Do you like cows? Do you or your kids eat beef? Need to watch this then.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:23 pm

Watch Here: http://tinyurl.com/28ah8u

Read Here: http://tinyurl.com/28tm59

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:23 am

Video of workers abusing cows.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:45 am

That's the cost of saving money. The (probably low-paid) workers have stopped seeing the cow as an animal and only have a job to do.

The cow was apparently sick. I wonder if they used the meat, and if they did then what for?

When I was a young child we had a small farm with a few cows. We gave them names. We took very good care of them, but they were raised for milk or meat. They weren't pets. My job was to feed the chickens, gather eggs, and help catch one at slaughter time.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:48 am

Oops, forgot to add:

The group that videoed that should sue to monitor the plant for humane treatment. If they are approved to openly video, they might save a couple cows from cruel treatment.

Any idea of the percentage of cows that receive that treatment?

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 4:27 am

Hi Acc, I don't have a percentage to offer you but I know this wasn't an isolated incident. I recall the unfortunate sick and broken cow who was forklifted and kicked in the eye some years back who prompted the Downed Animal Bill. It is my understanding that Congress has never passed that bill. Am I wrong on this anyone?

http://www.nasda.org/cms/7196/7357/9845.aspx

I wouldn't think (would hope anyway!) that this isn't too common but that it happens at all is one time too many. Supposedly, downed animals aren't to be included in the food supply but more undercover video has shown that it does happen. Who's to say we're not getting sick off diseased meat?

I did find this comment upsetting:

"The treatment of animals in this video is appalling, but more than that, it

raises significant concerns about the safety of the food being served to our

nation's children," Durbin said. "The apparent slaughter of sick and weak

animals not only appears to violate USDA regulations, but could be a danger to

our nation's food supply."

More importantly than torture to the cow, is how "we" are affected, is how that reads to me. I once had a mentor in the animal rescue field who told me whenever animals are pitted against money, the animals will always lose. This seems to be the case.

kazalala · Post by **kazalala** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 4:55 am

I havent watched it. i dare'nt sorry:o

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 6:43 am

Aww sad video. But I'm still gonna eat beef.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 6:51 am

Nah, this wasn't about eating beef or not. It was about whether or not you're eating *sick* beef. That and how disgusting those cows are treated. I was just reading that the number of downed animals is in the thousands yearly. You have to know some of those guys are ending up in the food chain and that some are ill.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:49 am

I worked in a meat packing plant/slaughter house when I was 17. Any downed cow was slaughtered but not for human consumption. They went towards pet food. If it appeared to be sick, they were put into another pen and we were told a vet checked to see if the cows were usable in anyway. On the kill floor we never seen what happened to them after that.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:49 am

Video won't play for me, I guess the site is overwhelmed? I did see just

a bit on the news last night. Horrible. It seems like it took a long time to

get them, though? Not sure, months maybe? If I had been the first person

to see that, I would have been at the sheriff's office pronto.

Some better oversite of these places needs to happen. There are so

many reasons for a downed animal... a lot of them are old and just

have loss of muscle tone. They'be been confined in smallish spaces

pretty much their whole lives...

firebird · Post by **firebird** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:25 am

I agree that the cruelty to downed animals is wrong, however the number of downed cattle to the number just on feed is small. And most cattle do not spend most of their life in confined spaces. Even dairy cattle are not confined most of their life. Beef cattle typically only live for about two years and the first year and a half of their life is in wide open pastures. Then they go on feed and go to slaughter. The cows are ususally bred for 6-10 years, then are usually sent to slaughter and replaced by a younger cow to maintain the herd.

I just wonder - have you ever had to move a downed 1200 pound animal? Even with the proper equipment it's not as easy as you might think. In my own operation I had to put a few cattle down rather than keep them alive because it would have been more cruel to keep them alive and try to heal them up to sell.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:42 am

I don't know if that question was for me, but yes, I have tried to

move a downed 1200 pound animal, several times. It's tough, requires

lots of phone calls to friends.neighbors and propping up with hay bales

or whatever's handy. I do know what it's like. I do know that my very first

horse (who made it close to 40) was donated to Folsom Zoo, to feed

the big cats. She was "down" due to age and lack of muscle tone.

Cattle care might vary from place to place and state to state. All

I go by is what I've seen first hand.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:41 am

An addendum, if I may.

I think the vast majority of animals are cared for in the ways Firebird

described.

What influenced my thinking/post was that the bit of video I saw last

night showed dairy animals. There is a large dairy about 20 mins south

of here that I drive by fairly often, and those animals (quite a large

number of them) are kept for the most part in a muddy feedlot. I

just drove by the other day, so fresh in my mind. I don't know if that

is due to our county's rapid growth or what, and Texas has a lot more

land for animals obviously.

But that is a little bit of clarification as to my thought process.

firebird · Post by **firebird** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:12 pm

Val, I appreciate your point of view. I cannot speak very well about dairies. They have only been in our area for the past two or three years. I do not know much about them.