[Table] IAmA: I’m a former undercover investigator who documented animal abuse in factory farms. AMA!
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Date: 2015-08-12
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| Questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| I was just curious what the worst conditions of animal cruelty was? Why do you believe that animal cruelty in the food industry is so prominent and what steps need to be made in order for change to happen? | The most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen was the owner at a Pilgrim’s contract chicken grow out facility burying birds alive. The owner and another worker shoved birds who were either sick, injured, or simply too small into buckets with the decaying bodies of other birds and then dumped them still alive, into outdoor pits where they were left to slowly die. Having to stand back and watch birds chirping and struggling helplessly to break free from the pile of dead crushing them is something I’ll never forget. |
| While that's pretty shocking, it’s actually been the standard industry practices that I find to be the worst. Most people don’t know that it’s routine to suffocate or grind up unwanted chicks in the egg, chicken, and turkey industries, to rip out the testicles of newborn piglets without any painkillers, or that most egg-laying hens live out their entire lives in wire cages so small they can’t even stretch their wings. In many cases, these routine practices cause much more suffering than the sadistic cruelty, such as kicking and hitting, that workers may be criminally charged for. A lot of of these abusive practices are in place to help companies meet production demands, and you find them happening at even the most "humane" facilities. | |
| There are a lot of steps individuals and lawmakers can take for meaningful changes to occur, and leaving animals off our plates goes a long way :) | |
| Sorry for the long answer! | |
| I've known someone who grew up on a pig farm and used to cut off the testicles off piglets. to him they were products and that's it. | I'm sure when this guy first started it was probably very emotionally difficult, and he eventually just built up a wall. |
| What are your thoughts on the Ag-gag laws being passed in a few states? Would you ever consider investigating in a state where it was passed? | I think ag-gag is unconstitutional, and an obvious infringement of the First Amendment. Not only this, it's simply bad for animals, workers, the environment, and the general public. |
| The root of ag-gag is obvious: when people see undercover footage they are often so appalled that they respond with massive boycotts of companies and their suppliers. Rather than eliminating the shameful practices caught on film at their facilities, animal ag has responded by throwing tons of money at politicians to pass these laws that criminalize animal advocates and not animal abuse (weird, right?). It's only a matter of time before ag-gag is a thing of the past. There was a very recent victory in Idaho where ag-gag was ruled unconstitutional in federal court (congrats to everyone who worked on that case!), and I predict we'll see future victories like this in the near future. | |
| I'm no longer in the field, so I won't be conducting an investigation anywhere. Ag-gag laws pose too much of a risk to investigators, so unfortunately there will likely be no investigations in those states until those laws are overturned. Folks who live in ag-gag states should contact their representatives and ask them to take a stand against them. | |
| What was the most inhumane thing you saw? | Hi there! I answered a question like this already, so I'll just copy/paste what I already wrote :) |
| The most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen was the owner at a Pilgrim’s contract chicken grow out facility burying birds alive. The owner and another worker shoved birds who were either sick, injured, or simply too small into buckets with the decaying bodies of other birds and then dumped them still alive, into outdoor pits where they were left to slowly die. Having to stand back and watch birds chirping and struggling helplessly to break free from the pile of dead crushing them is something I’ll never forget. | |
| While that's pretty shocking, it’s actually been the standard industry practices that I find to be the worst. Most people don’t know that it’s routine to suffocate or grind up unwanted chicks in the egg, chicken, and turkey industries, to rip out the testicles of newborn piglets without any painkillers, or that most egg-laying hens live out their entire lives in wire cages so small they can’t even stretch their wings. In many cases, these routine practices cause much more suffering than the sadistic cruelty, such as kicking and hitting, that workers may be criminally charged for. | |
| Wow thats awful. Thanks for the reply. | No problem! |
| Sometimes after these investigations you hear people say, "well I'm never buying Foster Farms again!" or "We need to jail that worker!" | Thanks so much for your thoughtful question. |
| Do you feel that that these are the right take away? What would you like people to take from your investigations and how would you like to see groups like COK or other activists talking about these investigations? | We know that these issues of animal abuse are inherent in animal agriculture, and that the cruel commonplace practices (such as ripping out the testicles of piglets, burning toes off of newly hatched chicks, and intensive confinement of egg laying hens) are policies created by companies-- not underpaid workers-- and are generally uniform across the industry. Due to how ingrained eating animals is in our culture, I think it makes people very uncomfortable to reconcile their love for animals (which I believe most people have) and the harsh realities of animal ag, so rather than making lifestyle changes, people want to continue to consume without a bad conscious, so they cling to rhetoric that is often racist, xenophobic, or simply perpetuates a "bad apple" mythology. I'd like to see people talk about veganism and animal rights in a more intersectional way-- on all fronts, not just when dissecting undercover footage. That being said, I do think there are people who engage in very sadistic activity (like amputating the limbs of animals, or shoving metal rods in their anal cavities, etc.) that should be held accountable. |
| Do you have any advice on how I can purchase eggs that are actually from humane farms? a specific brand or certification? I notice you mention one chicken producer being certified humane but practices are not humane. Thanks for bringing light to the cruelty | Hi, thanks for your question and thanks for caring about animals! |
| This is tough because as we saw with the Foster Farms case, "humane" doesn't really mean much. Likewise, in the Pilgrim's case, those birds were "cage free" yet lived in filthy sheds so overcrowded they were unable to really move around freely. | |
| In the egg industry, male chicks are always ground up alive or suffocated to death because they aren't profitable to egg producers. The hens still have to have their beaks amputated or burnt off, and when they stop producing good eggs (after about 2 years), they're sent to slaughter. Unfortunately, chickens aren't covered under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and so don't have to be "rendered insensible to pain” prior to being slaughtered. Currently, many chickens end up scalded alive in tanks of boiling water before having their throats slit— and shockingly, that doesn't violate any federal law. | |
| So you see, there really aren't any humane egg farms, but luckily there are a ton of egg alternatives! I recommend heading to tryveg.com to check out some options! | |
| Chrystal, thanks for being here. That sounds like an intense experience. | You're totally spot on-- this industry is bad for animals and it’s terrible for those who live and work in the ecological wastelands that these industries create (unfortunately, the human aspect is often left out of the discourse so thanks for bringing it up). |
| It sounds like a traumatic scenario for animals AND people. What can the every day person do to prevent such horrifying events? | There are a ton of things individuals can do in their communities to help stop these abuses! Just a few include: supporting local food justice efforts, volunteering at farm sanctuaries, helping farm workers (one of my favorite groups is the Food Empowerment Project] ([Link to www.foodispower.org), education through leafletting/movie screenings, writing letters to folks in the field, and a ton of other things! |
| Undercover investigations are obviously super intense, scary, and traumatic. I hope you're getting whatever you need after enduring so much!! | There's a type of activism for everyone, and I really hope we all as individuals take it upon ourselves to address these issues immediately. One of my favorite quotes is by Sophie Scholl who said, "How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give [themselves] up individually to a righteous cause?” Let's all make that our motto! :) |
| What do you think of ag-gag laws? (FYI, ag-gag laws have been introduced across the country in states by legislators to make it a crime to conduct investigations into farms) | I think ag-gag is unconstitutional, and an obvious infringement of the First Amendment. Not only this, it's simply bad for animals, workers, the environment, and the general public. The root of ag-gag is obvious: when people see undercover footage they are often so appalled that they respond with massive boycotts of companies and their suppliers. Rather than eliminating the shameful practices caught on film at their facilities, animal ag has responded by throwing tons of money at politicians to pass these laws that criminalize animal advocates and not animal abuse (weird, right?). |
| Thanks for doing what you do! What do you have to say to people who insist it's fine to buy humane meat? Do you know of any investigations into these "humane" facilities, and where can I learn more about how they're regulated and their standard practices? | I actually recently investigated Foster Farms, a company that touts itself as humane and is even American Humane Certified. While I was there I had the interesting experience of seeing the company audited, and the management ran things completely differently that day (they were given advanced notice about the audit, which to me seems counter intuitive). Regardless, things like mutilating newly hatched chicks without pain medications and slowly suffocating them alive in plastic bags and the auditors saw all of that. You'd be surprised at how unregulated "humane" labeling is and what commonplace practices are considered OK. I encourage you to do some research and ask yourself if you can really financially support these practices. Check out Compassion Over Killing's] ([Link to cok.net other investigations and then head to tryveg.com and incorporate more plant based foods in your diet! |
| Was there ever a time when something was happening that almost made you blow your cover? Something you had to just grit your teeth through? Thank you for your sacrifice!! | There were a couple times I was worried about maintaining my composure. |
Last updated: 2015-08-16 16:39 UTC
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Posted Aug 12, 2015, 4:52 PM UTC · edited
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