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The Iowa secretary of agriculture, chief rabbinate in Israel, and the Orthodox Union weigh in on AgriProcessors. Read their reactions here.
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AgriProcessors workers ignore the suffering of cows who are still sensible to pain after having their throats slit by the ritual slaughterer. The animals stagger and slip in blood while their tracheas dangle from their necks.
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Statement of Dr. Peggy Larson, DVM,
MS, JD,
Animal Cruelty Investigator
“For the past 15 years, I have consulted with humane organizations
regarding legal and veterinary issues; started the National Spay and Neuter
Coalition to help stop pet overpopulation; with the local humane society
as a cruelty investigator, taken animals from abusive homes; testified
at hearings and trials against animal abusers; worked within the legal
profession to increase prosecution of animal abusers; and worked with
the American Veterinary Medical Association to improve their animal welfare
policies.
“In all my years of working with groups advocating humane treatment
of animals, this is the most horrendous video I have ever watched. The
inhumane treatment of these animals made me physically sick. I have seen
a lot of abused animal videos, including bullfighting, but nothing compared
with this.
“The animals are conscious from the time their throats are cut and
the trachea is cut out until they cease to move. Consciousness varies
during that time, but the animal is very aware of its condition when it
is thrashing around on the floor with its trachea hanging outside of its
body and its throat cut. Consciousness diminishes but awareness continues
until the animal ceases to move. When the animal is hoisted by its hind
leg, it responds even though it is no longer thrashing. At that time,
death is imminent.
“This is extremely inhumane slaughter. I was shocked to see the
trachea removed because this was never part of the kosher kill ritual
years ago. Then the animal was allowed to bleed to death from the throat
cut. I doubt the ritual has changed because it is based on ancient Jewish
law. Therefore, I believe removal of the trachea is not part of Jewish
law. Cutting the trachea and esophagus out of a living, conscious animal
is inhumane to the point of being obscene. It is unacceptable. The animal
is totally conscious and the pain must be extreme.
“Adding to the fear and intense pain, the animal is sucking up blood
and debris from the kill floor through the trachea which is now outside
of his body and being dragged through the blood and manure on the floor.
His lungs are filling with his own blood and waste literally choking him
to death. I would think this would be unacceptable under the kosher kill
ritual because of the contamination. Only the front part of the animal
is used for kosher food as the hind quarters are considered contaminated
because of the colon and rectum full of feces and urine.
“From the time the animals entered the killing chute until they
appeared comatose, approximately 4 to 5 minutes passed. I believe the
animals began the process of dying when they entered the runway leading
to the killing chute and ended when they are finally hoisted into the
processing area. Their fear must be enormous. At that point they can smell
the blood and hear the noises from the dying animals. Also at this time,
they are shocked with the cattle prod to move them forward to the killing
chute.
“Before the advent of the killing chute, kosher killed animals were
hung by one of the hind feet while the ritual was repeated and their throats
were being cut. This was very painful because of the weight of the animal
and the time it took to complete the ritual. However, the killing chute
creates more fear in the animal because it is turned upside down and its
head is caught in an extended manner, causing difficulty breathing both
from the rumen contents pushing against the diaphragm and the extreme
bowing of the head. The animal must be terrified.
“In summation, all aspects of slaughter in this plant are unacceptable
and must be corrected, from handling of the animals in the runway to the
pen/chute that turns them upside down, to ripping out tracheas in a conscious
animal, to dumping them, still conscious, onto the ground. This plant
requires full scale change in handling and slaughter.”
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