Beef recall and downer cow update

As you've probably seen by now in the New York Times or other media outlets, the USDA has just mandated the largest beef recall in history. The 143 million pounds of beef that have been recalled were supplied by the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, the same company that incited an outcry (by myself and others) over their inhumane treatment of cattle, as documented by a Humane Society employee.

Much of the media coverage of this recall has been focused on the dangers of this meat in the food supply. The Westland/Hallmark company is one of the largest suppliers to the National School Lunch Program, so people are concerned (justifiably) about how their childrens' health might be at risk.

I agree that health concerns are definitely one of the important issues that must be addressed in a situation like this. But I am both upset and perplexed that fewer news outlets have focused on the animal welfare aspect of the story. The employees and manager in the video have been fired, and criminal charges are being brought against them. But what about the companies themselves? Will no legal action be taken against them? Will other cattle companies make pledges to ensure the welfare of their cows from birth to death? Where are the voices demanding greater transparency and heightened accountability?

Better yet, when will we all just acknowledge that factory farming is an inherently inhumane and dangerous system and that it has to go?

Why factory farms must go

I have a video to share with you, but I want to warn you that it is very graphic and disturbing. While extremely difficult to watch, the video nonetheless tells a truth about our society that we should all confront. In their insistence on profit as the sole motive and driver behind their business, factory farms (CAFOs) have turned a blind eye to basic animal dignity and welfare, and behavior like the following becomes all too common.



The video makes me outraged. What kind of a society have we become, that we can allow such practices to take place? This incident is not isolated; a search on YouTube reveals other videos of downer cows being abused. In some ways I'm not surprised; these videos are consistent with the findings in Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma. A factory farm is, by nature, driven to produce the most meat possible at the lowest cost possible. Cows can't be treated humanely, because that would make for less productivity and higher expenses. Sadly, we are as guilty as the CAFOs. Every time we eat a fast-food hamburger, or every time we buy regular beef from our local grocery store, we tacitly endorse the practices of factory farms.

I don't think you need to go vegetarian (necessarily) to ensure ethical treatment of animals- although many a vegetarian would disagree with me on that point. Rather, I think it is important that we care enough to read labels, ask for information, and learn as much as possible about how the animals lived and died prior to becoming our food. Then we can make responsible decisions about the foods we eat, and we can opt to vote with our forks to end inhumane or cruel treatment of animals.

Learn more at the Humane Society website.

saying no to CAFOs

The cognitive dissonance was too much. In the past few months I've driven I-5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco at least 6 times, and each time I've had to pass two CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations- more commonly known as "factory farms") right along the highway. I look out at the cows, terribly unhappy cows, standing in their own manure, waiting out their days at the corn-filled feed trough, never to graze again on their beloved grass, the food they were meant to eat. And I realize that every day I eat beef that was not grass-finished, I am directly supporting these animals' misery. And yet I have continued to turn a blind eye, ignoring their suffering because it was convenient for me to do so.

Well, no more. As of a week ago I decided to give up factory-farmed beef. When I go to the grocery store, all this decision means is that I'll spend extra (and have to look a bit harder) when shopping for beef. But the other implications of my decision include: no more Trader Joe's carne asada, no more In-N-Out, and no more eating beef of any kind at almost all restaurants. (Soon I hope to publish a list of links to restaurants that offer only grass-finished beef on their menus.)

Needless to say, G thinks I'm crazy (especially for giving up In-N-Out). But what I think is crazy is how we Americans have allowed these farms to develop in the first place, let alone become the dominant system of agriculture in the U.S. And since not even Nancy Pelosi can get a better farm bill passed, I'll vote with my wallet instead.

(Photo by Kent Kessinger and used by permission.)