Cows+with+Guns

Student Name: Shannen Brown Student Number: n8833346 Tutor: Michelle Cornford

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The artefact I will be later analysing is a video from YouTube titled ‘Cows with Guns’. The video is accompanied by a song also called ‘Cows with Guns’. It is written and performed by Dana Lyons and was released in 1996. The video tells the story of a group of cows who rebel against human civilization. They don’t want to be cut up and made into hamburgers so they take a stand. They set abattoirs on fire, trash police cars and run around armed with guns. They are even joined by chickens in helicopters.
 * ARTEFACT **

The public health issue that this artefact represents is ‘The Ethical and Health Aspects of Eating Meat’. Today, very few animals roam freely on traditional farms. Instead they suffer behind closed doors and are treated like commodities in a production line. The animals’ distress and suffering is overlooked in a cruel but legal profit making service. Animals kept in factory farms may never experience the sun on their skin, feel the texture of the earth between their feet or spend time socialising with their friends and family. The specific issue I will be examining is the inhumane way cows, their young and battery hens are kept and treated in factory farms
 * PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE CENTRAL TO YOUR ANALYSIS **

According to the recent Coles commercials promoting responsibly sourced beef, sow stall free pork and RSPCA approved poultry. It would appear that we are becoming more ethically concerned about the welfare of animals. However, there is a dark unseen side to Australia’s meat industry.
 * LITERATURE REVIEW **

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Around the world, two thirds of farm animals are kept and raised in factory farms. There are thousands of factory farms all over Australia. Factory farming causes pain and suffering to approximately 500 million Australian animals annually (Animals Australia, 2013). If we were to hurt a puppy in the same way that we would a factory farmed animal, it would be considered animal cruelty. Why should a young calf and a young puppy have different legal protection from cruelty? They are both animals? 

According to statistics, the number of livestock being slaughtered in Australia is increasing dramatically (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). This point is also proved in Ibrahim’s (2007) article which states that the amount of cattle slaughtered in the US has also risen from thirty three percent in the 1980s to eighty one percent in the 2000s. This is a substantial increase in both countries.

(Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2013).

Factory farmed cows live a lonely life with calves separated from their mothers, never to meet again. Cattle are forced to stand with their shoulders touching in large dirt enclosures. Veal calves are forced to live in crates barely larger than their own bodies (Ibrahim ,2007). Calves who are raised for veal are more likely to contract diarrhea, pneumonia and more likely to become anemic as they are fed a milk substitute which is low in iron (PETA, 2013). When it is time to be moved to the slaughterhouse, which for baby cows is only after living for a short period of 12 weeks, they are crowded into metal trucks. Many of the animals can hardly walk due to muscle deterioration or sickness. On these trucks, they are trampled and suffer from extreme temperatures, lack of food, water, and care. They are then forced through a chute and shot in the head with a captive-bolt gun meant to stun them. As the production lines move so quickly and many of the workers are poorly trained some animals do not get properly stunned and may have to face the slaughter fully conscious (Welty, 2007). A slaughterhouse worker by the name of Ramon confessed that completely conscious cows suffer the torture wide awake.


 * "They blink. They make noises," he says. "The head moves, the eyes are wide and looking around, they die piece by piece" **
 *  (PETA, 2013). **



Battery hens are also slaughtered in inhumane ways. They are shackled upside down, electrically stunned, have their throat slit by a motorised blade and then pass through jets of boiling water to remove their feathers. Some unlucky birds may not get properly stunned and on occasions may face the motorised blade and even the scolding chamber fully conscious. Not only do they have to go through this torture of death, but they also spend their whole life in torture being kept in rows and rows of extremely uncomfortable wire cages with their legs and feet often becoming crippled. There is also no access to sunlight and fresh air. A battery hen’s world is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Chickens are slaughtered after they cannot lay any more eggs (Animals Australia, 2013).



<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Not only does factory farming cause suffering to animals, it affects human health. A study conducted by Pluhar (2010), shows how working in a slaughterhouse or factory farm causes mental suffering to the factory workers. According to slaughterhouse expert Mr Grandin ‘it is not unusual for employees to become sadistic, literally brutalised by what they do <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">daily' (Pollan 2006, p.233). Not only can factory farmed products affect mental health, they also affect physical health. Studies by Fisma and Elton (2012) show that factory farmed products can be linked to salmonella, mad cow disease, swine flu, bird flu and E Coli disease. As the chickens are caged with many others whenever one is sick, it is very likely that the sickness with spread to the other chickens. Also it doesn’t help that the chickens are sitting in their own urine, vomit or faeces. Some animals may get so hungry that they are forced to eat it (Lochhead, 2010). The humane society in the US has proven over the last five years, in nine studies that caged chickens are 50% more likely to contract salmonella, then free range chickens. In the United States of America, factory farming has been linked to salmonella outbreaks. In 2010, over 550 million eggs were recalled after approximately 1300 cases of food poisoning were reported (Berger, 2010). Studies by Riley (2011) suggest that factory farmed products could be linked to obesity. factory raised chickens have 25% more fat than those raised organically. The limitations of these studies are that they are based in America. Due to the same conditions the animals are kept in, the products could be susceptible to the long list of health concerns outlined in the studies.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The RMIT University in Australia conducted a study on 48 rural and metropolitan people. They were assessed on their knowledge of factory farming. Most of the subjects had very little knowledge of what factory farming is and how the animals are treated (Study Finds little awareness of factory farming, 2009). This proves that today’s citizens are unaware of what they are actually eating and awareness needs to be increased.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">So when did we decide it was okay to treat farm animals like this? Some could blame the seventeenth century French philosopher Rene Descartes who believed that animals cannot feel pain or think at all. He also believed that animals are the same as inanimate objects (Ibrahim, 2007). Later on in the nineteenth century English philosopher Jeremy Benthem, believed that animals require moral consideration as they, just like humans are capable of feeling pain and suffering (Ibrahim, 2007). The Industry Animal Welfare Standards for Livestock Processing Establishments agree with Jeremy Benthem and requires that animals are slaughtered in a way that avoids injuries, suffering and pain. They are to be stunned in a way that guarantees they won’t feel pain and will not regain consciousness before they die (Australian Meat Industry Council, 2009).
 * CULTURAL AND SOCIAL ANALYSIS **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Max weber is a German philosopher born in 1864 who also has views on social theory (Max Weber, 2013). Weber defined rationalisation as ‘a process in which thoughts and actions rooted in emotion, respect or tradition is replaced by value-rational thought and action’ (Ferrante, 2008). In simpler terms, he believes rationalisation is the most efficient way to achieve a goal. Factory farming could be defined as rationalisation as it is the quickest way from getting from one place to another. More chickens and young cows are being forced to share their limited lives with many other animals in small crates and cages. The more animals they can fit into these factory farms, the more products they can produce meaning more profit. Factory farming can be seen as quick and efficient.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">There are many organisations which influence the world and are affected by factory farming. Organisations such as the RPSCA, Animals Australia and PETA are involved in trying to stop the animal cruelty of factory farming. They campaign in order to raise awareness and increase funding from donations. By campaigning and spreading awareness they educate the population about the cruel world of factory farming. Without these organisations, factory farms would continue to do their business behind closed doors, without the knowledge from the general population. Without the campaigns and awareness factory farms would not be known about and would not be seen as important. Due to this issue being brought to light some supermarkets are ditching the cheap unethical option and are finally starting to listen to the facts. This proves that these organisations really do influence the world. McDonalds has announced that soon it will be using only free-range eggs across Australia. Woolworths and Coles have announced that they will be reducing the caged eggs range in their stores. By these big corporate companies taking a stand, they can help to raise the issue as they have billions of customers annually. They also help the issue by promoting their new free- range products. This further raises awareness as some people may search for extra information on why they should purchase free-range products and will allow them to see for themselves. Those who follow a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet could be sensitive to the topic. The use of factory farming in Australia could be the reason why they made the change to a meat-free diet. Factory farming also affects the Australian farmers as their farm-fresh, free-range products may not sell as factory farmed products are much cheaper. This is why it is important to create awareness of the cruelty of factory farming and support our free range Australian farmers.


 * ANALYSIS OF THE ARTEFACT AND YOUR OWN LEARNING REFLECTIONS **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The cows with guns comedy video shows the cattle industry going rogue. They are sick of being turned into hamburgers so they rebel. The video represents the cattle’s frustration with being slaughtered. Once cornered with no where else to go, chickens in copper appear and come to the cows aid. The animals are working together to stand up for what they believe in. And they believe they should be free!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I have learnt that it is cruel what factory farms does to animals. I have not changed to a vegetarian diet but I am definitely more self-conscious of my meat and meat product choices. I now only buy free ranged eggs and am careful when choosing meat. I believe that it is okay to eat meat, but not factory farmed products. I believe that animals should not be separated from their mothers whilst they are young. They should be free to roam on an outdoor farm and feel the wet grass, the cool air and the hot sun. They should not live cooped up inside a factory farm with a death sentence. They should live a long life and when the time is right, taken to the slaughter house.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I also have been spreading the word to my friends, family and workmates about all I have learnt. Remember, Factory farming can only exist if people buy its products.



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 * REFLECTION **

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">AACT. (2013). Australias Battery Hen Farms. Retrieved from Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania: []
 * REFERENCE LIST **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Animals Australia (2013). Hope in Sight for Battery Hens. Retrieved from Animals Australia: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Animals Australia (2013). FAQ’s. Retrieved from [|http://www.makeitpossible.com/facts/frequently-asked-questions.php#top]

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Animals Australia Unleashed (2013). What is factory farming?. Retrieved from: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Berger, M. (2010, Aug 30). Salmonella Outbreak tied to Factory farming. Global Information Network.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Council, A. M. (2009). Industry Animal Welfare Standards, 2. Retrieved from Australian Meat Industry Council: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Factory Farming. (2013). Retrieved from The Animal Protection Institute.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ferrante, J. (2008). Sociology: A Glocal Perspective.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Fisma, D., & Elton, s. (2012). Safer food may require abandoning factory farming. The Vancouver Sun.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Queensland Government. (2010, July). Meat and Meat Products. Retrieved from Labelling & Compositional Standards for Industry: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ibrahim, D. M. (2007). A return to Descartes: property, profit and the corporate ownership of animals. Law & Contemporary Problems, 70(1), 90-115.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Livestock and Meat, Australia. (2013, October 8). Retrieved from Australian Bureau of Statistics: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lochhead, C. (2010). Is Factory Farming Unsafe? San Fransisco Chronicle.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Max Weber. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:22, Oct 27, 2013, from [].

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">O'Brien, Tim(2001). "Factory Farming and Human Health". The Ecologist (1979)(0261-3131), 31(5), p.30.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">PETA. (2013). Cow Transport and Slaughter. Retrieved from People for the Ethical treatment of animals: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Poultry. (2012). Retrieved from Animals Angels: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pluhar, E. B. (2009). Meat and morality: Alternatives to factory farming. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 23(5), 455-468. doi:10.1007/s10806-009-9226-x

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Prunty, J., & Apple, K. J. (2013). Painfully Aware: The Effects of Dissonance on Attitudes toward Factory Farming. Anthrozoos, 26(2), 265-278. doi:10.2752/175303713X13636846944367

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Renton, A. (2011, March). Just how fresh is fresh food at the supermarket? Retrieved from Mail Online: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Riley, J. (2011, August 26). Films claim factory farming bad for health. Farmers Weekly(9), 8.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Roberts, B (2004) Animals in Industry. The Reference Librarian, 41:86, 71-79, DOI: 10.1300/J120v41n86_07

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Study Finds little awareness of factory farming. (2009, July). ABC Rural News. Retreived from []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Welty, J. (2007). Humane slaughter laws. Animal law and policy, 70(1), 175-190.