Animal Welfare Act Inadequate for Farm Animals

This is really interesting. How many people know this about the Animal Welfare Act? I certainly didn't. No wonder there is so much "farm" animal abuse out there.

The only cool thing is that Gene Bauer's views on the meat industry are so similar to those expressed on this blog a few weeks ago. (Yay!!!) Humane treatment runs counter to the entire industry when the point is to make money by processing these animals as fast as possible.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “farm animals are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) only when used in biomedical research, testing, teaching and exhibition. Farm animals used for food and fiber or for food and fiber research are not regulated under the AWA.”

...Unlike domestic animals, there are minimal organizations or lobbyists to defend these animals, therefore leaving public opinion to be shaped only by the insincere comments of the cattle industry. As such, most people do not consider the potential abuse that may have taken place to bring their hamburger onto their dinner plate.

While a nationwide vegan or vegetarian lifestyle change is highly unlikely, the abuse can be maintained through increased government regulation. “Laws remain grossly inadequate as do practices at our nation’s slaughterhouses,” says Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur. “Most animals in the U.S. are killed in factory style slaughterhouses whose primary goal is to kill and process animals quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, this goal tends to run counter to humane goals.”

Baur believes that slaughterhouse cruelty can be reduced by simple operational changes, such as slowing down the slaughter lines. “The faster they go, the greater the problems with animals being handled roughly and being improperly killed. Some have been literally cut up while still alive because the facility didn’t provide adequate time for the animal to be rendered unconscious and killed.”