American Torture Chambers

By Alan Burkhart

Note: Please take the time to read opposing view at the end of the article - added (08/15/06)

According to an article posted at the Fox News website on July twenty-fourth, the City of Chicago has enacted a ban on serving Foie Gras in restaurants. I absolutely do not subscribe to the views of those who claim we should stop eating meat altogether. In the case of Foie Gras however, I am inclined to agree. It's one thing to kill and butcher an animal for food. A dead animal doesn't feel any pain. It's something else entirely when we torture an animal for days or weeks before killing it.

Let's compare…

I enjoy venison, and I don't mind going out early on a cold morning to get it. Do I torture the deer? No. I hit him with a high velocity round that drops him in his tracks. He never knew what hit him. Thus, I have not dragged Bambi to a torture chamber and tormented him. The deer dies much more quickly and cleanly than he would have if attacked by wolves or a panther.

On the other hand, Foie Gras is prepared by unnaturally enlarging the livers of ducks and geese specifically to cause an illness known as hepatic steatosis. This is done by force-feeding them with a tube. The birds often become so bloated they can't move, and investigators have reportedly even seen a duck being eaten alive by rats because it couldn't move to escape them. In many cases the birds' stomachs literally burst open.

A visit to the appropriate websites reveals images of ducks and geese with gaping wounds caused from ruptured organs, rat attacks, or maggot infestation. Other birds die from choking on their own vomit after having been force fed so much grain that their bodies simply rebel. They're trapped inside tiny, feces-coated cages and often die of disease before they're slaughtered.

Similar mistreatment can be found in the production of American milk-fed veal. In Europe, calves are allowed to suckle their mothers for a few days. They're then quickly slaughtered for the tender veal. There is little if any suffering on the part of the calf.

In the USA it's a different story. Calves are trapped in tiny (30" by 72") enclosures to restrict movement. This is so that the calves can't develop red muscle tissue. They're fed an anemic mix of nutrient-poor liquids and high does of antibiotics. The latter is to fight the various infections - many dangerous to humans - that result from the constant diarrhea after being intentionally fed a diet devoid of iron. They're also kept in absolute darkness 22 hours per day and suffer from swollen leg joints and atrophied muscle tissue.

And unlike European (mainly French) milk-fed veal, the calves aren't slaughtered after only a week or two. The whole purpose behind the American method is to keep the calf alive for 16 to 23 weeks before it's slaughtered. The calf grows larger, producing more veal and therefore more profit to the farmer.

So… am I advocating a total switch to vegetarianism for Americans? Nope. As a matter of fact I plan to head out to Popeye's in a couple of hours for some spicy chicken. And I'll eat it guilt-free. If PETA and other animal rights organizations had their way, we wouldn't even be allowed to have dairy products. PETA's stand on animal cruelty is the opposite extreme to those who advocate shoving a pipe down a bird's throat to produce a tasty hors d'oeuvre.

What I am saying is that we can do better. The process of preparing meat for the market is going to involve some pain somewhere down the line, but as a supposedly civilized culture we should take steps to ensure that animals are protected from the sort of abuse described above. You don't have to have Foie Gras to survive. Milk-fed veal isn't a requirement for a healthy diet.

And I, for one, can more thoroughly enjoy my meal if I'm eating it with a clear conscience. Foie Gras should be banned worldwide. Milk-fed veal should be produced naturally, rather than turning a calf's short life into a nightmare of darkness and pain. Want a tasty hors d'oeuvre? Try cheese on a Ritz.

Related Reading:

• Pictorial at goveg.com


• Foie Gras banned in Israel

Addendum...
Today (08/15/06) I received an e-mail from a gentleman representing the American Veal Association. He differs strongly (but very politely) with me regarding milk-fed veal. I present his opposing comments here in the interest of fairness.

Mr. Burkhart:

My name is Bryan Scott, and I represent the American Veal Association. I read with great concern your recent article in The American Daily, "American Torture Chambers". Most of the misinformation you espouse about veal is the expected PETA and HSUS backed propaganda. However, you go further and completely misrepresent several other issues including the practices of European veal producers.

Special fed veal production has it's roots in Europe, specifically Holland, not France. Today European production is found in most EU countries including, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, and Belgium. The EU animal welfare commission, considered the strictest in the world, has consistently supported the practices used in special fed veal production. Calves in Europe are raised to an average age of 26 weeks, our U.S. production systems average 21 weeks.

The practice of slaughtering calves within a couple weeks of birth hasn't really occurred in any commercial setting anywhere since the mid 1980's. As dairy herds contracted around the world the calves were too expensive to buy without adding weight and value. Producers found ways to refine government surplus skim milk into a stable powder that could be fed to their calves. What could be a more natural diet than skim? No antibiotics are used in our all milk rations, unlike similar feed rations that are fed to heifer and steer calves used in dairy and beef production. However we do fortify our feed with over 20 vitamins and minerals, including iron, and a half dozen amino acids.

Unlike many other livestock industries our animals are left anatomically and physiologically intact. Our calves do not endure the stress of castration, dehorning, or debecking. They are raised in some of the most sophisticated and expensive indoor livestock facilities ever constructed. Every barn offers both artificial and/or overhead electrical lighting. It is only dark in our facilities if it is dark outside. All barns offer natural ventilation, and in many cases the natural ventilation is supplemented by mechanical fans which are controlled by advanced computer controlled thermostats. In addition, at an enormous cost to our farmers, our barns are heated to at least 60 degrees during the winter, and offer complete shelter from the elements and predators year round. Our calves have the lowest mortality rate of any production livestock industry, which is also substantially lower than that of calves left out to pasture.

Lastly, you insinuate that the reason for our current production systems is the greed of the farmers, "The calf grows larger, producing more veal and therefore more profit to the farmer". How many wealthy farmers do you know? Nearly 20% of our producers are Amish plain farmers. The average producer in our industry houses only 205 animals and earns around $30,000.00 per year, with no benefits. To suggest that a farmer's greed is at the heart of the "problem" is not only untrue but irresponsible.

If you'd like to learn more about our industry please feel free to contact me at calfdoc1@msn.com, or Steve Kraut, our General Counsel, at sjk1164@ameritech.com. Also, please feel free to visit vealfarm.com, or americanvealassociation.com. Finally, we would like to extend an invitation for you to visit one of our producers and their farm at your convenience. We look forward to working with you in an effort to give you a balanced and fact based understanding of our industry.

My regards,

Bryan S. Oedzes
Executive Vice President
Legislative & Regulatory Affairs
American Veal Association