This is the first time that I watch Dirty Jobs. I saw the episode with Mike Rowe in a Pig Farm. What disgusted me the most was not the pig excrement, etc., but rather to see how cruel humans can be to animals. There is a scene in which the farmer and then Rowe cut newborn baby pig's tails and teeth off and the farmer reassures Rowe that this is for their good, and that it doesn't hurt the animals. He reassures us that the piglets simply cry because they are scared at being handled [as if they didn't have nerve endings]. You see the mother pig urinating in anxiety as she hears her baby's distress calls and they make fun of this as if to imply that pigs are such dirty animals. It saddened me to see this and it saddened and angered me that factory farms are being whitewashed in such a blatant manner.
There were other disgusting scene like the fact that pigs are kept in these metal stows over a sea of excrement without the opportunity to at least enjoy living outside under the sun. Even this dignity is taken away from these poor animals in their short miserable lives.
Yes, I am a vegetarian and yes, it would make me feel better if I knew that those poor animals weren't made to suffer so much. By the way, your logic is flawed. You seem to be suggesting that just because they are going to die, we should have no concern for them whatsoever as if their pending death somehow negates their rights as sentient creatures that feel pain, fear, distress, discomfort, etc.. to at least be given some dignity in their short sad lives.
i understand your logic too.im an animal lover,5 dogs(hence the name)2 cats rabbits and fish. i think semantics and cost are the only reason animals bred for slaughter are treated as such.Im no farmer but i think its such a huge turnover business,the cash is the only concern.
I TOO was sad to see how the pigs were handled. I am NOT a vegitarian and I do enjoy meat, BUT that doesn't mean the animals can't be handled better until it is time to be sent to market. I felt the same way after the show with the baby chicks.
As Pitbull says "its such a huge turnover business, the cash is the only concern." Tragically, this is the case, these farmers are only interested in money and that is why they become so incredibly callous. That's why the farmer coldly said--against all logic-- that the young pigs didn't feel any pain having their teeth and tails cut off. I guess that it's rationalization. After all, nobody wants to think of himself or herself as cruel.
Everything that is done to these pigs is done with profit in mind. The sow is even kept separated from her pigglets by a metal partition because in those metal stows the sows often become psychotic and sometimes kill their own offspring. So, that even the full maternal bond is denied to these tragic pigglets.
And what was it with the artificial insemination? Even reproduction is done artificially, though I couldn't figure why? Perhaps the farmer is afraid that the boar might hurt the sow which would hurt his profits? It was all so sickening.
These factory farmers are totally devoid of any kindness. By the way, those pigs are also very unhealthy and harmful, because they are filled with growth hormones and antibiotics which the consumer absorbs in his body when he eats a porkshop or a ham sandwich made from these pigs.
These is why Europeans don't like to import American meats. At least their animals are raised out in the open in traditional farms where they can enjoy life for a while and they aren't injected with tons of chemicals that they pass on to the consumer. Europeans know how cancer causing factory farmed meat is.
Ok who posting here is a member of PETA? Raysan??? Come on. Get some facts straight before you post.
I grew up on a Farm that raised livestock. Yes everything is done with profit in mind, but profit means healthy and happy animals. If they are not healthy and happy they do not put on weight, or produce offspring.
Eventhough we did not raise hogs, I was around people that did raise them, I can tell you that the piglets are not kept from the sows after birth, unless they try to "reject" them and stomp them or even eat them (Pigs are naturally Carnivoires(sp)). This happens quite regularly with all species, even in "open traditional" farms. To combat this the piglets (or other animal offspring) have to be protected, and sometimes specially fed. So no they do not become "psychotic".
Artificial Insemination? Come on. This is has been done with humans for longer. Can you say "Test Tube Babies". Only in the last 10 years has this caught on with livestock.
The So Called "Factory Farms" Are not harmfull and Unhealthy, and not devoid of Kindness. They are not Filled with hormones. Anibiotics yes. Have you given your pets any shots lately? Did you listen to the reasons that were given for removing the Teeth and Having the Tails cut off? Hygene and protection from getting infections. We do worse things to ourselves for protection, How many people get thier wisdom teeth pulled?
I Really wish you would please not spread rumors and hearsay about what goes on American Farms. Many of them still are Family Farms. They one you saw on Dirty Jobs to me looked like it was run by a family farm. These are Honest hard working americans out there. They take pride and really care for the animals that they raise. And some of them are my family.
Farmboy, how can you say that those animals are happy? Apparently, you have become as callous as that farmer who told Mike Rowe that cutting off the pigglet's tail and teeth didn't hurt it. How can you say that young pigs housed in metal cages over a sea of exrement and urine can be happy? You can make an argument that pigs kept in traditional farms where they can wallow in mud, freely graze for food, play under the sun and have contact with each other are happy, but those tragic pigs kept in cages separated from each other in rooms emanating with fumes of urine and feces are not happy.
Piglets in factory farms are indeed kept apart from their mothers. Separated by a caged partition, they suckle the mother through the metal bars, and the reason that they have to be separated is that the sow becomes so stressed being housed in a small cage that she often rejects and kills her own piglets. This does not happen as often in traditional farms where pigs are allowed to live in relatively stress free environments and where the sow's maternal instincts can flourish.
About artificial insemination, most people who opt for artificial insemination do so for a host of reasons, i.e. infertile husbands, lesbian couples wanting to have children, single women who don't want to get married, etc... those animals on the other hand have no choice. They are artificially inseminated. It's yet another way of robbing these tragic animals of any vestige of dignity that they could otherwise enjoy in their short lives. The only reason that I could see for doing this is that the farmer is afraid that his profits might be hurt if the boar and sow hurt each other. It's really quite sickening.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: kim g,
Raysan, You abviously have a strong opinion on this. I am afraid that you only see part of it, and are not getting the whole story or picture, and that is the problem now days.
I stick to my original statement. Everything is done to keep the animals healthy and happy. If that is not done, you don't have a profitable herd. I suppose you would suggest we hire Pychiatrists to evaluate and check on the emotional health. You seem to think that letting them run free would be better for them. Well we used to do that, but that was also a good way for disease to spread in hogs. Ever notice on a hog farm they have warning signs up no to enter for fear of transfering deadly diseases. Trust me it would be cheaper, and easier to just let them roam.
Artificial insemination is done to control genetics, not to ensure that the Boar will hurt the sow. And no we are not talking genetic engineering, we are talking to be able to spread the boars semen to more sows, otherwise that boar would be a little too busy.
Everything is done to maximize profit for the farmer. That's the bottom line. In order to increase productivity and reduce costs, pigs are kept in tiny cages over a sea of toxic waste and are fed growth hormones and antibiotics. The antibiotics keep them "healthy", because, they would otherwise succumb to disease as a result of the duress that they must suffer living in those tiny filthy cages which of course would mean a lost to the farmer.
As far as not allowing them to run free because they can spread diseases to each other, how about the delitirious effects of growth hormones and antibiotics on the consumer? You say that hogs that are allowed to run free can spread diseases to each other, have you ever heard of organically raised livestock? They are allowed to run free on the farm and are not fed growth hormones or antibiotics. They live healthy lives and as a result produce healthier and tastier meats.
Raysan, Get a clue. Of corse it is done for profit. These people are trying to make a living. People think that they are a bunch of "Rich Farmers", or "Dumb hicks", think again. It is a business, the livestock is their business, and if they do not take care of the livestock thier business will go under. You make it sound like they are out there injecting poisons, beating, and not caring for them.
I only have one thing left to say and I am done. Look at what happened over in Europe a few years ago with Foot and Mouth, and Mad Cow disease. If they are not managed and carefully watched and treated they will run rampant. So medications, and herd practices to help combat this and other diseases like this are bad?
I am done arguing with you. You have a very strong OPINION on this. I am just trying to add the balance to it. I don't like it when I see people talking about stuff when they don't know the whole story on the issue.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: farmboy971,
I have to say that I agree w/ both sides. On one hand I don't like to see the mistreatment of animals like what I saw happening to a elephant at a circus but when it come to a pig farm thats another story. Come on..there pigs. Thats what they have been used for, for hundreds of years. They are eaten. And if someone choices to not eat meat its up to them...but the mojority of humans like to eat meat...and thats not a crime its nature. Though I did feel bad watching the poor piglets getting stuck w/ those needles, it was for there own good and ours. Just like when we get vaccines as youngesters..heck..I didn't like it but it was for my own good. Thing are way overrated, I still love the show and find it very interesting and MIke is just awesome.
I am an avid animal lover..however...people have a bad habit of "humanizing" animals. The comments above about the pigs not being "happy" is an example. We animal lovers have this habit of thinking that animals are just like us. They think like us and emote like us...but science and history and personal experience will tell you they don't. Animals act, react and follow instinct. Period. They don't have emotions. I personally cannot watch the shows of the baby chicks and had to turn the channel on the pig show...yes they seem inhumane...if it were "people" in those pens...but they're not...they are pigs. Thank goodness they can only act and react and don't have emotions. Don't hate the animal lover hate the hater. I love Mike! Are you married?
Even if pigs have been used for hundreds of years as sources of meat that doesn't mean that we have to torture them while they are alive. Factory Farms are a far cry from traditional farms of yesteryear where animals were allowed to live in a farm yard and stretch their legs and run and feel the sun and wind in their faces. Those poor pigs in those small filthy cages, well, there is no word to describe their condition other than totally inhumane. As for the piglet getting stuck with the needle, that was not for their own good, but rather for the good of the farmer's pocketbook, less the piglet dies. The farmer is painfully aware that any animal kept under those filthy, crowded conditions is likely to succumb to disease. And by the way, those vaccinations are bad for you too. When you consume factory raised meats, you are consuming residues of all of those vaccinations and growth hormones that those animals were injected with during their short miserable lives.
And to Knilja:
Animals do have emotions, certainly not as fully developed as ours, but aniamals are capable of feeling contentment, fear, anger, and I would say even love... Have you ever been around a cat or a dog? What do cats do when they are content, they purr, when they're angry, they pull their ears back and let out a low growl, what do dogs do when they are afraid, they yelp, and when they are happy, they wag their tales. What's more, history books are full of heroic dogs that have saved dying humans. There are even statues dedicated to hero dogs. How can anyone say that animals don't feel emotions? And it's been proven that pigs are as intelligent if not more intelligent than dogs. I mean, it's not as if you are talking about clams or fish. You are talking about mammals with highly developed nervous systems. Many people who keep pigs as pets, say that they make wonderful, sensitive and intelligent pets.
Pigs are raised in as clean an environment as possible due to public health concerns. Years ago before farm health inspectors were used and pigs were allowed to free roam and wallow in mud there was a large problem with people who ate them getting Trichinosis. They must be raised in a clean environment. I have heard (I don't know if it's true) that in down town Los Angeles there is a ten story all cement pig farm building, the piglets start out on the upper floors and are moved to the floors below as they grow until they come out on the ground floor as sausage. Trichinosis has been totally eliminated by raising pigs in a clean environment. So to vegitarians and PETA people relize that you are a small sector of our population, most people do eat meat and the farmer has an obligation to supply disease free meat and this is the way pigs must be raised to protect peoples health. People have rights too you know.
Discowl, I don't know how you can say that "pigs are raised in as clean an environment as possible due to public health concerns". Did you watch the program in question? The pigs were kept in small cages over a sea of their own bodily wastes. The odor was so toxic that Mike Rowe had to cover his nose when he entered the stow. The pig's solid and liquid waste simply fell through the grates in the cage under their feet into the toxic, thick pollution below. Their feet were caked with their own wastes.
And you talk about trichnosis, how about the cancer causing antibiotics and growth hormones that those tragic animals are fed during their short miserable lives? Residues of those harmful, cancerous chemicals find there way into the consumer when they eat those meats.
Factory farmers are certainly not supplying disease-free food, on the contrary, they are a major cause of cancer in this country not to mention pollution as the run-off from these farms pollutes our streams and rivers.
Factory farmers are certainly not supplying disease-free food, on the contrary, they are a major cause of cancer in this country not to mention pollution as the run-off from these farms pollutes our streams and rivers.
I call BS. I would like you to back that statement up with some proof. You need to get out more.
Originally posted by discowl: Pigs are raised in as clean an environment as possible due to public health concerns. Years ago before farm health inspectors were used and pigs were allowed to free roam and wallow in mud there was a large problem with people who ate them getting Trichinosis. They must be raised in a clean environment. I have heard (I don't know if it's true) that in down town Los Angeles there is a ten story all cement pig farm building, the piglets start out on the upper floors and are moved to the floors below as they grow until they come out on the ground floor as sausage. Trichinosis has been totally eliminated by raising pigs in a clean environment.
My point exactly on the Trichinosis. This was a real problem until it was virtually eraticated by modern techniques.
As far as the "Pig Barn" in downtown LA. I highly doubt it because of the "natural" odor, and the sheer amount of Feed needed to be brought in and the amount of waste produced.
"You are what the animal eats." Americans are consuming more meat than ever. In 2004 we ate over 221 pounds of meat and poultry per person, up from 199 pounds in 1990. In order for the industry to turn a profit on the low prices Americans have come to expect, most livestock are kept and slaughtered on factory farms, where animals eat corn- and soybean-based feed — 10 to 30% of which is often radically different from what the animal would consume naturally. For example, feathers, poultry manure and bedding are all acceptable in cattle feed, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Poultry may also be fed meat and bone meal ground down to an inexpensive, protein-rich powder that encourages fast growth.
This practice can be dangerous to humans. According to Consumers Union, between August 1997 and March 2004, 52 companies recalled products for violating federal rules protecting feed from infectious "prions," the proteins believed to cause mad-cow disease. Despite the recalls, the FDA has failed to institute stricter rules.
How can you avoid contaminated meat? For starters, buy organic, which prohibits feed containing animal byproducts. And for information on food safety, visit http://www.notinmyfood.org.
The practice of feeding the Bone meal, feathers and such has been around for many, many years. The reason it has got so much attention now and rightly so is the Mad Cow scare that started over in Europe, and then showed up a couple years ago on US Soil in 2 Cattle, and 1 came out of Canada. The USDA has put a Ban on Feeding these materials in response to this. There hasn't been any Solid evidence that it is traced back to the cause of Mad Cow, it is widely believed it is. This has not been a Major issue in the US because our Food supply is one of the Safest in the World. We have reacted (over reacted at times) and changed policy to protect our food supply.
Of corse it is done for profit. These people are trying to make a living. People think that they are a bunch of "Rich Farmers", or "Dumb hicks", think again. It is a business, the livestock is their business, and if they do not take care of the livestock thier business will go under. You make it sound like they are out there injecting poisons, beating, and not caring for them. 