We are writing on behalf of the Wesleyan animal rights group CLAW (Compassionate Living and Animal Awareness at Wesleyan) in light of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, with which comes the brutal slaughter of 45 million turkeys to satisfy the palates of millions of Americans. In this Wespeak, our intent is not to judge or criticize, but to present and discuss the truths of modern day factory farming so people can make informed decisions as consumers during the holiday season. Please don’t take our plea to reconsider your food choices this holiday as an affront to your moral sensibilities. CLAW hopes to create a dialogue about the use of animals as food sources.
The turkey industry is a multi-billion dollar agribusiness industry that exercises some of the worst environmental and labor practices in the United States. Production in huge factory farms results in the pollution of land, air and water with diseased carcasses, feces, heavy metals, chemicals, bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Workers in most slaughterhouses, of which 75% don’t speak English, are forced to endure these conditions, inhaling noxious ammonia fumes while operating dangerous machinery. To quote one article, “From the industry’s point of view, they [migrant workers] are ideal workers: cheap, largely interchangeable, and disposable.” (1)
Additionally, animals raised in factory farms are mere productive ‘units’. Their capacities to suffer, feel, and lead worthwhile lives in their own right, are completely denied. Turkeys have been purposely bred to rapidly gain weight quickly—now, they can reach 35lbs in 20 weeks, an increase of 10lbs since 1993. This leads to many health complications including crippling and an inability to stand, and can even cause their hearts to explode. A 10 percent mortality rate is an accepted industry standard used for “planning purposes.”
On factory farms, turkeys are packed so tightly that flapping a wing or stretching a leg is impossible. Most are given no more than three and a half square feet of space. They stand in their own feces and urine, resulting in intense ammonia fumes that burn their eyes and lungs. To keep the overcrowded birds from scratching and pecking each other to death, soon after hatching, part of their beaks and toes are sliced off with hot blades, with no anesthetics used. At the slaughterhouse, turkeys are hung by their weak and crippled legs. Their heads are dragged through an electrified “stunning tank,” which often immobilizes them but does not render them unconscious. Many dodge the tank, remaining fully conscious when their throats are slit. Each slaughter house operates at a specific “kill speed” or rate at which a single worker slaughters birds. A characteristic kill speed is 46 birds per minute, meaning that one worker must slit the throats of 46 birds each minute. At such speed oftentimes the knife misses its mark and the birds are then boiled alive in a tank of scalding water designed for feather removal.
So this week, stop by CLAW’s table at the campus center and take part in our “Very Veggie Thanksgiving”. Pick up a vegan cookie and check out some of the information we have to offer. Please, don’t forget that the number of turkeys that will be slaughtered for this Thanksgiving is dwarfed by the number of other animals killed each year in the name of food. The 45 million Turkeys killed for Thanksgiving is but a small percentage of the 10 billion farm animals (poultry, cows and pigs) killed yearly for food.
There are many ways to avoid the use of animal products this Thanksgiving. Many of the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes and deserts are made vegetarian or vegan—we will be giving out some recipes for these at our table. If you crave the taste of turkey, companies like Tofurky® (www.tofurky.com) and Unturkey®, have created tasty turkey substitutes.
If you were horrified by the terrible treatment of turkeys that we have described, besides not eating turkey, you can also do as CLAW has and go to http://www.adoptaturkey.com to sponsor the care of a rescued turkey.
(1) Eric Schlosser, “The Chain Never Stops,” Mother Jones, July/August 2001.
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