Farmed
Animal Watch
A Project of Animal Place
September 27, 2002
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Issue #86
CONTENTS
1. Ranching on the Run
2. The Nation on Meatpacking
3. Horse Slaughter Challenged
4. National Chicken Month
5. Thousands of Chickens and Pigs Die in Separate Fires
6. Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals
7. Website Spotlight: USDA's Livestock Issues Research Site
1. RANCHING ON THE RUN
Range conditions in the western U.S. have worsened with the ongoing drought (see
issues #78 & 84). Environmentalists say subsidized grazing has turned 300
million acres of public lands into a giant feedlot for cattle and sheep;
stripping vegetation, compacting soil, polluting and depleting water, and
endangering native species. (A single cow uses 250 acres in Nevada versus 1 acre
of land in Mississippi.) Ranchers are able to avoid many of the environmental
regulations that apply to other industries. "Welfare Ranching: The
Subsidized Destruction of the American West," a new, 346-page book, is
"the most comprehensive array of essays, photos, facts, charts and sources
ever published on the subject." Extensive excerpts from it can be found at:
http://www.publiclandsranching.org/htmlres/welfareranching.htm
The book's release later this month is planned to coincide with a week-long
lobbying blitz for legislation authorizing federal agencies to buy out grazing
permits on public lands. (The majority of the 23,000 federal grazing permits are
held by small operators but most land and cows are under the control of banks,
corporations and wealthy individuals.) The buy-out idea is actually receiving
support from some within the industry, which has been hit by prolonged drought,
lawsuits, global competition, and factory farming. (Only about 3% of U.S. beef
is from cattle grazed in the west.) Were the buy-out to occur, it would not
spell an end to western grazing, as 70% of the western range is privately owned,
including much of the prime, waterfront property. "Bovines or Biodiversity:
The National Campaign to End Abusive Public Lands Ranching" is the title of
an October 9-11 conference to be held in Boise, Idaho (see: http://www.westernwatersheds.org/rangenet/rangenet_2002reg.html).
Reforms initiated during the Clinton era have been enabling environmentalists to
prevail in court. Ranchers are looking to the Bush administration to roll back
these reforms. An editorial in the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, an industry
newspaper explained: "For eight years BLM [Bureau of Land Management]
employees were rewarded for anti-grazing antics by an anti-ranching
administration. While [BLM Chief] Clarke may be heading in the right direction
it will take time to convince field staff of the need to follow." This
summer, congressional ranching allies attached a rider to an annual
Appropriations bill that would shield grazing permits from environmental
reviews, no matter how much damage is occurring.
"The Big Dry: Cows plus drought equals misery for rivers in the West,"
Cascadia Times, Paul Koberstein, Summer 2002.
http://www.times.org/archives/2002/rivers1.htm
"Buyout or Bailout: Greens say it's time to end public land ranching in the
West. But how?" Cascadia Times, Summer 2002.
http://www.times.org/archives/2002/buyout.htm
2. THE NATION ON MEATPACKING
Two articles on meat are featured in The Nation Magazine. Eric Schlosser, author
of the recent bestseller "Fast Food Nation," writes about the politics
of meat-borne pathogens and meat recalls noting: "It would be an
understatement to say that the Bush Administration has been friendly toward the
big meatpackers. During Congressional testimony this past spring, Elsa Murano,
USDA chief food safety advocate, argued that her agency does not need the power
to order a recall of contaminated meat. Nor did it need, she said, any new
authority to shut down ground beef plants because of salmonella
contamination." A lengthier article looks at the exploitation of
slaughterplant workers and their efforts to unionize. Last year, frustrated
workers at an IBP plant in Pasco, Wa., went public with a videotape of cattle
being skinned alive (see issue #2). A successful union organizer states,
"The humane-slaughter people and the food-safety people should work
together; they'd have a lot of power....In the meat industry, both issues have
to do with the chain. The chain goes so fast that it doesn't give the animals
enough time to die. People don't have enough time to wash their knife if it
falls on the floor" and tens of thousands of workers are injured every
year.
"Bad Meat," The Nation, Eric Schlosser, August 29, 2002.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020916&s=schlosser
"The Shame of Meatpacking," The Nation, Karen Olsson, August 29, 2002.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020916&s=olsson
3. HORSE SLAUGHTER CHALLENGED
In the past decade, the U.S. horse slaughter industry has shrunk from 346,000
horses per year to 56,332 last year (see article for additional slaughter
statistics), and from a dozen facilities to two companies, both located in
Texas. Efforts are underway by a county district attorney to close one of them
down under a 1949 state law which forbids the sale, possession, transport and
export or horsemeat for human consumption. Industry is conducting research to
see if the law is valid and if federal law supercedes it. A bill is also pending
in Congress to ban the slaughter of horses and the export of horsemeat for human
consumption (see issue #66). If the bill is unsuccessful, it may be rewritten to
ban only export, which would still largely shut down the industry. (Horsemeat is
primarily exported (see article for countries and amounts), and is used as food
in zoos here.) In apparent response to the pending threats, one of the Texas
plants recently allowed a tour "after more than a decade of unreturned
phone calls." The general manager failed to respond to some of the
questions put to him, and the reporter was not allowed to view the actual
slaughter process.
Horse slaughter proponents contend that horses slaughter is done humanely, and
that horses will meet worse fates if slaughter is banned. Renown farmed animal
handling authority Temple Grandin warns that a ban on horse slaughter in the
U.S. may result in thousands of horses being trucked to Mexico and slaughtered
more inhumanely. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)
declines to take a position, calling horse slaughter a "cultural
issue." AAEP's president-elect opines, "My person position is that a
ban is not going to solve anything. It doesn't resolve the problem of unwanted
horses."
"Equine slaughter," The Dallas/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Barry
Shlachter, September 26, 2002.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/business/4155479.htm
"Kaufman DA targets horse meat plant for closing," Star-Telegram,
Barry Shlachter, 09/19/02.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/4106512.htm
4. NATIONAL CHICKEN MONTH
September is being celebrated as the 14th annual National Chicken Month by the
National Chicken Council (NCC) and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
Chicken sales are being promoted with lucrative contests for chicken company
sales representatives and the public. Press kits with food safety and nutrition
information, photos and recipes were distributed to more than 1,000 newspaper
and magazine food editors.
United Press International responded to a request for positive articles about
chickens during National Chicken Month by interviewing people who run chicken
sanctuaries. They tell of the companionability of chickens and affectionate
relationships between particular birds, and explain how and why they perform
certain behaviors. Pattrice Jones, who runs Eastern Shore Chicken Sanctuary in
Maryland, relates, "Chickens bust out of the coop greeting each day eagerly
and run around and stretch their legs and wings. They drink water and go to the
food bowl or forage for food and then they settle down to socialize."
"National Chicken Month success growing," Poultry & Egg Marketing,
Barbara Olejnik, 7/1/02.
http://www.poultryandeggnews.com/poultryandeggmarketing/news/July2002/138066.html
"Who Knew Chickens Could Be So Endearing?" United Poultry Concerns
press release, 9/12/02.
http://www.upc-online.org/nr/020912endearing.html
"Chickens more than just dumb clucks," United Press International,
Alex Cukan, Sept. 20, 2002.
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20020920-034742-8180r
5. THOUSANDS OF CHICKENS AND PIGS DIE IN SEPARATE FIRES
A mid-September fire at North Carolina State University's poultry research
center killed about 2,000 chickens. An electrical malfunction is thought to have
sparked the fire. The facility was part of what may be the largest "broiler
breeder" research program in the world. Some of the birds were being used
in pollution studies. A researcher assures that some of the research was
complete and he will be able to move forward with it.
Nearly 7,500 sows and baby pigs perished in a fire in a 9-month old Iowa
farrowing facility in August. A heat lamp touched off the fire when it came in
contact with a pen divider. "What didn't die from the heat died from
smoke," remarked the fire chief. Investigators theorized that the lamp may
not have been secured properly or that pigs had gotten ahold of it. The owner of
the facility explained that the building had hundreds of heat lamps using a lot
of electricity, commenting "....there have been a number of fires from heat
lamps in farrowing barns." Firefighters succeeded in preventing the
midnight fire from jumping to 4 attached buildings. "It was insured, so it
is all replaceable," noted the owner, who "was happy nobody got
hurt."
"Fire Kills 2,000 Chickens at NCSU Research Center," Watt Poultry
News, September 23, 2002.
http://www.wattnet.com/NewsRoom/ViewNews.cfm?PG=1&nwsNum=12918
"Farrowing Facility Destroyed...." The Harlan Tribune (The Pig Site),
Elizabeth Mahlberg.
6. CANADIAN COALITION FOR FARM ANIMALS
Representing 500,000 people, The Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA) is a
newly formed coalition composed of animal protection organizations from across
the country. CCFA delegate and Winnipeg Humane Society executive director Vicki
Burns explained: "It's important for industry to realize there is
increasing public awareness of these issues. The fact that all these different
groups are coming together indicates the growing groundswell of public
concern." The coalition is urging the Canadian government to follow
Europe's lead in outlawing intensive confinement of farmed animals.
In 2000, Canada shipped $11.3 billion of mammalian meat and meat products,
making it the largest component of the country's food production industry.
Canada's red meat and live animal exports have increased from $1.9 billion in
1990 to $5.3 billion in 2000. The article includes a breakdown of the country's
farmed mammal industries, by population and $ amount for 2000.
"Coalition Lobbies for Farm Animals," Winnipeg Free Press, September
25, 2002.
"Red Meat Industry Largest Food Manufacturing Sector," The Southwest
Booster, Sept. 21, 2002
(September 23rd AnimalNet): http://131.104.232.9/animalnet-archives.htm
7. WEBSITE SPOTLIGHT: USDA'S LIVESTOCK ISSUES RESEARCH SITE
The USDA's Livestock Issues Research Unit web site lists current research
projects, and contains a "livestock issues" database and an
encyclopedia of farmed animal behavior. A page on "Animal Well-Being and
Stress Control Systems" is contained on the site, and the USDA magazine,
"Agricultural Research," can be accessed from it (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/index.html).
The Unit's stated mission "is to conduct fundamental research to determine
how stress affects the physiological and behavioral responses of livestock and
how stress induced alterations in immune responses relate to pre-harvest food
safety; to develop management practices and alternative production systems that
reduce animal pathogen loads prior to processing and enhance animal
well-being." The site address is: http://www.liru.asft.ttu.edu