August
2004
Vegetarian
Advocate: Tortured Souls: The American Veterinary Medical Association’s
Betrayal of Farmed Animals
By Jack Rosenberger
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One of animal agriculture’s cruelest practices
is forced molting. Molting is the process by which birds replace their
old feathers with new ones. Birds naturally molt before the beginning
of winter, when a hen will quit laying eggs to concentrate on growing
new feathers to stay warm.
In America, the poultry industry manipulates hens into molting by intentionally
starving them. At the end of their egg-production cycle, factory farms
will force molt an exhausted flock to wring a few hundred more eggs
out of them. The starvation typically lasts five to 14 days. Additionally,
light is often manipulated, shocking their bodies into laying eggs,
then shedding their plumage at an unnatural speed. During the process,
the birds lose their feathers and much of their body weight. Some starve
until their combs turn blue; many die outright.
The bottom line with forced molting is human greed: in some situations,
in which a flock of hens have been fed a calcium-deficient diet, an
egg producer can earn more money by starving the hens and forcing them
to produce more eggs, then dispose of the animals as “waste.”
It’s simply more economical than slaughtering them at the end
of an exhaustive year of egg laying.
At any given time, more than six million hens are being intentionally
starved in America, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Some flocks endure forced molting once; others two or three times.
Forced molting simply doesn’t pass the Straight Face test: an
adult can’t, with a straight face, make a statement such as, “It’s
okay for egg producers to intentionally starve hens.” One’s
face betrays the fact that most adults, even ones who adore sausage
omelets or Egg McMuffins, are uncomfortable with forced molting.
While illegal in Europe, forced molting is legal in America. Why? Because
it has the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) seal
of approval.
Forced molting is one of several ethically odious practices condoned
by the AVMA. Thankfully, Animal Rights International (ARI), People
for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals, United Poultry Concerns, and the
Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights have launched a campaign
to expose
and reform the AVMA’s worst practices. One of the campaign’s
tools is a full-page ad, “Has anyone betrayed more animals than
the American Veterinary Medical Association?” which recently
appeared in the New York Times.
With more than 69,000 members, the AVMA is the nation’s premiere
veterinarian organization—the veterinary equivalent of the American
Medical Association—and wields enormous influence and clout.
The AVMA endorses forced molting despite the fact that one of its self-avowed
purposes is to “protect animal health and relieve animal suffering.”
Another common animal agriculture method condoned by the AVMA is the
use of sow stalls to confine pigs during their pregnancy. Metal bars
pin pregnant sows so they are unable to move, giving nursing piglets
access to their swollen udders. Many sows spend much of their lives
trapped in such a barren environment.
In Florida, voters outlawed sow stalls in 2002. California legislators
sought a similar ban, but the move was defeated. Why? In part because
sow stalls have the AVMA’s blessing.
Another unsavory factory farming tool approved of by the AVMA is the
veal crate, which intensively confines baby cows to retain the characteristic
soft, iron-deficient whiteness of veal flesh. Although veal crates
will
soon be illegal in Europe, thanks in part to the AVMA, they’re
still legal in America.
The ARI-spearheaded campaign against the AVMA’s worst of the worst
has caused a delectable fuss. Visit www.avma.org, where the homepage
highlights the veterinary association’s public response—“Animal
Welfare as a Priority.” The AVMA’s position reads “It
is the AVMA policy that all animals should be treated humanely, including
gestating pigs, laying hens and veal calves. The Association does not
endorse inhumane practices.”
Really? In its statement on forced molting, the AVMA asserts, “The
AVMA sees molt induction as a necessary practice to reduce the number
of hens required to meet the nation’s demand for eggs.” As
for the fact that other nations have banned forced molting due to its
obvious cruelty, the AVMA is silent.
Do you know any compassionate veterinarians? Visit www.ari-online.org/cruelavma for
a printable copy of the “Has anyone betrayed more animals
than the American Veterinary Medical Association” ad. Please
urge any vets you know to call or write the AVMA and urge it to adopt
more
humane farmed animal practices and guidelines.
Also, please tell the AVMA what you think of its notion of “humane.” Contact:
Jack O. Walther, president, AVMA, 1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100,
Schaumburg, IL 60173; phone: (847) 925-8070, and fax: (847)
925-1329. The AVMA also has a generic email address: info@avma.org.
The person responsible for AVMA’s apologetic press releases is
Sharon Curtis Granskog. Granskog is the author of “Animal Welfare
as a Priority,” which defends forced molting and the aforementioned
animal practices, and “Welfare Concerns Prompt AVMA Opposition
to House Bill on Transportation and Processing of Horses for Slaughter.”
A sample sentence from the latter press release says it all: “The
American Veterinary Medical Association believes HR 857—The American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act—could potentially harm more horses
than it saves.” Granskog can be reached at sgranskog@avma.org
or (847) 925-8070, ex. 6619.
Also, the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights is a pro-vegetarian
alternative to the business as usual AVMA. For more information, visit
www.avar.org.
In Praise of “Healthy Highways”
The world desperately needs more food writers like Nikki and David
Goldbeck. A pair of best-selling authors, the Goldbecks’ latest
book is Healthy Highways: The Traveler’s Guide to Healthy
Eating,
about steering clear of fast food restaurants and practicing good eating
habits when traveling. The Goldbeck’s advice stresses a vegetarian-friendly
lifestyle. Healthy Highways was recently spotlighted in USA Today and
the authors’ foremost dietary advice was thus described: “Order
vegetarian. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, seize every opportunity
to eat like one. This will automatically improve your diet because
meatless
dining relies heavily on beans, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and
seeds.”
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