IT’S STILL A “JUNGLE” OUT THERE
IT’S STILL A “JUNGLE” OUT THERE … Or How US Beef-Industry
Feeding Practices Are a Source of Concern
If you think about farmers raising cattle, you probably conjure
up something like this happy cow scene: Mellow heifers quietly
grazing on the lush grass of the rolling countryside, lazily
swishing their tails at pesky bugs. New-born and young calves
getting nourishment from the milk in their mothers’ teats. For
us here at Grinning Planet, such images make us reminisce about
our days in the Mu Alpha Mu fraternity, when we’d hang out at
the Dairy Queen every Friday after class singing all the great
milk-drinking songs.
But back to the dreamy visions of cow country. It seems there is
a nightmarish underbelly here, and much of the nightmare centers
on animal feed.
While it’s true that cows typically spend the first year or two
of their lives grazing on pasture, there are two ugly facts
about how “agribusiness” in the US feeds cows:
A baby cow does not typically feed from its mother’s teat, but
rather is fed a bottled formula mix that contains (among other
things) the blood of cows that have previously been slaughtered.
Eww!
Once a maturing cow leaves the pasture for the feed lots, it is
typically given a feed mix that contains slaughterhouse
waste—parts from cows, pigs, and chickens that have been ground
up, rendered, and mixed with grain or other feed stocks. Double
eww!
Basically, those in the ranching and feedlot industries have
turned cows—which are purely vegetarian by design—into
meat-eaters, and to some extent, unwitting cannibals. Most
people have a visceral negative reaction to the concept of
cannibalism, even when it occurs naturally in a species. But in
this case, the cows’ cannibalism is 100% at man’s insistence.
Profit and pricing pressures are behind it—slaughterhouse waste
is a cheap source of food for the grower’s operations.
Maybe you think serving up cow’s blood to calves and rendered
slaughterhouse waste to feedlot cattle are shady, fringe
practices. But such feedings are standard in the beef industry,
and completely within current regulations. The beef industry has
aggressively tried to quell any discussion of the issue, and
they generally get full support from the US Department of
Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
Though “recycling” of animal slaughter waste may seem somewhat
appealing from a waste-disposal perspective, the barbarity of
these practices is enough to make one cringe. But there is an
even worse problem with these methods. In the next Eco-Logical,
we’ll talk about how Mad Cow Disease relates to these feeding
practices, and we’ll offer some suggestions for finding beef
that is free of freakish feeds. Want more… See part II
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2003/judge-is-nuts/environmental-is
sue-24.htm
For jokes, cartoons, and more great environmental information,
visit http://www.grinningplanet.com .
Copyright © 2003 by GrinningPlanet.com You have permission to
publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge,
as long as the bylines are included. Must be published complete
with no changes. A courtesy copy of your publication would be
appreciated.
