After The Humane Society of the United States on Oct. 30 released video footage of abuse inside the Vermont slaughterhouse, the federal and state departments of agriculture closed the facility pending an investigation.
The undercover video shows "grisly footage of workers kicking, dragging and repeatedly stunning veal calves with electric prods."
In one instance captured on camera an employee swears and strikes "a calf that won't get up. The man then tells the calf, 'You're getting shocked.'"
When the calf fails to stand up, the man dribbles water on the head of the animal and begins poking it with the prod, first on the head and then on other parts of its body.Peter Langrock, a lawyer for Bushway, claims the idea to put water on the calf was made by the undercover investigator.
To back up the videographer's claim [of innocence], the Humane Society released an uncut version of the water-sprinkling sequence to the Free Press on Friday. No instructions from the undercover investigator about putting water on the calf can be heard during the segment.Obviously I think the lawyer and all parties related to Bushway are liars. This incident isn't the only act of cruelty depicted on the video. In fact, others involve a co-owner of the slaughterhouse, as well as a USDA inspector.
Although co-owner Frank Perretta claimed he was "absolutely not" aware of cruelty at Bushway, on the video "a voice identified as Perretta's joked to a worker as a calf collapsed after being stunned that it 'looks like you on Friday night.'"
In another scene, the slaughter plant's co-owner [...] is shown shocking downed calves with electric prods in futile attempts to force them to stand. Prodding one calf to stand up, he says to the animal, "There ain't nothing wrong with you, shit box."Even the presence of a USDA inspector can't stop the abuse.
In one scene, a worker attempts to skin a calf who is still alive, directly in front of a USDA inspector. This government official tells the worker, on hidden camera, that if another USDA inspector saw this, the plant would be shut down, but he allows the abuse to continue.Curiously Langrock doesn't understand why an investigator would target Bushway, a clean, modern facility. But abuse can occur anywhere regardless of aesthetics.
Bushway was also a producer of organic veal, so if you think "organic" means "humane," think again.
Even if you don't eat veal, if you do consume dairy products, you are supporting this kind of animal abuse.
When dairy cows give birth to male calves, the males are confined to "veal crates" and slaughtered shortly thereafter. Their flesh was also used in hot dogs.
The meat derived from the calves' slaughter was shipped to Atlantic Veal and Lamb Inc., in Brooklyn, N.Y., and ended up in hot dogs and processed meat products.Think about this image, from the undercover investigator, the next time you reach for milk, cheese or ice cream. (There are plenty of yummy vegan alternatives.)
"The images I have of them following me, bawling and trying to grab my shirt sleeves to nurse are troubling," he said. "I still can't comprehend how desensitized to suffering one would need to be in order to harm these calves the way the workers and co-owner of the plant did."
(Video courtesy of The HSUS.)
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