Cruelty at factory farms

Re: “Images of piglets being abused ‘extremely disturbing’ ” (Gazette, Dec. 11)

What is surprising to see, is that the latest revelation by Mercy for Animals Canada investigation that there is cruelty and violence in factory farms in Canada is news.

Do meat consumers actually still believe that cows, pigs and chickens live happy, natural lives on large farms, eating grass and insects while breathing in fresh air and living many years, then get transported with loving care and slaughtered humanely and quickly?

To get cheap meat, standards were compromised 60-some years ago and the only goal of the factory farming industry is to keep producing more at fewer costs. The bottom line is more important than ethics, than basic human compassion and reason. More important also than the health and safety of the meat you get on your plate, or the environment we live in.

Open your eyes, everyone. This is how it’s done everywhere, in Quebec, the rest of Canada, the U.S., Mexico. There is no hu- mane meat industry.

Marjorie Rowe-Callisto Laval

The latest undercover video released by Mercy for Animals Canada showing cruelty inflicted on pigs in a pig factory in Manitoba should not be a shock to consumers. In recent years, more and more of these videos have been taken at more and more of these factories. In fact, factory inventory of car parts would be treated with more care.

Puratone’s name can be added to a long list of industry players whose contractors or employees have been caught abusing animals. When caught, they normally express shock that such things went on in their operations while they assure consumers that their animal welfare policy is of the highest standards. They promise to review policies and eliminate offenders.

Once the cameras are gone and the media moves on to the next news cycle, animals are once again vulnerable to continued abuse. The system is inherently cruel and will not improve until consumers drive change.

If you are appalled by such animal cruelty, you can help to end it. Just stop consuming the product.

Karen Messier Beaconsfield