[QUOTE] 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.
QUOTE]

I'm not buying this in the least bit. Show us some real science. Try quoting a peer reviewed scientific journal for evidence rather than AOL's Personal Finance recommendations as evidence. There is no real science involved in this article at all. Just media scare tactics.

"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."

52 companies. Sounds scarry right? But where are the facts behind the fear? 52 companies in seven years equals an average of 7.4 companies a year. Out of how many companies? Thousands? Tens of thousands? What percentage does this amount to in total meat consumed per year in the country? Of course they won't tell you any of that. If teh likelyhood of getting bad meat is lower than being hit by a bus you won't pay a great deal of attention to it.

show us the science.

The next time your dog eats a turd and then comes and licks your face ask it if it's happy. Can i see some science behind a pigs senses saying they are sad when they smell their own "stuff" or how bout guiney pigs (i think it is) who constantly have to chew the ends of their teeth off or they will grow continuously....maybe you should go tell them to stop doing that as they are hurting themselves and making everyone unhappy. Until you can go and test the pain/comfort levels of the animals in question i dont' think you should be posting

Okey Raysan, I agree that the pigs being kept in those small cage most of thier lives is a little different and cruel then what they use to do. And maybe your right that those vaccines are used more now due to those conditions...however, it is the 21st century and everything now days is about producing mass numbers. I think that they have no other way of doing this, when a farm that biG is producing so many animals. Yes it's a shame that they can't let them run free..but can you imagine hundreds and hundreds of pigs, that would be hard to control. Maybe smaller farms...but this farm seems to be mostly about producing meat and yes thats all they see it as. A bussiness and not about whether the pigs would be happier in the sunlight. It is sad, i know, but thats life.

OK...I am sure that, just like all PETA members, Raysan is just another unwanted waste of air that is just screaming for attention. There is no backing for the comments made and he/she has no idea what they are talking about. I want to make one thing clear...The Polich FAMILY farm is a long cry from any factory farm out there. The vaccines are given in the animals best interest and NOT to pad the farmers pocket book. All medications are closely monitored to make sure it is all out of the pigs system before slaughter.
Raysan,get a clue. The metal "partition" that "seperates" the mother and makes her"psychotic" are only in place to keep the mother from laying on her young (which happens all to often when birth occurs in open lots).
If needle teeth are cut to protect the mother and other litter members.
If and when you get out of your suburban lifestyle and acctually step foot on a farm, please fell free to write somthing logical. Untill then quit trying to raise a "stink" (pardon the pun) about somthing you have no idea what you are talking about.
Lets talk about PETA for awhile shall we???
How about this article about two Peta personel caught for killing dosens of cats and dogs?http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=93730&ran=57036
Oh wait here is another good one.... http://www.consumerfreedom.com/pressRelease_detail.cfm/release/105
Seems 29million per year wasn't enough to save 10000 pets in PETA's care.
Raysan you got what you wanted.. Attention to yourself and your petty group of non-majority members of society. I will not respond to any defensive come backs to this because you only feed off of it. You can continue to preach your non thruth serman as long as you would like but please remember that it is a family farm NOT a factory farm.

I watch PETA on the Tampa Bay Community network and the videos they have on there is enough to dicuss you the way animals are being treated. They are treated as though they don't feel pain..these animals live in constant fear and pain. I read one time where a cow was being led to slaughter and it kept fighting the people..it was so much in fear it was trying to survive..don't tell me that animals don't know where they are going. They know they are going to be killed and they are in fear. Just watch your dog or cat when you get ready to take them to the vet. They act up because they know where they are going. Yes..it is instinct..but they do feel.

poogurlie,
I have seen some peta ads, and they are by no means the mainstream of how things are done, and some of them I have seen are not even true. Yes they got the pictures from somewhere, and there are bad people out there, and some of them are with PETA with an agenda to get your money. Please look elsewhere and come up with actual experience before forming an opinion on these things. dirtyjobfan brought up some good points on the pets peta killed. I bet they don't show that on the community network.

As far as the animals fighting as they are led to slaughter. We have animals on the farm that fought to be led into the barn on during a storm.

What gets me on this whole issue is people are so far removed on what goes on out on the rural areas. The news show us a picture of a cow in a Squeeze chute the vet and owner are there checking it over and giving shots, you know a check up to make sure the animal is healthy. The story they show is two people torturing this animal, as it cries out and fights to get out of the chute, and that is not the case. 20-30 years ago most every one knew of or had lived out on a farm at some point in thier life. Now I would guess that less than 10% have been out to a farm. Last statistic I saw was I believe 2% or less of our population grow our food. I don't really like it that way, but for people to survive and make a living that is what has to be done, unless everyone wants to pay more for food. If you want to be a Vegetarian, go ahead. I don't care, but don't force your values onto other people.

I know that I said I would not respond again but I had to add one more web site to check out....
http://www.petakillsanimals.com
Please visit just to see the other side of the story, and if you like what you are reading, sign the form to get PETA's tax exempt staus revoked.

Opps! Comments about pigs feeling pain on that disgusting farm must have hit an open nerve! I guess that when one is implicated in wholesale suffering, it's human nature to justify oneself. For instance Bluemeanietsi writes:

"Can i see some science behind a pigs senses saying they are sad when they smell their own "stuff" or how bout guiney pigs (i think it is) who constantly have to chew the ends of their teeth off or they will grow continuously...."

Like the farmer on the show who callously said that the baby pigs felt no pain upon having their teeth and tails cut off, Bluemeanietsi wants us against common sense to believe that social mammals with advanced nervous systems living in artificially confined quarters over a sea of waste feel no distress. He tries to stonewall the argument by insisting that I show him "real science." Did you know that psychologists can reproduce similar mental disorders in animals that are found in human beings? And that they use animals as models? Just by isolating an animal and depriving maternal care, they can raise a seriously mentally ill animal. When they add other stressful stimuli, the neuroses are increased. It's not rocket science, it's a fact that when you curtail any animals natural instincts, that creates mental problems in the animal. Did you ever see a big cat in a small cage in a cirus or zoo pacing back and forth? Or a caged monkey rocking back and forth like humans do in mental wards? Animals may not be able to reason to the extent that humans reason, but they feel pain, happiness, sadness, fear, etc.. I challenge anyone who has ever had a dog to tell me that dogs don't feel sadness or happiness? Pigs are just as intelligent or more so than dogs. In any case, aside from the stress of being confined in those metal cages, the pigs also develope physical disorders. When that farmer took out one of the pigs from the cage, you could tell that it's feet were clubbed. They looked atrophied from not walking and in fact the pig had problems standing outside to which the farmer flippantly said that it was just his not being used to being outside.

The dirtyjob fan writes:

"The vaccines are given in the animals best interest and NOT to pad the farmers pocket book. All medications are closely monitored to make sure it is all out of the pigs system before slaughter."


Please, I don't think that you even believe that lame story! The vaccines are given because the farmer doesn't want to lose any profits in the event that the pigs die from disease. In any case, the vaccines are ultimately harmful to the consumer who eats those meats laced with vaccinations and antibiotics. So, not only do those farmers that you defend so much end up hurting the animals, they end up hurting society to. And lets not even get started with the environment and the run off from the farms into our groundwater, soil and rivers.

There is a reason we are at the top of the food chain. The pigs on that farm are not animals, not pets, not cute cuddly creatures, they are dinner. They provide a job for thousands, and food for millions. Why change our humanity now? We have killed our food for 200,000 years without remorse, why not ask the sky to stop being so blue.

OMG..... I guess My newborn daughter shouldn't get her Vaccinations, because she might feel pain!! oh no what should I do, she might be scarred for life. I guess I will let her get Polio like what has been happening in some Amish Communities recently.

I guess thats what these PETA types are like. All BS with nothing to back it up.

Readyrealtor writes:

"There is a reason we are at the top of the food chain."

If you look at a human from a physiological point of view, we are vastly different from all other carnivores. We are in fact more similar to herbivores in that we don't have hugh canines for ripping meat, nor do we have short intestines like for instance, the ultimate carnivores, felines who are on top of the food chain. Our intestines are long like those of a cow or a horse. This all seems to suggest that humans are by nature herbivores.

"The pigs on that farm are not animals, not pets, not cute cuddly creatures, they are dinner."

So you are saying that just because they are dinner, we should throw any shred of decency and what is known as humanity out the window? Why don't we just stretch that notion a bit; a rich industrialist can then say, using your logic, that coal miner who works for him is just a worker, he is not a relative or colleage, he is owed absolutely nothing [benefits, life insurance, vacation time, etc..] After all profit and getting the coal out is the ONLY CONSIDERATION. Of course, that's a very callous way of thinking, but that is the essence of your argument.

"They provide a job for thousands, and food for millions."

In fact, if we got rid of pig farms, we would be able to feed more people. The land that is used to farm pigs, could be used to plant grains which are not only healthier, but, also, more bountiful than pigs. 300 pounds of wheat could feed many more people than 300 pounds of pig and it is not as time consuming nor as expensive. What's more, we would probably cut down on cancer. These pig farmers are killing the American people by giving them carcenogenic pig meat, not to mention how they are polluting our rivers and ground water with the run off from their disgusting pig farms.

"Why change our humanity now? We have killed our food for 200,000 years without remorse, why not ask the sky to stop being so blue."

Yes, humans have done many things without remorse, but fortunately we have become more civilized since we lived in caves 200,000 years ago. What's more, if you want to live a healthier and longer life, it makes good sense to stop eating pigs.

So Pigs Are now a Direct link to Cancer? Killing American People.... We have more health problems in this country because we are Fat and lazy. In fact I think I am getting sick from reading some of these posts.

The run off from the "Disgusting pig Farms" is nothing compared to the pollution created by urban cities. All the Waste is captured and Spread on fields for natural fertilizer. A lot better than the Highly processed Sludge that comes off a Waste Water Treatment Facility.

Seems to me the Archeologists find animal bones at the the ancient campsites. That doesn't suggest herbivore activity to me.

For those who wish to be more informed from Facts. The USDA has a Good Site on this.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?n...H_SCIENCE&navtype=RT

Notice it uses reasearch and science. Our Farmers and Ranchers use this info through the Federal, State and County Research and extension offices. This data is gathered and tested in our nations universities.

Farmboy971 writes:

>>So Pigs Are now a Direct link to Cancer? Killing American People.... We have more health problems in this country because we are Fat and lazy. In fact I think I am getting sick from reading some of these posts.<<

Yes, and you and other pig and/or cattle farmers are partly responsible for why Americans are so fat. Meats are not only fattening, but they have been linked to colon cancer. So, yes, eating pigs and other meats is bad for your health and cancer causing.

Please read the following article that cites a 20 year study by the American Cancer Society that confirms this finding:

http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/article/99/105158.htm?src=rss_foxnews


>>The run off from the "Disgusting pig Farms" is nothing compared to the pollution created by urban cities. All the Waste is captured and Spread on fields for natural fertilizer. A lot better than the Highly processed Sludge that comes off a Waste Water Treatment Facility.<<

That's not true. Much of the waste runs off into our rivers and is absorbed by the ground water. In any case, just because our cities produce a lot of waste, that doesn't mean that our rural areas should have a free pass to do the same. Or are you suggesting that two wrongs make a right?

quote:

Yes, and you and other pig and/or cattle farmers are partly responsible for why Americans are so fat.

So the Farmer is responsible for someone who can't push themselves away from chewing on a pork chop, or Hamburger. So I should be out there making sure that nobody is eating too much and staying trim and fit. Maybe we need to sue McDonald's again. Yes they are at fault for dangling those hamburgers in front of me.

I didn't see anything difinitive in the article. Just gives some standard Risk factors for Cancer. They stated at the end of the article "To keep cancer risk low we now know that staying lean and active is one of the most important things we can do" That sums it up. Comes back to a Balanced diet, and exercise.

quote:

That's not true. Much of the waste runs off into our rivers and is absorbed by the ground water. In any case, just because our cities produce a lot of waste, that doesn't mean that our rural areas should have a free pass to do the same. Or are you suggesting that two wrongs make a right?

So you know exactly how waste is handled out on the farm, and Rural areas. Why would they risk the ground water when they are drinking that same water for themselves and thier families? There is some controversy and fear from some of the Really big Dairy, hog, poultry and beef operations. I know that they have to have a permit to operate, which includes a plan on construction, and land application at approved rates, etc.
I grew up on a smaller operation (similar to what you saw on Dirty Jobs which was by no means looked even close to a "Factory Farm") and would like to see that continue, but today's world market isn't allowing it.

Wow... There goes Raysan off the deep end again. Still little to no evidence raysan. Here is a good site to disprove yours. This one actually lists resources used to write it along with the writers names.

http://www.theomnivore.com/veg%20diet%20bad%20for%20brain.html

You sure didn’t take long to go visit a farm like I suggested Raysan. Or are you still writing nonsense hearsay again?

Arson, property destruction, burglary, and theft are ‘acceptable crimes’ when used for the animal cause.
- PETA co-founder Alex Pacheco lists the “acceptable” tactics to fight for animal rights, Associated Press (January 3, 1989)

quote:

You sure didn’t take long to go visit a farm like I suggested Raysan. Or are you still writing nonsense hearsay again?

I doubt he has been near a real farm. He might get dirty.

I think I am done here. He is talking himself in circles. No point to it anymore.

Agreed. Like I mentioned in my previous post, this is what he likes. He feeds off of people arguing and proving his nonsense wrong because it brings attention to his cause wether it is good or bad, he doesn't care. I believe looking back on this thread, I think that our position on this came out very clear and definitely above his. My only hope is that this can stay on top so many people can read how irrational Raysan really is. My biggest problem is that the pig episode has not re-aired as much as the others, I hope that it is not because of negative comments made by people such as him.
If you are reading this Mike, and have any control over airings please don't let a few negative comments stop a very informative show. I think that it was done in a very appropriate way and that there was no cruelty to animals. I think it is a great way to show people, especially children, what life on a family farm is really like. Most people do not understand the hard work that goes into what they eat. I am sure that for the sake of your show you cannot take a stand or share your true thoughts on the show but I would love to hear them.

Farmboy971 writes:

"So the Farmer is responsible for someone who can't push themselves away from chewing on a pork chop, or Hamburger. So I should be out there making sure that nobody is eating too much and staying trim and fit. Maybe we need to sue McDonald's again. Yes they are at fault for dangling those hamburgers in front of me"

Farmboy, a farmer who raises livestock is indirectly responsible for the disease engendered in the individual whose colon cancer and heart disease is linked to eating meat in the same way that the drug dealer who sells a young man or woman a vial of crack is indirectly responsible for that youth's addiction and possible death. No one is forcing a tragically large percentage of America's youth to consume drugs, but I think that it is safe to say that we can partially blame the drug dealer for this tragedy, since he is making the drugs available. In this way, the pig and other livestock farmer can be likened to a drug pusher.

Farmboy writes: "I didn't see anything difinitive in the article. Just gives some standard Risk factors for Cancer. They stated at the end of the article "To keep cancer risk low we now know that staying lean and active is one of the most important things we can do" That sums it up. Comes back to a Balanced diet, and exercise."

You are picking and choosing whatever is convenient to your argument and that is very dishonest. The article is very definitive.

Here is a direct quote:

"Those who eat the most red meat -- beef and/or pork and/or processed meat products -- get colon cancer 30% to 40% more often than those who eat these foods only once in a while."

How much more definitive can you get??

Farmboy writes:

"So you know exactly how waste is handled out on the farm, and Rural areas. Why would they risk the ground water when they are drinking that same water for themselves and thier families?"

Farmboy, for some people money is the most important thing in the world. Don't some of the pollutants from factories cause lung cancer? Do you see the rich industrialists whose factor produces airborne cancer causing particles worried even though his family is also breathing those poisons? No, because the dollar in his pocket weights more than his families health.
By the way, since you have in the past asked me to provide sources. Here is a source about how factory farms are polluting our environment. It's a scholarly paper entitled CESSPOOLS OF SHAME:

http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/cesspools/cesspools.pdf

I was wondering if anyone ever watched anything else on the Discovery Channels besides Dirty Jobs? For the person who wants the piggies to "run free", have they ever heard of these hogs automatically turning into 'wild hogs'? This is true. It is something in their genetic code to make them revert back to 'wild' and away from domestic. They will kill other livestock, pets and even attack humans. Sometimes hogs escape from farms and this has been proven to happen. Granted, I don't know all the scientific aspects of this, but I'm sure some of you out there watched that show too.