The+Truth+is+Hard+to+Swallow

=The Truth is Hard to Swallow.=

Name: Alessandra Lipman Student Number: N8603359 Tutor: Jey Rodgers

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 * The Truth is Hard to Swallow. **

This statement sums up the entire meat industry for many people, when they know the truth of the industry it is hard to accept. Most people are unaware or ignorant to the truth of factory farming for their own peace of mind. It’s only until the facts are forced on to them that that they struggle to comprehend the gravity of the situation. This video is one of the many from the Voiceless campaign, a society for the truly voiceless animals. It shows the truth of factory farming from a different perspective. It shows a doctor performing an autopsy on a factory farm chicken, which like most autopsy patients was a victim of a brutal death. Listing all the conditions the chicken obtained during its life due to being in a factory farm. The doctor mentions many shocking but truthful facts and clips of what exactly happen to the chicken.


 * Name Public Health Issue:**

Knowing all that we do in this day and age about the meat industry in Australia and slaughter practices and standards of animals for meat it raises the question as to why humans are still consuming animal meat in 2013? It can be said that it comes down to the “need” for humans to consume meat for the benefit of that nutrition however is eating meat from animals that are being forced into horrid environments with disease and loaded up with growth hormones and antibiotics really providing humans with the right kind of nutrition? Surely animals being kept in horrible living conditions cannot be healthy; as these farming and slaughtering procedures are far from humane on multiple ethical levels, pushing it to be even be called legal cruelty, therefore it cannot be providing humans with the correct nutrition.


 * Literature Review:**

As the meat industry is very large and broad in Australia it is important to know what actually occurs behind the closed doors. There are many different areas in the meat industry including red meat, poultry and pigs; each industry operates in a similar manner with slight differences. It is a competitive industry, domestically and internationally, with roughly 60% of produce being exported (ABS, 2007), this being what mainly fuels factory farms, the competition to produce meat quickly, in large quantities. Even though factory farming is large in Australia, the industry is still renowned for having “safe” meat that is free from disease. Presumably from many meat safety systems in place from the start of the supply chain, beginning with the farming practices (Safe Meat, 2013). Cattle are put on special grain-fed diets that maximise their weight gain, while chickens are put on focused breeding programs that result in chickens growing 2-3 times as fast as they naturally should. Laboratories contribute to the food safety and the quality control by assisting in flock health for chickens. When they are on this intensive meal and hormone program they reach slaughter weights at 5-7 weeks of age (Animals Australia, 2013). Due to this program many of the birds are unable to walk, or even stand, meaning that about 2% of the

will die from illness and starvation, as they are unable to reach food and water, or will be trampled to death by other birds (Animals Australia, 2013). During Processing, the birds are shackled upside down by their feet on an overhead conveyor, which carries them into the killing room where their heads pass through an electrified water bath, used to stun the birds. They then pass along to an automatic knife that cuts their throats, and into a boiling water tank to help remove their feathers. However, if the birds avoid the electrified water and are not stunned they are then boiled alive. Life for pigs in abattoirs is harsh; they live in indoor intensive housing systems. There is the Australian Model code of practice for domestic poultry, which aims at providing general guidelines for the management for meat chickens and recognizes the requirement for the welfare of poultry. Where piglet are separated from the sow and taken to a specialized grower or finisher piggery, where they will be group housed in pens of 5-200 pigs per pen. When it comes to being slaughtered abattoirs mainly use stunning before slaughter, however, gassing is used for larger numbers. The meat industry follows the National Welfare Standards for livestock processing, it is stated that there must be humane slaughter procedures (Animals Australia, 2013). The livestock must be effectively restrained and effectively stunned with appropriate equipment for the class of livestock. The animal must be effectively stunned before the sticking is to commence (National Welfare Standards, 2005). There is also the Australian Model code of practice for domestic poultry, which aims at providing general guidelines for the management for meat chickens and recognizes the requirement for the welfare of poultry (Departmen t of Agriculture, 2013). However, there are no welfare inspector’s onsite at the processing plant to ensure that the slaught er process is carried out in a humane way or even a safe and hygienic manner. The issues of factory farming are evident; they include meat containing growth hormones, potential disease from unsanitary slaughtering and weak animal immunity, all effect humans eating the animal’s meat. Over the years evidence has been gathered to prove that hormones given to cattle to increase growth rates do affect human health (Physicians for Social Responsibility, 2013). When humans consume animal meat that had been treated with numerous antibiotics increases their risk of antibiotic resistance and is linked to an increase in rates of colon, breast and prostate cancer (PSR, 2013). Many scientists have found that as factory farming has increase so has the affects in humans; such as many of these hormones also interfere with estrogen and progesterone in humans. Factory farms are renowned for over crowding, and creates an environment conducive to the spread of disease, animals are fed antibiotics and sprayed with pesticides, these remain in their bodies and are passed onto the humans who consume them, creating serious health hazards. It can be said to be the cause for strains of bacteria becoming resistant to human treatments (Beecher, 2013). There are other types of farming, not only factory farming, such as free range and organic. However, as previously mentioned there are no welfare officers to ensure that proper standards are being carried out. All types of farming are purely for profit so it is no surprise that in many of these farms the animals are put through the same conditions as factory farmed animals or even worst, just because they are said to be organic or free-range does not mean that the animals are treated humanly (PETA, 2011). The only advantage of eating free-range or organics meat is that they do not contain antibiotics or hormones (PETA, 2011). Although our Meat Industry is superior compared to other countries in terms of safety and quality, humans still should not be consuming animal meat in this day and age. Nutrition can be obtained from other sources that are not associated with hormones, antibiotics, animal bacteria and saturated fats.


 * Cultural and Social Analysis:**

Society and culture are crucial when it comes to understanding why the meat industry preforms the way it does and how it can change. In our current society there is hardly any awareness of what occurs in the meat industry, that is why all the practices are widely accepted without question. That is the main issue; people do not know that is actually happening at this very moment in factory farms and regular farms. However, some are aware and are simply ignorant to what is occurring, as it does not directly impact them. The industry is competitive, which then results in the market also being competitive. The main attraction to consuming meat is that it is affordable and provides people with nutrition easily. We live in a society where the economy is important to many people who view affordable as the best option. We also live in a country were meat is a big part of the “Australian” culture (BBQ’s). However, we are also a young country with immigrants bringing their own cultures, such as halal meat and religious restrictions to certain types of meat. There has also been a social change in Australia, where once buying good quality meat was expensive and for a higher-class market, it is now readily available due to cheap production costs as a result of factory farming. However the issues previously mentioned affect every Australian who consumes any type of animal meat. That is why awareness of the issues is so important; people have the right to know what they are buying and what they are consuming. Australians should discuss this issue so that they pass on that awareness, as all people who eat meat are affected by it and deserve to know what conditions the animals are in. As well as how hormones and antibiotics in the meat will affect them in the long run. Public health experts should create more focus on the benefits of not consuming meat and promote alternatives such as vegetable-based meats. They should also highlight the problems in the meat industry and attempt to place higher standards for factory farms that will be regulated.


 * Analysis of Learning Reflection**

When I first watched my artifact I did not completely understand what I had seen and had to re-watch it, the reason I did not understand is because the way it is set out is that a doctor is preforming an autopsy and at first I believed it to be a human autopsy. However that is exactly what it represents, it is to show that even though it is a chicken and just an animal it is still a victim of a brutal death that deserves an autopsy. It is a good reflection of my topic as my topic was to show what the animals in the meat industry are put through for our enjoyment of meat and it showed that it was a victim or legal cruelty and was one of the many animals that suffers those conditions due to factor farming. It meant a lot to me personally as I care a lot about animals and have never really considered them to be in that type of position of helplessness. This piece of assessment has taught me a lot, as while researching I came across many shocking articles and videos of horrific cruelty. It has helped my awareness and also discouraged me in eating meat, even if it be free range or organic. I have also learnt that many organizations will twist the truth to be in their favour and to be wary of where I find my information for that exact reason. If it is to affect my future learning and thinking process I think that it will affect me to be more wary of information and research in greater depth as well.




 * Reflection**

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 * Reference List**

ABS. (2005). Australia’s beef cattle industry. Retrieved from []

Animals Australia. (2013). Boiler chickens fact sheet. Retrieved from []

Beecher, C. (2013). Concerns about animal welfare, food safety spur industry changes. Retrieved from [|http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/05/concerns-about-animal-welfare-food-safety-spur-industry-changes/#.UnXOthbNpSU]

Department of Agriculture. (2013). Australian animal welfare standards and guidelines. Retrieved from []

National Welfare Standards. (2005). Retrieved from []

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (2013). The organic and free-range myth. Retrieved from []

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (2013). Other health risks od the meat industry. Retrieved from []

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (2013). Factory farming: cruelty to animals. Retrieved from []

Physicians for Social Responsibility. (2013). U.S. meat production. Retrieved from []

Safe Meat. (2013). Industry priorities. Retrieved from []

Voiceless Australia. (2012). Autopsy: the truth is hard to swallow [Video file]. Retrieved from []