http://www.slaughterhousecam.com

Unhappy Cows

When I see a commercial or hear the phrase "Happy Cows" applied to California dairy farms, I get a little sad and a lotta angry.

On Friday (August 24, 2007) USDA's livestock-slaughter report revealed that 180,000 dairy cows were slaughtered during July of 2007 to become millions and millions of fast food burgers.

That number represents an increase of 5,000 cows over July, 2006 reports. From January 1 until July 31, the number of cows gone to slaughter represents an eleven percent increase over 2006 numbers.

July has 31 days. 180,000 cows divided by 31 days is equal to one slaughtered cow every fifteen seconds, twenty-four hours per day. Imagine a never-ending line...four animals killed each minute. Four deaths while you read this email.

Each cow is first stunned. Each cow then has her carotid artery sliced open with a knife. Each cow is hoisted upside down by a chain attached to her rear leg so that her blood sprays into a 55-gallon drum. The blood is then dried and fed back to cows as a protein supplement.

Some of these cows are awake and aware of the process, and some choke to death on their own blood. The cows are then gutted, skinned, quartered, and processed by butchers.

If you eat the cow, you may have skipped one or more of the slaughterhouse steps, but be aware of your own true identity. You are the butcher.

Robert Cohen
http://www.slaughterhousecam.com