Imagine a chicken farm in Who Knows Where, Middle America, where an abundance of healthy, happy chickens frolic about in the open air as they peck and scratch about to their heart’s content. When it’s time to die, they skip gleefully down the conveyor belt to await slaughter.
Now imagine instead an enormous warehouse in which chickens are condemned to a short life in overcrowded conditions. Their raw, fleshy undersides lack feathers from contact with the excrement beneath their feet from the thousands of other birds that came before them.
After reading Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed from the New York Times about these claimed-to-be “humanely raised” chickens, I found it all too much to stomach.
Somehow, the farm industries that breed these chickens for consumption manage to get the “raised cage-free” and “humanely raised” labels undeservedly stamped onto their products, even though it’s far from reality.
As a meat-eater and conscientious consumer, I was even more upset to find that the whole “cage-free” claim was a tactic used by farmers such as Jim Perdue, company chairman of Perdue Farms, to mislead ?consumers.
In a promotional video, Perdue discusses his belief in “doing the right thing,” which includes humanely raising chickens in a cage-free environment and feeding them a 100 percent veggie diet. His video paints a pretty, yet deceitful, picture of how chickens are raised in his “farms.”
Animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming accurately documented the living conditions of these birds. The chickens suffer from illness and genetic issues. Thousands die. The surviving birds squat most of their six-week lifespan because of their inability to carry the weight of their disproportionately large breasts.
The inhumane practices of intensive farming will continue as long as they are unknown to consumers. I would argue most of us prefer animals to be humanely raised. However, the harsh realities may cause some to turn a blind eye.
Converting to veganism is not a realistic goal for me, and it certainly wouldn’t be for many other meat-lovers. However, it puts us in quite a predicament.
Compassion in World Farming urges consumers to look for labels such as “certified humane” or “animal welfare-approved.”
Unfortunately, such products will likely cost more and might be difficult to find.
Bloomington residents and IU students alike should support local farms and buy locally whenever possible. Organic chicken producers are more likely to adhere to humane practices than their non-organic counterparts.
These chickens live to be consumed, but that does not mean they should be treated like they are ?nothing.
As consumers, we should know exactly what we are so insatiably ?consuming.
We are what we eat, ?after all.
nrowthor@indiana.edu
