Green Speak

The Dangers of Slaughterhouses and the Mistreatment of its Animals

Hey, guys! This year, I did a lot of reserch on the current policies of slaughterhouses in America and I decided to write a paper on it. If you’re interested in learning about how the meat industry treats animals (not well, by the way) and how it can impact your health, here is the paper I wrote. I’ll be posting specific passages from it later on because I know a lot of you will be too lazy to read the entire thing. So here it is- all the horrible, cruel, and TRUE facts about American slaughterhouses:

Slaughterhouses: The Dangers of McCruelty

What’s the best thing about America? Many could argue that it’s the alluring fact that delicious foods are easy to obtain at any given moment. Any child, adult, or family could easily pull up to their nearest McDonald’s (generally located on every other street corner of every city in America) and order a large Big Mac with fries and a Coke. They could even finish it off with an Oreo McFlurry. Mmm… That hits the spot, right? Well, it “hits” some other things too. Have you ever thought about where your food, specifically your meat, comes from? It can come as a bit of a shock to people that the hamburger you’ve just pulled out of your McDonald’s goody bag was once a cow that was raised in a cramped slaughterhouse, infected with diseases, fed chemically altered food, tortured and drugged, killed, turned into a patty on a conveyer belt, shipped to your nearest “Mickey D’s”, and will soon end up in your stomach.
McDonald’s is not the only company that uses cruel and health hazardous slaughterhouses as a means of producing meat. Even though there are easy ways to raise meat humanely, almost every fast food restaurant, diner, or eat-in restaurant in America gets their meat from slaughterhouses or factory farms that do not obey the laws of the current policy. There is also a high lack of policy for slaughterhouses, despite the fact that meat production has been a part of America’s economy for over a hundred years. There is an exceedingly high amount of problems with America’s slaughterhouses, including the fact that millions of animals undergo cruelty every day and health hazards are negatively effecting not only the animals, but the workers and the consumers as well. There is a lack of policy and a lack of execution of these policies in the slaughterhouse industry. In order to correct the current problems in slaughterhouses, the already existing policies should be enforced and slaughterhouses should adopt more humane and healthy methods of slaughter.
In order to better understand the necessity of changing the current policy, a brief history of its development is in order. Slaughterhouses are defined as “establishments where animals are butchered” (Webster). The first slaughterhouses in America were created at the start of the American Industrial Revolution in the late 1800’s. In 1906, conditions in slaughterhouses were so poor and the meat became so filthy that the sale of meat plummeted by fifty percent, prompting the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906. This created standards for sanitation and federal inspection of all meat going in and out of slaughterhouses (Sinclair). Today, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) employees still inspect meat about the same way that they did in 1906. Years later, in the 1950’s, regulation of slaughterhouses had not changed since the turn of the twentieth century. Although rules had been made, they were not being enforced. In 1958 The Human Slaughter Act (HSA) was brought about to help protect animals against inhumane treatment. It was broadened in 1978 to further protect animals. One of the major points of concern was that animals should be humanely killed and not alive at all during slaughter—it was widespread knowledge that slaughterhouses were continuing to skin and slaughter animals while they were still alive (Eisnitz). In 1996, after many children had died from E. Coli (E. coli, Escheri Chia Coli, is a type of bacteria normally found in animal and human intestines. Another form of e. coli [0157:H7] is a recently mutated strain of e. coli that can cause abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and dehydration, severe systemic illness, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), or death in humans) poisoning from meat that came from a large US slaughterhouse (Schlosser). President Clinton approved the HACCP ( Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point.), originally developed in the 1960’s by NASA to ensure food safety for the space program. The intent was to be that every slaughterhouse and meat processing plant had to submit meat to the USDA for testing after slaughtering. They were also expected to devise a HACCP regulated guideline for each company that was practiced daily, further testing the animals’ condition and condition of the meat before slaughtering (Schlosser and Eisnitz). In 1998 an e. coli outbreak affected eleven children, including a two year old. It was traced back to Northern State Beef, a major slaughterhouse that had, in the previous eighteen months, been cited for 171 critical food safety violations. In the summer of 1999, a plant in Dallas was found to have forty-seven percent of its meat infected with salmonella. Every year in the United States, food tainted with salmonella is responsible for 1.4 million illnesses and 500 deaths. Dean Wyatt, a veterinarian and supervisor for Food and Safety Inspection Services (FSIS), part of the USDA, became one of a long list of whistle blowers protesting the abuse in slaughterhouses. In March of 2009, Wyatt spoke to the members of a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee about the fact that his warnings regarding unsafe slaughterhouse practices went ignored time and time again. Two slaughterhouses in particular, one in Oklahoma and another in Vermont, ignored his orders to be shut down three times for mistreating calves and pigs. A government Accountability Office supported Wyatt’s claims and admitted that the FSIS had (and still has) a history of ignoring animal abuse in slaughterhouses; FSIS is unsuccessful in its regulations and lax in its enforcement of slaughtering standards (Eisnitz).
Today, the same policies are in place, but they are not being enforced in most slaughterhouses. There are, however, a select few positive aspects of slaughterhouses. One beneficial aspect of the current policy is that the slaughterhouses make more money by not having to adhere to laws and safe practices. Adhering to policy would be costly and slow down production. Because there is such a high demand for meat among consumers, speedy production is beneficial towards the economy and the public. Another benefit that is discussed by the meat packing industry and the government is that with this ability to mass produce meat products meat production plants are able to feed more people. As the population continues to expand, the industry is keeping up with the supply and demand for meat. Lastly, the meat is supplied largely to fast food industries and the demand for fast and inexpensive food is increasing as people are pressed for time in today’s hurried society. People often do not have the time to prepare home cooked meals or sit and eat their food at restaurants. Fast food allows people to eat their meals on their way to work, in between shifts, or any other time of the day; it is the most convenient way to eat.
Despite these few benefits, slaughterhouses mainly contribute negatively to the well being of society by not adhering to current policies and harms workers, animals, and consumers. The main reason there are so many problems occurring in slaughterhouses is that none of the policies are being followed. The Human Slaughter Act is not working because there are no legal penalties for disobeying the act. The assumption was that by disobeying the standards in the act it would slow down production; companies are so desperate for money it is felt that the gain of profit is better than a legal penalty. The result is that the USDA ignore that the cows are alive when they are being skinned and drained of blood; the cows kick the workers, get loose and charge wildly through the plant, and often shake and kick so hard when they are shackled high in the air, that they often break loose and fall (PETA). When they fall, it is 900 pounds of animal that will possibly land on a worker. Instead of fixing the problem, which is mostly due to improper stunning of the animal, there is no concern for the animal or if it is unconscious at the skinning; slaughterhouses continue with this barbaric practice because there is no penalty. Even the HACCP plan has become completely watered down due to Republicans in Congress and the meat packing industry to the point that e. coli is not even required to be tested for in slaughterhouses anymore. Also, if tested, the results do not even have to be revealed to the government and the meat can still be sold to the public (Eisnitz).
Workers also need to be protected because when the animals wriggle out of their shackles and fall, the workers can be crushed and killed or severely injured. Workers cannot complain to management because there is a possibility of being fired or demoted. Also, many workers are illegal immigrants (that do not have any rights) who cannot complain without losing their jobs or getting forced out of the country. (Because of this, The Whistle Blower Act went into affect in 1989 in order to protect government employees who report illegal or improper conduct. This law, however, was never actually enforced (Washingtonpost.com)). The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that for every hundred workers there are thirty-six injuries; meat packing is the most dangerous industry in the United Stated. In fact, a worker’s chance of suffering an injury or illness in a meat plant is six times greater than if that same person worked in a coal mine. Also, workers are not even trained to operate the machinery. One machine has a whirling blade where workers commonly lose fingers, arms, faces, and other parts of the body (One woman even lost a breast). In the meat packing industry, workers have been crushed by cattle, burned by chemicals, stabbed, and have suffered broken bones and miscarriages from the heat and fumes. Also, a large percentage of workers have developed repetitive motion disorders (such as severe tendonitis and arthritis). These workers become disabled, and like many disabled workers, they find it impossible to ever work again. They are no longer useful to the meat packing industry and are no use in an industry that places as little value on human life as it does on animal life. The workers are clearly not safe with 900 pound animals kicking them, charging at them, or falling on them. The drains are often backed up in the “bleeding” areas so that the workers stand in two to three feet of blood as they work (Eisnitz). When the e. coli of an animal is not caught, the worker themselves can become infected and pass it on to their families if they do not clean up properly. The workers have absolutely no control over their safety (Schlosser and Eisnitz).
Animal rights should not be overlooked either. Not only are cows falling from their shackles, but all animals used for production—chickens, cows, pigs, turkeys, ducks, and geese are all abused and neglected. When investigators made a visit to one of KFC’s slaughterhouses in Missouri, they witnessed workers breaking and tearing birds’ heads off with their bear hands, ripping them apart, covering their faces with spray-paint, emitting tobacco into their eyes, crushing them with metal dumping machines, throwing them against walls, and hitting and kicking them repeatedly whilst they were still alive, conscious, and completely able to feel pain. PETA investigators have also made unplanned visits to Tyson Foods slaughterhouses in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee and found the chickens all living in cramped living conditions with no exposure to sunlight whatsoever. Keeping animals in these conditions is harmful to their physical and mental health. When animals are not exposed to natural sunlight, they do not get the nourishment they need to develop cognitively or physically (GoVeg and PETA). Even killing methods of chickens that have proven to be less painful are becoming methods of cruelty because workers are not taking precautions to kill birds the right way. In some slaughterhouses, workers are supposed to behead chickens using a machine that slits their throats. Once they are dead and their blood has been drained, they are put into a tank of hot water to remove their feathers. However, the blades of these machines often miss the birds’ heads and millions of chickens are thrown into tanks of scalding hot water while they are still alive. They are burnt to death (USDA and GoVeg).
Cows are given almost identical treatment in slaughterhouses. Even the journey to slaughterhouses is rough for cows. Often times, cows will be placed in cramped trucks and driven hundreds of miles without being given any food or water (this can takes days). Some cows pass out from heat or starvation. In cold weather, cows often literally freeze and get stuck to the sides of the truck. Workers have to pry them loose at the end of the trip. Cows get so scared on these trips that they urinate and defecate all over themselves. Cows that are sick or injured are shackled to chains so that workers can move them onto and off of the truck (GoVeg). Over 400,000 dead, injured, or sick cows are transported to slaughterhouses every year (Veneman). Cows that are too scared or unwilling to get off the trucks at the end of the trip are forced off with electrical shocks, forklifts, or beaten off. When they are taken into slaughterhouses they are kept in cramped cages with little or no room to move around and given no exposure to natural light. Calves that are used for veal are raised in living conditions that are so cramped, they cannot even turn around. All they can do is turn their heads (GoVeg). In the United States, over 400,000 cows are tortured and killed in slaughterhouses every year. At a young age, they are burned with irons for branding purposes, get their testicles torn off in order to be castrated, and have their horns burned off. They are given no tranquilizers or pain killers when this is done to them. When they are old enough, cows are sent to what is known as a “feedlot” to be fed and fattened enough for slaughter. Female cows are repeatedly impregnated separated from their calves until their bodies are not strong enough to breed anymore and are left to die. What many do not know is that cows are extremely emotional animals that create strong bonds socially and with their calves. Many female cows can be heard crying out for their young days and weeks after they are separated (PETA).
Like cows and chickens, pigs are also severely abused before they are killed. What many people are unaware of is that pigs are extremely clever and sensitive animals that are smarter and more emotional than the average three-year-old human child and are much smarter than dogs (even though they are equally loyal and loving). Like cows, pigs develop very complex relationships and can even recognize names and symbols. Pigs are happiest and can be most nurtured when they are given the freedom to roam around in large open spaces with constant access to sunlight. They are naturally clean animals that cool off by rolling around in mud or grass. Unfortunately, though, over ninety-seven percent of pigs in the United States spend their entire lives in overcrowded slaughterhouses and deprived of everything that is natural to them and essential for a healthy development. Piglets begin their lives in slaughterhouses by getting their tails cut off and their teeth pulled out and the males are castrated. They live in cramped cages that are built on little slabs of hard concrete (and they are not given any painkillers- what a surprise!). Many pigs will go insane and will not be able to function due to the extreme deprivation of what is essential to their growth (PETA). Like chickens and cows, millions of pigs die on their way to slaughterhouses and thousands are injured. And many pigs are still alive when they are tossed into scalding hot water for hair removal (GoVeg).
Another major problem with slaughterhouses is that consumers face major health risks from eating mass produced meat. Consumers run a high chance of getting Salmonella or E. coli from the filthy conditions of these plants. The words “USDA inspected” on meat packages have very little meaning as the safety measures have little or no consequences when not followed. Also, the food is chemically altered with so many preservatives and unnatural ingredients that many consumers develop diabetes from eating fast food. Also, in 1997 the USDA eliminated government inspection with the use of the HACCP plan, calling it the “Elimination of Unnecessary Obstacles to Innovation”; they put in federal inspectors instead of industry inspections. Food poisoning outbreaks, especially from domestic beef, increase sixty percent with the new law in place (Eisnitz and Scholsser).
Some argue that establishing different, more humane methods of slaughter will be too unaffordable. It is much cheaper to keep hundreds of cows in a cramped feedlot with no room to move than it is to keep cows in an open field with enough open space for each cow to feel comfortable and roam freely. It will add to the expenses if slaughterhouses provide animals with fresh food daily rather than chemically altered food packed with preservatives. Also, killing cows in an assembly line as fast as possible saves money and produces more meat.
However, this is an invalid argument because if people continue to focus on the quantity of meat production rather than the quality of meat they are eating, health care costs will eventually increase due to the unhealthy quality of meat. The added hormones, fillers, and chemicals are causing obesity and diabetes to rapidly rise, especially in children. Each year obesity continues to rise. If people continue to consume chemically altered meat and slaughterhouse products, health will continue to decline and the cost to fight the diseases associated with the consumption of the products will increase. If more precautions are taken to kill animals painlessly and in a safe and healthy way, less meat will be produced daily. The quality of naturally raised meat is a more substantial and filling. People will not need to eat as much meat if it is a healthy whole product without fillers, additives, and hormones. Meat production would slow down during the adjustment to healthy raised meats, but people’s health would increase and people would not need to eat as much because the natural product would sustain them longer and provide them with better energy.
In order to change the management of slaughterhouses in America, two crucial transformations need to be done. Firstly, the current policies regarding health and safety precautions for animals, workers, and consumers need to be enforced and new policies need to be put in place to assure health and safety. Secondly, more policies need to be made and enforced that will secure animals’ rights. It is difficult for the USDA to enforce policies as the USDA has large financial investments in the slaughterhouses. The politicians tend to overlook the problems because of the large business influence in votes. A complete overhaul of the system and standards needs to be put in place. An outside company should be in charge of the regulations and testing of the slaughterhouses and mechanical farms. An outside company should be in charge of testing the animals before and after the slaughtering of the meat to insure the safety of the product for consumption. The workers need to be given rights as any other worker in America. Workers rights need to be enforced daily, complaints need to be taken seriously, and inspection visits need to be carried out in a routine basis to ensure the workers rights continue to be respected. It is often that the worker that sees when a danger or violation has occurred, but the worker is either ignored or fired when they speak up. The worker needs to be able to use the Whistle Blower Act without fear of loosing his or her job. None of this is likely to occur without the help of consumers. People need to take back their health and decide not to accept the present quality of the mass produced meats from these slaughterhouses. People need to stand up for the rights of animals and set into place policies and guidelines to raising and farming animals. A company that treats animals and workers in a cruel and inhumane way does not care about the consumer who will eventually suffer from consuming these products.
Putting these policies into affect is not just a plea for healthier food in America; this is an issue regarding basic civil rights. Everyone is harmed by the current management of slaughterhouses. Millions of animals, who think and feel similarly to people, are ruthlessly beaten and tortured every day, workers, who have families to support, risk losing their lives just by showing up to work every day, and consumers, who are extremely susceptible to obesity, diabetes, and diseases, are all affected and hurt by the current policy and lack thereof. Policy changes should be put into affect immediately and people should do whatever they can to support change. Those who are extremely disturbed by the current management of slaughterhouses can do a lot to help the cause. People can buy their meat and dairy products from naturally raised farms only. This is not a difficult task because many grocery stores, such as Whole Foods, sell completely animal friendly and cruelty free meat and dairy products. By supporting farmers who naturally raise their meat, consumers will help them stay in business, and if enough people support them, naturally raised meat might become the dominant method of meat production. Farmers who naturally raise their meat are finding it extremely difficult to stay in business and compete with leading slaughterhouses. Farmers are going out of business at a rapid pace and less and less animals are raised naturally each year. People can help by supporting these farmers and raising awareness. Also, there are restaurants that get their meat from naturally raised farms as well. The consumers just have to do their research before they have their next burger. People can also protect their children and families by choosing healthier options during meal times. Instead of risking contracting E. coli or diabetes, families can opt for vegetables, fruit, or salads instead of Burger King or McDonald’s. Tofu is an extremely healthy substitute for meat that contains a lot of protein and other nutrients. Also, people can get proactive by joining animal rights’ groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). PETA is an easy group to join because sign-ups are online and members can be notified through emails about petitions, events, and fundraisers; being a member of groups like PETA takes hardly any time out of one’s day. If everyone does whatever is possible to spread awareness and prevent these slaughterhouses from prospering, change can be made. Everyone can help make the world a healthier, kinder, and safer place to live.