Economic Slowdown Drives Gruesome Mass Killings Of Farm Animals

[douglas9]

Because of COVID-19 and the resultant shuttering or slowing of slaughterhouses, U.S. farmers are smothering chickens in foam or steaming pigs to death.

In April, Trump regulators set up a center to coordinate mass killings of chicken, hogs and other livestock. An estimated 10 million hens already have been killed, most smothered by foam.

Trump’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service didn’t respond to emails from DCReport.org.

“The mass killings now taking place are a tragic waste of animal life, causing an abhorrent amount of avoidable suffering; they graphically reveal that the factory farming system is fundamentally frail, flawed, and cruel,” said the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The service approved using foam for mass killings of chickens and other poultry in 2006 when public health officials feared that bird flu spreading to humans would become a pandemic. Chicken farmers needed a way to kill infected birds fast.

https://www.dcreport.org/2020/07/23/economic-slowdown-drives-gruesome-mass-killings-of-farm-animals/

[Wellstone ruled]

1. These are Contract

Herds,and Flocks for the most part. This is all done to keep the Retail Price from Collapsing. Fun fact,meat should be retailing at 50% or more less than what is happening. If the supply Demand Model was working,Gound Beef would be a Buck a pound,based on herd sizes as of today. Chicken should be a fifty cents or less based on what is happening. As for Hogs,once the China Orders are filled,whole Pork loins will be a Buck a pound,paid a buck and a half a week ago today.

[Laelth]

2. It's the waste of protein that bothers me.

We have starving people here, and around the globe, who need that protein, and it cost the environment a great deal to produce it.

I hate to see it go to waste.

-Laelth

[Tech]

3. So many people are having to go to good banks. So many are starving around the world.

I don't like pretend to have answers, but there must be a better way.

[CatLady78]

4. This is horrible-we are a nightmarishly cruel species

This has to be stopped.

[sunflowerseed]

5. Capitalism ain't it grand!

[dhill926]

6. um, steaming pigs to death....

what the fuck. Do it humanely if you have to do it....

[Duppers]

7. +1000000

Proving that ppl in this business are essentially heartless.

[CatLady78]

8. Thank you-this is so disturbing

Humane slaughter and humane living conditions are the minimum.

This is completely irrational. As a society we are too glib about animal suffering. The animals lowest in our messed up hierarchy are no less sentient than cats or dogs. This should shock and disturb any civilized society. People are suffering too but that does not excuse torture on this scale.
A society with access to technology imho is on a very messed up track if we don't see something very wrong with cruelty like this inflicted on living organisms this large (chickens, pigs) and on this scale.

That doesn't bode well for humans either..sigh..

[Duppers]

9. Bravo !! +100

Well said!

[CatLady78]

10. Hi Duppers

It is very distressing and I wish we would take this seriously as a species...this will be viewed as one of our
signal failures wrt being a sane species....
Thanks for your posts. It is always good to see people who care about animal welfare.

[Duppers]

11. Thank YOU!

...

[CatLady78]

12. I still cannot get over the brutality of this.nt

[Duppers]

15. Exactly!

Remember this thread?

Differing Empathy in Vegetarians, Vegans, and Omnivores (a brain study)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/11314556

[jfz9580m]

18. I hope this sort of barbaric crap is not still ongoing

I find it too depressing to do a search on..