It was said that these videos do a disservice to farmers. That most of the videos are edited and "staged". Someone went as far as to say that these PETA workers coming in with hidden cameras are a risk to the animals and may spread disease going from farm to farm.
I could say a lot about this but want to hear your comments. Is the government trying to slide another issue under the rug instead of fixing the problem? Is PETA making a mountain out of a molehill?
The conditions in feed lots are terrible and I don't think anyone could "stage" them to make them look worse. The animals are at risk for disease anyway since they are typically up to their hips in manure all day and unable to move around. With movies like Food, Inc. gaining popularity more consumers are choosing to buy free range/organic/local meat. This is just big business getting what they want (again).
ReplyDeleteI don't know a lot about this, as I'm not from a farming state. I'm curious to read what others say about this subject! Off the top of my head, my first response is that the problem is about regulating the farms to make sure health and humanity regulations are being followed. If that was happening, maybe there would be fewer people trying to secretly video tape the feed lots. Also, can't those people who sneak on to feed lots be sued in civil court for trespassing or something? Or charged with trespassing as a crime? Is it really necessary to make a separate crime just for PETA undercover people? Would the answer be different if it was the people who go undercover into offices like ACORN? Where do you draw the line? I'm not sure I buy the idea of this bill trying to protect the farmer, when it's really the big agricultural businesses that have the most to lose, from what I understand. But then again, I'm not that familiar.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, are you going to post your thoughts in the comments? I'd love to hear them! You said you have a lot to say :) BTW, love the most recent pictures of your kids; it's good to see Jacob out back having fun with his brother!
Living and participating daily in conventional and organic ag production, we see conventional farmers with animals fed and in a clean enviroment and organic grass-fed beef farmers that have under-fed cattle in abusive situations. We also see some of the best organic farmers to be found anywhere and the worst conventional farmers that do not care that their livestock are standing deep in manure and that they just sprayed toxins in the river. There is the good and bad in everything. There is no need for PETA to stage anything. The worst is out there and happens more then you will ever know.
ReplyDeleteI am not a PETA fan. They believe animals should have the same rights as humans. They forget that God has given us the animals for our use and have no souls as humans. Yet animals are God's creatures and should be treated with care and respect that is due.
We do not need to regulate every aspect of our lives. It takes away our rights and freedoms. Regulating does nothing but benefit big ag. It does nothing to ensure quality. The only way you can be sure that the food is being raised humanely, ethically, and is of good quality is to raise it yourself or buy it from a researched/known source.
Those who say this can not be done are being lazy and fooling themselves. We can all grow a tomato plant in a pot next to our door. We can all go down to the farmer's market and get to know our farmers and then visit their farms.
I guess my response to Elizabeth's question is that any farmer/Ag corporation (a lot of our confinements are corp. owned) that are not open and tend to be secretive is because they have a reason, one that they do not want you to know. Buy only from those who are open about their practices. Then we will have no need for these regulations.
I will add my two cents worth. :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not agree with all of PETAs practices I do not see them exposing the conditions of feedlots and factory farms as a "disservice" to farmers. Rather, it is a service to us, the consumers, who buy the meat from these farms. If a farm has nothing to hide then there is no problem video taping, correct?
The PETA workers are not trespassing (usually) as they are hired workers working undercover. They are not putting the animals at risk of disease any more than any of the other workers.
I feel that this is just another way for the government to protect these huge factory farms while still trying to micro-manage small family farms. PETA is exposing what is happening to our food supply and the government doesn't like it.
On a side note, I feel that factory farming is putting all animals at risk, and therefore putting the consumer of those products at risk. All animals should be treated with respect and while I am a meat eater I believe that the animals need to have a good life (and diet) and a humane death.
I do eat meat but I strongly feel they have a right to take videos. recently I saw a documentary about how cow's are handled. It broke my heart. I do not know much about PETA but I do feel like if we are killing animals then we should not ashamed of how we are doing it. Nothing in hiding is ever good
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