Animal Cruelty from Food Companies There is nothing more satisfying to American than sinking their teeth into a Big Mac, Chicken Fries, or bacon. This may be a very disturbing image to many people. If it is really thought about, someone will come to the conclusion that that piece of grilled meat in between a bun was once a living thing no matter what animal it came from. Animals are tortured everyday just so humans can have a nice cut of meat. Not all people or companies who raise, sell, and slaughter animals treat them cruelly, but a majority of them abuse the animals unnecessarily. Three animals that are most commonly treated horribly are chickens, cows, and pigs. Chickens are not only used for their eggs, but for their meat. Only …show more content…
A cow has two main purposes for food companies: milk and beef. Many beef cows live on ranches with very poor living conditions. They do not get necessary access to a veterinarian, they are fed poorly, and changing weather can lead to dehydration and freezing to death. When the cows are ready to be slaughtered, they are transported to a feeding lot where they are fed growth-promoting hormones that are infused in their food. Before they are slaughtered, they take a mechanical blow to the head and knocked unconscious. It is then when they are hung upside down, and whether they are conscious or not, their throats are slit. Dairy cows are also treated very poorly. A dairy cow is impregnated every year so she will produce milk for her calf. However, in this case, the calf is removed from its mother after three days so the milk can be produced into a product rather than food for her offspring. Dairy cows are fed hormones to increase their production of dairy, but these hormones have increased the rate for birth …show more content…
Pigs are mainly used by the food companies for their meat. Female pigs, sows, are merely used for reproduction. They live in cages called gestation crates that are only big enough for the pig to lie down and nurse her young. Since there is no bedding in the gestation crates, pigs suffer from sores on their joints. Ten days after the sow gives birth, her piglets are taken from her, and she is impregnated right after. After three or four years of constantly giving birth, the sows are transported to a slaughterhouse where they will become pork. When the piglets are removed from their mothers, they are placed in overcrowded pens, and when it comes time they are sent to a slaughterhouse. At the slaughterhouse, pigs are hung upside down, bled to death, and then thrown in a scalding tank to soften their skin and to remove their hair. In some cases, the pig is still alive after it is