Today I’ve been feeling depressed about the meat, egg, and milk market in America. I can’t speak for other countries, but this industry in America is really messed up.
But just how depressing is America’s meat, egg, and dairy industry? Think you know what’s happening behind those closed “barn” doors that the “farmers” won’t let you see?
Let’s take a little quiz to see how informed you are, you educated thing.
Animal Industry Quiz: What Happens to the Meat, Eggs, and Dairy before We Eat It?
Disclaimer: may be depressing.
1. Before pigs are killed, they are:
a) given a farewell hug, then their throats are slit
b) Ushered into a room with other pigs, where they all are shot
c) stunned with a taser, thrown in a giant tub of scalding water, then skinned (they may still be alive at this point)
2. Male chickens do not lay eggs. What happens to the male chicks after they are born in the egg industry?
a) they are sent to happy local farms where they will become roosters and peck away at their hearts’ content
b) sent to another farm in the meat industry where they will be raised with hormones, then killed for some American family’s dinner
c) they are ground up alive
3. Veal is some tasty beef (I’ve never had it, but I’ve heard this). What happens to veal before you pick it up at the store?
a) the baby cow has played happily in a field with its mom
b) the baby cow lived on a giant factory farm with other baby cows, being fed unnatural grains before it was slaughtered
c) the baby cow was tethered to a post in a dark stall all by itself where it never saw daylight or moved much, and then it was killed
4. Male cows are neutered in the meat industry. How is this process accomplished?
a) with anesthesia, a vet comes to administer this and remove the testicles
b) without anesthesia, a qualified individual simply cuts off the testicles and stitches up the area
c) without anesthesia, someone ties a rubber band around the testicles to cut off the blood flow. The testicles turn black and then fall off
5. How are female cows able to keep producing milk?
a) female cows just naturally produce milk all the time
b) they are injected with hormones to keep them producing milk
c) they are impregnated time after time by having sperm injected into their vaginas. Immediately after they give birth, their calves are taken away to farms where they will be injected with hormones, raised for meat, and slaughtered at a young age
6. A specific breed of chicken has dominated the meat industry. Why was this chicken bred?
a) it tastes better
b) it looks better
c) people in America want chickens with bigger breasts, so the chickens are bred so their breasts grow so big that many of them cannot walk
7. When pigs are transported to the slaughterhouse, they are:
a) put in sturdy cages so they don’t fall or hurt each other
b) put into trucks where they have room to lay down and are given water and a snack
c) packed into trucks so tightly with no food and water for many miles; many die from heat exhaustion or freeze to the side of the trucks, where, if they are still alive upon arrival, they are cut off the side of the truck and their skin is removed
8. What happens to chickens at the slaughterhouse?
a) they are given baths before their throats are slit
b) they are gassed to death
c) hung upside down by their legs and dragged through water with electricity run through it, which paralyzes them, and then their throats are slit while they are still conscious. Although, some of them miss the blade and end up being dumped in scalding hot water still fully conscious
9. Cows at the slaughterhouse are:
a) comforted before they die
b) get their throats slit and someone is there to ensure that every cow dies quickly
c) they are shot in the head with a bolt to stun them, their throats are slit, and they are dismembered. Some cows are not properly stunned or do not immediately die after their throats are slit, and they are dismembered while still conscious
10. Egg-laying chickens:
a) sit on pillows while laying their eggs
b) are in individual cages where they don’t have much room to move
c) are so tightly packed in cages with other chickens that they do not have room to move or clean themselves. With cage-free chickens, they are usually packed the same way on the floor where the spread of illness is more likely and they still do not have room to do much
I’m going to make this super easy for you guys: the answer to all of them is c.
Shocked? You shouldn’t be.
This stuff is happening right now all over the country. If you guessed c for most of them, then you’re well informed and know your stuff, and hopefully, you aren’t still buying commercial meat and dairy and eggs.
The great thing about this is that you DON’T have to stop eating meat, eggs, and dairy to stop supporting this industry. You just need to get local meat, eggs, and dairy. This means that you need to find small local farms where the farmers are actually farmers and they let you see and pet the cow and other animals.
This food is also so much healthier for you too as usually, these local farms let their cows and chickens eat natural food such as grass without shoving unnatural GMO grains down their throats.
Finding local farms is not easy, depending on where you live. And when you do find them, you’ll need to make sure the animals are happy and healthy before you choose to support them by buying their meat, milk, or eggs.
It’s ok to be depressed about this stuff but don’t be angry or depressed without reason—act on this! Stop buying commercial meat, milk, and eggs and pack on the veggies!
