CERTIFIED HUMANE AND ORGANIC - HEALTHY? HUMANE?

(I have used the source UPConline.org [United Poultry Concerns] for much of this post.) 

REGULATIONS OF CERTIFIED HUMANE AND ORGANIC LABELING

THINK EATING MEAT IS HUMANE OR HEALTHY?

Recently many vegans and vegetarians have been told that it's okay now to eat meat because they now have "humane laws" and certifications!  Not surprisingly, meat and dairy industry spokesmen are now on those humane law making boards, and are making laws that sound good but do little, and they are the ones promoting the humane laws!   You see, it is a profit for the meat and dairy industry to carry a “humane” label, as more people will purchase that product.

They will also find one vegetarian who became a slaughterhouse worker because he said slaughterhouses are now humane, and try to convince people it is fine to eat meat.  Think about the word: “slaughterhouse.”  Killing an animal who does not want to die and could be well if you took care of it.  Humane slaughter.  That makes no sense.

But for most of us vegans and vegetarians, there will never be a reason to return to eating meat or dairy.  (Here’s the gross part – live through.)  Also, I have watched some videos about slaughterhouses where the cows are cut up before they are dead.  I’ve seen this with leather factories too. Yes, their throats are slit, but they are alive five minutes later and their legs are cut off right here (above the ankles), and the workers keep going while the cow is still alive.  The video cuts off and I don’t see how long they stay alive.  Cutting up animals alive is common according to slaughterhouse workers. 

We need to know what some of the certifications actually mean.  I chose to investigate "Certified Humane" because I thought it was probably the most humane label that had rules for all the farm animals (Animal Welfare Institute only did a couple animals, but gave them a little more room – I guess they are working on it); and the label for "Organic" farming.

On to the regulations:

We will compare organic and then certified humane for different animals.

Organic:  This is the label that could be called the "I trust you!" label.  Because there are almost no regulations!

For any of the animals in organic they do not use antibiotics or hormones, so that is to their credit, and why they are called organic.

Inspections are once a year and sometimes unannounced, so the unannounced part is also to their credit.

Certified Humane:  This label should be called, “Just a little less horrendous.”

Because it makes only slight improvements in regular factory farm methods.

Inspections are once a year and I believe they give them 48 hours notice; correct me if I am wrong.  But if they don’t meet the inspection criteria, the inspectors come back one more time to see if they have corrected their flaws.

FIRST CATEGORY - BEEF CATTLE

Organic 

Rules regarding access to pasture: 

Required; temporary confinement allowed in some situations; feedlots prohibited.  Many organic farmers use the temporary confinement to keep them confined most of the time.  Keep in mind organic rules do not tell how many animals they can keep or how close together.  This crowding could promote more diseases! 

Certified Humane

Access to Pasture: 

Not required; cattle may be maintained in feedlots. Crowded, nothing there, extremely hot, and standing in their own feces.

Organic 

Castration: 

“Physical alterations must be performed as needed to promote animal welfare and in a manner that minimizes pain and stress. “  As much as possible, I have used the actual wording from the regulations.

Certified Humane

Castration: 

Recommend be done at earliest age possible; anesthesia required for surgical removal after 2 months of age.

Organic 

Dehorning or Debudding: 

Physical alterations must be performed as needed to promote animal welfare and in a manner that minimizes pain and stress.

.

Certified Humane

Dehorning or Debudding:

In first 4 months using hot iron okay with or without anesthesia.

Organic 

Electric Prod Use: 

Not addressed.

Certified Humane

Electric Prod Use:    

Permitted in emergencies only (and they come by once a year to check).  Think about a farmer with thousands of cows and an electric prod in his pocket.

SECOND CATEGORY  - DAIRY COWS

Once again with organic: opportunity to exercise and access to outdoors must be provided; temporary confinement allowed.

Organic 

Tail Docking:

Physical alterations must be performed as needed to ensure animal welfare. (What does that mean?)

Certified Humane

Tail Docking:

Switch trimming permitted. (They cut off the hairs at the end of the tail that the cows use to swat flies or scratch themselves.)

A couple of important issues to point out for dairy cows:

The mother cows are raped by a farmer sticking his arm all the way in to the cow with a metal hook and artificially inseminating her.  They keep her continuously pregnant in order to get milk out of her.  The boys born to her become veal calves, so if you drink milk, you support the veal industry.  The boys are kept in tiny hutches with “certified humane” where they can just barely turn around. 

THIRD CATEGORY - SHEEP

Organic 

Tail Docking:

(As usual!)  Physical alterations must be performed as needed to promote animal welfare.

Certified Humane

Tail Docking: 

May be performed between 1 and 14 days using rubber ring or hot iron; anesthetic not required.

FOURTH CATEGORY - PIGS

Access to Outdoors

Organic 

Required; temporary confinement allowed.

Certified Humane

NOT REQUIRED!

Slatted, wired floors: 

Organic

Not addressed.  (You will see this answer ‘not addressed” many times for organic foods.)

Certified Humane

Prohibited.

Feed Restriction for sows/boars: 

Organic

Not addressed, but animals must be provided “a total feed ration.”

Certified Humane

Permitted but dietary or environmental supplements must be provided

Starve them but give them vitamins.

FIFTH CATEGORY – BROILER HENS

Access to Outdoors:

Organic

Required; temporary confinement allowed.

Certified Humane

NOT REQUIRED!

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!

Conditions leading up to slaughter:

Organic

Feed withdrawal before slaughter: Not addressed.

Maximum transport time:  Not addressed

Slaughter Holding time:  Not addressed

Acceptable methods of stunning for slaughter:  Not addressed

Certified Humane

Feed withdrawal before slaughter: 16 hours or less

Maximum transport time:  12 hours to unloading at plant

Slaughter Holding time: 10 hours or less

ADD UP THE MAXIMUM TIMES:  38 Hours with no food before being killed.  What happened to a Last Supper?!

Acceptable methods of stunning for slaughter:  Electrical stunning, bath, dry stunner, hand-held stunner, gas stunning.

SIXTH AND LAST CATEGORY - EGG LAYING HENS

Indoor Lighting: 

Organic

Access to direct sunlight required.  (Always notice the word “access.”)

Certified Humane

Minimum 8 hours light; 6 hours darkness required per day.

(Most are  never are outside.)

Beak Trimming:

Organic

Physical alterations must be performed as needed to promote animal welfare and in a manner that minimizes pain and stress.  (Excuses!  If they didn’t have them crowded they wouldn’t have to trim the beaks!) 

Certified Humane

Permitted before 11 days of age but must be phased out when causes and preventative measures identified; analgesia not required.

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ONE!

Killing of male chicks:

Organic

Not addressed.

Certified Humane

Not addressed.

No category addressed male chicks!  Why?  Almost all male chicks are killed (either ground up in big chunks [sometimes they stay alive for a short while] or thrown in a huge bin to crush each other to death).

Again:  My information came primarily from United Poultry Concerns.  They have the standards for several of the labels listed online - UPConline.