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Living Compassionate Compassionate CTHE MAG OF MFA. SPRING/SUMMERL 2007 ISSUE 1

ANIMALS AND THE LAW The Shocking Truth CHEW ON THIS Exclusive Interview

MercyForAnimals.org | newswatch dearfriends Living |

Go — Bye-Bye — Fish

The oppression animals face by the Compassionate 2006 Election Victories for Animals Omnivores and pescavegetarians wanting meat, dairy, and egg industries cannot be to satisfy their craving for the “catch of the voters overwhelmingly passed a historic overstated. Arizona day” may not be able to fi nd any seafood initiative to improve the lives of farm animals CContributors L anymore, especially if it’s in the year 2048. — the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act. Every minute in America, over 16,000 Derek Coons That’s what researchers predict if current farmed animals take their last breath Proposition 204 passed with 62 percent of Arizonans’ trends in habitat destruction and commercial Maureen Jacob votes making Arizona the fi rst U.S. state to ban while suspended upside-down on a over-fi shing continue. After analyzing data crates, and the second state to ban gestation crates for line. Each year, the Amy MacKenzie and historical records from over a thousand pigs — Florida was the fi rst to do so in Fall 2002. meat industry subjects billions of cows, Rhiannon Mehring years, researchers found that marine pigs, chickens, and turkeys to abuse so Lizz Petroff biodiversity — ocean fi sh, shellfi sh, birds, Sixty-nine percent of Michigan voters said “NO!” plants, micro-organisms, ocean mammals extreme that it could warrant felony level to opening the fi rst target-shooting season on the including seals, killer whales, and dolphins cruelty-to-animal charges if committed Priya Shanker state’s offi cial bird of peace — the mourning dove. — has declined dramatically, with 29 percent against a dog or cat. These acts of abuse Well-funded groups wanting to overturn a Anya Todd R.D. of species already in collapse. Why does this occur out of sight, and largely out of 100-year-long Michigan tradition of protecting doves matter in the big picture? Because the loss mind, from a country of complacent initiated the proposal. The crushing win at the polls of of biodiversity makes ocean ecosystems less consumers. “NO” votes exceeded the “yes” votes by more than 1.3 resilient in recovering from the effects of million, all thanks to a two-year grassroots campaign by global climate changes, such as aggressive “Nothing in all the world is more The Committee to Keep Doves Protected. The Humane natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, Society of the . dangerous than sincere ignorance and fl oods, typhoons, etc. The solution? Experts conscientious stupidity,” declared Dr. say that to protect the existing marine Martin Luther King, Jr. in From Strength ecosystems, and inevitably human life, stricter controls on commercial fi shing need to Love. It is this attitude of apathy, the Mainstream Vegan Money mentality Dr. King warned against, that to be enforced. Consumers also have the Welcome to the premier issue (MFA) is Machine power to make a difference by eliminating has led many consumers to choose palate a 501(c)(3) non-profi t animal of Compassionate Living – Mercy For fi sh from their diets. Reuters. advocacy organization that Animals’ newly expanded and improved preference over principle. Adopting No longer considered a “hippie fad,” the a vegetarian diet is perhaps the single believes non-human animals are vegan lifestyle is translating into a growing magazine. We have chosen to retire our irreplaceable individuals who have most important act each of us can take $50 billion annual natural-products publication’s original title, Outrage, in morally signifi cant interests and industry. There are more than 1.7 million exchange for one we feel more accurately to end animal cruelty. As conscientious hence rights, including the right to Want to keep up-to-date on vegans in the United States, according to refl ects MFA’s mission – creating a and compassionate citizens, we must do live free of unnecessary suffering. all the important more than merely dream of a day when MFA is dedicated to establishing a 2000 poll conducted by the Vegetarian tip society where all animals are treated with Resource Group, based in Baltimore, and vegetarian headlines? We animals receive their due consideration and defending the rights of all the respect and compassion they deserve. animals. MD. Choices for vegan consumers are have you covered. Sign up today for – we must embody such change. We growing along with demand, as more niche MFA’s free monthly enewsletter, The Voice, at Each issue of CL will be packed with must fi rst look at our beliefs, our choices, Given that over 97% of animal businesses cater to vegans, and mainstream www.MercyForAnimals.org. exclusive interviews, helpful advice, our actions, and our inactions. cruelty occurs in the production of grocery stores carry more products, said meat, dairy, and eggs, MFA’s main John Cunningham, consumer research thought-provoking exposés, essential function is promoting a vegetarian By leading lives that refl ect the change we manager for the vegetarian group. The news updates, opportunities to meet diet. MFA works to be a voice for key activists behind MFA’s work, action wish to see in the world, we are changing animals through public education market for foods replacing meat and other alerts, tasty and satisfying vegan recipes, more than ourselves – we are changing and advertisement campaigns, animal products is estimated at $2.8 billion, according to Mintel International Group and much more. I hope you fi nd its the future. With all our collective acts research and investigations, working with news media, and Ltd., a research consumer company. Arizona content informative, entertaining and of compassionate living, we can create a grassroots activism. Daily Star. inspiring. world where animals receive the respect Gazoontite! they so rightly deserve. MFA relies on the generous support Mahatma Gandhi once proclaimed, of compassionate individuals to carry If you’re a fanatical germaphobe, then you might build “We must be the change we wish to see on our lifesaving work. To become a member, simply send a contribution Don’t Bring Home the yourself a self-containing bubble and never come out in the world.” These wise words have of $15 to: after reading Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, by long been echoed by many of history’s According to researchers, daily consumption of more Michael Greger, MD. Greger traces the human role in the most progressive thinkers and outspoken Mercy For Animals than an ounce of smoked and processed foods such evolution of the virus, whose humble beginnings belie its Nathan Runkle social justice leaders. Gandhi’s motto P.O. Box 363 as bacon, sausage, or corned beef, increases the risk transformation into a killer mutant strain with the potential Executive Director of personal responsibility certainly still Columbus, OH 43216 of developing stomach cancer from 15 percent to 38 to become as ferocious as Ebola and as contagious as the 1-866-632-6446 percent. The culprits in such meats are likely the high common cold. In the face of the coming pandemic, Greger rings loud and clear today when we are [email protected] confronted with the harsh reality of salt content, which irritates the lining of the stomach, reveals what we can do to protect our families and what animal suffering at the hands of humans. Thank you for your commitment to or the carcinogenic nitrate and nitrate additives. More human society to can do to reduce the likelihood of such making the world a kinder and more reason to just skip the bacon. Time Magazine. catastrophes in the future. The entire book is available compassionate place for all beings. online for free at BirdFluBook.com. 2 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 meetmfa | actionreport | Activist Spotlight: Joe Espinosa VegNews Names MFA 2006 “Non-Profi t of the Year” Vegetarian since: November 1992 VegNews, America’s premier vegetarian lifestyle magazine, recently released its highly Vegan since: December 1994 anticipated 2006 Veggie Awards issue – and Mercy For Animals is honored to have been MFA Activist since: Spring 2006 Non-Profi t of the Year! No Featured Activism: Leafl eting selected as the Resides in: Steger, Illinois (about 35 miles South of Chicago) From the November/December holiday 06 issue of VegNews magazine: Favorite Food of the Moment: Boca Spicy JoeJoe “When Nathan Runkle was 11 years old, he was exposed to the mistreatment of animals, Chik’n Patties turned veg overnight and began a career as a professional animal advocate. Now, at the ripe age of 22, Runkle has seen the organization he conceived and leads, Mercy For Animals, Schmoe( become an effective force for change. Founded in 1999, MFA grew from a Dayton, Ohio- based grassroots effort to a powerful statewide organization after conducting ‘open rescues’ at the two largest egg farms in Ohio in late 2001. MFA has since merged with Chicago’s alking into the student union of the University Q. Where do you seem to get the best responses? Protecting Animals USA to form a 10,000-member organization that uses cutting edge, of Illinois Champaign-Urbana to cash a check, A. I have really enjoyed leafl eting colleges in Indiana. The stu- modern design and pro-veg MTV commercials to reach a young audience.” WJoe Espinosa never imagined that his exposure dents are remarkably polite and receptive. There will always be to a short video on animals in modern day factory people who want to argue with you, but it’s best to just be polite, Two New MFA Pro-Veg Commercials Hit the Airwaves farms would forever change his life. It was October make a few good points, and move on. There are far too many 1992, and Joe was a semester and a half away people who are ready to have this information for us to Mercy For Animals’ two powerful new pro-vegetarian TV commercials, “Hidden from View” from graduating with a degree in Biology. waste time trying to win an argument with a meat eater. and “Old MacDonald,” recently hit the airwaves in Chicago, Cleveland and Columbus. Growing up, Joe worked on his uncle’s family-owned dairy farm and had never Q. What is your #1 goal when leafl eting? The chilling 30-second spots take viewers behind the closed doors of America’s factory seen the grotesque conditions displayed on A. Ending animal exploitation is the moral impera- farms, giving a shocking glimpse into the unseen suffering endured by billions of chickens, the video footage in front of him. An animal tive of our time. My goal is to share this burden pigs, and cows. advocate was there to answer questions and with others, as they have the power to stop sentencing offer literature on . Joe was animals to brutal fates of suffering and death. I have The commercials have already exposed over half a million MTV, MTV2, and Bravo immediately impressed with the advocate’s already made the decision to be vegan, which spares network viewers, many for the fi rst time, to the untold cruelty involved in the production polite demeanor when fi elding questions and about 35 farm animals each year. Helping others to re- of meat, dairy, and egg products. Viewers are encouraged to learn more at MFA’s dealing with resistance. duce their consumption of animal products, become vegetarian ChooseVeg.com website. or vegan spares so many more. The advocate spoke about the standard practices on modern day factory farms and explained how Q. What have you learned about activism that MFA Reaches Millions of Shoppers with Launch of Anti-Fur Ad Campaign small, family-owned farms were succumbing to may help others who want to leafl et, but feel In December of 2006, MFA launched over 100 new anti- the pressures of these massive factory farms and intimidated? were shutting down by the droves. Joe could fur advertisements on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red A. It may be hard to believe, but I tend to be a Line subway system – the most ridden train line in the city. TWO GREAT REASONS relate, as his uncle had recently lost his farm shy person. To this day I am still a bit nervous every NOT TO WEAR FUR as well. Eager to learn more, Joe attended a time I pull into the parking lot of a school to leafl et, The ads urge residents, students and tourists to choose >> Animals are trapped, drowned, gassed, electrocuted, clubbed, meeting of Students for Animal Rights, and he even schools that I have been to many times before. and skinned alive to make fur-trimmed garments. compassion over violence by choosing fur-free fashions. Choose Compassion became vegetarian a month later. The advocate MercyForAnimals.org But what activists need to keep in mind is that what Choose Fur-Free Fashion 1.866.632.6446 that introduced Joe to is the Co-Founder Over the course of the month, MFA’s ads were viewed by they are doing is right, standing up against oppression over 2 million riders. and Executive Director of , . ● Animals raised on fur farms live their entire lives confined is something that the best people have always done. The in tiny, barren cages. Their misery only ends when they Upon meeting Matt and learning of the massive suffering are gassed, electrocuted, reward in terms of the reduction in animal suffering is well worth SHE NEEDS clubbed, poisoned, or skinned of farmed animals, Joe felt compelled into action. The fi rst ad pictures two young, fur-bearing animals look- alive. ● Animals caught in leghold overcoming any nervousness we might feel. traps can suffer for days - ing directly at the viewer next to bold lettering, “Two many will chew off their HER FUR own feet in a desperate attempt to escape. These cruel traps also mangle and kill countless dogs, cats, Today, Joe is one of the most prolifi c vegetarian Great Reasons Not to Wear Fur.” Text follows, explaining MORE THAN WE DO endangered species, and other non-target animals. Q. What keeps you motivated? Choose Fur-Free Fashion. MercyForAnimals.org leafl eters on the planet. Since the fall of 2003, how animals are trapped, drowned, gassed, electrocuted, Choose Compassion. 1.866.632.6446 A. To me, it’s a matter of justice, and I feel compelled he has distributed over 70,000 booklets on clubbed, and skinned alive to make fur-trimmed garments. to do this work. Knowing that my efforts have spared college campuses. In addition to working 40 tens of thousands of animals from the horrible experi- hours a week as a social worker, each Tuesday The second ad design shows a fox looking up from inside a log and proclaims that “She Needs Her Fur More Than We Do” along with a ences of factory farms is a rich reward. he travels to college campuses in Illinois, Indiana, description of the deplorable living conditions on fur farms. The ad also explains how animals trapped in the wild for their fur may suf- Michigan, and Wisconsin to leafl et. According to fer for days with the trap clamped painfully into their fl esh. Why Leafl et? Joe, “there is no substitute for consistency.” Q. A. Rather than sitting around wishing people would stop By the Num6ers: 2006 Year in Review supporting the cruelties of factory farming, we should go out Q. Tell us about the Adopt-A-College Program. Throughout 2006, MFA members were highly active working on behalf of the animals. The numbers and ask them to, with compelling and accurate information that A. It’s a systematic effort, created by Vegan Outreach, to are in, and they speak volumes to the tireless work our members have done over the past year. In might move them to stop. In leafl eting, you can be an effective leafl et colleges across the country. Activists participating 2006, MFA: • Conducted over 170 public outreach events, including lectures by our humane educa- activist anytime. I’m able to reach a large number of people, are linked by a Yahoo Group, which allows us to report tors at high schools and colleges, video showings, educational exhibits at festivals and conferences, and it’s statistically likely that the information I distribute will our results and share information. The results are posted vegan feed-ins, and leafl eting outreach on busy street corners, outside concerts, and on campuses • change some people’s diets, which spares many animals from an on the Vegan Outreach website to coordinate our efforts. Distributed over 160,000 pieces of vegetarian literature • ChooseVeg.com, our popular pro-veg- existence of horrible suffering. etarian website, attracted over 85,000 visitors and received more than 500,000 page views.

4 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 Curried Tofu with | veganhealth | veganflavor AskAnya Peanuts 3/4 cup chopped peanuts, Anya Todd is a vegan registered and whole or chopped licensed dietitian who graduated 1 pound tofu, drained and sliced from Case Western Reserve University 3 tablespoons oil and completed her internship at the 1 onion, chopped Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Active in 1 teaspoon salt 2 cloves garlic, minced animal rights for nearly 20 years, Anya Quick Chili 1 teaspoon curry powder Apple Crisp resides in Ohio with her vegan boyfriend 1 cup peas (fresh, frozen, or and not-quite-vegan animal companions. 1/2 cup boiling water canned) 4 large tart apples Though she follows a well-balanced diet, 1/2 cup TVP* 1 carrot, diced 3/4 cup sugar or other 1 onion, chopped sweetener she never turns down a plate of vegan 1 green bell pepper, diced french toast, especially if topped with Sauté the onions and garlic in 1/2 cup flour 2 large garlic cloves, minced oiled frying pan. Add remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon strawberries and bananas. Here, Anya 1/2 cup water or vegetable ingredients and cook over 1-1/2 cups rolled oats answers your pressing questions about stock medium heat for 10-20 minutes. 1/3 cup Spectrum Naturals vegan health and nutrition. 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans Add a little water if needed. Spread or margarine 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce 1 cup fresh or frozen corn Variations: Use garlic powder Preheat oven to 350° F. 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder or ginger instead of garlic. Use 1 teaspoon dried oregano different nuts or vegetables. Peel the apples, if desired, How much protein do I need, If I do not consume dairy 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin then core and thinly slice and is it possible to get enough products, how can I get the 1/8 teaspoon cayenne them. Toss with 1/2 cup through a plant-based diet? calcium I need? Q: Q: sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and *TVP = Textured Vegetable Protein intake is a common concern and often a Despite what the dairy industry claims, milk is cinnamon. Spread evenly in a Protein and is made from soy 9” x 13” baking dish. misunderstood issue when speaking with regard not the only way to obtain calcium and maintain protein and can replace beef. A: to a vegan diet. Its function in the body is to as- A: strong bones and teeth. There are many plant Mix the rolled oats with the sist with cell growth and repair, as well as assist in immunity sources that will supply calcium while leaving out the choles- Pour the boiling water over the and hormone production. The daily human body requirement terol and saturated fat found in the milk from animals. It is remaining flour and sugar. textured vegetable protein and Add the Spectrum Naturals is approximately 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram of body recommended for the average adult under 50 to consume ap- let stand until softened. weight (To get kilograms, just divide proximately 1000mg of calcium per day. For Spread (or margarine) and work the mixture until it is your weight by 2.2). Therefore, a those people over 50, the amount increases Braise the onion, bell pepper, healthy person weighing 130lbs would Though the Atkins to 1200mg per day. uniformly crumbly. Sprinkle and garlic in water until the evenly over the fruit. require approximately 60grams of craze is slowing, onion is soft, then add the protein per day. Please note that these Americans Luckily, more common foods in a vegan diet remaining ingredients, including requirements vary through life stages are being fortifi ed – everything from soymilk Bake for 45 minutes, until still consume the textured vegetable protein. lightly browned. Let stand 10 (childhood, pregnancy, lactation). to orange juice to granola bars now provides Simmer at least 30 minutes. considerably more an ample amount of calcium. An 8-oz glass minutes before serving. In today’s society, we tend to have the protein than what of fortifi ed soymilk or rice milk provides mentality that one can never have too 300mg. Tofu processed with calcium can is recommended. FeaturedProduct • Keep the dish covered, as cheese melts best in a moist much of anything – and this applies provide 250mg in a 4 oz. serving. Blackstrap environment. to protein as well. Though the Atkins molasses, soy yogurt, and collard greens are Have a killer craving for cheesy pizza? Or cheesy craze is slowing, Americans still consume considerably more also excellent sources. Like any other nutrient, calcium is best potato fries? Or just need to inhale an entire • Keep slices thin for faster and even melting. protein than what is recommended. Excessive amounts of obtained by eating a variety of foods. A vegan who lives on a tub of mac & cheese? Being a vegan doesn’t mean you have to trade those comfort foods animal protein have been linked to osteoporosis and kidney diet based heavily on Swedish Fish and coffee is sure to run the • For fondues, melt chunks of cheese completely on in with your past omnivorous lifestyle — all medium heat setting, then turning the heat down and disease. There are a variety of plant foods that can provide risk of a defi ciency. So, if you think you would benefi t from a thanks to Vegan Gourmet®’’s line of cheese stirring occasionally. If the fondue becomes too thick, substantial amounts of protein without the cholesterol and calcium supplement, it is important to note this mineral is best alternatives from the Follow You Heart® just add a little water. saturated fat that is offered in animal protein. Soy, seitan, qui- absorbed in amounts of 500mg or less. Natural Foods company. noa (a grain), beans, and nuts are just a few of these protein • When making thick-crust pizzas, pizza bagels, or powerhouses. There is no need to worry about the issue of The 100% non-dairy cheeses are all natural and French bread pizzas, shred the cheese, and place under ‘complementary proteins’ in order to ensure you are getting free of cholesterol, animal products, casein and broiler at 450° F. For one-stop vegan health info, all your essential amino acids. That is far too complicated gluten. recipes, tips, and videos, check • When baking casseroles, cover until almost fi nished, and eating should not be complicated. A well-varied vegan then uncover to brown cheese under the broiler at 450° F. diet can provide your body with the protein it needs. Now go tip out ChooseVeg.com. A vegan food With four delicious fl avors to satisfy any food craving — rich cheddar, ®’ enjoy that tofu stir-fry without any worries! pyramid, cancer-fi ghting recipes, and savory jack, zesty nacho and tasty mozzarella — Vegan Gourmet ’s videos on preventing disease through cheeses can be used in casseroles, sauces, baking, and even fondues. Can’t fi nd Vegan Gourmet®’s cheeses in your local grocery store? plant-based foods are all just a click away. It melts just like the real thing for anything needing that ooey, gooey, Visit FollowYourHeart.com or call (818) 725-2820, for ordering and stretchy cheesiness! Follow these tips for best results: distribution information.

6 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 | coverstory ANIMALS & Inflicting third-degree burns to cattle: legal Neglecting a companion dog or cat: Illegal Confining 5-11 hens to a single cage: legal

• Lumberton, North Carolina: a resident at a mobile W hat is the difference between these acts of animal cr uelty, home park sees a young girl throwing a squirming which rarely g rab headlines, and the previous ones? The pillowcase into a pond. Authorities find three six- to answer is simple: they involve institutionalized animal abuse eight-week-old cocker spaniel puppies alive inside. -- occur ring in the name of profit and food production. T hese inhumane acts are, for the most par t, considered perfectly leg al • Albuquerque, New Mexico: a 5-month-old under cur rent American laws. Chihuahua is recovering from severe head and internal injuries after being thrown against a wall. T his ar ticle aims to expose the little known tr uth behind the leg al loopholes in our countr y’s federal and state laws that • Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania: a stray cat is found shot often render over 97% of domestic animals – those that are in the arm and meowing in agony. bred and killed for food – outside the leg al realm of protection from eg regious cr uelty.

T hese are just some of the latest disturbing animal abuse To the shock of most consumers who mistakenly cases that have captured the attention of the news media believe that cows, pigs, and chickens are protected from and left the public shocked and outrag ed. All cases are either mistreatment, chilling acts of neglect and abuse are routinely underg oing leg al investigation, or the per petrators have been allowed to continue behind the walls of factor y far ms and criminally charg ed and are ser ving jail time. . It often happens without so much as a blink of an eye from local, state, or g over nment ag encies. In fact, Here are some other recent, less publicized, but far more ever y year in the U.S. alone, nearly ten billion far med animals common, instances of animal cr uelty: are subjected to crowded living conditions, painful mutilations, traumatic transpor ts, and inhumane deaths. The per petrators of such treatment could face felony level cr uelty-to-animals charg es if far med animals were g ranted the same leg al • A day-old calf is torn from his mother’s side as she protection as dogs, cats, and other companion animals. bellows in distress. He is chained by his neck in a wooden crate too small for him to even turn around. Quite simply, such exemptions are out of ste p with the values Motherless and alone, he languishes in isolation for 16- of most Americans who show widespread suppor t for laws weeks before being shipped to slaughter. to protect all animals. A 2003 Gallup poll indicated that nearly two-thirds of Americans “suppor t passing strict laws • A newly hatched male chick -- deemed “worthless” concer ning the treatment of far m animals.” A Zogby poll by the egg industry -- is thrown into a huge blender- conducted that same year found that nearly 70 percent of like machine, where his body is torn apart while he is Americans find it “unacce ptable” that far m animals have no still alive. federal protection from abuse while on the far m, and more than four-fifths of Americans believe there should be effective • A young steer is burned with a hot iron (branded), laws to prevent far med animal cr uelty. “…if one person is unkind to an animal, it is his testicles are ripped out of his scrotum (castrated), THE LAW and his horns are cut off. He endures these agonizing considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people procedures without a single drop of painkiller. are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once sums • A 6-week old chicken is snapped into a moving of money are at stake, will be defended to the last shackle, has her throat slit open by a mechanical blade, Quite simply, institutionalized by otherwise intelligent people.” and is drowned in scalding water. animal abuse is, for the most part, perfectly legal in the United States. – Ruth Harrison, Animal Machines By Maureen Jacob

8 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 | coverstory HistoryHistory & & Federal Federal Animal Animal Laws Laws

Since the early nineteenth century, laws have been created to Today, not a single federal law exists that provides protection to protect animals from cruelty. In fact, the original laws created by animals raised for food during their lives on the farm. Shockingly, many states in the early to mid 1800’s were established for the you can cram a farmed animal in a cage so small that they can’t turn protection of farmed animals such as cows, sheep, horses, etc around (battery-cages, veal crates, farrowing stalls), you can rip off – animals who possessed monetary value to the owner. their body parts without pain killers (castration), you can starve them (forced-molting), and you can deny them access to veterinary These laws were created not so much to protect the animals for care. There is no federal law preventing any of these acts. their own sake, but rather to protect the interests of the property owner. For example, laws were passed that made it a crime to There are currently only two areas where some farmed animals destroy another person’s . Most of these early laws have any federal protection whatsoever -- transport and slaughter. excluded dogs and cats. However, even these laws are weak to the point of absurdity. The federal Act (AWA) does not provide protection for mice, rats, birds, or any farmed animal.

Ironically, the situation today is somewhat reversed; dogs and cats A quick breakdown of federal laws pertaining to animal welfare Animal Welfare Act (AWA) are granted some legal protection on the state and federal level, follows: Congress passed the AWA in 1966 The Animal Welfare but many federal and state laws now exclude farmed animals. Act, however, does not The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is the federal law that governs cover farmed animals the humane care, handling, treatment, and transportation of (used or intended for use as food or fi ber). animals used in laboratories. Twenty-Eight Hour Law Birds, rats, and mice, which make up nearly 90% of the animals Enacted: 1873; repealed, reenacted and amended in 1994 Contrary to popular belief, it does not prohibit any experiment, used in animal experiments, are also not covered by the Act. The 28 Hour Law prohibits the interstate transport of animals for more no matter how painful or useless; it simply sets minimum than 28 hours without being unloaded for food, water, and rest. housing and maintenance standards for confi ned animals. Like the other federal laws, the AWA is rarely enforced. A document from the USDA showed that in 2005, a mere 70 This law is frequently violated with truckers sometimes going 36 hours or The AWA also applies to dog and cat breeders, puppy mills, zoos, inspectors were responsible for inspecting over 8,000 facilities, more without giving the animals a break. The law is rarely enforced by circuses, and various other animal handlers. making any type of meaningful inspection nearly impossible. the Attorney General and the maximum penalty is only $500. Animals transported by air or water, or within state borders, receive no protection under this law. StateState Animal Animal LawsLaws & Common& Common Farming Farming Exemptions Exemptions The law does not regulate the actual conditions in which the animals are All fi fty states have anti-cruelty statutes – varying in degree, David Wolfson, lawyer and author of Beyond the Law: Agribusiness transported. For example, the law does not prevent animals from being language, coverage, and criminal status (some consider animal and the Systematic Abuse of Animals Raised for Food or Food overcrowded or from having to endure freezing temperatures. cruelty a misdemeanor, while others classify it as a felony). Production, termed these laws Common Farming Exemptions (CFEs). Given the ineffective federal legal protection for farmed Humane Slaughter Act animals, one may assume that such animals receive greater CFEs allow states to get away with carrying out acts that 1958 protection at the state level. In this context, the only previously may have been considered illegal, such as signifi cant protection for farmed animals are criminal anti- using battery cages, veal and gestation crates; debeaking, The Humane Slaughter Act is supposed to require that livestock cruelty statutes which are intended to prohibit “unjustifi able” dehorning, tail docking, castration, branding and beak searing slaughter “be carried out only by humane methods” to prevent “needless and/or “unnecessary” suffering to animals. In fact, many without anesthesia; forced molting, force-feeding, skinning, suffering.” of such statutes were originally enacted to protect farmed dismemberment, suffocation, scalding, gassing, grinding up; and animals. Thus, the question is simple: do state criminal anti- withholding veterinary care. However, this act does not apply to chickens, turkeys, or fi sh – which cruelty statutes protect farmed animals from cruelty today? make up over 95% of the animals slaughtered for food in the United The answer is, for the most part, no. While these laws have Other states go a step further and entirely exclude certain States. Thus, the law covers less than 5% of the animals slaughtered for never worked well to protect farmed animals, there is a fast animals, such as poultry, from their anti-cruelty laws. This is human consumption. growing trend to ensure that farmed animals are removed quite signifi cant given that poultry account for 95% of the from the reach of these statutes entirely. nearly ten billion farmed animals slaughtered each year. The law also does not apply to , such as Kosher slaughter, despite the fact that some of the worst abuses have been found in The trend, pushed forward by the heavy hand of agribusiness At least thirty states have managed to pass their CFEs through Kosher slaughterhouses. interests wishing to escape potential cruelty prosecution, is to the legal system and avoid prosecution for their inhumane remove legal protection to farmed animals by deeming legal farming practices. Even when an act of cruelty is actually considered illegal under the law, it anything viewed by the farming community as “accepted,” is unlikely to be enforced. The USDA has never bothered to criminally “common,” “customary,” or “normal.” Essentially the very Essentially the very prosecute anyone for violating the Humane Slaughter Act. Further, the corporations that profi t from farmed animal exploitation are corporations that profit from Act applies only to slaughterhouses under federal meat inspection - not now being given the power to decide what is and isn’t cruel. state-inspected or small custom facilities. farmed animal exploitation are now being given the power to decide what is and isn’t cruel. 10 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 | coverstory

Amidst the gloom, there is some hope on the horizon. Eleven out of fi fteen Arizona counties supported the measure. Farmed animals are beginning to gain protection in a number A similar measure gained support of voters in Florida in 2002 of states when citizens, not lobbyists for agribusiness, are – banning gestation crates. given a chance to draft and vote on initiatives relating to farmed animal welfare. These efforts, however, involve massive amounts of time and fi nancial resources and face fi erce opposition from animal In November of 2006, for example, Arizona voters passed exploitation industries. Further, many states prohibit or are the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act (Proposition working to severely restrict such citizen-initiated issues from 204), making it the fi rst state in the nation to ban veal crates ever making it on the ballot. and the second state to ban gestation crates for pregnant pigs.

Calves raised for veal are isolated in crates so narrow they are unable to even turn around.

HowHow Did Did This This Happen?Happen?

As we can see, gone are the days of the small family farmer. The list of supporters The big red barn and open pastures have been replaced with who rallied in favor windowless metal sheds, wire cages, and tiny stalls. Intense of the Act reads like factory farming has become the accepted standard in today’s a who’s who of the agricultural system whose end goal is to produce maximum animal exploitation amounts of food for maximum profi t. industries, including such deep-pocketed organizations as The Fur Commission and Animal Agriculture Alliance. (T) Sow in . (B) Debeaked hen. As the saying goes, “for the love of money is the root of all evil,” and the same might be said of commercial animal Another key component in this lethal mix of money, profi t and abuse — money feeds its hungry belly. This is big business continued animal abuse is society’s misperception of farmed and big money. Annual sales among the meat packing, meat animals as incapable of experiencing physical or emotional processing and poultry processing industries are estimated at pain. Agribusiness has long worked to strip cows, pigs, and more than $100 billion per year. chickens of their unique personalities and needs – reducing them to commodities. In food production, animals are turned With all this money comes power, and commercial farmers into mere “food-production units,” “crops,” “grain-consuming and organizations have used that power to designate huge animal units” (as defi ned by the USDA), and “biomachines.” budgets in enlisting lobbyists to ensure that their inhumane In an issue of the industry journal Hog Farm Management, John money-making machines can continue to operate at maximum Byrnes advised: “Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like effortlessness, without being hindered by anti-cruelty laws. a machine in a factory.”

Compared to the monstrous budgets of commercial farms, One of the largest egg producers in the U.S. northeast, ISE EnforcementEnforcement typically, animal advocacy groups operate on much smaller Inc., was convicted of for discarding two pools of monies that limit their clout in getting legislators’ living chickens in a trashcan. ISE appealed the conviction, Not only are the laws weak, but they’re also rarely enforced. offi cers associated with Societies for the Prevention of attention and votes. claiming that its hens can legally be treated like manure, because Police and public prosecutors frequently view animal cruelty Cruelty to Animals and humane societies must demonstrate to ISE, it viewed the chickens as inanimate commodities and as cases as a low priority, and let those responsible for the probable cause to obtain a warrant to search private property According to a recent op-ed in The Arizona Republic, Matthew “tools of production.” abuse off the hook, particularly when the victims are farmed for evidence of abuse. Unless the agency is informed Scully, author of Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of animals. by someone “on the inside,” it is extremely diffi cult for Animals, and the Call to Mercy, brought to attention how the In court, when asked if there was a difference between manure information to be discovered, and evidence obtained without power of the pork industry’s allies in the Arizona Legislature and a live hen, the defense attorney for ISE Inc. bluntly stated: Convictions are infrequent and often dealt with a slap-on-the- a valid warrant will be suppressed. proposed a constitutional amendment to bar the public from “No, your honor.” wrist mentality - punishments are typically limited to relatively passing any laws promoting the humane treatment of farm small fi nes. Currently, eight states do not even consider In certain states the obstacles are even greater. In animals, effective Jan. 1, 2006. Scully reported that if the Once again, to agribusiness, the mighty dollar is more animal cruelty a felony under any circumstances, no matter Tennessee, for example, the anti-cruelty statute specifi cally humane-farming initiative passed by the public’s vote, industry important than that of a sentient being’s welfare. how egregiously cruel the crime. And while most states do states that although the SPCA is statutorily authorized to lobbyists planned to nullify the law retroactively. consider certain types of animal cruelty a felony, the majority investigate animal abuse, it cannot do so in the case of of these statutes specifi cally exclude farmed animals. farmed animals. Instead, law enforcement investigations Evidence of that persuasive monetary clout is also evident in relating to farmed animals, and entries onto farms, can only the recent passing of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act In court, when asked if there Even if the police and prosecutors were eager to enforce be conducted following an examination by “the county (AETA), a bill that protects animal enterprises by branding was a difference between criminal anti-cruelty statutes, it is virtually impossible for agricultural extension agent of such county, a graduate of animal activists as “terrorists” and may threaten legitimate manure and a live hen, the enforcement agents to ascertain what occurs on the average an accredited college of veterinary medicine specializing in activities such as boycotts, investigations, and whistle-blowing defense attorney for ISE Inc. farm because a farm is private property. Without any livestock practice or a graduate from an accredited college by law-abiding groups and individuals. regulatory inspection powers, police and law enforcement of agriculture with a specialty in livestock.” A small animal bluntly stated: “No, your veterinarian does not make the cut. honor.”

12 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 | coverstory Such an ethic is sometimes viewed as impractical or not fast enough. But, quite the contrary, it is arguably the most effi cient way to reduce animal suffering over the long term. The simple act of one person adopting a vegetarian lifestyle prevents the suffering and death of thousands of animals. And for every person who is inspired to become vegetarian, or simply reduce their consumption of animal products, thousands more animals will be spared unimaginable suffering.

The current situation is a product of demand for cheap meat, dairy, and eggs. Like all markets, the food industry is driven by WhatWhat Can Can WeWe Do?Do? consumers. As demand for the fl esh, skin, milk, and eggs of animals declines, so too will the number of animals subjected to Certainly we must continue to work on improving the existing the grim realities discussed in this article. The view and legal status of animals as mere property animal welfare laws, and to create new ones. We owe this much has resulted in billions of sentient beings being reduced to the unfortunate animals who, due to current demand for their Regardless of what path we choose in fi ghting the injustices to disposable commodities to be bought, sold, exploited, skin, milk, fl esh, and eggs, are condemned to the nightmare against animals– whether it is writing letters to your and slaughtered at their owners’ discretion. reality of factory farms and slaughterhouses. It is our obligation representatives, changing your diet, or educating others about to provide relief and reduce their suffering as much as possible. the issues -- it is essential that we take action. The system of Most importantly, however, we need to focus on attacking the animal exploitation won’t change unless we make it change. problem at its roots – rather than merely addressing its symptoms.

To be effective in the long term, we must work to create a society that respects all of its members, including the weakest, most vulnerable, and those without a voice – the animals. Adopting “To be a vegetarian is to disagree a vegetarian diet is an essential fi rst step toward putting this -- to disagree with the course of commitment and vision into practice. things today… Vegetarianism is As Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer said, “To be a my statement. And I think it’s a vegetarian is to disagree -- to disagree with the course of things strong one.” today… Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it’s a strong one.”

TheThe Larger Problem Problem

One might think that the biggest problem animals face is that The view, and legal status, for example, of human beings the laws are too weak, or that the laws aren’t enforced, or that as slaves - mere property - led to unmitigated exploitation Take the large corporations have too much infl uence and money in and cruelty. Similarly, the current legal status of animals as politics. personal property has led to exploitation on an unimaginable scale. Enforcing and developing stronger and more stringent Action All of these present huge obstacles to achieve any type of laws which protect animals from cruelty is crucial. However, ! meaningful protection for animals, but they are dwarfed by the solution must not end at mere welfare reforms, as it only 1 Go Vegetarian – Every time we sit down to eat, we can annually by the meat, egg, and dairy industries. Despite the the underlying problem: that animals are regarded as pieces of treats the symptom of a much larger societal injustice. Just choose compassion over cruelty. Adopting a healthy, non-violent incredible number of individuals and the routine suffering too property--commodities to be owned or consumed. as we would be foolish to believe that simply passing laws vegetarian diet is the single most important and powerful action many endure, these farm animals do not receive protection under requiring shorter forced work days, lighter chains, or fewer you can take to end animal cruelty. For free information, resources, the federal Animal Welfare Act. Moreover, 95% of the animals Since childhood, most Americans have been taught and beatings would end the injustice of human slavery, we must tips, and recipes to help you make the transition to a cruelty-free slaughtered each year do not receive protection under the federal conditioned to view certain animals as things – a hamburger, a not fi nd contentment with simply a few more inches of cage diet, visit ChooseVeg.com. Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. chicken nugget, a leather couch, a fur coat – a means to an end space or wider crates. – a something instead of a someone. As long as we regard other 2 Change the law – As many states in our Nation are moving Contact your elected offi cials today and urge them to support creatures as our property to be bought and sold, to be owned backwards, by amending their laws to specifi cally exempt farm efforts to amend these federal Acts to provide protection to all or mastered, to be slaughtered for fashion or because we like animals from protection, other countries are moving forward. farmed animals. Further, urge your representatives to support the taste of their fl esh—animals will continue to be exploited Over the past decade the European Union has moved to outlaw pro-animal legislation. and suffer needlessly, and we will continue to distance ourselves The current oppression of such cruel factory farm systems as the veal crate, gestation stall, from our own humanity. animals is rooted in a belief and barren battery-cage. It is high time that our elected offi cials 3 Expose the truth – Industries that abuse animals work very system, and economic ladder, stop ignoring the plight of farmed animals. diligently to keep their abusive practices concealed from the The current oppression of animals is rooted in a belief system, that has led humanity down public. Few consumers know the truth regarding animals and the and economic ladder, that has led humanity down the road of In the United States, 10 billion land animals are raised and killed law. Please share this issue of CL with a friend or family member. other injustices throughout our history. the road of other injustices throughout our history.

14 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 | actionalert Put theChicken Battered Before theEgg Bunnies Despite being one of the most popular companion animals in the country, Urge Morningstar Farms® to Adopt an Egg-Free Policy rabbits are among the most exploited. Domestic rabbits – cherished for their playful, gentle natures – are skinned for ® Morningstar Farms , which is owned their fur, blinded to test cosmetics, and by the Kellogg® company, is currently raised by breeders motivated by profi t. purchasing eggs produced by hens But the exploitation doesn’t end there. confi ned inside barren wire battery Rabbits, which are exploited and killed by the Rabbit meat is a growing U.S. industry. fashion, food, and research industries, are cages. Battery caged hens are typically The rabbit-meat industry follows the classifi ed as “poultry” by the USDA. provided with a meager 67 square inches inhumane practices of the poultry of space in which to live—that’s less WRITE, CALL, EMAIL and egg industries, often packing animals in small wire than the size of this page. These birds battery cages. Such confi nement can cause a host of health Please contact Morningstar Farms® and politely problems, yet sick rabbits are routinely denied veterinary Unfurgivable are so intensively confi ned for their entire request that they remove eggs from their care. Investigators have found rabbits living in overstocked, lives that they are denied their natural products. Let them know one of their biggest unsanitary conditions. ShopNBC Reneges on inclinations to spread their wings, perch, competitors, Gardenburger®, has already made Fur-Free Promise preen, or even walk. this decision for all but one of its products. The USDA divides animals into two groups: livestock and Less than a year after it pledged to adopt a permanent fur-free poultry. It defi nes livestock as large animals and poultry as policy, ShopNBC—the television shopping channel and online “chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, capons, rabbits, and other.” Morningstar Farms® has long been a leader in supplying 1 Submit Your Comments Online retailer for NBC TV—has reneged on its promise. This is As such, rabbits are exempt from the Humane Slaughter Act. delicious vegetarian foods to a growing market. Let them know despite the fact that leading clothing retailers like Forever 21, Often fully conscious while being slaughtered, they are killed that the market also wants them to remove their support from Visit Morningstar-Egg-Facts.com to send your J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Polo Ralph Lauren, and others have pulled polite and thoughtful comments directly to using a number of cruel methods, including a blow to the fur from their stores forever. Animals on fur farms spend their the cruel battery egg industry. Please encourage them to join head, decapitation, or cutting the throat. Morningstar Farms® using an online form. entire lives exposed to all weather conditions and confi ned to with companies like Gardenburger®, which last year announced cramped, fi lthy wire cages. They often go without adequate it has taken eggs out of all its products except for one private- The combination of inhumane treatment and increased shelter, clean water, veterinary care, or the ability to engage in sourced item. 2 Make a Call: efforts to market their fl esh clearly spell bad luck for rabbits. natural behaviors like climbing, burrowing, and swimming. In Take action today to help turn the tide in favor of these these conditions of intensive confi nement, the animals suffer Eggs used in Morningstar Call Kellogg®’s customer feedback hotline at lovable critters. Farms products come 1-800-962-1413, Mon. thru Thurs. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from severe physical and psychological trauma. from hens confi ned in or Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, Eastern Standard Time. cruel, barren battery- Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods, cages - like the ones Say: “Representative.” shown here. including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning. Press 2 for product information WRITE, CALL, EMAIL These crude killing methods aren’t always effective, and Press 1 for general inquiries sometimes animals “wake up” while they are being skinned. Don’t patronize restaurants that serve 1 With so many fashionable, comfortable alternatives available, rabbit; better yet, ask them to stop. 3 Write a Letter to: there is no excuse for ShopNBC to sell fur apparel.

Morningstar Farms® 2 Ask the USDA to protect rabbits under the c/o Kellogg® Consumer Affairs Humane Slaughter Act: P.O. Box CAMB WRITE, CALL, EMAIL Battle Creek, MI 49016 Secretary Mike Johanns USDA Please take a moment to let ShopNBC know that you are outraged that it reneged on its 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. promise and urge the company to discontinue Room 200-A its sale of real fur: Washington, DC 20250 Average number of Phone: (202) 720-3631 hours it takes a hen to Fax: (202) 720-2166 William Lansing, CEO lay a single egg. Over Email: [email protected] ShopNBC 2495% of U.S. egg-laying 6740 Shady Oak Rd. hens spend their entire Visit RabbitProduction.com and watch the Eden Prairie, MN 55344 lives crowded into cages so small 3 fi lm “Rabbits: Pets or Poultry?” Phone: (952) 943-6868 they can’t fl ap their wings or walk. Fax: (612) 947-0188 Email: [email protected]

16 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07 | exclusiveinterview ...do you want lies with tha t?

ave you ever wondered what lurks behind those nuggets, fries and burgers? Award-winning Hjournalist Eric Schlosser exposed the gruesome facts in his book Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal, a provocative exposé of the American fast food industry.

After the success of Fast Food Nation, Charles “Chuck” Wilson, who has written articles for publications such as The New York Times and Washington Post, urged Eric Schlosser to share his insight So we set out to write a book that explained in a very Similar changes have been seen in the hog, poultry, and with young people. In Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food, Schlosser simple, direct voice where fast food came from, how it’s egg industry. Some of McDonald’s egg suppliers house 1 and Wilson empower kids by revealing the sad truth about Happy Meals. Mercy For Animals’ Lizz marketed, and what can happen to a young person’s body million birds under a single roof. Chickens and turkeys are if he or she eats too much of it. A book like this allows now processed on disassembly lines that can slaughter an Petroff recently had the chance to ask Eric and Chuck about their groundbreaking book. young people to make their own informed decisions about animal every two-and-a-half seconds. what they are eating. We never wanted to be didactic or What inspired you to write Chew On This? heavy-handed; we simply wanted to present a side of the When researching for the book, was there fast-food story that young people would never see in $3 anything you discovered that particularly billion worth of television advertisements every year. surprised you? ERIC: Chuck came to me with the idea. His mother runs a small children’s book company, and he thought that CHUCK: We were delighted to stumble upon a few stories kids should have access to the information in Fast Food How has the fast food industry changed the of renegade industrialized animals who managed to cheat Nation. After all, they are being targeted by fast food raising and slaughtering of animals? death. We relate the tale of two pigs in England who, marketers day and night. Why not give them a different shortly before they were to be killed, wriggled through a point-of-view? It seemed like such a good idea, I insisted CHUCK: The fast-food industry’s demand for cheap meat hole in a fence, swam across the Avon River, and remained that Chuck write it with me. has had enormous consequences for both animals and on the lam for a week. Eventually they were captured and workers. During the late 1960s, McDonald’s bought fresh bought by the Daily News newspaper and given to a farm CHUCK: Young people are bombarded with fast-food ground beef from 175 regional companies. Within a few where they are still living peacefully. People named them advertising, and they are establishing eating habits that years, as the chain rapidly began to spread across the Butch and Sundance after the famous renegades in “Butch can stay with them for a lifetime—often with very harmful United States, McDonald’s switched to frozen hamburger Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” consequences. patties and reduced the number of its beef suppliers to five. This had a huge impact on the centralization and We also tell the story of a two-year-old dairy cow in industrialization of the meatpacking industry. The fast Massachusetts named who was sent to slaughter food chains want a uniform product that tastes exactly the by her owner. Shortly before she was to enter the same at thousands of different locations—and they want slaughterhouse, Emily ran away, jumped over a 5-foot it cheap. A major consequence is that they have turned high fence, and then escaped into the woods, where she animals into industrial commodities on a massive scale. foraged alongside deer for forty days and nights. She was eventually captured by a vegetarian couple and raised by ERIC: For thousands of years, cattle roamed the prairie, them until she died of natural causes. eating native grasses and co-existing with a wide range of other species. Today, cattle are being fattened for slaughter at feedlots that contain as many as 100,000 cattle. They are routinely given antibiotics and growth Some of McDonald’s egg hormones. They live in each others’ waste and eat genetically modified grain out of concrete troughs. These suppliers house 1 million feedlots are bad for the environment, bad for the health “ birds under a single roof. of the animals, and bad for the health of people who eat them. Along with mega-feedlots, the industry has brought Chickens and turkeys us mega-slaughterhouses. Fifty years ago, it was hard to find a slaughterhouse that could kill 120 cattle an hour. are now processed on Today, the largest slaughterhouses process 400 an hour. It’s all about speed, efficiency, cheapness, and uniformity. disassembly lines that Meatpacking used to be one of the most highly-paid, unionized jobs in America; now it is one of the lowest- can slaughter an animal paid industrial jobs—and one of the most dangerous jobs. every two-and-a-half seconds.

18 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org Spring/Summer 07        

| exclusiveinterview nearby streams or into groundwater—or it can somehow Today, a typical chicken weighs stray into spinach fi elds, as seen in the recent E. coli O157: fi ve-and-a-half pounds after only H7 outbreak. “ We tell the story in our book of a 4 million pound pile of six weeks. Their growth rate is poop at a feedlot in Milford, Nebraska, that spontaneously phenomenal and totally unnatural. caught fi re in 2004. Firefi ghters were not able to pour water on it because they did not want to pollute nearby streams.     It’s the equivalent of breeding a The 30-foot-high manure fi re burned for four months straight. The pictures of the manure pile look like a smoky child who’d weigh 286 pounds by Rocky mountain backdrop until you realize it’s something the age of six years. not nearly as serene.      How have workers been affected by the fast food industry?      Eric Schlosser You mention in your book that chickens are now ERIC: The fast food industry pioneered a whole new sort of suffering from heart attacks. Can you explain service sector employment: low wages, high turnover, no what is causing this? benefi ts. There’s a reason why they’re called McJobs. The fast food industry is the nation’s largest employer of mini-     ERIC: The chicken nugget revolutionized the whole broiler mum wage labor. And it should come as no surprise that the industry—including how the chickens are raised. Thirty fast food chains have for years been some of the strongest years ago, more than half of Americans bought their chick- opponents of any increase in the minimum wage. Thanks to     ens whole—but now only about 10 percent do. People have them, the federal minimum wage, adjusted for infl ation, is grown accustomed to eating chicken that’s been cut into strips lower than it was fi fty years ago. It’s about 40 percent lower or reconstituted into nuggets. To meet this demand, the big than it was in the late 1960s, when the industry started to processors started to raise birds that had large chests and to grow.    accelerate their growth in order to cut costs. They started giv- ing antibiotics to chickens and feeding them animal byprod- Other companies in other sectors of the economy have imi- ucts instead of their traditional meal of choice: grass. tated the fast food labor model. So you increasingly see jobs that have been carefully designed to provide no training and that treat workers like they’re interchangeable parts of a ma- Chuck Wilson Thirty years ago, a typical chicken being raised for slaugh- ter weighed about three-and-a-half pounds after a couple of chine. These companies have proven very skilled at impos- months on the farm. Today, a typical chicken weighs fi ve-and- ing their labor costs on the rest of society—since taxpayers (  +# . $*+ $# ) now have to pay for the medical care of these poor workers. Chew on These Facts: a-half pounds after only six weeks. Their growth rate is phe- ' ( '  '  ) !!(  nomenal and totally unnatural. It’s the equivalent of breeding a child who’d weigh 286 pounds by the age of six years. How has the fast food industry impacted public # #(,' ( !!. &*() $#( X• One in four children and 40 health? $*) ) " $) $#! ! +( percent of all teens eat fast food CHUCK: These single-trait engineering techniques have had $ ' ' $)(  $*+ !) , ) daily. unintended consequences. Many birds have developed prob- CHUCK: The founders of the fast food industry realized very lems with their legs because of the diffi culty of supporting early that by appealing directly to children, they could use ) '  (  . ' $, ( ) " !. X• Twenty percent of all public high their top-heavy bodies. It would also be hard to fi nd a person “pester power” to bring a whole family into a restaurant. At  ##'(,# .$* -%! # #,.   # schools sell “branded fast foods.”

who raises broiler chickens today who doesn’t have to discard McDonald’s, the food is wrapped up like a little present. It (#)+## .$*+%'$!.$*#"#. X birds killed by heart attacks. Even though chickens live was linked to a free toy and a warm, friendly clown. A warm, • Ninety percent of kids eat at only six weeks from hatching to slaughter, many don’t even friendly aura has been created around this food—an aura that %'$*)())(" +#*) +# "!( McDonald’s at least once a month. survive that brief lifespan. Their hearts simply cannot support can extend far beyond childhood, especially to those seeking %'$*)( #)'($",' their tremendous rate of growth and simply give out. Some- comfort and familiarity. The foods that young people learn X• Children see $3 billion plus worth times this results in something called “fl ip-over disease”—the to like from a very young age can determine their eating pat- #((#) !($" ( .$*' $#()$%($%% # of fast food advertising every year. birds suddenly fl ip over and die. terns for the rest of their lives. ($*' $' ) +#! ().!$$!$) # X• If a child is obese by the age You also write about the problem of animal Fast food usually tastes pretty good, but it can be very bad ($(" *% + )" #()%'$*)(# of thirteen, there’s more than a 90 waste. How much waste is produced in feedlots for your health if you eat it all the time. At many fast food "$' / $+' %'$*)(!! *'#))$

percent chance that he or she will and slaughterhouses and where does it all go? restaurants, as much as 80 percent or more of the business   +#! +')$ .$*' $$' , )

be overweight at 35. comes from the same 20 percent of the customers. These X #$ ((!( ( )*( $#! #$' !!)$!!') CHUCK: Producing beef, as many have pointed out, is a very customers have sometimes been called “heavy users” within • A ten-year-old child diagnosed ineffi cient enterprise. One cow generates the amount of waste the industry, and they are the ones who are most likely to   with type 2 diabetes can expect to as about 16.4 people. Each steer deposits about 50 pounds develop health problems from eating fast food. It is our hope lose 17 or more years of his or her of urine and manure every day. At the big feedlots, this stuff with a book like this that you might create the sort of aware- life. goes into lagoons that emit hydrogen sulfi de and ammonia ness where young people look very skeptically at fast-food that can be damaging to breathe. The manure can leak into marketing and think hard about what they want to eat.

20 | COMPASSIONATE LIVING | www.MercyForAnimals.org | marketplace

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