On the Maltreatment of Animals Labelled “Ethically Produced”

I don’t believe animals are here for our consumption, but in the event that you believe we can use farm animals if we do so "humanely," check out Film shows neglect of pigs, turkeys and ducks sold under ethical label. The film, which was filmed and aired in Britain, featured Freedom Food, "the only UK farm assurance scheme dedicated to improving farm animal welfare" (and please note that scheme doesn’t have the negative connotations in the UK that it has here).

Stealth filming showed animals who were injured, distressed, diseased, and being kicked and tossed by staff members. Corpses were found rotting. And this is all to produce meat with a label that says "ethically produced," and a price that is at least twice that of non-ethically produced meat. (But don’t believe me, check out the grisly footage from a "Freedom Foods" farm for yourself.) The farms involved have been suspended Freedom Food (which is not to say from all business). I’ll keep you updated.

An RSPCA spokesperson said that the ideals of Freedom Food are just that: they’re "aspirations" rather than guarantees. For all you who think that when you pay twice the price for your food you’re getting something that is somehow more "ethical," are you willing to take that kind of risk with your money and your morality? The UK has always been ahead of us regarding animal welfare and rights. Do you really think that what’s happening there is a fluke? Do you think that all of our new labeling here in the US, (Animal Compassionate and such) is going to guarantee a significant decrease in suffering in the short or long term, or lead us to abolition?