Cyndi's Two Cents

In PETA’s crosshairs

Commentary.

The phone number that popped up on the Caller ID display on the phone in my kitchen had a 202 prefix.  A Washington, D.C. number.  Had I known who was on the other end, I would have let the answering machine pick up.

It was (let’s call him Corey) with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calling to read to me a scripted message claiming a worker at a small local meat locker engaged in criminal activity because “he failed to stun a pig on the first attempt so the animal had to endure and suffer through multiple shots to the head.”

I admit I didn’t listen to his entire recitation.  I knew I’d receive a “news” release about it in my work email and could catch up on PETA’s claim later.  That, and the fact that I just wasn’t in the mood for it.  Like a lot of other livestock farmers, the welfare of our animals is always top of mind.

The call from the anti-animal agriculture representative came on one of those awfully hot days when the heat index was hovering around 105 degrees. Keeping our cattle and chickens as comfortable as possible was a key concern.

I do wonder who else was on the call list .As I write this, I am reminded that I need to make a note to call my state’s Attorney General and file a complaint against PETA because my home phone number is on a no-call list.

The attorneys for PETA made a call as well to the county prosecutor’s office in hopes criminal charges would be filed against the meat locker.  It didn’t happen.  Local law enforcement reported that no laws were broken.

I have not met the owners of the meat locker, but I have friends who do business there. I have read and heard about their business.  It is their normal practice to electrically stun an animal in the slaughter process but due to an equipment failure that day they followed their USDA plan and used a firearm instead.

Following a protocol specifically designed to prevent suffering, all animals receive multiple shots. The gentleman who oversees the process is a proponent for humane treatment of livestock.  He teaches animal handling.  Workers at the facility are trained in humane treatment of livestock.

In its release, PETA claimed “There’s no difference between the terror and pain that this pig felt and how dogs or cats would feel if they suffered from shots fired into their skulls.”  The release went on to say, “PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that ‘animals are not ours to eat’—notes that animals have the same central nervous system and sense of self-preservation as humans and that the only way to prevent pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals from suffering in slaughterhouses is to go vegan.

Friends, do what is right with your livestock every day.  Never give these anti-animal agriculture groups a reason to put your farm in their crosshairs.

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