Caring About Who Cares for the Livestock I Eat
The unethical treatment of livestock makes me avoid certain food. For example, feedlot operators wean piglets off sows at ten days versus the natural thirteen weeks, making them compulsive suckers. Pigs suck other pigtails in feedlots to satisfy their craving, leading to illness and infection. The FDA approves clipping tails down to sensitive stubbles so hogs fight off other suckers and stay healthier.
What can I do? Eat less meat and find meat farmers I trust.
Like the youngster Alex I met last year in the swine building at Waterville’s NCW Fair as he laid in a pen with his head on a pig’s front shoulder. Blue ribbons hung at the back of the pen. He said he sold the pig for $6 a pound. It would be picked up tomorrow. He was going to buy a dirt bike. He was saying goodbye at the moment. I liked the care Alex showed that pig.
Later I met a boy sitting on a rail surrounding sheep. Suddenly he stepped away because sitting there was bad karma for the sheep. He had raised pigs, but his mother couldn’t stand the silence of the farm, so they moved to the city. He had an FFA ring to remember. He and his dad sold the pig last year to a butcher--best bacon, sausage, ham he ever ate. He missed farming, terribly.
The 2009 ambassadors from Chelan County Fair spoke to my service club about their essays on “The importance of the county fair in America today.” Chelsea Gocke, daughter of Heidi and Eric Gocke, Chelan, wants to be an agricultural education teacher. She emphasized the significance of having a life completely dependent on you for it’s existence.
Hannah Symonds, daughter of Mary and Mike Symonds in Wenatchee, wants to be a large animal veterinarian. She emphasized the importance of getting the message across to people about the process of raising food and preparing it for market. She used to raise pigs, but her mother made her switch to goats. She’ll sell the ones she brings to the fair.
“Who buys goats?” asked someone.
Goat buyers who ask butchers at the fair to prepare the meat. Chuckles of disbelief from the European-American audience rippled across the room. But demand from Muslims, Asians, and Hispanics for fresh goat meat in Seattle-Tacoma exceeds supply, and Muslim have to know who raised the goat and how it was processed in order to meet halal requirements for consumption.
Friends ordered two chickens from a local farmer because the husband grew up eating fresh chicken. He says we don’t know what good chicken tastes like. The farmer invited the couple to be present when he prepares the food, but they trust him and his process. They’re willing to pay twice the supermarket price for their meals.
The treatment of animals in preparation for the meat I eat will determine what I choose to eat. We need to learn more about how livestock are treated and who is raising them. The good news is there are local people we can trust who treat animals with the dignity they deserve, making our meals more enjoyable, and tastier.
What can I do? Eat less meat and find meat farmers I trust.
Like the youngster Alex I met last year in the swine building at Waterville’s NCW Fair as he laid in a pen with his head on a pig’s front shoulder. Blue ribbons hung at the back of the pen. He said he sold the pig for $6 a pound. It would be picked up tomorrow. He was going to buy a dirt bike. He was saying goodbye at the moment. I liked the care Alex showed that pig.
Later I met a boy sitting on a rail surrounding sheep. Suddenly he stepped away because sitting there was bad karma for the sheep. He had raised pigs, but his mother couldn’t stand the silence of the farm, so they moved to the city. He had an FFA ring to remember. He and his dad sold the pig last year to a butcher--best bacon, sausage, ham he ever ate. He missed farming, terribly.
The 2009 ambassadors from Chelan County Fair spoke to my service club about their essays on “The importance of the county fair in America today.” Chelsea Gocke, daughter of Heidi and Eric Gocke, Chelan, wants to be an agricultural education teacher. She emphasized the significance of having a life completely dependent on you for it’s existence.
Hannah Symonds, daughter of Mary and Mike Symonds in Wenatchee, wants to be a large animal veterinarian. She emphasized the importance of getting the message across to people about the process of raising food and preparing it for market. She used to raise pigs, but her mother made her switch to goats. She’ll sell the ones she brings to the fair.
“Who buys goats?” asked someone.
Goat buyers who ask butchers at the fair to prepare the meat. Chuckles of disbelief from the European-American audience rippled across the room. But demand from Muslims, Asians, and Hispanics for fresh goat meat in Seattle-Tacoma exceeds supply, and Muslim have to know who raised the goat and how it was processed in order to meet halal requirements for consumption.
Friends ordered two chickens from a local farmer because the husband grew up eating fresh chicken. He says we don’t know what good chicken tastes like. The farmer invited the couple to be present when he prepares the food, but they trust him and his process. They’re willing to pay twice the supermarket price for their meals.
The treatment of animals in preparation for the meat I eat will determine what I choose to eat. We need to learn more about how livestock are treated and who is raising them. The good news is there are local people we can trust who treat animals with the dignity they deserve, making our meals more enjoyable, and tastier.
Posted by JSR at 9/2/2009 11:45 PM 
Categories: Serving Others,Health,Compassion
Tags: Douglas County feedlot operations meat processing Chelan County FFA ethical treatment of animals food
Categories: Serving Others,Health,Compassion
Tags: Douglas County feedlot operations meat processing Chelan County FFA ethical treatment of animals food
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