"Operations at the plant had already been suspended after an undercover video shot by the Humane Society of America came to light.
The video appeared to show crippled and ill animals being prodded with the blades of a forklift truck, kicked, given electric shocks and sprayed with high-pressure water hoses by staff."
The "appeared" is a nice touch on BBC's part, I think. It "appeared" enough that the USDA decided to recall 143 MILLION pounds of cow meat. Now that's something to chew on.
But don't worry - the cows are safe now! After all, the last paragraph of the articles DOES mention that
"The company says it has now taken action to ensure all employees handle animals humanely."
Well, that's a relief. From now on, everything will be different.
You know, personally speaking, I'm not a big fan of killing in order to eat. Seems like we're past the point of it being a necessity, and the cruelty, pain, and death involved (not to mention the environmental costs) (and really not to mention the karmic costs, for those of us who swing that way) are totally inexcusable. At least in my opinion.
There are lots of arguments in favor of not making a big deal out of the way animals are handled. They seem to generally fall under the following headings:
1) It's natural - animals eat animals. And we're animals, so we eat other animals.
You know, it's amazing how many people seem to believe that they "behave naturally" or that "behaving naturally" is a free pass for doing anything. What happened to the naturalness of not washing our hands, or living without medication or surgery? What about how natural it is to live without air conditioning, or to have a high chance of dying at child birth? And how many animals use toilet paper, talk on the phone, or surf the Web? (Disney animals don't count)
If we were living naturally, we'd all be dying of some infectious disease when we were 27 - assuming we lived past giving birth (which we'd do much earlier, since we wouldn't use contraceptives).
Let's face it: When we like it, we pretend to behave like baboons. When we don't, we snap right out of this "natural" make-believe, and do whatever we feel like doing. Acting "naturally" isn't necessarily moral, or healthy, or nice. Stop using toilet paper and the medical system, and then we can start talking about acting "natural."
2) If I don't eat meat, I'll get sick and die.
Actually, You'll probably get healthier and live longer. Let's have that discussion. And please, enough with the "only meat has complete protein" line. Eat 5 different colors of veggies and fruits every day, chew on lots of nuts, drink your soymilk, and You're likely to get better, not worse.
Although to be perfectly honest, You're still probably going to die at some point.
3) The animals we eat are so dumb that they can't really experience suffering or pain.
Um, no. Lots of animals are plenty clever (remember the tool-making crow?) and pain is so basic to survival that it's unlikely that any living being in possession of a limbic system cannot experience pain (yes, that includes fish).
And let's not go down the "they're so big and strong, when You kick them they just feel a little pat" path. Watch this horse and tell me that she's insensitive and can't feel gentle pressure, and that the only way to communicate with a big beast like that is to kick it hard, or yank its head from side to side.
4) I like eating meat.
Hey, it's your choice.
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