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Last Updated: Oct 29, 2008 - 11:04:25 AM |
Hello!
Farm Sanctuary has released a new research report, THE WELFARE OF CATTLE IN BEEF PRODUCTION, which illustrates the life of cattle raised for beef from birth to slaughter in the United States. It includes a summary of published scientific reports, and finds that the U.S. cattle industry has failed to set meaningful standards for the care and handling of beef cattle. If you would like for me to send you the full 20-page report, please let me know. Below is the press release that outlines key findings.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to schedule an interview with Gene Bauston, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. Gene holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University and has worked for the protection of farm animals for over 20 years.
Sincerely,
Molly Hicks, Communications Assistant
607-583-2225 ext. 254
mhicks@farmsanctuary.org
http://www.farmsanctuary.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Meghan Beeby, Farm Sanctuary, 607-583-2225 ext. 251, mbeeby@farmsanctuary.org
Tricia Ritterbusch, Farm Sanctuary, 607-583-225 ext. 233, tritterbusch@farmsanctuary.org
Note to media: Photos available upon request.
FARM SANCTUARY RELEASES REPORT ON THE WELFARE OF CATTLE IN BEEF PRODUCTION
Summary of Scientific Evidence Illustrates the Life of Cattle Raised for Beef from Birth to Slaughter
Watkins Glen, NY - April 17, 2006 - A new report from Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, reveals the conditions cattle endure under the care of the beef industry. The Welfare of Cattle in Beef Production assesses published scientific evidence concluding that the U.S. cattle industry has failed to set meaningful standards for the care and handling of beef cattle, or to take a stand in opposition to any of the various practices that result in physical or behavioral problems for the animals. The industry has also failed to implement any type of welfare audit system for cattle operations and no federal laws protect the welfare of beef cattle in the U.S., other than the Humane Method of Slaughter Act that requires the stunning of livestock before slaughter.
At the beginning of the last century, steer were four or five years of age at slaughter. By the 1950s, cattle were killed at two to three years of age. Today, pumped full of antibiotics, chemicals and hormones to unnaturally promote growth, beef cattle are slaughtered at an average 14 to 16 months, with only the first six to eight months spent on pasture land. The rest of their lives are spent on feedlots - virtual cattle cities with up to 115,000 inhabitants - where they are fattened on an unnatural grain and supplemental protein diet, the cause of two serious digestive disorders found in cattle at feedlots.
"Because these animals spend the first months of their lives in pasture, the raising of beef cattle is often viewed as the least problematic of all modern animal production systems. Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth," said Gene Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary. "The feedlot is essentially just another factory farming model, comparable to drylots for dairy cows, battery cages for laying hens or confined feeding operations for pigs. All of these animals are confined to crowded quarters, fed an unnatural diet, mutilated to make handling easier, and loaded with antibiotics and hormones within a system that views them merely as economic units of production."
Cattle feedlots are mainly located in the central U.S. near areas of high grain production and slaughter plants. Over 70% of all cattle finished in the U.S. are fed in just three states - Nebraska, Kansas and Texas. Crammed into pens that are rarely cleaned or protected from the elements, cattle stand in mud and waste and breathe in noxious fumes. In fact, over 15% of cattle at large feedlots suffer from respiratory disease.
Cattle are subjected to mutilations including castrations and dehorning, almost always without the benefit of pain relief, and are typically branded with a hot or freezing iron. The animals are handled and moved by aversive techniques, such as hitting and shocking with electrical prods. Shipped on crowded vehicles without access to food, water or rest, beef cattle are trucked from farm to auction, from auction to feedlot, and from feedlot to slaughterhouse before reaching grocery store shelves.
About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.
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Molly Hicks
Communications Assistant
Farm Sanctuary
PO Box 150
Watkins Glen, NY 14891
PH: 607-583-2225 ext. 254
FX: 607-583-2041
mhicks@farmsanctuary.org
Visit our website at www.farmsanctuary.org
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