Animal Conditions In Slaughterhouses

A man has blood splattered on his apron, a butcher knife in his left hand, petting a cat with his right. The cat has a bib and is waiting by a food bowl. Next to them is a barn full of various animals that are often butchered for meat. This is the scene depicted in an untitled illustration by Polish illustrator Pawel Kuczynski. The artwork raises the question: Are there regulations regarding how animals to be slaughtered are treated like there are regulations protecting household animals? Typically, the conditions in slaughterhouses are unsanitary and violent, and there is a lack of regulations so the animals are allowed to be treated poorly because the industry is too focused on making money with mass meat production rather than taking the …show more content…
The workers are often paid very little for their labor, left unsupervised, and given very unclear instructions on procedures. Often, animals are beaten by the employees for not cooperating. They kick animals that have become too ill and mistreated to walk. When animals are very young, they are separated prematurely from their mothers, some calves reported to make their throats raw from their cries. Most animals are castrated, unless they are used for breeding, and depending on the animal, they have different body parts removed, such as tails for pigs and horns for cattle. The worst part is that this is all done without any sort of pain …show more content…
Cutting meat out of a diet completely is hard to do, but by eating less meat or purchasing organic meat, or meat from a company that humanely raises animals can save millions of animals from a cruel life. Many activist are petitioning the USDA to make a change and become stricter with enforcing policies, especially since mistreating animals meant for consumption can lead to serious health concerns for humans, such as exposure to Mad Cow Disease and E. coli, not to mention the unnecessary additives and hormones. While a change is on the horizon, many people are making a change now and becoming vegan, vegetarian, or simply going for organic choices. It is a start, but if the change ever truly come for these poor, defenseless animals is purely up to the government officials who poorly regulate where meat comes