Vonderhaar 1

Caroline Vonderhaar

Dr. Taylor-Jackson

English 1201

20 July 2019

Welfare in Slaughterhouses in the United States

Agriculturalist make up less than one percent of the population in the United States

(Vonderhaar 5.32). Which means ninety-nine percent of consumers have no ties with agriculture.

Many do not know where their food comes from, but ignorance has become the new normal.

Many activist groups have started like; ASPCA, HSUS and PETA, these groups are showing the

harmful side of agriculture. It makes sense for consumers to believe these groups because they

don’t know or have seen the facilities their food has grown up. Many children in America have

never attended their local county fair, if they had the kids would know where their food comes

from and how it has been treated. However, there is video evidence of animals being abused

through the activist groups, especially as the animals go through the slaughter plant. So, are the

animals being humanely treated while going through the harvesting process? Activists showing

the harmful side of agriculture in slaughterhouses but there is another side that shows evidence

animals are humanely treated while being harvested for their carcasses.

In order to do research or read anything about animals being treated humanely it’s

necessary to understand definitions including animal welfare. This website “Animal Welfare:

What Is It?” is on the American Veterinary Medical Association also is known as the AVMA

show that language used in agriculture. The website explains what animal welfare is from their

professional view, what the definition is and means. The article explains how important animals

should be handled, managed, and their nutrition program properly. (AVMA Par 1.) Many
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complex words are used while talking about the meatpacking industry, understanding the

definitions is necessary to be able to study and understand what takes place within the

slaughterhouse. Animal welfare is used in almost every article for this field, which according to

the American Veterinary Medical Association means “Animal welfare means how an animal is

coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a good state of welfare if (as

indicated by scientific evidence) it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express

innate behavior, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and

distress”(AVMA par. 1). This quote clarifies language used in articles written by professionals

and animal welfare is good for the animals to stay safe. Along with the definition, AVMA has

eight principles to follow policies, resolutions and actions. The eight principles are; responsible

use for humans, animal care based on science, must be provided with food, water and housing

space, should be cared for by minimizing stress, pain and suffering, they should be watched in

case of need of rehoming, management should be humane and socially acceptable, must be

provided with a humane death, and the veterinarians will strive to improve animal health. These

eight principles and policies are crucial in the slaughterhouses because it is part of the law.

This academic article is targeting anyone and everyone who is wanting to understand

what animal welfare is, how animals should be treated, and the definition with what all it entails.

Although the article has nothing to do with how animals are treated in slaughterhouses, it gives

the reader knowledge of the terminology used throughout the other articles.

This article was found while searching the web what definitions of words meant for

other articles on slaughterhouses. This is a reliable source because the American Veterinary

Medical Association runs the website. Having to go outside of the Sinclair library was difficult
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because articles had to be found which would be reliable for a research essay, this was needed to

get the research completed with reliable sources.

Understanding the definitions needed to read animal science articles is one thing, but the

second step is understanding what takes place in the slaughterhouse. The article “Meat-Packing

Industry” source by Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia explains meat packing. The

article starts off by mentioning what meat packing and slaughterhouses are and how it came

about. Later, in the article it switches gears to regulations of the process and what needs to be set

in place to be approved by the USDA. After the regulations the article continues to mention how,

and the types of way cattle and hogs can be slaughtered. The most recent regulation put into

effect by the government is written in the article as, “Established in 1981, the Food Safety and

Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for carrying out meat

inspections, including the testing of meat product samples for microbial and chemical

contamination. Almost all of the meat sold in the U.S. is subject to federal inspection.” (Funk

and Wagnalls par. 4). Clearly, it states in the quote above that there are inspections which take

place through the slaughterhouses including meat quality, but this is after that facility is

inspected for animal welfare. This gives an overview of the process which is stated in the

Encyclopedia as “A continuous rail system is generally used today, whereby cattle are chained

by one leg and hoisted to a movable pulley on an overhead rail and are then slaughtered; from

this position, blood leaves the body so quickly that death occurs almost instantly (for purposes of

kosher ritual, this method of slaughtering is defined as humane even without prior stunning). The

carcasses then move slowly along a continuously moving rail to stations where each required

process is completed, including skinning, disemboweling, and beheading. “(Funk and Wagnalls
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par.5). Understanding the process of slaughtering is the most important item to know before

saying anything or to have an opinion on this industry.

The writer’s purpose of writing this is to educate those who do not know anything about

slaughterhouse industry. The audience is the consumers for this article and anyone who wants to

learn more about the animal industry of slaughterhouses. This article is meant more for

understanding the process than choosing a side. The definitions and information came from a

database called; Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. So, there is no bias side, just

what the process is. It was published in World Book, Inc., Chicago.

Understanding why the equipment and wondering why animals do the things they do

while in slaughterhouses is important to study for anyone who doesn’t know what takes place.

An article called “Evaluation of Different Captive Bolt Lengths and Breed Influence upon Post

Stun Hind Limb and Forelimb Activity in Fed Cattle at a Commercial Slaughter Facility” was

written by Dr. Temple Grandin, which happens to be a legend in the agricultural world. This

article was written in a Meat Science book in 2018. Throughout the book it specifically speaks

about bolt guns, that put the animals down. Typically, the animals are still moving after the bolt

gun has been used however, the animal is not alive, it is the nerve endings still firing but the

animal is dead. Dr. Grandin continues talking about bolt gun bolt lengths and it matters how long

the bolts are to how much nerve leg kicking is produced from the gunshot in the head. Many

researches were done in the meatpacking industry, however it concluded it’s not necessary to use

longer length bolts. In fact, the longer length bolts created more forearm and hind leg kicking

after the bolt gun has been used. Also, the longer bolts created more brain damage which they

thick affected the leg movement. After reading this part of her book, it’s clear research is being
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done to make sure animals are treated humanely and what is the fastest way to put the animal out

to feel no pain, and to stop nerve movement afterwards so it does not look bad on the industry

when an animal is dead but looks like its suffering by kicking its leg. This concludes that the

activist’s videos of cattle hanging upside down kicking their legs is not cruelty, the animal is

dead, it is just nerves and it is misunderstood by the public because there is no context.

The writer’s purpose in writing this book is to educate the world on why the meat

packing plants do the things they do, especially using smaller bolts in the bolt guns. Showing the

public why a smaller bolt is used and what the leg kicking is from is important for consumers to

understand. This book is also research for others in her field to use in their own slaughterhouse

facility to get the best results. The professionals like Dr. Grandin are trying to improve the

animal welfare and explain to consumers what is going on with the process of their food. The

author is credible, she is well known in the agricultural field, she has her Ph. D and is a Professor

of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Dr. Temple Grandin is known for her work with

making animals to feel more comfortable to improve the overall production of animal

agriculture.

Many can write articles on slaughter plants all they want, however having employee data

of how they feel of the process will help readers decide if slaughter plants are using animal

welfare when working with animals. The article “Investigating Baseline Red Meat Slaughter

Operator Capacity and Directions for development in Lao PDR” by Joanne Thomas is one of the

best articles for animal science research. The article starts by interviewing the employees that

worked at a meat packing plant to vote if the plants were using humane ways or not in the plant,

the vote was definitely split. The article has a whole section that is dedicated to animal welfare

which was in the slaughterhouse, the conclusions were; “Observational findings for BCS, health
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of animals and animal handling were generally acceptable. However, animal transportation

varied in suitability and lairage and humane slaughter were poor, with the requirement for

separation of live and slaughtered animals being particularly lacking. The study also found that

knowledge of animal welfare concepts was poor, with an area of concern being humane

slaughter as internationally accepted standards were not being applied. As the perception of

current practices did not align with internationally accepted ‘norms’, approaching animal welfare

from the safety and well-being of staff and quality of product may be a more fruitful means of

initially introducing animal welfare concepts” (Thomas 42). With the investigation they found

animal welfare was not on the top priority, however once the employees and government voiced

their concern the plant worked on helping improve animal welfare. The article continues on to

explain the changes that have taken place over the years to improve the workplace and animal

welfare within the plants.

This article was written for Tropical Animal Health and Production in 2017. The database

used to find this article was Environmental Complete. Knowing that the article was found in the

database gives the writer credibility. This article is neat because it's not that it takes side but

shows what the employees feel about the process. In total there are eight authors that worked

together to create this article. The author is credible because the article is in the database, if this

was not a reliable source then it wouldn’t be in the database. The author used correct formatting

and was very professional while writing this article which gives the audience confidence in what

is being said. This article will show what employees feel about the treatment of animals, what

they don’t think is right and research the authors did to create this article. The information in this

article will give the readers in sight of the slaughterhouses without having to interview all of the

employees.
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News reports are what gets to the consumers about their food, due to so many consumers

not having any ties to agriculture, it’s their only way of hearing of what is going on it the

agriculture world. However, news channels normally never put any news on the program if its

good, they almost always put agriculture messed up or something went wrong. This causes the

consumers to think there is nothing right with the agriculture field because they never hear

anything good. A news article called “USDA Investigates Animal Cruelty Claims Against

Slaughterhouse” by Aaron Vaughn appeared in Fox 13 News in 2012. The main point of this

news article is to prove that there is animal abuse within slaughterhouses. The news reported,

“The Los Angeles Times reports the video included cows headed for slaughter that were

shocked, suffocated and shot in the head. The USDA suspended operations at the plant while its

investigates” Vaughn par. 3). As many would suspect that the animal abuse found turned into an

investigation. The Federal food safety officials shut down this slaughterhouse in California for

the investigation. It even went so far that In-N-Out Burger cut their ties with the

slaughterhouse to ensure their customers knew they did not agree with what was going on within

the plant as for how the animals were being treated.

The audience is for the general public of consumers and activist, to know what is

happening with their food in the slaughterhouse and that it is being investigated. Consumers

especially in California were affected but also other states the meats were shipped to. Many who

are already meat packing plants will use this in part of the case to get the plants shutdown. A

picture and video were released of the abuse of animals. The author is Aaron Vaughn, writes

articles through interviewing, taking notes and talking with people about what happened. He is

not an expert in animal science, but he is a professional at creating articles for the news. The
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author did not write much or his opinion about the slaughterhouse incident but just gave what has

been said by the FDA.

Interviewing employees from a slaughterhouse is one thing, but what about the farmers

and ranchers who actually send their animals to be slaughtered at these facilities? Rachael

Vonderhaar, a farmer, a mother and a woman who raises 25 head of cattle was gladly willing to

be interviewed on the farmers perspective in the meat packing plant on if the animals are treated

humanely. She states in her interview, “It’s hard for consumers to know how their meat is

actually treated because they are around for the process, to be fair the news only covers the bad

things in agriculture” (Vonderhaar 12.31). She states a valid point, “Farmers and ranchers raises

the animals from birth, they have somewhat a connection with them, why would we send our

animals somewhere to be hurt? That's unethical” (Vonderhaar 15.47). Through these points Mrs.

Vonderhaar makes we see that the farmers and ranchers care about humanely caring for animals

and they would never intentionally hurt them. Clearly, she sees a disconnect with consumers and

where their food is coming from due to lack of communication, yes consumers see the bad side

but clearly, she is saying agriculture does have a good side. One of her last statements is “There

are some bad people out there who do horrible things to animals which are taped on video but

that's not how everyone treats animals. 99% of people raising animals respect the animals the 1%

are what makes our industry look so bad, sadly the 1% is what the public sees” (Vonderhaar

17.58). Mrs. Vonderhaar firmly believes animals are humanely treated in slaughterhouses

because there is an inspector from the government there for each animal to make sure they are

treated humanely.

Farmers love educating consumers because most of the public doesn’t understand the

extreme process it is raising animals. Such as: a small calf being born breech (being birthed
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backwards from the mother), not knowing if it's going to live to a cow getting head butted by

another one which caused her to go down and most likely to never get back up if it's in the right

place. Animal agriculture is a unique area to work in, farmers and ranchers watch the animals be

born and they also take them to be slaughtered, they have to have a different kind of heart to

work in this field. Educating the public is important so consumers know where their food comes

from.

Rachael has farmed with her husband for 25 years, which she has been on many boards

throughout the agricultural field including; Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board, Wheat Foods

Consul, Ohio Agri-Women, Friends of 4-H and is currently on the Farm Credit Mid America

banking board. This is a credible source because she has been in the field for so long and she

loves studying agriculture and is a farmer that loves showing the public how the typical farmer

feels about the slaughterhouses on using humane ways while handling the animals farmers and

ranchers sold to them for meat.

Many want alternative ways instead of slaughterhouses, maybe even a mobile slaughter

station? Well research is being done on this concept, “Mobile Slaughter” by Tarrant, Jeff found

on the United States Department of Agriculture website was written in 2002, although this article

is older, this is a somewhat new concept. Animals are not accepted in meat packing plants if they

are not able to walk by themselves. This being said, what happens to the animals that get hurt at

the ranches or farms? The animals must be put down so they do not suffer, unless the animals

can be slaughtered at the farm. Slaughtering animals on the ranch or farm would create a local

sense, many feel more comfortable if they know how the animals are raised where it took place,

this process gives consumers reassurance if they do not trust meat packing plants. The article

quotes by Dr. Temple Grandin (which was mentioned earlier in the essay), “Mobile slaughter
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units provide ranching families with both affordable and local facilities for processing their

animals. I support the use of these affordable units to help local ranchers develop niche markets

and reduce transportation stress on their animals.” -Dr. Temple Grandin. This shows there is a

chance for alternatives instead of a slaughterhouse to be able to produce meat, especially for

people who want local products.

Jeff Tarrant is giving ranchers and farmers other ways to slaughter their animals to create

that local feel for consumers to feel more comfortable. Also, the article is informing the reader

that the USDA approved the first mobile slaughter, this is not just meant for consumer reading,

but also for farmers and ranchers to see what’s coming. Jeff Tarrant is with the U.S. Public

Health Service who released this article. The USDA only puts credible sources on their website

because people go there looking for credible sources. I know it is credible because it is on a

government site and gives his credentials. This is a new concept that many should use if they are

afraid slaughterhouses are not humane or in the best interest for the animals. The mobile

slaughter lets the public see the process to ensure animal welfare is being used throughout the

process.

While researching humane techniques used and abuse shown in slaughterhouses, there

was not much information to be found in the first search. Clearly, research needs to be done for

the consumers to understand what is going on in the animal science world. Many great points

were brought up with both sides of research in the essay, however, there clearly was more

evidence that animals are not abused. With the amount of inspections in the workplace there is

no way animal abuse can be taking place unless the slaughter plant is running illegally, and in

those cases processing facilities are shut down upon inspection when violations are found. If

there is animal abuse happening it will be brought to attention and dealt with. There will always
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be some animals abuse by some horrible people however, that’s not everyone, anyone with a

heart could not abuse an animal, so the question is; how do we stop those few rotten apples from

ruining everything for everyone in the field of animal production and processing
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Work Cited

“Animal Welfare: What Is It?” American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed 7 July 2019.

www.avma.org.

Grandin, Temple. “Evaluation of Different Captive Bolt Lengths and Breed Influence upon Post-

Stun Hind Limb and Forelimb Activity in Fed Cattle at a Commercial Slaughter Facility.”

Meat Science, Elsevier, 3 May 2018, www.sciencedirect.com

“Meat-Packing Industry” Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. 2018, 1p. World

Book,Inc., Chicago. Accessed 14 July 2019.

Tarrant, Jeff. “Mobile Slaughter: Are the Units on the Road to Success?” Public Health Service.

Vol 7 (7). www.fsis.usda.gov

Thomas, Joanne etc. “Investigating Baseline Red Meat Slaughter Operator Capacity and

Directions for development in Lao PDR”. Accessed 4 July 2019.

Vaughn. Aaron. “USDA Investigates Animal Cruelty Claims Against Slaughterhouse” FOX 13.

21 August 2012. www.fox13now.com

Vonderhaar, Rachael. Vonderhaar Farms Inc. Interview. 18 July 2019.