A Humane Method of Killing Animals for Meat
95cruelty to animals
I want us to come up with a method of humane slaughter for animals. I’m not a vegetarian. I eat meat. In fact, I used to be married to a cattle and hog producer. I think God put animals here for our use, but not for our abuse. I hate the way most meat animals are treated. Many are kept in tiny cages or small pens, and they never have any quality of life. Our animals weren’t treated this way. I guess ours were what would now be referred to as “free range.” Our livestock, however, was free range before the term became popular. Most meat animals in the South raised on family farms are still free range. We don’t have many of the huge feed lots like the Midwest does. This, however, has already been discussed in other hubs. Today I want to focus on the actual killing of the abused animals. I also want to suggest a way to save the animals from a cruel death.
Cruelty to animals
If you’ve never visited the business end of a slaughterhouse, you’d most likely be shocked by what you saw. I’ve been in several and have seen videos of numerous others. Most slaughterhouses do not even attempt to kill the animals in a humane manner. They’re often beaten, kicked, and shocked with electric prods as they’re forced into the chutes. This is a clear example of cruelty to animals.
More cruelty to animals
How are the animals killed? Some of it depends on the individual slaughterhouse, but cows and pigs are usually stunned with a powerful electrical shock. The abused animals are then hung upside down by either one or both hind legs, and their throats are cut. This allows the animals to “bleed out.” Supposedly, the animal is dead before it’s sent to the meat butcher, but this isn’t always the case. Animals are sometimes skinned, gutted, or dismembered while they’re still alive. Hogs are sometimes boiled alive. The slaughtering process is done so quickly that line workers and the meat butcher don’t always wait for the animals to be dead before they start hacking them up.
Another method of slaughter is the captive-bolt pistol. With this method, a heavy metal rod is shot into the animal’s forehead to render it unconscious. This was pretty quick and effective, but after the mad cow disease scare, the penetrating captive-bolt gun was largely discontinued. Since the rod actually penetrated the brain, brain tissue infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) could infect other tissues once it was hit with the steel rod. Now, unfortunately, a less effective type of captive-bolt gun is used – the non-penetrating gun. This type of stunner uses a mushroom-shaped rod to deliver a powerful blow to the animal’s forehead, but it doesn’t penetrate. As a result, animals are not always rendered unconscious. And even those that are sometimes don’t remain unconscious for very long. Animals with thick hair and thick skulls are especially immune to unconsciousness from a non-penetrating captive-bolt pistol. These poor abused animals have to suffer the tortures of the slaughter process while fully aware of what’s going on.
Kosher meat and halal meat
Even worse are the slaughter practices in some religions. According to kashrut (Jewish) and halal (Muslim) religious laws, the animals cannot be stunned at all. They have to be conscious at the point of death, when their carotid artery is cut. I totally do not understand the reasoning behind this! It doesn’t seem like kosher meat should be obtained this way. We usually think of “kosher” being a positive term. This isn’t the case with kosher meat, however.
Save the animals from torture
There just has to be a better, more humane way! Can’t we save the animals we eat from an agonizing death? Why can’t animals meant for human consumption be euthanized? I’m not a scientist, a doctor, or a biologist, so I have no idea whether or not lethal doses of drugs would affect the muscle tissue of the animal and be harmful to humans. But what about carbon monoxide? Would animals killed by carbon monoxide inhalation be safe for humans to consume?
Okay, let’s just say for now that meat from a cow or pig killed by carbon monoxide or drugs is perfectly safe for the dinner table. The process would be much slower for the meat butcher, which means that the meat would be more expensive for packers to obtain and more expensive for consumers in the grocery stores. So what? I’d be willing to pay a little more for meat if it meant that the animals didn’t have to suffer the cruel practices of the typical slaughter house. And I know that I’m not alone here.
According to Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” If that’s the case, my fellow Americans, we’re a country of barbarians! We, as Americans, are guilty of immense animal cruelty and suffering. I realize that most people don't even want to think about this as they're enjoying a T-bone steak or a barbecued pork chop, but the fact is inescapable. A lot of animal suffering and animal cruelty go into those neatly wrapped trays of meat you find in the supermarket. Surely in this day and age, we have the ability to lessen cruelty to animals with methods of humane slaughter.
More about cruelty to animals and animal welfare:
- Animal Rescue: How I Got Thrown Out of a 7-11
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We are a country of barbarians in this regard, with that I agree. Fortunately some are standing up and making a difference in feedyard and slaughterhouse processes, Temple Grandin for one. I'm sure you know of her, Holle. I mention her here because hers is an important voice in how animals destined for slaughter can be raised and killed humanely.
Rated up and useful. Not enough can be said on this topic.
Habee, I agree that the cruelty is unnecessary and all those hormones kick in when thy know they are headed into the slaughter house which you get when you eat the meat also. It is disgusting the way animals are handled. As Sally stated this whole thing can be done humanely.
Habee- I recently watched the documentary Food Inc. What an eye opener that was...... inhumane isn't the word for what I saw in that film. I am not a vegetarian, but I'm not a big meat eater either. What I can say is that I will be looking more and more about how that meat is cared for. I was for lack of words "sickened." This was an interesting and important issue. Thank you for tackling it! Kaie
Ricky, as a cattle producer, I'm glad you weighed in on this. A bullet would act in much the same way as the penetrating captive-bolt gun - quick and practically painless.
How ya been?
Sherri, I'm familiar with Temple's work. We need more people taking a stand!
Right, Pam. I hadn't thought about the hormones. Ugh.
Kaie, I haven't watched Food, Inc, but I did watch Earthlings. It made me cry, and it still haunts me. The animal cruelty portrayed is unbelievable.
This is a wonderful, compassionate article. I am so very picky about the meat I buy, bloodiness, packaging, freshness, and so forth. But I hadn't realized this terrible mistreatment was going on!
Thank you so much for educating me about this abuse toward meat animals. Now I will be even picker! Probably finding a local butcher, rather than buying from "big business" chain stores.
Great work!
Holle, it isn't really any worse than some hunting practices. I do not condone abuse in any form, unless it is the burning of spiders.
On my grandfather's farm they also shot them. I thought they still do it. Thank you for your hub. A real eye opener.
Excellent hub, and an even more excellent point. It's something I have always struggled with, being one who doesn't even have the heart to hunt an animal. You raise some very interesting questions about what the alternatives might be—and I too wonder about the effect of drugs or carbon monoxide, what that might do to the meat.
The words "humane" and "kill" are very difficult to put together in a way that makes sense. Still, I think SOMEONE needs to come up with a better idea. Sort of like the "organic" movement, or "free range chickens." We come up with all kind of new ways to communicate and live our lives...
Why can't we also come up with a better way to bring our meat to the table?
This troubles me to no end. To the point I have often considered becoming vegetarian. Why don't they get it? Animals have feelings and emotions. How we treat animals tell alot about us as people. Harris Teeter Supermarket only uses meat from humane farms.
I'm with you Habee. If there is any sort of God out there perhaps those that are cruel will be reborn as a pig etc. That would be justice.
Would you write a hub about animals that are killed cruelly so that their skins are intact? I am thinking about animals that have been killed for their fur. So that the fur is not damaged they suffer all sorts of deaths including a red hot poker up their back sides. Dreadful.
I really thought that 'kosher' and 'halal' was somehow meat from animals treated more humanely than others, thanks for the enlightenment. A cow can smell the blood of their own kind injured or dying, so a kosher and halal facility must be pretty stressful.
It is hard to actually stop and visualize how an animal dies, it does make you think twice about eating meat. I saw it once, the zapping gun, on a college campus, the animal didn't go completely out, they had to do it again, and I had to leave, just get the heck away from the 'demonstration'.
At the same time, I remember one of my grandmothers catching a chicken in the yard and ringing it's neck and chopping its head off on the block, etc... and remember how much we all loved her fried chicken.
I think it all gets back to honoring the animal, particularly the cow. They were so honored in days gone by, cared well for prior to killing, like you describe goes on still in the south on many farms.
Portable slaughterhouses may be part of the answer, so animals don't have to endure any time in a feedlot or mass slaughter facility. There ought to be a more humane method in this modern day and time. They are injected with so much prior to slaughter, you'd think there was something we could inject that would stop their heart without pain, some kind of simple vitamin OD or something, that wouldn't as well hurt humans who consume.
I won't even joke about them dying of natural causes. I do think the way that we raise our meat, etc. is disgusting. We passed mile after mile of penned cows through Idaho on our way to Wyoming and it made me sick.
I have to say at least here in Prinetucky, everything is free range - in fact they turn several hundred head of cattle out in the wetlands just behind our house to chomp down the grass, etc. and we get the 'benefit' of their company for months on end. My dogs are still trying to figure out what kind of dog they are!
Good article and voted up - cruelty on any level is just that - mean and unnecessary.
Holle, a great hub, and I'll be reading more off your list. I raise my chickens, and hunt all of my other meat, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Javalina, Russian bore, rabbits, squirrels, fish and more. I do buy fresh sea food as there is not much way to get it otherwise here in the desert. Many disapprove of hunting, but in real time as man continues to take habitat, herds must be managed. A Doe has a fawn her first year and subsequent years often twins and sometimes triplets, I have seen literally 100s of deer in a power line or gas line clearing trying to dig food from the snow. Allowing over population and starvation is worse than a fast kill. If the shot is questionable as to effectiveness, I pass on the shot. I pass on the first animal every trip, I feel if you don't see the second, there is probably not enough to worry about and I change areas the second morning. I'm not supporting instant grown chicken farms or any other mass produced animal. As the population grows and the demand increases I doubt we see any improvement in the way things are done. I surely don't want a piece of pork that was rendered from a hog that was terrified at death, simply due to the hormones and adrenalin pumping through it's veins, 50
This hub needs to be front page so everyone can put pressure on Congress to pass slaughterhouse regulations. I stopped eating veal several years ago when I read that the animals are in pain from being tightly chained so they can never stand or move starting a few hours after birth.
I have read that treating animals humanely while they are alive, and killing them with a humane method makes the meat taste better. I know it would make me feel better about the whole process.
Unfortunately, money governs the process, rather than humanity. Most people want to pay the least amount, regardless of the condition of the animal.
Namaste.
Habee, a good hub, but hard to read because of the subject matter.
I agree that a more humane method should be found. Mass meat production isn't pretty. On a grassroots level, we can curtail the amount of meat we eat and perhaps buy local to encourage more responsible animal husbandry by people who care about the animals they raise for meat! Just a thought.
I think all this is turning me vegetarian, really even growing up I could not eat meat if I saw it raw. lol
Polly
I'm not a vegetarian either and agree that livestock should be killed as humanely as possible. Thanks for sharing.
I found this Hub entertaining.
Hi, I participate in the consumption of industrialized meat, unfortunately, because I live on a tight budget. I have been aware of these types of inhumane killings, including tightly-closed quarters for chickens and the force used to test on all kinds of animals...for the past 15 years. I went vegetarian and vegan to protest, but sacrificied my health due to limited fast-food options mixed with a fast teenage life.... When I read *The Ominvore's Dillema* for a college-English class, I wrote a paper stating the FDA should regulate the industry better to ensure we are not overly-consuming hormones, our food is healthy, and animals are treated and slaughtered in a more humane way. Unfortunately, my professor gave me a poor grade on the paper, so I dropped the subject. Darn!
Other than that, the U.S. has always been a bit barbaric, in my opinion!!
Oh this is shocking! Every time I pass a truck with animals on their way to the slaughterhouse I feel terribly sad and guilty. What if they know they are going to get killed? Whatever is dead is another one’s bread – to live one has to kill - this is horrible facts of life. I was 9 when I saw how a sheep was killed. Throat cut and the sheep bleed until he died. For many months I was not able to eat meat, but eventually my father convinced me to be thankful instead of fussy. Great hub, habee!
Charlie, when done by a responsible hunter, hunting is the most humane way of harvesting animals for human consumption. A free life and a quick death are far superior to a life of misery and a torturous demise.
I hate torture, too - I wouldn't even burn a spider!
Yes, run, it's true. Sad, though.
HH, a quick bullet is far better than the slaughterhouse!
Hi, Jim. I guess "humane" is a relative term when used with "killing." some methods are far more humane than others.
2b, thanks for that info about Harris Teeter. Unfortunately, we don't have any around here.
Great Hub, Habee
My Granddad was a farmer and believed that if you raise an animal for slaughter, you have the duty to give it a good life and slaughter it quickly and as painlessly as possible.
One nice trend that I have noticed recently is that the whole vegetarian/meat-eater debate is becoming much less of an us vs them situation.
This type of hub shows that we have a lot of common ground where we can work together :)
Excellent work!
Eth, I saw a video about the fur trade, and it made me sick - literally. I would never wear real fur!
K, I've never considered portable units. That might be a good alternative!
Buckie, most of the farm animals down here are free range, too - except for the poor chickens.
50, I agree. Hunting is both necessary and more humane than slaughterhouses!
Thanks, Wife. I have a hub about veal!
True, Deborah. why does it always have to be about profit??
Scribe, those are great ideas that might just curtail some animal cruelty!
Polly - I was the same way as a kid!
Traqqer, thanks for reading!
Thanks, Bo!
True, Sandie, but most countries are evn worse with their cruelty to animals. I want them ALL to do better!
Obviously I agree ... the cruelty is non expressed only by the methods of killing, but in many other ways. The animals are now only products of commerce. You say that animals were created to be used by us, I think that they are here to cohabit with us. But certainly not to be abused!
Thanks, Martie. I feel the same way when I see those animals on hot, crowded trucks.
Sufi, I'm honored that you read my hub! I feel the same way about farm animals as you grandfather did. We at least owe the critters a decent life and a quick death.
Fucsia, we can disagree on some points and still agree on humane treatment for animals. I'm moving more and more to fish because I don't think they suffer as much as mammals and birds.
great information thanks for sharing
Habee, Excellent informative Hub! You have certainly given us some things to consider? I am not quite ready to become a vegetarian but my eyes have definitely been opened! This was a real shocker what insensitivity... Thank you for sharing, Peace & Blessings!
I nearly just threw up my breakfast. It's disgusting how badly animals are treated- especially when it's not even necessary. There are humane ways to do it, but the slaughter houses must use the most cruel, vile methods of torture. In my opinion, the saddest part in all of this is how the animals aren't unconscious or dead while they are tortured. When the cows are hung upside down and their throats are cut, like you mentioned, sometimes the stinger doesn't even knock them out! So the cows are hanging upside down, kicking, screaming while their bleeding to death.
Thank you for this informative article, hopefully somebody unaware of the cruelty of factory farming has read this and puked on their computer screen. In this modern day, it's ridiculous that we haven't stopped this already!
habee- You'd be surprised at how much fish suffer. Scientists have done research that shows fish have the same reactions after receiving painful stimuli as mammals. The methods used to capture the fish are often just as cruel as in factory farms.
Commercial fishing boats' nets and hooks usually catch animals they weren't looking for, so they're thrown overboard. In the water, they are either eaten by birds or bleed to death. In fact, around a thousand 'bycatch' die every day after they have been caught. And did you know the shrimp trawlers discard around 85% of their catch? It's unbelievable!
I hope one day that people will realize the abuse these animals have been through and finally put a stop to it.
This is truly a sickening industry. Killing meat for the big four major food outlets.
As a farmer for 38 years we have always cared for our stock as they are our lively hood. But more than that they are living breathing feeling animals.
A few weeks back i read one of Mickey Dee's hubs. He had a video clip about this subject. As i watched it the tears streamed down my face. I felt physically sick and asked God what kind of being could do this to another. It left me in total disbelief.
Yesterday at our Church Ladies group we watched a movie on this same kind of cruelty. This is happening in California and the amount of animals processed daily is just mind blowing. I don't know how these people sleep at night.
Thank you Habee for calling this to attention.
It's truely
Hi,
Sorry,I failed to get the message. It seems a bit confusing to me. How can killing a creature be humane? It is like saying it is alright to kill a person but just use a bullet not a blunt knife.
Killing an animal not as a necessity but due our conditioning, sense gratification and satisfaction of our palate cannot be supported.
However, I do appreciate that you understand that animals do go through pain when tortured which means they are just like us. The difference is they are in a different body with a different level of consciousness.
Violence should be kept to the minimum as much as possible. There will no chance of peace in this world till we keep slaughtering animals and gratifying our senses.
King, glad you stopped by!
Deb, I eat meat, too, but I still think animals deserve some quality of life, along with a quick death.
Finatics, I have no doubt that fish feel pain. We enjoy catching our own fish. If we're going to eat a fish, we kill it immediately. If not, we carefully release it. I assure you that wild fish have a much better life - and death - than cows and pigs that live their entire lives crammed into some feed-out lot. When we catch crabs, we kill them before boiling them. I couldn't boil something alive. As for shrimp and oysters, I don't believe they suffer nearly as much as mammals in slaughterhouses, either.
I appreciate your thoughful comments!
Loves to Read, it is truly sickening. Humans have an amazing capacity for cruelty to animals.
Bharat, the message is that if we're going to eat aniamls, we owe them a good life while they're alive, along with a quick death that does not involve torture.
I just couldn't get this article out of my mind since the day I read it. I was inspired to look for somewhere to buy meat that treated the animals at slaughter in a humane way. And I am now happy to report I have found someone!
A local producer who raises and slaughters sheep, rabbits, and chickens. All the work is done in a humane way.
I just wanted to get back with you, and thank you again for the eye opening article.
I'm sure not only will my conscience be more at ease, but probably our diet will be healthier too!
Thanks again!
Kudos to you, Run. That is awesome!
I eat meat but I never really thought about what the animals went through before and during their death. Thank you for this very informative hub. It really was an eye opener.
I eat meat, too, Nancy, but I hate for animals to suffer needlessly.
Animals deserve to be treated right. Great hub. God Bless.
God bless you, too, Stars!
humans should not eat dead animals
humans should not eat dead animals
Victor, my heart agrees with you.
hi, thank you for the hub.
i have to disagree about the halal slaughter. there has been some research that showed that it's actually more humane, because the animal is not feeling the pain when the jugular is cut, and the lose consciousness immediately. as for the stunning, sometime the animal will regain consciousness and feel more pain. before the animal was slaughtered, it should also be well-kept and given natural food (i.e. pasture raised).
also, in halal, the slaughter location is separated from the other animals. the butcher is not even allowed to let the animal see the knife.
using bullet or electric shock will have some brain matters contaminating the meat.
the references are on URL
Ica, thanks for the info. That makes me feel better about that type of slaughter.
This was a great article, I think we should all know where our meat is coming from. I live in Colorado in a rather rural area on the Western Slope. It is very much an ag community from raising fruit, wine to sheep, pigs, cattle etc. We still have our large ranches who produce enormous amounts of cattle, which are then sent to the sale barn in the fall and end up in feed lots.
However many people in our community have started on the organic road, both with the vegetables and fruit as well as cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys. We have a number of smaller farms now producing grass fed beef, cattle which have free range and are not in feedlots, free range chickens, organic as well as eggs, lamb etc.
It seems to have become a growing trend here. Yes it may be a little more pricey to buy directly from them, however, at least we know, that the animal has been slaughtered on site, has had a good life, and before I stopped eating all meat except chicken, which I raise myself. I will say that this meat that was raised this way had a completely different taste as well as their was no toughness to the meat as the slaughtering process was quick with no stress.
Since I started rescuing horses, and seeing what these slaughter bound horses went through, it sort of changed my thinking on eating meat, but that is a personal perspective.
However I do believe one should think when going into the supermarket, where did this meat come from, what kind of stress from the transport to the slaughter house did this poor animal endure.
We need to learn compassion for all living things, especially if we want to eat them. Great article.
Vendla, I applaud you for rescuing horses bound for the kill houses! I wrote a hub about that, too.
It seems the only viable solution for me is to raise my own chickens and learn the halal method of slaughter. I like the idea of Co2 as well. I would likely need to build something special in that respect, but in the meantime halal seems the most practical method of slaughter.
I wonder how you kill a fish so that it doesn't asphyxiate once you've caught it?
Excellent hub, and an even more excellent point.
So with you on this one! I have a chicken farm near my house and just seeing how they are hauled off makes me sick!
we both agree that God created animals for the benefit of man. latest scientific theories proven that electrical shocks and hitting their heads and strangeling them , causes their blood to be poisenous, and its very harmful to be eaten by human beings, and this is not the reason that God created them. the act of slaughtering when any human hears it, it sounds so cruel, because he is applying same idea of slaughtering a human being. but who told u its the same? yes they both feel ,but u cant gurantee and be sure that its same like humans, even psycholgically. The creator, who created all creatures, showed u the way, and of course he knows more because he created them and knows the best way and less pain for every creature. but always man interferes by his human mind, applying things which it might not be the case and for sure its not the same. so why we dont stop correcting Gods orders and rules,and replace it with our rules, that comes from our very limited minds.
Thanks for posting this. I am not a vegetarian either, but I try to only eat meat that has been raised/killed humanely. It is good to have our eyes re-opened every so often.
I often wonder about this. I think carbon monoxide should be use. Carbon monoxide is put into alot of meat anyway. Carbon monoxide is a preservative. If the cow breaths it in doesn't it get into the meat better.
you guys are scammers those are not real comments!
Islamic way of killing animals is the most humane, most hygienic and best way....
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If you don't raise your own meat or kill your own meat, you should just be thankful that someone else does all the work for you. People want quality, affordable food but have no clue what it costs to produce. As far as humanly killing something goes. I have been slaughtering animals my whole life and I worked in a slaughter house. An animals nerves will still react, long after death. I have asked this question before and I will ask it again. What is humane about taking a happy contented animal and killing it in any manner just so us humans can have supper. I'm sure that animal would be extremely happy to know that it's whole life's purpose is to be dinner
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I'm completely against animal cruelty, though Im a non-vegan, but what do Far eastern people do to their sea food & pets is completely contemptible, let alone western.
I came across a part in your discussion where you said
"They have to be conscious at the point of death, when their carotid artery is cut. I totally do not understand the reasoning behind this!"
I think I've got an answer for you
- http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/an/an_slaugh
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Schulze_%28pr
Thanks for the post.
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Animals were not put here for our use and the only way to stop the violence against these animals is to STOP EATING THEM.They are living beings with feelings and needs and to be killed just to fill your belly is sick.To hear someone say animals were put here for our use is like someone running their nails accross a chalkboard.I cant stand when people act like they care about animals and then turn around and eat them,and buy products from them.If someone wants to help end animal Cruelty they should start in their own stomach.DONT BECOME A GRAVEYARD TO ANIMALS.Its that easy.Dont say you cant live without meat,I was a vegetarian for 12 years and then I became a vegan.It been 20 years total and guess what I am still alive and not overweight,no clogged arteries,my cancer risk is lowered and I dont have meat rotting in my colon making my risk of colon cancer higher.
Habee, why AREN'T you vegetarian? Or is anyone else on this forum? you know what goes on and you STILL eat meat? I can see from your photo that you are are grossly obese (said purely from a medical standpoint, not a catty one). If you became a vegetarian I guarantee you would not look like that. Or even if you cut your meat back! People eat meat twice - three times a day sometimes: bacon for breakfast, chicken mayo roll for lunch and cottage pie for dinner.. Nobody thinks how many animals have to die to support their consumption rates. And for people like the girl above who says she can't afford to eat "humane meat" (I don't believe killing animals for food is humane) then don't buy into eating meat at all!!! I am a STRICT vegetarian, buying only the most ethical dairy (not just limited to free range milk, all my cheeses, yoghurts, puddings, ready meals etc too) and consume no animal products like gelatin. I do all of this as a student. I am not on any supplements, do not consult with a dietician, or have any health problems as a results. Eat plenty of butternut, spinach, chickpeas, lentil, sun dried tomatoes etc and your body will be in top form. Before, when I ate meat, I was actually severely anemic for months, constantly on iron supplements. Since switching to a veggie diet I am a whole lot healthier! There are no excuses.
I'm heartily sick of the apologists for why Muslims use torture whilst butchering an animal;
I am reliably told that there is one reason only ! and that is that if the animal is experiencing abject terror ! whilst being killed ! then certain chemicals and or hormones are released into the flesh improving it's taste.
sick
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Halal and Kosher slaughter is ONLY more humane if done in a very specific manner!!!! Done badly, it is barbaric.
A special holding pen ensures that the animal cannot see anything. It's belly must be supported and it's head contained in a manner that does not apply excess pressure on any part of the animals body while still preventing the animal from moving about.
The blade that is used must be razor-sharp with absolutely no nicks. The person doing the cutting must be well trained. A hesitant cut will take longer and cause pain. A sawing motion is also not permitted. The cut must be very fast and in one direction, slicing both the large veins, the trachea and the esophagus.
There must be a halter that holds the animals throat upward but not so much that the skin of the neck is tight or slack--either conditions cause more pain during the cut. The gentle restraint of the animal's head also ensures that it doesn't move in a way that pulls or drags the cut area across any surface which would cause pain.
I read these details about CORRECT halal and kosher slaughter from an article written by Temple Grandin but it was in a link in another blog and I can't find the original or I would direct commenters and habee to view it.
Unfortunately, just like with regular slaughterhouses, there is cruelty that can occur in halal and kosher slaughterhouses. It would seem the only assurance that the animal suffered little or not at all is to witness the slaughter of an animal while it is hooked up to scientific equipment that measures various responses (EEG, etc.). When halal or kosher kills have been done properly the stress response of the animal is little or non-present compared to those who are "supposedly" stunned first.
It does not surprise me that animals will start to be processed before they are dead. The money driven industry and the workers in these facilities give no thought to the cruelty they are inflicting. Humane treatment will cost more money and slow down the production lines!
Should have looked this up before posting comment. Here's where I got my info about proper halal and kosher slaughter: google- Temple Grandin halal slaughter, click on first result. I am not putting the web address in this post because it says no HTML in comments and, as I'm new to this forum and the Internet in general, I don't really know what that means and the web address ended in .html
i like horses abd strap ons
you go a bit over the top with the essay comments!!!!
i like bulls
i like men
I like when you write that Americans are barbarians, indeed you are, but if you want to understand why I recommend this book for you: The next hundred years by George Friedman, its very nice! Im glad that some americans like you have oppen their eyes and try to do something agains animal cruelty, I don´t know if CO method is the best, but Im sure there is a lot of methods that would work for killing the animals without any suffer. I think the only choice we have now is to don´t eat meat.
This is fantastic! fantastic work! I think people need to spread this around . At the moment i'm studdying formal writing in school, and i have also watched the movie ''earthlings'' and other movies about animals getting killed cruely, out of our selfish needs, animals are made of flesh and blood, just like us, so why kill? If slaughter houses were made of glass, every bloody person would be vegeterain.
I've been troubled by this as well. I also feel that one doesn't fully appreciate that a life was taken when biting into a 99¢ hamburger. I've decided hunting is the way to go for me. Of course I'll still buy regular meat but I'm going to do what I can to get my own.
In Arabic, the word halal means permitted or lawful. Muslims are taught through the Holy Quran that all animals should be treated with respect and well cared for. The goal of halal way of slaugher (zabiha in Arabic) is to slaughter the animal, limiting the amount of pain the animal will endure....and what i cud understand from your hub it says more or less the same thing as that of Quran!
for reference i am quoting here this site
http://halalfocus.net/2011/07/23/opinion-halal-mea
i hope it will help you to understand the case better!
thankyou!
Shara63 please read this. It is the link to what I mentioned in my previous post.
http://www.grandin.com/references/humane.slaughter
If done PROPERLY, and only if done properly, halal slaughter is less painful for a shorter period of time. If not done properly, it is just as barbaric, if not more so than regular slaughter.
No offense, but some Muslim guy saying things like, we are respectful of the animal and do not want it to suffer, it is quick and painless, it loses consciousness in a few seconds, is meaningless. “He” is not an expert on the science behind pain perception of animals just becaues he is following what the Qu’ran tells him to do.
This issue has nothing to do with religion. It infuriates me that an enitre culture so easily dimisses even the faintest possibility that animals, by the millions, are suffering because they are doing it the halal way. It is arrogant in the extreme, to suggest that just because it is halal automatically means that not one single animal ever in the entire history of halal slaughter, has ever suffered.
Non-Muslims are not that gullable. Nor do we have any delusions that non-halal slaughter is any less cruel. Everyone is guilty of torturing animals to death for food. Yes, I conceed that there will be times when the halal slaughter is done correctly and the animals will not suffer as much or at all but this cannot possibly be the case millions of times over.
Ironically, the link you gave, contains endless links, most of which are about how the cruelty of halal slaughter is causing controversy over the stunning of animals before their throats are cut. Without making several quotes (and I’ve seen this everywhere else anyway), the consensus is that the only way to ensure an animal does not suffer while its throat is slashed is to hook it up to electrodes to measure its pain response.
http://halalfocus.net/2009/06/26/animal-rights-out
dont eat met of animals because they were also a living thing so pleasa dont do this
Ricky G 21 months ago
The best way that I've found is a bullet to the right place in the brain, but they don't want bullet fragments in any of the animal. Not an easy solution.