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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: average joe who wrote (92378)	1/2/2005 11:19:55 PM
From: teevee	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Canadian ranchers on the other hand tend to drag the sick cow onto a trailer and haul it to the stockyards in hopes it will slip by the animal inspectors and they can make a few bucks.Trust me - the U.S. has as much or more mad cow as Canada The teamsters union bought the 3 largest packers in the US and the price of meat soon doubled afterwards. Now I hear all the sick animals end up in the fast food killing line....hotdogs and hamburgers for the ballgames....I don't think McCains will last. Who do you think will win the meat war-Cargil or the teamsters?

To: average joe who wrote (92378)	1/2/2005 11:56:44 PM
From: Grainne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

I am not disparaging Canadian cows (or you)! I think the U.S. has just horrendous animal husbandry standards. In fact, I was really surprised when you said that American ranchers shoot and bury their sick cows. I have never heard that before. I did read a quote in one of the articles about mad cow today that I thought was funny. Someone was comparing Canadian and American cows, and the retort was that it was like a twin calling her sister ugly (because we have exactly the same horrible animal practices). Well, I guess you had to be there. I might have not gotten it quite right. And you are making a distinction between beef and dairy cows the relevance of which I don't quite understand. Perhaps you could explain further. This is a story about an American downer cow that made me very, very sad. If you want to see the poor cow, you can click on the link: The truck carrying this cow was unloaded at Walton Stockyards in Kentucky on a September morning. After the other animals were removed from the truck, she was left behind, unable to move. The stockyard workers beat and kicked her in the face, ribs and back. They used the customary electric prods in her ear to try to get her out of the truck, but still she did not move. The workers then tied a rope around her neck, tied the other end to a post in the ground and drove the truck away. The cow was dragged along the floor of the truck and fell to the ground, landing with both hind legs and her pelvis broken. She remained in this state until 7:30 that evening. The cow lay in the hot sun crying out for the first three hours. Periodically, when she urinated or defecated, she used her front legs to drag herself along the gravel roadway to a clean spot. She also tried to crawl to a shaded area but could not move far enough. Altogether she managed to crawl a painful 13-14 yards. The stockyard employees would not allow her any drinking water; the only drinking water she received was given to her by Jessie Pierce, a local animal rights activist, who had been contacted by a woman who witnessed the incident. Jessie arrived at noon. After receiving no cooperation from stockyard workers, she called the Kenton County police. A police officer arrived but was instructed by his superiors to do nothing; he left at 1 p.m. The stockyard operator informed Jessie at 1 p.m. that he had obtained permission from the insurance company to kill the cow but would not do so until Jessie left. Although doubtful that he would keep his word, Jessie left at 3 p.m. She returned at 4:30 p.m. and found the stockyard deserted. Three dogs were attacking the cow, who was still alive. She had suffered a number of bite wounds, and her drinking water had been removed. Jessie contacted the Kentucky state police. Four officers arrived at about 5:30 p.m. State trooper Jan Wuchner wanted to shoot the cow but was told that a veterinarian should kill her. The two veterinarians at the facility would not euthanize the cow, claiming that, in order to preserve the value of the meat, she could not be destroyed. The butcher eventually arrived at 7:30 p.m. and did shoot the cow. Her body was purchased for $307.50. (Usually animals who are bruised or crippled, or who are found dead, are considered unfit for human consumption and are used for pet food.) When the stockyard operator was questioned earlier in the day by a reporter from The Kentucky Post, he stated, “We didn’t do a damned thing to it,” and referred to the attention given the cow by humane workers and police as “bullcrap.” He laughed throughout the questioning, saying he found nothing wrong with the way the incident was handled. This is not an isolated case. It is so common that animals in this condition are known in the meat industry as "downers." After PETA brought much-needed attention to this issue, the Kenton County Police Department adopted a policy requiring that all downed animals be immediately euthanized, whether they are on the farm, in transit, or at the slaughterhouse. Sadly, other law-enforcement agencies don't have such policies and downed animals continue to suffer everywhere. It is up to the public to demand change, and it is up to consumers to refuse to purchase the products of this miserable industry. caringconsumer.com