I am pleased to see that Proposition 2 has opened up for discussion the treatment of farm animals, especially those in factory farms now owned by a handful of multinational corporations. The animals are now treated as commodities rather than living things. We must stop this inhumane and unhealthy system currently in place from conception to slaughterhouse. In doing so, we also save ourselves.
Factory farm animals have altered genetic make-ups, similar to inbreeding. These mono-breeding programs that escalate growth and milk and egg production take their toll, putting animals under great stress and pain (brittle bones, painful udders), pushing these animals to their bodily limits.
Because of mono-breeding, the animals are extremely susceptible to developing and spreading disease, since most of the breeding is done with animals having almost the same genetic makeup. Due to these programs, until recently, non-diseased livestock’s use of antibiotics was eight times greater than in humans (and much more when they are diseased), causing antibiotic resistance in animals as well as humans.
These same factory farms cause huge amounts of pollution due to overcrowding, claustrophobic and foul-smelling conditions. One hog can produce as much waste as eight people, yet these premises are not required to have sewage treatment facilities. This waste pollutes water systems, killing fish and wildlife. What has been found in analyzed feed samples for many factory farm animals is noxious, including blood meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, animal hair, chemicals, cardboard, candy, dried poultry manure and cattle manure.
No wonder Escheria coli 0157: H7 E. coli was discovered in 1982 when factory farming and slaughtering became the norm. These factory farms and slaughterhouses desensitize, demoralize and dehumanize many of their low-paid employees who dare not speak up. The consequences of doing nothing are staggering. This is not just a humane issue, this is also a threat to human safety. Therefore, we must vote “yes” on Proposition 2 and follow up to add the same standards to out-of-state food imported into California.
Cindy Emminger