New York – An animal-rights group has called for a state investigation into a Gordon meatpacking plant it claims mistreats animals during the slaughtering process.
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In a complaint filed Monday with the Sheridan County Attorney, the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Local Pride LLC allows cows to remain conscious for up to two minutes after their throats are cut during the kosher slaughtering process, among other things.
PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich called the practice illegal and cruel.
Local Pride opened in June 2006 under an agreement between the Sholom Rubashkin family of New York and the Oglala of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
USDA spokeswoman Amanda Eamich on Monday confirmed that a specialist was sent to the plant to observe the slaughtering process, but said no violations of the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act were found. [ap]
Joseph,
I’ve been reading PETA’s literature for 12 years and I’ve taught a college animal rights course. I must disagree with your statement “PETA does want to ban all eating of meat. They want to ban all slaughtering of animals.” To make sure we’re on the same page, I interpret “ban” to mean a legal prohibition. PETA does not lobby for such legal prohibitions, with the exception of specific, especially cruel foods like foie gras (which has been banned in Israel and more than a dozen other countries).
In case you were implying that PETA wants to ban kosher slaughter (as part of your accusation that PETA wants to ban all slaughter), PETA has continually pointed out that it considers PROPERLY PERFORMED shechita to be humane and does not push for a ban on shechita.
To clarify: PETA promotes vegetarianism as a personal choice that individuals can make to stop contributing to cruelty to animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses. When animals at Local Pride have their ears mutilated and their throats ripped into while they’re conscious, there’s a strong case for vegetarianism. See http://www.HumaneKosher.com for more info.
heebnvegan,
PETA does want to ban all eating of meat. They want to ban all slaughtering of animals.
PETA’s slogan in fact is: “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.”
See:
http://www.peta.org/about/
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PETA
There’s been misinformation in this discussion.
First, PETA doesn’t want to ban all meat-eating. They’re much more practical than that. It’s up to consumers to make their own decisions, but that also means not trusting the government or kosher certification agencies to always do the right thing, esp. when tza’ar ba’alei chayim is uncovered like this.
Also, I’ve never met any animal rights person who contends that animals can think, feel, and reason in the same way that humans can. Most trace their philosophy in one way or another to a Jeremy Bentham quote that says it doesn’t matter whether animals can think or reason like humans — but that they can suffer. And I think that’s the key point here:
Ripping into a conscious cow’s throat and mutilating his ears causes suffering and is, therefore, inhumane and unacceptable. And it’s wrong not just because that’s Animal Rights Philosophy 101, but also because that’s a core Jewish principle: We shouldn’t cause animals unnecessary suffering (tza’ar ba’alei chayim).
July 11, 2007 1:24 PM
Thanks for the post, well written , there is a lot more on the issue of t’zar balei chayim which was prohibited by the torah much before these so called animal rights era we r talking about in the stone ages
1) You r not supposed to whip your horse (see sefer Hasidim ch 45)
2) Don’t overload your donkey.(see above ch 665)
3) Prohibition to eat anything before you feed your animals (Brachos;40a)
4) Prohibition of any unnecessary pain to animals even to extent like letting animal/chicken watch shchitah done on another one (see Yad Efrayim ch 36:14)
Prohibition to perform schitah mother and calf in one day (chinuch; 294)
5) Moses rabeinu was chosen on his pity of the sheep (midrash shmos ch 2)
For more, see Sefer Shu”T Imrei Shefar Of The Gaon Rav Eliyahu Klatzkin Zt”L Ch. 34;17 on the issue of shchitah – were they wanted to ban it in Switzerland (early 1900’s)
The point:
Don’t tell the torah observer about animal feelings, especially these Anti-Everything-Except Animals-Group (NOTE: did u ever notice all these so called “rights” groups have the most venom and hate to anything decent start with the UN human…..)
There are some fundamental Torah FACTS regarding how we are to utilize animals as food sources:
1. Animals are to be free ranged and their diet to consist solely of the green herbs that grow out of the ground. (berishies 1:30)
2. Animals are to be rested on Shabbat. (Ten Commandments)
3. Prohibition of any unecessary pain to animals.
4. Prohibition of “Carnivorous Gluttony” (Quail Affair)
Note: This prohibition was given BEFORE permission to slaughter animals ouside of the Central Sanctuary for food.
5. Proper Shechitah is one swift cut with a perfectly sharp knife which severs the trachea and main arteries to the brain to insure that the animal dies as quickly and as painlessly as possible. According to Dr. Temple Grandin, who has observed proper Shechitah, the animal is dead in less than one minute.
6. Animal that has been slaughtered is not permitted to be touched until dead.
If we compare these fundamental Torah Requirements, we may observe how very few, if any, are part of modern day “Kosher Animal Agriculture Establishments”
RE: Proud member of PETA
I’m joining your group
At which restaurant is your next demonstration?
5:11, I eat tofu all the time and it’s much more nutritious than meat. Truthfully, PETA is VERY dangerous because they have the money and the clout and they have the liberal media eating out of their hands. All they want is a successful shmear campaign and they are very good at it.
I am a frum Jew and a proud member of PETA.
People Eating Tasty Animals
the real ????????????????is the schita kosher since a proper bedika can not be made after animal was peroforatead whats the o.u got to say seems they are out to lunch
Yes – it’s true animals feel, think and reason like….. PETA members
Re MOSHE SAID
PETA is a despicable organization. Please see previous news items re this organization, their methods and mission. These people believe that animals feel, think and reason like a human and are equal to humans. If they would be forced between killing a human or animal they would not know what to do!
If inhumane methods are being used, that is a problem. But don’t listen to PETA, just as you wouldn”t listen to a moslem on Tznius.
Why would anyone take the PETA animal lovers seriously? They have an agenda and don’t want animals used for food. The will do whatever they can to help there cause. About 40 years ago there was an Alice Herrington who ran an organization Friends of Animals who’s goal was to end schita. Thankfully she wasn’t sucessful. If the PETA people have thei way we’ll all be eating tofu every Shabbos.
The comments on this thread are an embarrassment.
Whatever PETA’s motives happen to be, the fact remains that the Torah (or at least the Rabbis) forbid us from being cruel to animals.
Furthermore, the Torah forbids us from lying.
Whether or not PETA shares our values, it is a serious problem when it takes PETA to call to our attention that practices are going on in a Rabbinically supervised plant that seemingly violate laws against cruelty to animals and laws against deceiving the public.
Again, I don’t know whether the charges here are true, but I think we should be grateful to PETA for exposing this (if they are true) and wonder to what extent the deception (if that’s true) spills over into other areas.
Allowing the PETA people to remain conscious for 2 minutes is cruel to all humans!
Check out the video for yourself:
http://www.goveg.com/undercover-agri.asp
And also the first investigation, with all the fallout:
http://www.goveg.com/feat/agriprocessors/
I think PETA’s doing okay on this. Check out the top item in the second link, the debate between PETA and Agriprocessors.
PETA, by its own admission, wants to ban the eating of any meat.
PETA, by its own admission, wants to ban the eating of any meat.
The PETA are are the animals here.
They will never go after the muslims at the halal slaughterhouses because PETA is afraid of what the muslims will do to them if they cause trouble….
Hitler was not a vegetarian. That is an “urban myth.” Read any respected biography and you will see he was not a vegetarian.
Suri said…
The reason we eat cattle, plant and drink water is to elevate the holy sparks that are in them.
If we benefit from Hashem’s creation to serve Him, that’s how we elevate the holy sparks. THAT IS MERCY.
How saintly of you!
Personally, I eat steak because it tastes good.
When the Shevotim Reuven and Gad wanted to settle the land east of the Jordan they told Moshe Rabeinu that it’s good place for them to raise their cattle.
The reason we eat cattle, plant and drink water is to elevate the holy sparks that are in them.
If we benefit from Hashem’s creation to serve Him, that’s how we elevate the holy sparks. THAT IS MERCY.
Isn’t it amazing how PETA claims to have mercy on the animals and are known to be cruel to people.
The Torah teaches us that if you have “mercy” at the wrong times than you won’t have mercy at the proper times. PETA is living proof of that.
I am 9:27, and I totally agree that PETA is a terrorist entity and has a sick mindset.
That said – the issue here is different. They, seemingly, caught on video something Rubashkin claims to have stopped.
(BTW – They do go after the Halal slaughterhouses, they video on their site as well.)
Deuteronomy 25:17 “Remember what Amalek did to you”
This group is following in the footsteps of Hitler, yemach shemo, a known vegetarian.
953 PETA is a sick organization that values animals over people keep your rabashkin bias separate from a PETA agenda.
It’s just a matter of time before shechita is outlawed in the US. If you are doubting it, we all said gay marriage would never be legal either. The left wing liberals, and the ‘rights’ activists are getting their way, and will continue to do so.
Those PETA people are really out to get Rubashkin. If they want to really see cruel treatment of animals they should look at the many small moslem halal slaughter places in the metro area.
PETA is only doing this because Rubashkin did not want to hire them as the official Mashgichim for their plant.
I’m sure that if Rubashkin offers them a good Hungarian chulent than all will quiet down.
Although the USDA didn’t find anything illegal and in fact all may be Kosher, Rubashkin claimed to have discontinued using a hook to ‘accelerate bleed-out’.
If this video is accurate, they haven’t stopped, which basiclly means they are lying to public and maybe to their Rabonai Machshirim.
USDA spokeswoman Amanda Eamich on Monday confirmed that a specialist was sent to the plant to observe the slaughtering process, but said no violations of the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act were found. [ap]
– Obviously! Because if there were violations found chances are that the animals would be treif! Kosher Shechita allows only for humane treatment of animals. Peta sees even eating animals as inhumane, so they will make as much trouble as they can, Once they set their eyes on someone they won’t let up. I doubt that any slaughtering of animals is pretty Kosher or not but the Torah prescribes how we must do it and thats KOSHER to me.