PETA

[rodbradshaw]

Did anyone else see the inteview of the co-founder of PETA on Canada AM this morning. Jeff Hutchison interviewed her and I can see why he usually does the weather and the sports and other comic relief.
This gal who would like nothing more than all farm animals to be turned loose to fend for themselves, lambasted everything that we do as farmers. The "Factory Farm" term was thrown around and the astronomical figures of animals that die do to unethical treatment on the way to slaughter was mind boggling. If this were the case I would think the SPCA and other more creditable organizations would be raising a stink. She then went on to lambaste CFIA and Dairy farmers and the fact that we should all be weaned and drinking South American tofu juice.

Is their away to counter act these radical groups and not resort to their tactics?

[Muttley]

What's wrong with just saying she's a two bit liar!!!

People like this have no real idea what it's like on a farm. There is no doubt that some animals are mistreated. Remember that these same people are wearing and eating products that came from the farm. They are ratical jerks with no real understanding. They think that cute little calves stay that way forever.
A number of years ago I was selling calf pullers at Agribition, we had a video at our booth showing the puller being used to pull a calf. I had a group of young people starting to comment how I should be run out of the show, that it was torturing the animal. I asked them to leave, then they got rude with me and my customers. A ranchers wife got in the middle and quickly gave these youth's a lesson in farm life, I have allways been gratefull for the things she said and I hope that those kids learned something to, maybe.

[countryguy]

You have to wonder just how many of these *****s have a dog on a chain in their yard in the city,or a bird in a cage!!

[cakadu]

To be fair Canada AM should have had, or still should give, the opportunity to someone to speak to these comments made by this young lass. Unfortunately, I did not see the segment myself, but I did hear about it during the conference that I was at the past couple of days. The solution given by the speaker at the conference was to have farmer/s give back a response that gives more of the facts and doesn't lean towards the shock value and misinformation.

In various consumer polls, farmers are seen to be very credible. Who would like to start using this to our advantage and get our message out there? I'm hoping that it makes a few people mad enough to stand up and say something. How about it?

[rodbradshaw]

cakadu
I don't have a problem with a differing point of view. There will always be the PETA's of the world. I just wish that the so called journalists of the world would present a balanced approach by doing some background work. When I was on the ACC many moons ago we received a full page add that the Sierra group had placed in the New York Times. It was a very catchy add with a Tyranisauris Rex shaded in the background with the Headline of "The Last of the Meat Eaters". It had a list of so called facts that supported their claims that we should all quit eating meat to conserve water resources and thus improve the enviroment of the planet. One that I remember was that it took enough water to float a aircraft carrier, to raise a cow. They then added in all the water needed to raise the feed (as if all needed water came from irrigation) to feed a calf to slaughter weight, then added all the water to process it till it was served over the counter at MacDonalds.Totally over the top. It was like todays interview that talked about 1,000,000 animals dying from abuse before they get to slaughter. This figure may be correct if you take every animal born and say that its death was due to abuse because it died before it was 20 years old.
We have a calf that the cord let go prematurely and it suffered brain damage, we have nursed it for 6 days now but it seems to be destined to succom despite our best efforts. To have someone go on TV and advocate a vegetarian lifestyle is one thing but to impugn Farmers for the work they go through to provide a safe and nutricious food supply is frustrating to say the least.
You talk about someone getting out front and saying enough is enough is just what this group wants as they get twice the mileage for half the price because all of a sudden it becomes news instead of advertising.

If the news media will not do its part to present a balanced story by calling into question the factless facts, we are all sunk.

It would be nice to be able to go on National TV and use facts about how many gallons of water it takes to get a bowl of Tofu to the table especially if you add up all the water in the Amazon all the water in the Atlantic all the water in the Mississippi and Ohio river systems. I am sure someone would question your logic but that is the course of being the sensible part of the population.

We can only get our message across by educating children so they understand early in life where food comes from.

[cowman]

The scary thing about kooks like this is your average idiot in the city might actually believe them! I'm not a big fan of the ACC or CCA but at least the information part they do is useful.
Now I read a book about the early days of ranching in Wyoming and Montana. The cow thieves were getting pretty bold and making it almost impossible for the cattleman to make a living. They had these organizations, sort of like our CCA or ACC. They were funded by some sort of dues system(sort of a voluntary check-off). Anyway what happened was they hired these "stock detectives" to go around and shoot these guys!! After a few thieves were shot the rest pulled out for greener pastures. Now what would happen if the CCA hired something like that? We could call them"BS detectives" and they could go around and shoot some of these PETA boys? Sort of "your check-off dollars working for you!" The old Hell Angels might just be available to take the contract as the government has pretty well muscled in on all their other businesses! There would have to be some checks and balances in place so they didn't get carried away and knock off some of our regular old tree huggers by mistake! We would want to make extra sure they didn't get Deb...as she provides us with a lot of entertainment!!!

[Deb]

I read that!!

[cakadu]

Rod, I agree with you and the points that you are making. The media needs to get better informed and we are the ones to do it. What scares me is if we say nothing, then there is a chance that people will begin to believe these fringe groups, just as cowman eludes to.

Part of what I was told was that she really conveyed the old Marshall McLuhan adage that the medium is the message. From what I heard she was calm and smiling the whole time.

I'm a firm believer in getting proper, credible information out there so that people can make choices. Some are going to believe what they want to believe and there is nothing we can do about that. How long are we going to let these "ARFs" (animal rights fanatics) get away with this?

It is easier to report a bunch of baseless half truths than to report on the "complex" truth.

[Deb]

If it wasn't for the fact I got my Diploma of Agriculture and worked on and managed dairy farms, and worked on cow/calf ranches and feedlots, I would also think livestock production was cruel. But I know that a well-treated animal will produce more milk, meat, etc. so farmers have a good reason to be good husbandmen, if only for economic reasons. The only cruel thing I ever saw which was almost routine was when fat cattle were loaded on trucks and electric cattle prods were used in "inappropriate" ways, if you get my drift.

I also felt sorry for calves when they are branded and castrated but if they found their mothers right away, they seemed to recover quicker. Nothing like mother's love, eh?

I also think it is cruel to breed a heifer to a bull known to have big calves. This crosses over into stupidity I guess.

With the mega-livestock operations, the animals are no longer animals with feelings, however, they are merely protein sources that are treated like machine parts. This bothers me a lot. I like the idea of having animals that have names, and you are familiar with their sires and dams. But that is old-fashioned small family farm thinking, which is dying fast. We will rue the day we let these large (and sometimes foreign) corporate concentrated animal feeding operations take over.

I heard after the fact that a pig farmer near here got drunk with his friends and entertained themselves by kicking a pig to death. Farmers like that should be shot.

[cowman]

Well Deb, we finally agree on something! I do not brand; think it is a disgusting practice!! I use ringers instead of castration. I believe we have a duty to the animals we own to treat them in a humane way. If you can't feed, house, and care for them then please don't own them! If you have to starve them or abuse them to make a buck then please quit. You'll be happier doing something else.
Now I don't know about names for every animal...a lot of my cows get called some pretty choice names at times!!!(not fit to print)
The story you told about the pig farmer...first of all he isn't a farmer...he is a psychopath who happens to own animals! And he shouldn't be allowed to own animals or even have anything to do with other human beings. Once again I can't even fathom this type of behavior, as I was always taught to be kind to animals! I guess I really am a babe in the woods, because this story frankly makes me sick!

[Muttley]

I sometimes wonder if some of these "nuts" really believe what they are saying anyway. Maybe they just got a job to do and do not care if they tell a few untrue stories along the way to help the cause.

[crazeeakerz]

The PETA group as most people know is an organization with no morals or common sense. Educating the public is a costly and time consuming occupation and these fanatics have the money and the time it seems to pull silly stunts to gain public attention. It is dangerous to let such organizations off the hook too easily.
A number of years ago we ran a vacation farm and one of the features of our place was to invite schools to bring their students to the farm. Our farm didn't have exotic animals, but the ordinary cows, pigs, chicken, etc. We felt these children left after a day getting to know the animals and what they are used for that farming and livestock production was a necessary part of life.
The biggest problem farmers face in educating the public is a lack of concern or interest by the media giants. I think of the CBC, CTV, large daily newspapers, etc. If someone could find a way to get the message through to these people, PETA and other such wing nuts would'nt have such an easy time of speaking out with lies and misinformation.

[ianben]

In the UK this week we have had a TV program which followed the life of a calf from birth to slaughter. You saw it born on a dairy farm and followed the life of the farmer for a few days. He was selling up because he was loosing money. They named the calf Lulu you saw it sold at auction to a rearer, again you followed the life of the farmer, a tenant farmer struggling to pay the bills and cope with F&M last year. Another farmer bought her to finish her and again the real facts and problems were shown, and we had all become quite attached to Lulu even though they did keep telling us she was a beef cow.
So what happened next?
We saw Lulu loaded up taken to the slaughter house loaded in the stun crate, shot, throat cut, blood pour out, skinned and butchered, put in the roasting tin, cooked and eaten. They even got the people who ate her to say how good she tasted.
The whole program was the truth and showed farmers in the best possible light. The ending was horrific and would only create more vegetarians.
We eat beef not cows pork not hog or pig. You are the guys who call **** canola good PR. Showing the public a happy animal and telling them it will taste good next week is something I fine difficult to see.
I believe PR is a profession just like stock detectives.
The best way to counter these people is to hire a professioal who knows how to focus on the good points.
We don't over here either but when farmers respond or partisipate in a program like Lulu it is usually counter productive.
Cowman could have the solution again pay a levy and hire the man for the job.

[Muttley]

I was searching for some info on livestock and found the PETA file (no pun intended)
www.peta-online.org/
You just won't believe the crap that is on this site. I'm sure there is some info on it that is quite true but many comments were crap.
Read this one.

They(PETA) were told that last year a employee of J.C.Penney portrait studio's witnessed rabbit's falling to the floor from the laps and arms of children and that many of the animals died.

I just can't believe this, stories like this are all over the site.
Everyone should go to this site for a look.

[countryguy]

Last night I sent these people an e-mail to start a campaign to put a ban against having pets in cities.I informed them that it was unethical to have dogs on chains all day and birds which are supposed to be flying free in cages all their lives.Can't wait to see what they say about that!!