# The Big Meat Industry caught on video abusing pigs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 30, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422 "2011-06-30T19:59:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/21 "2011-07-01T09:33:24Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > My Mom used to buy whole chickens, take the guts and giblets out, etc. > > […] > > So in my adult life, its been breasts all the time. Chicken breasts. I don’t get it. Can’t you buy whole chicken that have already been gutted? ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/22 "2011-07-01T13:32:55Z")
Suddenly, I have a strong craving for some pork chops and bacon. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/23 "2011-07-01T13:34:12Z")
I lived in a time and place where people often kept chickens, pigs and even steers on their back lots. These animals were raised for consumption, not as pets. Beyond keeping them healthy and well fed, they didn’t get a lot of attention until it was time to kill 'em and eat 'em. Videos like the one in the link are meaningless to me----they simply show an efficient method of fattening pigs for human consumption. If a more efficient method could be developed, the large scale processors would adopt it in a heart beat. If you prefer to buy from a local Farmer Bob who treats his pigs “humanely,” ask him to invite you out when he castrates male piglets; I can almost promise you he will not use any sort of anesthetic before their little piglet testicles are removed. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/24 "2011-07-01T14:30:42Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Oh, FFS. The choice is not between horrible animal torture abuse meat and ridiculously priced happy animal sunshine meat. There are other options; for instance, if you can’t find a meat producer that treats their animals in a way you find appropriate for a price you can afford, you could always. . . not eat meat. Hell, when my budget is tightened and I can’t get the good stuff, I just go without. There are oodles of ways to have a balanced vegetarian diet, whether it’s a temporary adaption or permanent. Frankly, I’d rather go vegetarian for the rest of my life than eat meat if my only choice was [a company where workers are literally finger raping turkeys.](http://www.peta.org/features/butterball-peta-investigation.aspx) (Fortunately, there are options than Butter Ball). > > Sorry, but I’m so sick of this argument being made on the Dope constantly. “WAH! THAT’S NICE FOR YOU TO SAY, RICHY RICHER, BUT WONT SOMEONE THINK OF THE POOR PEOPLE?!” Look, nobody is saying that everyone can afford grassfed happy steaks, but that is just one of _many_ options. If your _choice_ is that you aren’t hip to those options, that’s fine, but let’s not pretend you’re faced with some impossible decision due to the circumstances of your finances here. Families on a budget, at least, should not be raising vegetarian children because their diets will be deficient. If they can’t afford meat, they can’t afford supplements. Anyway, eating meat is an ingrained part of American culture. People grow up eating meat on a daily basis. Meat tastes GOOD. It’s filling. Expecting people to go vegetarian when they’re already broke is asking too much. Would I prefer turkeys not get raped? Hell yes. But given the choice between telling a poor family they should adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle, or letting them eat raped turkeys, I’m going to advocate eating turkey every time. I wasn’t speaking for myself, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/25 "2011-07-01T15:33:26Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Families on a budget, at least, should not be raising vegetarian children because their diets will be deficient. If they can’t afford meat, they can’t afford supplements. Uh, what? Cite?? Vegetarian diets are cheap as hell. Rice and beans, peanut butter – these are cheap sources of protein. On the other hand, people who are seriously budgeting for food know that meat is expensive (not just farm-direct meat). Many of the cheapest diets out there are wholly or mostly vegetarian. What deficiencies, exactly, do you think that these children will have that cost so much in supplements as to outweigh the increased grocery costs of meat? When I was vegetarian, I took only one extra supplement advised by my doctor – iron – because I’m female. [Here’s a link that costs around $11 for 500 daily caplets.](http://www.puritan.com/iron-650/iron-ferrous-sulfate-28-mg-001790?NewPage=1) For kids? Also cheap. [Name brand vitamins at $11 for 200 caplets.](http://www.amazon.com/Flintstones-Childrens-Complete-Multivitamin-Chewable/dp/B000X2DRQO) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/26 "2011-07-01T15:44:09Z")
I thought the video was going to show things like we saw from Abu Ghraib. My brother and I raised a few pigs when we were in high school. The castration process does not require anesthetic. You cut their balls off, and apply a swab of antibiotics to reduce the potential for infection. Hell yes they squeal…they’re pigs. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/27 "2011-07-01T15:52:34Z")
I figured eventually we would have the tech to mass produce bio engineered cuts of meat. Prime steak without the need to kill a cow. And I figured eventually people would not be bothered by the idea. But then, we would have no need for cows, and being domesticated animals, they likely would go extinct. And then I figured some cows would get loose and grow feral, eventually become savage beasts of fury living in the edge of civilization, eating human babies and goring the specialized hunters - “Cow Slayers” - who were hired to eliminate troublesome specimens attacking small towns. And I thought - Cool! So bring on the cloned pork chops! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/28 "2011-07-01T16:03:03Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Good for you. Not everyone lives within range of a local farm. Nor can people and families already living hand-to-mouth afford to pay several times more per pound for meat. You know why factory-farmed meat is cheaper? Because the entire production process is grossly unethical and sometimes even illegal. If the meat were given a price that reflected its true cost (e.g., drastic increases in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, much higher risk of contanimation, environmental impact of giant pools of animal urine and feces), it would be much more expensive. Only by passing on those costs to everyone else are these huge companies able to make a profit. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/29 "2011-07-01T16:15:47Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Big Meat Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/30 "2011-07-01T16:19:48Z")
You said “Big meat” !!! [Beavis] Huh huh huh huh [Beavis] ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/31 "2011-07-01T16:37:05Z")
I had pork last night. It was fucking DELICIOUS with Ken’s Steakhouse honey mustard dressing. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/32 "2011-07-01T16:41:13Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Many of the cheapest diets out there are wholly or mostly vegetarian. > > What deficiencies, exactly, do you think that these children will have that cost so much in supplements as to outweigh the increased grocery costs of meat? Ding ding ding on both points. Meat is expensive- much more expensive than maintaining a balanced vegetarian diet. And that’s the key: is it easy to eat a balanced diet if you’re vegetarian? Of course not- it’s not easy for _anyone_ to eat a balanced diet. A healthy diet takes work and planning, whether you’re vegetarian or not. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/33 "2011-07-01T16:50:42Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > There are other options; for instance, if you can’t find a meat producer that treats their animals in a way you find appropriate for a price you can afford, you could always. . . not eat meat. This isn’t a viable option for a lot of people either. As much as I dislike animal cruelty, meat is an important part of my diet. If I’m not going to drive across town and spend twice as much for it, what makes you think that simply going without is somehow a more viable option? It’s sort of like suggesting that when someone is upset about over-aggressive traffic law enforcement that they could simply not drive and take public transportation everywhere. As in, sure, I guess it avoids the problem for me personally, but it does nothing to actually correct the injustice, and so it just hurts me for a neglible effect on the real issue. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/34 "2011-07-01T16:59:43Z")
> [@Omegaman](#): > > You said “Big meat” !!! [Somebody rang?](http://people.clarkson.edu/~fbailey/lf390/avery_wolf.gif) ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/35 "2011-07-01T17:20:55Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > This isn’t a viable option for a lot of people either. As much as I dislike animal cruelty, meat is an important part of my diet. If I’m not going to drive across town and spend twice as much for it, what makes you think that simply going without is somehow a more viable option? It’s sort of like suggesting that when someone is upset about over-aggressive traffic law enforcement that they could simply not drive and take public transportation everywhere. As in, sure, I guess it avoids the problem for me personally, but it does nothing to actually correct the injustice, and so it just hurts me for a neglible effect on the real issue. You don’t have to eat meat. None of us do. That said, as I said in my post you quoted: > [@](#): > > If your choice is that you aren’t hip to those options, that’s fine, but let’s not pretend you’re faced with some impossible decision due to the circumstances of your finances here. You put a heavier importance on eating meat than the way the animals are being treated. Now, I’m in no way saying that as a judgmental statement (I promise- I just can’t think of a less loaded-sounding way to say what I just said), as you’re perfectly entitled to do that, but that’s the way it is. If someone is truly and deeply concerned about not supporting “big meat” because of their practices, then there are several perfectly reasonable options to avoid it. If you’re not, then you’re not. For me, I’d rather not eat meat than eat meat I know was inhumanely acquired (if those were my only choices, which, as I’ve said, they fortunately aren’t for me). That’s the brightline for me. Yours is different and there’s nothing wrong with that, but we don’t need to pretend that we’re all going to starve if we don’t abused turkeys. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/36 "2011-07-01T17:47:15Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Families on a budget, at least, should not be raising vegetarian children because their diets will be deficient. If they can’t afford meat, they can’t afford supplements. Anyway, eating meat is an ingrained part of American culture. People grow up eating meat on a daily basis. Meat tastes GOOD. It’s filling. Expecting people to go vegetarian when they’re already broke is asking too much. Would I prefer turkeys not get raped? Hell yes. But given the choice between telling a poor family they should adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle, or letting them eat raped turkeys, I’m going to advocate eating turkey every time. > > I wasn’t speaking for myself, by the way. You’ve never taken a nutrition class, have you? If so, were you paying attention? Now, based off of my experiences as a lady who can 1) cook from scratch and 2) budget, I can tell you that some of my cheapest easy to make food options are all balanced meals, and most of them are vegetarian. The ones that aren’t have what I call “incidental meat” via things like fish sauce, bonito flakes, chicken stock or animal by-products that are not in original meat form. The cheapest item on my current week menu is ratatouille with poached eggs: it’s cheap, filling, delicious and vegetarian, but you have to plan for it to take an hour from start to finish. I don’t know too many food options that don’t take a while to cook and are healthy and balanced that aren’t partially prepped by someone else; that extra bit of convenience adds to the budget, so it’s not like you’re saving money along with your time. An easy and comparatively quick option for a lot of folks is making stews, but it’s more labor intensive than, say, beans/corn and rice with some veggies. If you’re willing to branch outside of your “meat plus a potato is a good meal” American food mindset, you can find a ton of things that are healthful, nutritious and sparing or free of meat. If you plan meals at all, you know it takes time to plan making food whether it contains meat or not, and it’s more cost effective if it doesn’t contain meat, regardless of source. I don’t like the fact that animals are abused so I can have meat, and I can’t afford to eat ethical meat all the time, so I integrate vegetarian or low-meat meals in when it’s convenient for me. Does this mean I’m mainly vegetarian? No, but it means that I plan to sneak in more than a vegetable or two and I actively plan out my meals so I’m not wasting produce. Does this get seriously messed up when I’m not feeling well enough to cook? Sometimes, but it depends on whether I had a set recipe I was working from that the SO can use or whether I was just going to make stuff up from ingredients laying around the fridge. I can’t be an ethical eater and a consumer of McDonald’s at the same time, so I tend to avoid eating fast food because it supports poor treatment of food animals. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/37 "2011-07-01T18:06:56Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Why do they have to have their tails docked anyway ? So the other pigs don’t chew them off. When they are packed in that tight, ass-to-face, the behind pig will chew the tail off the pig in front of it. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/38 "2011-07-01T18:31:06Z")
I once considered being a vegetarian but then I realized that meat is tasty and I couldn’t think of any reasons to quit eating it. I bet the only reason the cows haven’t revolted is that they haven’t found a good enough sauce for us. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/39 "2011-07-01T19:13:53Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > For me, I’d rather not eat meat than eat meat I know was inhumanely acquired (if those were my only choices, which, as I’ve said, they fortunately aren’t for me). _ **Exactly** _. This is why I’ve been vegetarian\* so long–I don’t have any problem with eating meat \*qua \*eating meat, but I \*\*loathe \*\*factory farming, so I decided a long time ago that I wasn’t going to give them my money. And back when I was a broke-ass student, that meant _I just didn’t eat meat_. Now I’m at the point where I could afford it, but I haven’t yet bothered to go through the hassle of learning to cook meat again and re-introducing it to my digestive system. \*Lacto-ovo vegetarian on and off since sixth grade, and then pescatarian for the past seven years. This last round of vegetarianism started freshman year of college, so coming up on 10 years ago at this point. However, I added fish back in as of spring 2004, when I was going to school in Tokyo, because it’s very hard to be a strict vegetarian in Japan. I tend to go with the term “vegequarian” because I love portmanteaus. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/40 "2011-07-01T19:43:39Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > …I don’t think animal cruelty is alright, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to demand that everyone go to grass-fed hippie meat, or that it isn’t hard. It is fucking hard for some people. Fuck that. What defines ‘hippie’ meat? Animals and poultry that’s raised sustainably and with compassion? Personally I don’t care if you stuff your face 3 times daily with antibiotic-laden CAFO meat but at least be honest and admit that ease and convenience is your driving motivation and not your concern for poor families. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422.md?page=3)