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I was listening to the Coexisting With Nonhuman Animals podcast #74 and heard the following quote by David Martosko, speaking at the 2010 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholder’s Summit. The lecture was entitled, “Exposing Activists’ True Agenda – Will it Build Consumer Support?”
To put it in context– this excerpt is from 08:30-10:01 minutes within a 14:31 minute audio clip posted on the website Truffle Media Networks: Ag Media You Can Use. I highly recommend that you listen to the full audio clip.
In the quote, “they” are the animal rights advocates working at HSUS (The Humane Society of the United States.) After David Martosko points out how much money goes into pension plans every year at HSUS, he points out what he thinks that really means to the animal producers in his audience…
“It should tell you that they’re in this for the long haul. These are people who plan to be doing what they’re doing long enough to retire with benefits. They’re not going away next year or the year after that, regardless of how much you want to accommodate them. They’re in this. This is their career. They don’t go do this for 3 years and then say, “Well, I’ll go somewhere else and I’ll sell socks for a living.” This is it for them.
And so you find yourself in an endless war. I agree fully with Wesley Smith on this. You’re in a war whether you want to be in one or not. And you’ll never fully pacify these guys. I don’t care– if there are pork producers in here– I don’t care if you want to give every pig in America an iPad, and daily rubdowns, and Wolfgang Puck catered lunches, and wide-screen TVs, and waterbeds to sleep on…it will not be enough.
Because the animal rights movement fundamentally believes that animals have legal rights…they deserve moral and legal rights. And, if I have any rights– correct me if I’m wrong– isn’t the top of the list the right to not be eaten? Um, so they believe that every animal on every farm that you guys have ever visited has those same rights. And that’s the number one right they’re fighting for.
‘Cause of all the animals we use– domestically and worldwide– the vast majority of them are food animals. Lab animals, circus animals, captive marine mammals: that scratches the surface. 98+ percent of all the animals that are used in the world for human benefit are animals we eat. So you guys are the top target of these guys. And you’ll never fully make them happy.”
The purpose of this blog post is simply to emphasize the central point that David Martosko expressed so perfectly:
“…the animal rights movement fundamentally believes that animals have legal rights…they deserve moral and legal rights.”
“…if I have any rights– correct me if I’m wrong– isn’t the top of the list the right to not be eaten?”
“…that’s the number one right they’re fighting for.”
“…you guys are the top target of these guys. And you’ll never fully make them happy.”
Yes, yes, and YES:
- The animal rights movement believes that animals deserve moral and legal rights.
- At the top of the list IS the right to not be eaten.
- “Stakeholders” in animal agriculture will never make animal rights advocates happy because their business is killing animals.
Q: How can animal exploiters make me happy?
A: Stop the exploitation. Stop killing animals. It can be done. It has been done. Everyone is capable of change.
Freeheel Vegan 
Animal Care Experts (i.e. The Pork Industry)
July 21, 2012 in MeatCast Commentaries | Tags: abuse, animal care, animal husbandry, bacon, Christensen Farms, crate, efficient, farmers, gestation stall, group pens, ham, HSUS, individual housing, industry, Iowa, Iowa Select Farms, McDonald's, National Pork Producer Council, Oklahoma, PAC, pork, Pound On Concrete, Prestage Farms, producer, product, production model, profitably, sausage, Seaboard Foods, Smithfield Foods, supply chain, SwineCast, The Humane Society of the United States, undercover videos, Vegan, Wal-Mart | 2 comments
Here are several excerpts from the following SwineCast episode. In this podcast, Dallas Hockman, National Pork Producer Council V.P. of Industry Relations, discusses McDonald’s announcement of their plan to review the use of gestation stalls in their supply chain.
SwineCast 0692 (7:50)
How HSUS and McDonald’s are Moving to End Gestation Stalls
2/15/12
1:46…
“It’s really important to get the message to McDonald’s that farmers are care experts. We have lots of programs in place to assure animal care, liability of our product, the quality of our product.
We want to make sure that this is not a reflection of any type of animal care. As pointed out in previous work, our message is that animal husbandry is the key factor. And, where animals are raised in individual housing or group pens is all about the experience of the care that’s put forth in managing…
2:41…
“…the commitment the pork industry has to assuring animal care.”
4:20…
McDonald’s: “one of the largest purchasers of bacon, sausage, ham products in the country.”
5:54…
“There’s no question we have seen more activity in this area, recently, by the nature of undercover videos…
…we were very pleased that the last video did not demonstrate any abuse or mishandling, or whatever. It was really an attack on a production model or system that the industry has worked through.
And we were pleased with producers showing good husbandry and practices. And there are programs in place that assure that animals are being taken care of.”
6:35…
“As we’ve said all along, the marketplace will determine what it would like to purchase. Our producers will respond accordingly.”
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Mr. Hockman (interesting name, by the way), which video were you talking about? Show me the good husbandry.
Was it the 2011 HSUS video of Seaboard Foods (3rd largest pork producer) and Prestage Farms (5th largest pork producer)?
Is the largest pork producer also #1 in animal care?
“Undercover at Smithfield Foods” (3:36)
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Here’s the most recent (2012) Mercy for Animals video, taken at Christensen Farms.
“Shocking Video: Walmart Pork Supplier Caught Abusing Pigs” (4:13)
These screenshots demonstrate the standard industry practice of “PACing” to kill undesirable piglets. (PAC = Pound Against Concrete).
Mr. Hockman, is PACing abusive or good husbandry?
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Mr Hockman, I have more questions and comments…
I’m here to ask the marketplace to demand food that protects animals. People who are in the business of killing animals are NOT caring for animals. Exploiting animals and killing them IS abusive and it IS mishandling.
I’m here to ask for vegan foods. Producers: will you respond to me? Will you produce healthy plant foods for me? It’s unnecessary for me to consume animals to thrive.
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