Video of workers abusing cows raises food safety questions

reply to post by sputniksteve

I personally think that one way, perhaps one of the best ways to judge the character of a society or an individual is by the way they treat the animals in their life. People who hurt or abuse animals often go on to hurt the people in their life.


How would you feel if that treatment was being given to a dog.....well in all reality why is a dogs life more valuable than a cows?

I dont have a problem with eating meat, we are omnivores and as such meat makes up a portion of our diet

But if we are going to be domesticating and taking responsibility for these animals than we very much need to be treating them properly.
Those animals are more than just meat, they are a life and as such deserve fair and humane treatment. They also are totally dependent on humans everything.



Besides that; if the Cow is Downed and takes such drastic measures to get it up and going it is potentially diseased, by doing these things they are risking the introduction of contagious pathogens into the food chain.

reply to post by Anatomic Bomb


True. We call ourselves a civilised people, yet look at the harm we do to other living creatures. Karma is a b**ch [what goes around comes around].

That is pretty sick. No creature needs to suffer like that. Owning a dog well I have owned many, but liked just my current one has opened my eyes to animals. I dont honestly hunt anymore and meat is getting closer to leaving my menu. Fish is fair game forever, I dont care if fish suffer and beer cans I will shoot beer cans.......Just dont have the "hunter heart" anymore.

[edit on 1-2-2008 by TXMACHINEGUNDLR]

I was born and raised a vegeterian -- never eaten meat in my life. Initially it was because of our religion (Krishna Consciousness) -- but now at 19, I've moved away from religion and chose to accept the reality that we simply don't know. But even so, I have my instincts... and I have a feeling that we are being watched over and judged -- whether it be a 'god' or extraterrestrials. I still haven't eaten any meat whatsoever in my life... because in the society we live in today, the way people get their meat, I don't believe it's moral -- and I strongly believe individuals will be judged accordingly. Although I do believe in certain circumstances it is ok. That is when you're living in a situation where you need to find/grow/hunt your own food in order for you or your family to survive. And that means respectfully taking only what you need to survive. Accepting and eating meat from strangers...especially these big factories -- is in my opinion wrong.

We all have choices in the way we live our lives. As our societies grow, our choices may get harder or expand... but that doesn't mean we have the right to be lazy. Some luxuries will come at a price -- and it's foolish to think otherwise.

[edit on 1/2/08 by Navieko]

I'm a vegan, and particularly proud of my choice when I hear about things like this. One has to wonder what kind of person it takes to look a helpless cow in the eyes and then treat it with such sadistic cruelty. It's akin to beating children and those people are indeed soul-less.

I commend those of you suggesting we should only eat meat from free-range animals, boycotting the factory-farmed 'product'. I agree with the sentiment but sadly I don't really see how it can be adhered to fully in reality. I don't know anyone who buys free-range meat but doesn't eat hot dogs from vendors, burgers from fast-food places, or steaks when they go to a restaurant. And the sad truth is that whenever you buy a meat-containing product from any of these places, chances are it isn't free-range. I find it easier to cut out meat (and dairy) altogether. If all meat was from well-treated animals by law, I'd probably eat it.

Anyone fancies a good old fashioned, cow abuser crusade?

This REALLY makes my blood boil, ans I will one day take a visit to one of these factories and treat some of these humans like that.

I hate animal cruelty more than most things.

AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! I hate them.

A few years back i remember a similar story over here in the UK. It involved turkeys and people hitting them with metal poles when they were being packed off to slaughter.

I work on an intensive chicken farm, and no matter what people think, we always do the best we can for the birds. Its ok everyone claiming to hate this type of farming methods and supposedly never buying any of the meat produced this way... Yet their is still a massive market for it.

People who deliberaly cause pain or distress to the animals are a small minority that give the rest of us a bad name.

Does anyone know what lablels I should look for to ensure that the poultry involved was not mistreated? I heard that Free Range can be misleading.



[edit on 1-2-2008 by Silenceisall]

For those interested in this topic you might also be interested in:

Slaughterhouse - the Task of Blood (BBC)
1 hr - Jul 23, 2007 - (56 ratings)
video.google.com...

An interesting inside look at a UK slaughterhouse... if you're teetering vegetarian, this will tip you over the edge.

Meat is not kosher in my book unless it grew in the wild, I personally know the man that killed it, and no money is transferred.

mostly vegetarian,

Sri Oracle

[edit on 1-2-2008 by Sri Oracle]

Originally posted by Navieko
We all have choices in the way we live our lives. As our societies grow, our choices may get harder or expand... but that doesn't mean we have the right to be lazy. Some luxuries will come at a price -- and it's foolish to think otherwise.

I totally agree with that statement, we can't just blindly accept it just because we live in a fast paced civilization.

I was a vegetarian for almost 10 years and started eating seafood again which I have some guilt about.

My apathy rears it's ugly head whenever I see a story like this, which is a very common story. We always claim superiority over other animals for various reasons but we are playing a rigged game because we are the only ones ready to stand up and say what a great species we are. Maybe the gray's have a different opinion?

Excuse me while I go pat myself on the back.

It reminded me of a Holocaust camp...the cow at the end walking on 2 broken legs was pretty terrible.

reply to post by Silenceisall



first of all dont buy from tyson!!!

secondly your best chance is going to be by getting your meat from smaller local or regional farms.

We have a farm here that sells naturally raised...nearly organic but not yet certified chicken for 2.98 a lb for breast meat, and much less if you buy dark meat or the whole chicken. They also sell beef that is hormone free and only given antibiotics if it is necessary, they are grain fed and treated well. It is a little pricey if you buy it in tiny amounts, but a small investment in a good used or floor model deep freeze (we spent 100 on a brand new one with a ding) will make it so you can buy more of the beef at once, we paid 3.99 a lb for 1/4 of a cow...enough for a year more than likely for 3 people, we think.............. although it is good meat so i find myself wanting beed more.
3.99 is a lot for hamburger meat but it averages out because you are also getting steak and loin and roasts at that price.
They also sell lamb and pork and turkey i believe.
we also buy meat for the dogs and cats there, and sometimes a pre-mixed dog food blend, but it has more grain than I think a dog actually needs.

edited to add, im sitting here with my pup in my lap, who is really much to big now to be sitting in my lap, but the total trust and love and affection and friendship I have with my dogs makes my heart ache all the more for these poor creatures.

[edit on 1-2-2008 by gluetrap]

It's great hearing everyone speak out about such disgusting behaviour. (Excitedly) I must tell you guys that this Valentine's Day, I will have gone an entire year without eating any chickens, cows or pigs and I couldn't feel any better! I sleep wonderfully, have more energy and an over all sense of well being...it's great. There's 3 reasons I've chosen not to eat our little buddies:

1. There's simply no justification in how we kill such mass quantities of animals to fill our fat bellies. Slaughterhouses treat ALL animals poorly (chickens being the worst). Sure, death is never pretty, but treating animals like a product and not a living entity that has the same fear, joy and love you and I have, isn't right.

2. My health. Read the book "Slaughterhouse" by Gail Eisnitz. Workers that actually do all the killing are seldom given any breaks. They urinate/defecate in the same place they kill such animals!! Plus the animal's blood/waste is all over the factory floors as well. I wonder why they tell us eating uncooked meat is unhealthy? I haven't caught a cold or flu this year which I credit to being vegetarian but I could be wrong. I feel much better after eating a vegetarian dish...having meat sitting in your stomach just doesn't sound appealing anymore.

3. The men and women who work in slaughterhouses. They're treated very poorly. Videos like this are disgusting to watch, but both the animal and the worker are victims in this case. Workers are paid very little to kill minute by minute, hour by hour. They're no longer attached to emotions or their feelings...they CAN'T be having to do what they do. Blood and death are their 9-5. One man is known to have gone to a mental institution because he would dream night after night that chickens were coming to kill him. Please read Virgil Butler's blog: www.cyberactivist.blogspot.com... It's very sad that we put so much stress on workers and the animals. It's not uncommon for workers in the meat industry to be alchoholics and wife/child/family abusers.

If you have the heart, and the stomach, please watch the documentary "Earthlings":

video.google.com...

It's incredibly disturbing but also very well made. It's pretty much that CNN footage but it shows how not only slaughterhouse animals are treated but also your local vet and the fur trade (as a warning, during the "fur trade" scenes they show a skinned fox that is still alive that literally kept me from sleeping for weeks). It's gruesome but it's also a side that needs to be seen.

Last but not least, if you'd like to learn about being vegetarian, check out the podcast "Vegetarian Food for Thought". Great advice and well made. Thank you for reading and I'm sorry for ranting. This is a topic I'm very passionate about.

It's kind of weird that the video "raises concerns about food safety" instead of raising concerns about how we are treating our fellow living creatures. I realize there are food safety issues, but while these poor animals are alive, our first and only priority should be that they be treated humanely.

reply to post by Eighty59


How the hell do you do it??? I want to try but yes I am a chicken ###t. I don't want to eat any animal that was treated like that from some scum-bag boil.
I mean, I love the hell out of veggies, all of them. Alright, your turn Master Yoda................

PS: Spent the last 5 years eating mostly MRE's so it shouldn't be that hard right? LOL.

reply to post by Eighty59

OMG. I just finished watching that video. That was horrid. I had no idea some of that stuff was going on. How can we call ourselves superior when there are those among us treating animals so abominably?

reply to post by sir_stinky_pinky


Haha!! It's amazingly simple to be a vegetarian!! I NEVER tell anyone I don't eat meat but eventually they see my food selections and ask. (And of course, sometimes they heckle me...I just reply that I eat nothing but carrots and peas all day ) Taco Bell will replace whatever meat selections they have with beans. For example: the mexican pizza without beef is 10 times better!!). Primarily Mexican/Italian/Chinese dishes can be ordered without meat. Please listen to "Vegetarian Food for Thought" in iTunes or visit:

www.compassionatecooks.com...

There's plenty of advice and helpful tips that can get ya started on the right path. (I will say that I didn't go "meatless" all at once...I took a bet from a friend of mine that asked me to give up pigs for 3 weeks. So I did, loved how I felt and decided to give up lil' chickens and cows as well). One tough thing is I live in Texas...the BBQ capital of the world

reply to post by Sleuth


I'm sorry you had to see it. I don't like recommending that movie to anyone, but for those who are curious (and willing) to face what really goes on to get that Big Mac in their hands, it's good to see. I really hope it didn't mess with your head too much...it shook me up pretty bad (I almost cried at times ). Sadly, even the workers who did such things are humans too...it sucks, but maybe soon we'll all be one big happy family? Wouldn't it be crazy if we could all walk side by side with lions and bears and not get eatin?! Could you imagine playing fetch with a wolf at the local park?! OK...maybe I need to lay down..

I know I'm getting into metaphysical territory here, but I believe the psychic trauma being inflicted on those animals somehow gets into and stays in the meat ( I often felt different after I used to eat red meat, somehow anxious). People who can see auras say that the colours and shades they see around the animals and workers at a slaughter house are horrific and hellish in tint. Everything we do to this panet and its animals "stays in the air" IMO.

I'm not saying that we should not eat any meat, but we need to do it with proper reverence and respect for the animals. Same with our dealings with this planet and its ecosystems.

[edit on 4-2-2008 by Silenceisall]

reply to post by Eighty59


Thanks for the link. That is a really good site. This weekend I had some alder smoked apple whole grain sausage [meatless]. What have I been missing? It was delicious. I had to click my heels together a few times saying to myself "there is no place like a bbq, there is no place like a bbq!" Thanks again for the information. Now time to explore the possibilities.