Comments on: Attacking the Messenger: Big Ag’s Attempt to Misdirect Attention from Its Own Problems

By: Across the internet: a selection from the past week | Liberation BC blog

Across the internet: a selection from the past week | Liberation BC blog — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:00:42 +0000

[...] Paul Shapiro: Attacking the Messenger: Big Ag’s Attempt to Misdirect Attention from Its Own Proble… [...]

By: eric mills

eric mills — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:37:53 +0000

RUN, don’t walk, to get a copy of Jonathan Foer’s new book, EATING ANIMALS. It’s a doozy, maybe the best book ever to help farm animals. Due to the author’s fame as a fiction writer, it’ll likely reach many people that the animal movement couldn’t.

Ask your local bookstore to carry it. It’s getting rave reviews from most of the critics.

Great gift item, esp. for your family and friends who are NOT big on animal issues. The human health and environmental implications might just push them over the line.

x
Eric Mills, coordinator
ACTION FOR ANIMALS
Oakland

By: DH

DH — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:24:10 +0000

One thing vegans and animal activists must unfortunately consider – what if this IS the lifestyle of rural America? It is possible that some people will never get it… will always laugh when confronted with animal cruelty. In fact, reality seems to point to that fact. So how does the movement handle that reality? We’d like to believe that compassion will win out. But what if it doesn’t?

By: BP

BP — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:42:35 +0000

Abusive animal industries continue to prove that they care more about dollars than the welfare of the animals, environment, or consumer.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:07:43 +0000

Great article!

It is very unfortunate that these big companies are blaming the undercover groups for causing problems. The problem lies within the industry.

However, I do also feel consumers need to start taking responsibility for how much meat they consume and what food products they choose to purchase. Many of these agricultural practices only became industry “standard” because of the big push for cheap food and so industry met that demand by becoming factory farms where huge numbers of animals can be raised in the shortest time frame. If we want CAFOs and poor practices to stop existing, then the public needs to realize it eats too much meat!

As a future veterinarian intending to work in the production animal world, I am really trying to advocate for better animal welfare and will definitely only work with producers I feel are treating their animals in an appropriate and positive manner (not industry standards…).

I really appreciate this article being written and will pass it on to my fellow future practitioners to help them realize that it is important that we all work together to reach better (and proper) animal welfare standards for the animals we use for our benefit.

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:07:55 +0000

Thanks for this, Paul. Kudos to the investigators who repeatedly expose these insidious, grotesque and long-standing failures in the meat industry.

The animal ag industry is its own worst enemy, but millions of animals continue to pay the price.

Fortunately, now more than ever people understand this and are choosing to go vegetarian.

By: Mary Beth

Mary Beth — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:48:26 +0000

Thanks for the great post. May these undercover investigations keep exposing the cruelty that is so endemic to the animal ag industry. When industry says that hens are happier and healthier in cages that cram them together with no room to even spread their wings, it’s obvious they are playing the public for fools. Keep it up agri-biz. Your refusal to see the light is turning more and more people toward veganism. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:10:49 +0000

it’s a breath of fresh air to hear some folks in the industry are finally placing the blame for animal cruelty where it belongs: on the industry.

video after video show abuse on factory farms. it’s about time the industry admits it own mistakes and, more importantly, starts taking responsibility for their actions by implementing true, meaningful standards of care.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:35:18 +0000

Instead of making excuses as to why undercover footage demonstrates egregious animal cruelty at farms across the country, agribusiness should focus on being proactive at eliminating its worst abuses. Some examples include confining hens in small wire battery cages, breeding pigs inside narrow gestation crates, and calves inside veal crates.

By: Mark Hawthorne

Mark Hawthorne — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:34:06 +0000

Excellent post, Paul.

It amazes me whenever agribiz defends itself by saying a particular case of animal cruelty is an “exception” or “one bad apple” or (the biggest lie of all) “we care about our animals.” These cases happen again and again, clearly demonstrating that industrial animal agriculture is more concerned with speed and profits than anything resembling welfare for the beings they exploit.

The best thing we can all do is deny these businesses our dollars and go vegan. What better time to start than now, with Thanksgiving just around the corner?