is not a first-time offender. In 1993, the animal protection organization Farm Sanctuary filmed Hallmark workers shoving debilitated cows with forklifts. Two California groups uncovered 11 verified instances of abuse at Hallmark between 1996 and 2004. USDA cited Hallmark for violations
such as "too much electric prodding" in 2005. After the video story broke, USDA found Hallmark had killed cows forced upright for pre-slaughter inspection since February 2006.

This all happened under USDA radar, despite the agency's 2003 injunction on downed cows for human consumption. In 2005 another mad cow emerged in Texas, further substantiating the link between downers and BSE. Even so, the Bush administration diluted USDA's rule in 2007 to let downers, under certain circumstances, pass into the food chain.

CRONYISM, USDA-STYLE

Today, there is still no downer law. USDA's weak rule doesn't prevent
slaughter of immobilized cows and excludes downed pigs, goats, sheep, and other animals altogether. A ban on chains, forklifts, trucks, shock prods and other violent means to move animals is largely ignored.

Just 7,600 inspectors monitor 6,200 slaughterplants across the nation. Evaluating animals often involves "peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals, looking for telltale signs such as droopy ears, stumbling gait and facial paralysis," the Associated Press disclosed in February 2008. Inspections are so irregular, companies clean up their act beforehand.

Past USDA official Mike Taylor says the department is locked in an
old-fashioned mindset, "that doesn't fill the bill on either food safety or
animal welfare." Indeed, FSIS fails to enforce rules and screen sick
animals, according to an Office of the Inspector General audit that predates
the Hallmark debacle.

"It's the inevitable outcome of a system in which animal abuse and health
concerns are predictable by-products of following the prime directive --
maximizing profit -- in a context of inadequate oversight," Anna Lappe
writes in Largest Beef Recall, Ever. Now, Real Change? for the Huffington Post.

Big Meat pretty much regulates itself, with deep political pockets. In 2006, Lappe notes, the livestock trade lavished $4.5 million on lobbyists. National Cattlemen's Beef Association PAC contributed nearly a half million dollars for a total livestock industry gift that capped $5 million. Agribusiness has donated nearly $300 million to Republicans from 1990-2008, the Center For Responsive Politics reports.

Policymakers and cattlemen are virtually indistinguishable, Lappe points out. A one-time public relations director for National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is USDA's Communications Director. A Cattlemen's director of legislative affairs became chief of staff for previous USDA Secretary Ann Veneman. USDA's Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs boasts 15 years experience with NCBA. And so on.

Critics question USDA's dual role as promoter/regulator. Some want the agency to stop inspecting the same meat it advertises.

A HEFTY PRICE TAG
As experts weigh the merits of pre-slaughter inspection versus total downer exclusion, they forget the animal on the ground. USDA Secretary Schafer says rules are clear: "If one goes down, you call the veterinarian to make a judgment."

Meanwhile the "one who goes down" languishes in manure, sometimes for days, as she awaits inspection. From an industry standpoint, "image will improve, both domestically and in export markets...if downers are prevented and when
a nonambulatory condition does occur, put down on the farm," writes
foodborne-illness litigator Bill Marler in The Raw Economics Driving the Use
of Downers.

From a social perspective, one wonders if cheap meat is really worth its
cost in inhumanity. The cows found their Horton in a Humane Society
investigator. Now, can anyone else hear them?

*********************************************************
WHAT YOU CAN DO:

SEND LETTER: I'm Mad. Downer Ban? USDA Says Forget It
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1727&seriesfirst=true
SEND LETTER: USDA-Certified Cruel: Downers Dragged, Shocked, Rammed
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1725&seriesfirst=true
DOWNLOAD FREE FACT SHEET: These Are Downed Animals
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/DownedOnTheFarmPHOTOS.pdf

****************************************************************************
Kinship Circle is a struggling 501c3 nonprofit.
Tax-deductible donations help us stay “in business” for animals.
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info@kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle@accessus.net
http://www.KinshipCircle.org * http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/

Kinship Circle's column runs in Healthy Planet. Brenda has also contributed to The Animals Voice, Satya Magazine, VegNews, other publications. KC’s One Country’s Companion Is Another’s Cuisine is in the current issue of The Animals Voice Magazine, http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/magazine.html

************************************************************************
Posted by Patricia Haddock, Best Friends Network

Are Your Easter Eggs Cruelty-Free? Not If They're From United Egg Producers

phhaddock — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:06:22 GMT

Trade group United Egg Producers (UEP) represents 85% of US egg farms; continues to defend battery cage produced eggs

Read the article by Martha Rosenberg on OpEdNews.com Here.

Meat of the Matter

phhaddock — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:02:50 GMT

The Shared Fate of Women and Animals

Read the provocative story Here.

Tofurky Teams Up with The Humane Society of the United States

steffie92 — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:28:08 GMT

Since its humble beginnings in 1980, Tofurky has become one of the best-known meat alternatives. It's been mentioned on popular TV shows such as "Jeopardy," "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and "The X-Files" and is even mentioned in the new hit movie, "27 Dresses."

Now it can add one more connection—a corporate relationship with The HSUS.

Delicious Products that Support The HSUS

Beginning immediately with its deli slices, packaging for Tofurky all-vegetarian products will carry the HSUS logo. Other products will follow—including roasts, hot dogs, sausages, franks, burgers, jerky and more.

"One important goal of The HSUS is to encourage market solutions that benefit animals. So it's a privilege to share the stage with a company producing a healthy and animal-friendly product," said Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS' factory farming campaign. "We want our members and supporters to know that this delicious, satisfying, and humane food should be on their shopping list."

"Including the HSUS logo on all of our packaging further demonstrates our commitment to creating a more humane world," stated Seth Tibbott, CEO of Turtle Island Foods, the maker of Tofurky. "We're proud to be working with The Humane Society of the United States."

Exclusive Tips and Recipes

In addition to featuring the HSUS logo on retail products, Tofurky will periodically offer recipes and cooking tips to visitors of www.humanesociety.org/recipes.

Posted by Stephanie, Farm Animals Network News Writer with permission of Alyson Bodai of The Humane Society of the United States

Photo credit: sxc.hu

The Humane Society of the United States Sues to Keep Sick and Injured Cows Out of Food Supply

steffie92 — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:14:58 GMT

USDA Loophole Contributed to the Largest Beef Recall in U.S. History

The Humane Society of the United States today filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to close a dangerous loophole in the agency's regulations that contributed to the recent recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef—much of which was fed to schoolchildren in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia. The recall was initiated after an HSUS investigation documented shocking acts of animal cruelty to non-ambulatory or "downer" cattle at a slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif.

"USDA has in recent weeks assured the public that sick and crippled cattle are not allowed to enter the food supply, but the agency's regulations actually contradict that assertion," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "Unless we want yet another dramatic food scare—further eroding consumer confidence in beef and costing the private sector and the federal government tens of millions of dollars—we should not hesitate to close this legal loophole and establish an unambiguous no-downer policy that will also help protect crippled animals from egregious abuse."

On Thursday, Pacelle is scheduled to testify before a Senate subcommittee examining the issues surrounding the case. He will call on Congress to pass legislation to strengthen the nation's farm animal welfare laws.

Because downer cattle are at a heightened risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") and other foodborne pathogens, USDA issued an emergency rule in 2004 to prevent downed cattle from being slaughtered for human consumption. However, in 2007, the agency quietly reversed course and relaxed its rules to permit some crippled cows to be slaughtered for human consumption.

That loophole—which fails to adequately prevent the slaughter of animals who are violently forced onto their feet long enough to pass inspection, as well some animals who go down after initial inspection—precipitated some of the most disturbing incidents documented by an HSUS investigator at the Hallmark slaughter plant, including employees routinely beating cows to try to make them stand, repeatedly electrocuting cows in the face and eyes, and almost inconceivable incidents in which they rammed animals with forklift blades and dragged them by chains.

The lawsuit alleges that the downer loophole is irrational and inconsistent with the USDA's obligations to ensure humane handling and food safety under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act. The suit also alleges that the loophole was promulgated in 2007 without adequate public notice and comment under the federal Administrative Procedure Act.

"The school lunch program should be providing safe and healthy meals for our children—not serving up sick animals or promoting animal cruelty," said Diana Crossman, a longtime HSUS member and mother of two children in Los Angeles County public school. "USDA is supposed to protect our children, and that doesn't mean telling us one thing and doing something else about allowing sick animals in the food supply."

Facts:

* The Federal Meat Inspection Act is designed to protect consumers by preventing meat that is "adulterated"—not fit for human consumption—from entering the food supply.
* The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requires that "the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods."
* Downed cattle may be at higher risk of contamination with foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, as well as the pathogens that cause mad cow disease.
* Eating meat from cattle infected with mad cow disease is believed to cause an invariably fatal human neurological disease known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). It may take years for symptoms to develop after eating contaminated meat.

Timeline:

* Feb. 17, 2008—USDA announces recall of 143 million pounds of beef, the nation's largest recall to date, from Hallmark/Westland Meat Co.
* Feb. 15, 2008—San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos charges Daniel Ugarte Navarro with five felony counts under California's anti-cruelty statute and three misdemeanor counts alleging the use of a mechanical device to move "downer" cows, and a second worker, Jose Luis Sanchez, with three misdemeanors involving downers.
* Feb. 5, 2008—USDA announces it has pulled its inspectors and shut down the cattle slaughter plant that was the subject of an HSUS undercover investigation. USDA Undersecretary Dr. Richard Raymond cites "egregious violations of humane handling regulations" in pulling inspectors from the plant.
* Jan. 31, 2008—The HSUS urges schools in 36 states to stop serving Westland meat received through the National School Lunch Program.
* Jan. 30, 2008—USDA suspends Westland Meat Co. as a supplier to the National School Lunch Program and other federal nutrition programs, in response to the weeks-long HSUS investigation of the plant.
* Jan. 30, 2008—The HSUS reveals weeks-long investigation's findings of widespread mistreatment of nonambulatory dairy cows at a Hallmark Meat Packing Co., of Chino, California.
* July 13, 2007—USDA reverses course and alters federal regulations to permit some crippled cows to be slaughtered for human consumption.
* Jan. 12, 2004—USDA prohibits all downer cattle from being slaughtered for human consumption, in response to the first U.S. case of BSE discovered in Washington State.

Go to video www.hsus.org to view or download video footage from the investigation.
________________________________________________
What you can do:

Encourage the USDA to consistently monitor the treatment of animals to be slaughtered through better legislation. Please click here.

Photo unrelated to story, courtesy of http://www.bigfoto.com

Posted by Stephanie, Farm Animals Network News Writer with permission of Alyson Bodai of The Humane Society of the United States

Film Prompted First Humane Slaughter Law in 1958

phhaddock — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:13:33 GMT

Half a century ago, In the 1950's, a Seattle animal rights activist filmed hogs being mistreated at a Washington state slaughterhouse.

Read the AP news story Here.

Posted by Patricia Haddock, Best Friends Network
Photo from sxc.hu

Meat Roulette

phhaddock — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:47:43 GMT

As the latest recall shows, food safety has taken a back seat to industry profits; Four corporations control 83% of the nation's beef production

Read the important story by Christopher D. Cook in the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oe-cook25feb25,0,5098350.story

Posted by Patricia Haddock, Best Friends Network
Photo from sxc.hu

The Slaughter Plant is Likely to Go Out of Business

phhaddock — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:58:42 GMT

*********

The Wall Street Journal reports today that the dairy cow slaughter plant HSUS investigated is likely to go out of business. HSUS' response is here.

Editorial boards across the country continue to sound off about the case, and you can read a small sampling here.

The Press-Enterprise has an editorial today entitled, "USDA Failure," in which it claims this cannot be seen "as an isolated case of rampant cruelty," and continues that " USDA can repeat that mantra as often as it wants, but saying it doesn't make it so." Similarly, the Sacramento Bee has an editorial today entitled, "A Cattle Prod for USDA," in which it asserts that "the USDA faces a fundamental conflict as an agency that both promotes meat products and also inspects them."

The Press-Enterprise also has a fascinating story today detailing the initial response of the accused slaughter plant employees as well as the local authorities' interview with HSUS' investigator.

On an unrelated note, the front page of Alternet right now has a great review of HSUS employee Erin Williams' new book, "Why Animals Matter."

Source: HSUS

Posted by Patricia Haddock, Best Friends Network
Photo from sxc.hu