Prompt #10: Recognizing the Truth

Abbie W.

            In the agricultural field there are many misinterpretations, especially when it comes to livestock. There are so many animal rights organizations that continue to try and get farmers shut down from producing livestock. Everyday they find new ways to cause people to think these farm animals are abused and not taken care of properly. When in fact the livestock are these farmers’ livelihood. If they do not properly care for them then they will not produce quality grade products, which will cause loss of income for the farmer. Therefore, it is in their best interest to care for the livestock in the best way possible. In the wild they would not have as much access to grains and fresh water, along with being protected from animals that prey on them. Therefore, they are given a better life in captivity. In addition, livestock are not meant to be pets, they are meant to be used for protein and used as shelter or clothing. Not everyone agrees with this but if livestock were left in the wild they would be slaughtered in much worse and inhumane ways.

One visual aid that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals use is of this “sheered” lamb. This lamb is bloodied and appears to have not made it. It gives the reader the impression that the lamb is killed so that it can produce wool for you. This inaccurate as a lamb is sheered for its own benefit during the warm months to stay cool. They can be sheered continuously, usually about twice a year as the wool grows back just like hair on our heads. When not sheered their wool can be deadly to them. For example, Shrek the sheep who escaped his New Zealand farm and was not sheered for six years. Enough wool was removed from Shrek to produce 20 suits, about 50 pounds. The wool covered his eyes so he could hardly see, and if he were to have fallen on his side he would not have been able to get up.

            The more accurate picture is what an actual sheered lamb looks like. The truth is some animals are abused and neglected. However, that is a very small percentage of people who do not help the agricultural community. Those people are the ones who are punished but they should not be  

the ones who are a reflection of the agriculture industry. Animal rights activists, make life hard for those working continuously to put food on our table.








Pictures from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/67710374/Petas-mutilated-lamb-campaign-sparks-backlash-graphic-content
http://www.ujssa.org/RESULTS/naile/2012/jr/ssjrewelamb2-1-wilinski.JPG
http://www.wideopencountry.com/this-sheep-avoided-shearing-for-6-years-gets-the-haircut-of-a-lifetime/