1. CALIFORNIA NEWCASTLE EPIDEMIC HITS COMMERCIAL EGG INDUSTRY
More than 100,000 chickens were killed by state agriculture officials after the Exotic Newcastle Disease epidemic that has been spreading in southern California (see issue #92) hit a commercial egg farm. It is the first known incidence of the virus in a commercial facility since the epidemic began in September. A 3-county quarantine imposed on November 13th prohibits the movement of chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, grouse, partridges, pheasants, quail, pigeons, guinea fowl, peafowl, doves, swans, ostriches, and emus. Dozens of poultry operations have had to halt shipments, and more than 4,100 back yards have been quarantined. Quarantined birds are to be killed along with any nearby flocks judged likely to be infected. So far, about 39,000 birds in 560 "backyard flocks" have been killed. (Eradication protocols call for killing the birds with carbon dioxide.) The government is reimbursing commercial operations for the market value of flocks and is paying for the cleaning and disinfection of facilities. The situation is considered very serious in part due to disposal problems posed by the many potentially contaminated birds and products.

 

California has 23 million chickens and its poultry industry is worth $3 billion annually. The state is the 3rd largest egg producer in the country. While most of its commercial poultry operations are in the central part of the state, more than 9 million of California's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone. (Disinfected eggs are allowed to be transported.) A 1971 Newcastle outbreak took 2 years to control and resulted in the killing of 12 million birds, costing taxpayers $56 million. Humans are not at risk from the virus but can carry it on their clothing and shoes and transmit it to birds. Cockfighting, which is illegal in California, is being blamed for the epidemic.   

 

"Authorities Destroy Chickens with Exotic Newcastle Disease," The Desert Sun, Dennis A. Britton, December 28, 2002.
http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories/business/1041043771.shtml
"Chicken Outbreak Growing," Los Angeles Daily News, Charles F. Bostwick, Dec.28, 2002.
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%7E20943%7E1078168,00.html

 

2. HONG KONG HIT AGAIN BY AVIAN INFLUENZA
Yet another outbreak of avian influenza is believed to have struck Hong Kong. Some 16,000 chickens were killed at a poultry operation in Hong Kong after 1,000 chickens were found dead there in late December. Initial tests revealed the H5 avian virus, a strain of which killed 6 people in 1997. Hong Kong has experienced 3 major avian flu outbreaks in the past 5 years, resulting in the ordered killing of millions of birds (see issue #64). Imports of birds from China have been halted until New Year's Eve and one wholesale market has been closed for disinfection.

 

"Hong Kong Culls 16,000 Chickens to Prevent Flu," Reuters, December 28, 2002.
http://www.sabcnews.com/world/asia1pacific/0,1009,50040,00.html

 

3. 10,000 CATTLE KILLED BY DROUGHT IN AFRICA
More than 10,000 cattle are reported to have perished from a drought in southern Africa. The commercial herd in perennially dry western Zimbabwe has fallen from 300,000 to 60,000 animals in 2 years due to drought, disease, rustling and depopulation resulting from land reform.
 
"African Drought Kills 10,000 Cattle," UPI Farming Today, Gregory Tejeda, December 24, 2002
http://upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20021223-051255-4962r

 

4. PUBLIC WARY OF MEGAFARMS
More than 70% of surveyed Ohioans who say they are familiar with issues regarding large farmed animal facilities are concerned that the operations are a threat to the state's water quality. About 4,000 Ohioans responded to a 10-page Ohio State University (OSU) survey last summer with about a third saying they were familiar with the issues. Of those, 59% agreed that the facilities "are a threat to rural quality of life." OSU researchers note that respondents' views of agricultural issues are influenced by the connections they have with farming. They caution that public support and goodwill toward agriculture could diminish unless new ways are found to develop links between non-farmers and farming. The survey also queried respondents about their attitudes toward animal welfare, farmland preservation, rural development and food safety.

 

In a Minnesota/Iowa industry publication, the senior vice president of Sparks Co. Inc., an agriculture consulting firm, discusses challenges American agriculture faces. He notes that while larger operations usually lower the cost of producing meat, they are more vulnerable to natural disaster and terrorist attacks. In the past 5 years, floods in North Carolina drowned a great number of pigs and overwhelmed manure pits, revealing "this Achilles Heel of the current system to millions of Americans."

 

"Survey: Large Livestock Farms Viewed a ‘Threat,'" AgAnswers, December 20, 2002.
http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/aganswers/2002/12-20_Large_Livestock_Threat.htm
"Agriculture facing challenges," Agri News, Gary Gunderson, December 3, 2002.
http://webstar.agrinews.com/agrinews/310053738876706.bsp

 

5. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF CATTLE GRAZING?
A small but growing number of ranchers are making the claim that cattle grazing can be managed in ways that restore degraded land. A consultant with Higher Ground Associates, which works to build bridges between ranchers and environmentalists, says that Western grasslands need large hooved mammals, like the bison who once roamed there, to aid seedling germination. A 1998 Colorado State University study found biodiversity to be highest in moderately grazed lands, low in heavy grazed areas, and lowest of all on ungrazed land. To enable local chapters to work with environmentally-conscious ranchers, the Sierra Club calls for eliminating grazing only on public lands with less than 12 inches of precipitation per year, or where it cannot be proven to benefit the land.

 

George Wuerthner, a former Bureau of Land Management official who serves on the Sierra Club's grazing committee is skeptical of restorative grazing claims and points to numerous scientific studies that counter them. In an essay entitled "Grass Fed Beef - Green or Green Wash?" he challenges grazing proponents' environmental and ethical assertions. "Whether cattle that are castrated, branded with a hot iron, and must search for scraps of grass under a blazing sun or survive the snow and wind of winter blizzard are ‘happier' than cows lined up at a feeding trough, I'll let others debate. However, there is no denying that even grass-fed beef has numerous unavoidable ecological impacts that makes the assertion that somehow grass-fed beef is a desirable alternative to other production methods suspect." He lists ways in which grazing cattle negatively impact the environment. They include: the reliance on hay production for winter feed which leads to a loss of natural vegetation; the deleterious effects hay field irrigation has on aquatic ecosystems; water pollution caused by cattle feces and urine; riparian vegetation damage caused by free-roaming cattle; soil compaction; resource competition with native herbivores; wildlife loss due to predator control programs; and disease transmission. Wuerthner's essay is at: http://express.envirolink.org:81/cgi-bin/WebX.fcgi?50@119.PPvpaK69fVg^0@.1320ae7f 
"Assessing the Full Cost of the Federal Grazing Program," is an October 2002 report prepared for the Center for Biological Diversity. The 36-page report explains how direct and indirect costs of grazing may cost the U.S. public an amount approaching $1 billion annually. It can be accessed online at (PDF FILE): http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/grazing/Assessing_the_full_cost.pdf

 

"Advocates Say Free-Range Cattle Can Have Environmental Benefits," E Magazine, Rachel Proctor, December 24, 2002.
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/12/12242002/s_49241.asp

 

 

 

6. CALF BEATERS PLEAD GUILTY
The 14-year-old youth involved in the August beating of 33 calves, 16 of whom died (see issue #88) pled guilty to 5 counts of animal cruelty and 1 count of malicious mischief. He was sentenced to 42 weeks in a Washington state juvenile prison. The sentence exceeded the standard 6 month term due to the seriousness of the crime and the fact that the minor had previously been referred to juvenile court. (This was his first conviction.) He is considered the main culprit of the crime and admitted to doing the majority of harm to the calves. After prison, he will be placed on probation or parole and will have to help pay the farmer $10,000 compensation.

 

As part of a plea agreement, he was required to testify against Kevin Broers, his 19-year-old accomplice. Broers admitted that he "intentionally and unlawfully" inflicted pain to the calves, causing them "undue suffering." In exchange for pleading guilty to 3 felony counts of 1st-degree animal cruelty, prosecutors dropped 3 counts of 2nd-degree burglary and 1 count of 1st-degree malicious mischief against Broers. The sentencing range for the crimes is between 0 and 12 months behind bars. Since he has no previous conviction, prosecutors are recommending a 9-month prison term with credit for the 5 months he has already been incarcerated. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21st. Charges are pending against a 17-year-old female who allegedly participated in the bludgeoning spree. 
 
"Woodinville Teen Gets 42 Weeks in Cow Beating," The Daily Herald, December 12, 2002.
http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/02/12/12/16226280.cfm
"Guilt Admitted in Calf Killings," The Herald, Jim Haley, December 14, 2002.
http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/02/12/14/16238032.cfm

 

7. TURKEY BEATERS NOT CHARGED WITH CRUELTY
One hundred turkeys were shot with BB guns and then beaten to death with them by Kyle and Kevin Sloan in Iowa on October 23rd. The 18-year-old twin brothers also set fires in 3 Iowa counties. They were charged with arson, burglary and criminal mischief. Rather than charging them with farmed animal abuse, officials charged them with crimes against animal facilities. Animal protection advocates are asking the public to urge prosecutors to remedy this.

 

Two years ago, Iowa increased criminal penalties for torturing animals to 5 years in prison for 2nd offenses along with counseling. Iowa and Utah, however, are reportedly the only states that exclude farmed animals from state animal cruelty laws. Iowa does have a misdemeanor provision for farmed animal abuse, with penalties of 2 years in prison and fines. Though prosecutors say the animal facility charges carry a penalty of up to 5 years in prison, the Humane Society of the U.S. wants the animal abuse charges pressed in acknowledgment of the avian victims and so the Sloans can be ordered to receive counseling and be prohibited from keeping animals.  

 

"Ames Twins Now Accused of Killing Birds," Des Moines Register, October 31, 2002.
"Turkey Killings in Iowa Fuel Criticism of Abuse Law," Des Moines Register, Staci Hupp, Dec. 5, 2002.
"Turkeys Massacred on Iowa Farm," Humanelines, The Humane Society of the U.S., 11/26/2002
http://www.hsus.org/ace/15899

 

8. MATTHEW SCULLY INTERVIEW, "DOMINION" REVIEWS
National Public Radio interviewed Matthew Scully, author of Dominion, on December 28th (see also issue #91). Scully, a vegetarian, is an animal welfare advocate and an eloquent critic of intensive farmed animal confinement systems. In the interview he discusses industrial animal agriculture, pig slaughter, and the conflict between economic and moral values. The interview can be heard on-line at: http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=893964

 

Dominion particularly appeals to a conservative audience (it is the current cover feature of Pat Buchanan's magazine, "The Conservative American": http://www.amconmag.com ) and continues to be a subject of review in the popular media. According to a UPI article: "For Scully, the natural cost of a product must be determined within the standards of decent animal husbandry. The price of meat raised under conditions of factory farming is unnaturally low, he argued. ‘Conceivably, you could make it even cheaper by inflicting even more severe privations on these animals. And no doubt somebody will dream them up. But at a certain point you have to ask yourself, ‘What are the limits? And when do moral values take precedence over economic values?''....‘My basic position is that if you can't do something humanely and decently, then you shouldn't do it at all. Farmers have to observe that standard. You have to operate within reasonable moral boundaries. And if that means a higher cost of doing business, and a higher product price, then so be it.'" A Seattle Times article notes, "Scully, over 425 meticulously written pages (sic), turns the animal-liberation argument on its head by conceding from the start that animals are indeed lesser creatures which should not have the same legal rights as human beings, but which should, precisely because of their lesser status, be protected by those who have the power, namely, We the People." Other reviews can be found at: http://www.bloomberg.com/columns (see Andrew Ferguson's "Republican Vegetarianism") http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/11/hitchens.htm and http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20021104-061546-7485r

 

"Can we reform factory farming?" UPI, Lou Marano, November 15, 2002.
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20021115-041434-4879r
"Former Bush speechwriter dons animal-activist cloak," Seattle Times, Alex Tizon, Nov. 19, ‘02.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/134578711_scully19.html

 

9. VINDICATING VEGANISM
Guardian columnist George Monbiot's Christmas Eve column discusses the holiday tradition of meat consumption and why, for environmental reasons and to avoid global famine, the affluent should give up animal products. Describing commercial turkey production, he says: "When you see the inside of a turkey broilerhouse, you begin to entertain grave doubts about European civilisation." Monbiot concludes: It's impossible to avoid the conclusion that the only sustainable and socially just option is for the inhabitants of the rich world to become, like most of the earth's people, broadly vegan, eating meat only on special occasions like Christmas....Faced with these figures, it now seems plain that it's the only ethical response to what is arguably the world's most urgent social justice issue."

 

"Why vegans were right all along," The Guardian, George Monbiot, December 24, 2002.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/famine/story/0,12128,865087,00.html

 

10. MAKING HIGH-TECH MEAT
A NASA-funded team at Touro College in New York City are continuing their efforts to culture meat in a laboratory (see issue #59). They have increased live muscle tissue obtained from freshly killed goldfish by as much as 14%. Vladamir Mironov, the director of the Shared Tissue Engineering Laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina has submitted a detailed proposal to NASA for a different way to go about growing meat. The article describes their different techniques and the limitations that have been encountered. Mironov's proposal was rejected by NASA. The director of NASA's Fundamental Biology Outreach Program commented, " People are vegetarians and vegans on Earth and they do quite well....It is more efficient to grow plants and feed on them. If astronauts really need essential amino acids, they can eat a pill." In considering the ethics of artificially-produced meat, the article concludes: "One researcher recalls a student, a vegan, who asked if she could just biopsy herself, grow up a steak and eat it. If you want to eat truly victimless meat, perhaps it is time to put yourself on the menu." 

 

"Lab-Grown Steaks Nearing the Menu," New Scientist, Wendy Wolfson, December 30, 2002.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993208