Breeding:
- Animals such as cows, chickens, pigs and sheep are ‘domesticated animals‘ – they have been created by humans to have particular characteristics using selective breeding techniques over many generations. They are, therefore, not ‘natural’ animals in the sense that they do not exist in the wild, and probably would not survive very well without human intervention.
- Chickens, for example, have been bred so that they cannot fly. Their wings can carry them off the ground temporarily but they cannot get very far. This makes them easy for humans to control, and also very vulnerable to predators – see link.
- Cows have been bred to have various characteristics such as large udders (which make them produce excessive quantities of milk – often up to 10 times more than a calf would need). Other cattle have been bred to have large, lean bodies so that they can be used for meat. Certain sheep have been bred to have excessive quantities of wool, and pigs were bred to have temperaments which make them more docile, for example.
Slaughter:
- Minister Simon Coveney says ‘slaughter causes suffering’
- Slaughter – from Animal Aid
- Slaughterhouse – The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment inside the US Meat Industry – by Gail Eisnitz
- Confessions of a Slaughterhouse Worker
- Life inside Ireland’s Meat Plants
- Humane Slaughter: the biggest lie the meat industry tricked us into believing
- Videos:
Live Export:
- Cattle on board ships have to endure rough seas, lack of water, hot, unbearable conditions and long journeys.
- Tendon slashing, hoisting them to the ceiling by chains or ropes to contain them, and multiple throat cuts. These are techniques that Animals International have filmed in slaughterhouses in North Africa and the Middle East, where it can take up to 30 minutes to kill a single fully conscious animal – a very slow and terrible death. (Source)
- Irish Cattle bound for Libya are beaten, stabbed and dragged by their eye sockets
- Shocking live export conditions not uncommon say animal rights groups
- “It would be kinder to shoot them”: Ireland’s calves set for live export
- Animals overheating in a hot vehicle
- Investigation into the Irish Live Export Trade by ‘Noteworthy‘
- More live export investigations by Irish journalists at Noteworthy
- A Slow, Terrible Death – the fate of Irish cattle exported outside of the EU
- Horrors of Live Export – from Ethical Farming Ireland
- Moving Animals – video about animal transport by Jo-Anne McArthur
Factory Farming:
- SWINE – the horrors of factory farming.
- Animals Behind Closed Doors – factory farming in Ireland
- The best we have to offer? Inside Ireland’s ‘Humane’ Farming
- The Brutal Basics of Factory Farming
The ‘Humane Farming’ Myth:
- Why Vegan – from Vegan Sustainability Magazine
- HumaneMyth.org
- How could you know?
- A closer look at what so-called humane farming means
- Standard Legal Practise on Irish Farms