If you haven’t seen the video that spawned the largest beef recall in history this week (143 million pounds), watch it now. Cows too sick to walk being moved by forklifts and chains, then being ground up and fed to children in their school lunches. If you haven’t heard the full story, here’s the New York Times’ report. And here’s an AP news video.
Although this video shows the worst case scenarios, the life of a factory animal is horrific, regardless of whether they’re ever prodded with a forklift. I have to wonder what working in a factory meat processing facility does to the psyche of employees. Cutting and packing the meat is one thing, but actually herding cows and pigs into conveyors where they’re shocked, their heads are smashed, and then their meat is forced through a grinder? It can’t take long to become immune to it when it’s viewed on a daily basis. What are the repercussions in their daily lives?
It also baffles me that intelligent people can view a video like this and still go order a fast food burger. I understand the “I have to eat meat” argument, but total indiscretion about their sources of meat by the apparent majority of Americans, despite a history of awful news about factories like this, are the kind of realities that find me struggling to have hope for our future.
Can we get a Beef Ambassador’s take on this one?
One Comment
You are ’shocked’ that people at people who view this slaughterhouse video and then go buy a burger? POLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEZ! You are either a crass liar, or so naive its sickening.
How long did it take for the public to get bored with beheadings by whacko muslims?