to the dairy industry. Some are slaughtered for
cheap (bob) veal shortly after birth, while others
may be kept alive for four to five months and
chained inside dark crates, before they are
slaughtered for “white”
veal. Others are raised
Recognition
of Abuse
and slaughtered for beef.
HUMANE SLAUGHTER?
Finally, all animals raised for meat, dairy or egg
production—whether factory farmed or otherwise—
meet the same cruel end at the slaughterhouse,
where their throats are cut and they bleed to death.
Poultry, who comprise more than 90 percent of the
animals slaughtered, are excluded from the federal
Humane Slaughter Act.
To find out more about “humane” claims and
compassionate alternatives, please contact
Farm Sanctuary.
Farm Sanctuary is the nation’s leading farm animal
protection organization. Since incorporating in
1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and
stop cruel practices of the “food animal” industry
through research and investigations, legal and
institutional reforms, public awareness projects,
youth education, and direct rescue and refuge
efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen,
N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for
hundreds of rescued animals, who have become
ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by
educating visitors about the realities of factory
farming.
P.O. Box 150
Watkins Glen, NY 14891
607-583-2225
[email protected]
www.farmsanctuary.org
Regardless of the welfare standards followed at any
farm, all animals raised for food are slaughtered at
young ages – broiler chickens at around 42 days
when they could live four years or more, pigs at 6
months when they could live 9 years or more, beef
cattle at less than two years when they could live
20 years or more, dairy cows at 4 to 6 years when
they could live 25 years, and veal calves at only five
months. No matter how well they are treated, these
animals’ lives are cut drastically short.
When animals are seen primarily as production units
or commodities for sale (whether on factory farms
or on so-called “humane” operations), the animals’
welfare tends to be secondary to economic concerns.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, “humane” means
“characterized by kindness, mercy or compassion.”
Commodifying and slaughtering sentient animals is
incompatible with this definition.
Printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink.
The Truth Behind
“Humane”
Meat, Milk
and Eggs
With growing concerns about the cruel treatment
of animals exploited for meat, milk and eggs,
some food sellers are now labeling products
to suggest that farm animals are being treated
humanely. But while some animals may suffer
less than others, they still suffer, and the claims
made on these labels can mislead consumers
about how well the animals are actually treated.
The ways animals are raised for the “humane”
market vary widely, and they may not be
consistent with what consumers envision.
“FREE-RANGE” and
“CAGE-FREE” EGGS
Labels such as “free range,” “free roaming,” and
“cage free” provide no assurance that animals are
treated humanely, and animal suffering is common
despite labels suggesting otherwise:
•Overcrowding: Egg laying hens in cage
free operations are typically crowded by the
thousands in large barns, with approximately
one square foot of space allotted each bird.
“Cage free” laying hens are not required to have
access to the outdoors, and for “free range” and
“free roaming” hens, access to the outdoors
can be severely restricted and poorly designed.
Under these labels, there are no limits on flock
size and their outdoor area may be little more
than a barren dirt lot that is difficult for them to
access.
•Debeaking: Virtually all hens slated for egg
production have the ends of their beaks removed
without anesthesia, causing both acute and
chronic pain.
•Inhumane culling: Commercial hatcheries supply hens to both factory farms and smaller egg
farms, and the male chicks are unwanted and
treated as a waste product. Common methods
of killing and disposal include suffocation and
being ground up alive. When egg laying hens’
productivity declines and they are no longer
profitable to the egg industry, they are sent to
slaughter or otherwise killed.
“FREE RANGE” POULTRY
“Free range” birds raised for meat may lead lives
very similar to their factory farmed counterparts.
To sell their meat as “free range,” producers need
only apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) “free range” label with a description of the
birds’ housing stating that they are able to have
continuous free access to the outdoors for more
than 51 percent of their lives. There is neither a
definition of “access” nor independent verification
of the statements producers make, and the USDA
relies solely on producer testimony:
• Birds are often packed together by the thousands,
and like the egg industry, poultry producers are
not held to any requirements on flock size or the
amount of outdoor space given to birds.
•Chickens and turkeys have been genetically
altered through selective breeding to grow twice
as fast and twice as large as their ancestors
and suffer various physical maladies as a result.
There is no prohibition on the use of these breeds
in “free range” operations.
• Even if birds are raised under conditions that
consumers associate with the term “free-range,”
they can still end up at the same slaughterhouses
that kill factory raised birds and experience cruel
handling, ineffective stunning and botched kills
that prolong suffering before death.
HAPPY COWS? HUMANE MILK?
GUESS AGAIN.
Regardless of the size or type of the operation,
there are inherent problems with commercial dairy
production.
•Just like humans and other mammals, cows
must give birth to produce milk. Their calves are
taken away after birth, usually immediately. This
is known to cause psychological trauma for both
cow and calf.
•At about two months into their lactation cycle,
dairy cows are typically re-impregnated to
ensure ongoing production. Carrying a baby and
producing milk at the same time is physically
taxing.
•Pushed to their biological limits, dairy cows’
bodies commonly wear out after just a few years
in production, and they are sent to slaughter.
Most become ground beef.
•Male calves born on dairies are of little value