Most people eat meat without giving a thought to the animals or how they were treated before ending up on their dinner plate. Years ago most farm animals roamed the pastures and saw sunshine. In the 1950’s factory farming became the norm as big companies swallowed up the family farms.Pigs are kept in “sow stalls” without enough room to turn around. Veal calves are given even less room. Hens used for battery eggs are kept in overcrowded cages.The journey to slaughter can also be brutal. There is no room for them to sit or lie down, no heating or cooling. Here in Canada animals can be transported for up to 52 hours without a stop for food, water or rest. They often arrive at the slaughterhouse dead or too weak to walk. I thought that was just animal rights propaganda until a neighbour told me she worked next to a slaughterhouse and saw lots of animals arrive dead.Wherever you live in the world, please spare some compassion for these animals. If you live in Canada please visit http://www.humanefood.ca/. This is the website for the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals.
Also visit Dr Temple Grandin's website
www.grandin.com

More added April 6, 2007

Last week Burger King announced they were going to improve the welfare standards of the animals they used for meat, using 2% of it's eggs from cage free hens, using 10% of pork not raised in sow stalls and using gas, rather than electric shocks to stun chickens before slaughter. In the past few years, McDonald's and Wendy's have upped their animal welfare standards. However KFC still treat their birds badly, some are even abused. They refuse to budge in spite of pressure from animal welfare groups. If you do eat chicken, please boycott KFC until they change their ways.
For more information go to:
http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/anderson-vid.asp
http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/