[Vision2020] The Moscow Food Co-Op and Mad Cow

Tue Sep 5 17:20:24 PDT 2006

Donovan, I wonder if it's occurred to you that vegetarian, vegan, and more 
extreme animal-rights groups like PETA find the use of animals for human 
consumption inhumane and morally wrong regardless of the circumstances?  
PETA, for example, is opposed to eating meat, using animal products in 
clothes, using animals in science, and even calling my beloved dog, Duffy, a 
"pet" -- she is a "companion," because, evidently, "pet" is demeaning and 
has an "owner-owned" connotation that PETA finds offensive.  That vegan 
groups like PETA find even the most humane examples of animal processing for 
food to be unwarranted and immoral isn't at all shocking, regardless of 
whether or not you agree with them.

Consuming animal flesh is an act that occurs only after the death of the 
animal.  Since animals don't commit suicide, and none are processed in the 
US after dying natural, peaceful deaths, we can assume that the violent 
death of an animal provides my dinner.  Perhaps none of us should eat meat.  
As I've said before, it's something I wrestle with.  But when we do eat 
meat, we should be encouraged to seek out the most humanely-processed animal 
products we can.  It may be a perceived need, the eating of animal flesh; no 
legitimate need is satisfied, however, by wantonly and gratuitously cruel 
methods of slaughter and processing.

I applaud the Co-Op for working to find humane, clean processors of animal 
products, and for the life of me I can't see why they should be harrassed.  
I think PETA does a disservice to any group or individual it lends its 
support to, and I'm beginning to feel that Donovan does the same.  I find 
PETA's inability to grasp that humankind has a value that exceeds that of 
any other created being more than a little maddening; paraphrasing another 
pundit, if a PETA member were staying with your child and your Lhasa Apso 
when a fire broke out, you'd be relieved for the puppy but concerned for the 
kid.  Further, I'm puzzled by Donovan's inability to trust that others may 
also hold pure motives and practice their professions honorably, and until I 
go completely vegan, I'll withhold criticism of groups that do their best to 
conduct business ethically.

keely

keely

From: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] The Moscow Food Co-Op and Mad Cow
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 16:49:03 -0700 (PDT)

     The Co-Op and Mad Cow
                 Mr. London, last week attempted to tell everyone that the  
Moscow Co-Op doesn’t use suppliers that ever mistreat and abuse animals.

"The Co-op has a clear commitment to selling only meat that
has been raised in a humane fashion."
http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2006-September/034975.html

      I took the liberty of looking at just two regular suppliers
of the Co-Op to demonstrate the invalidity his claims.
                    The first company I looked at was Northwest Premium 
Meats,  LLC. Located in Nampa, Idaho. No website I could find.
             The second company I looked at was The Diesel Family Ranch,  
located in Sonora,  CA. www.diestelturkey.com
                  Northwest Premium Meat LLC, which is a current  meat 
supplier for the Co-Op, has been targeted and listed on vegetarian and  
animals rights websites like this one; 
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/madcow/messages/1000556.html
                      In fact,  this supplier for the Co-Op was suspended 
for a period of time last year by the  USDA for violations related to 9 CFR 
Part 500.3, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/fsis_food_recalls/index.asp
   as reported in the FSIS Quarterly Report;

           “On 7/26/05, a  suspension action concerning Bovine Spongiform 
Encephalopathy and Specified  Risk Material was taken in accordance with 9 
CFR Part 500.3.”
       http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/QER_Q4_FY2005.pdf
                 Bovine Spongiform  Encephalopathy is also more commonly 
known as Mad Cow Disease http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/bsefaq.html  . 
Setting aside the huge potential health issues here had FSIS not come to the 
  rescue, this does directly relate to the mistreatment of animals. Animal 
rights  activists have made a big issue of this practice for a long time, 
especially  since the recent outbreaks of Mad Cow in the United States that 
have been hushed  up and the government has cut funding to find and stop.  
http://organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

           The Diesel  Family Ranch, www.diestelturkey.com  which supplies 
the Co-Op with poultry products and boasts a great view and open  space for 
its turkeys, has also had a run in with animal rights groups for  snapping 
off the turkey’s beaks. In fact, in Sonora, California,  where the ranch is 
located, it is illegal to clip off the beaks of birds unless  the animal is 
going to going to be processed for consumption, which these  animals are 
going to be. However, that doesn’t mean the animals don’t suffer  the same 
consequences for a clipped beak just because they are not called  someone’s 
pet. Those that have has birds know beaks are a vital tool for  animals for 
cleaning, health, preening, straightening feathers, and preening  other 
birds to build needed social relationships. 
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/11.21.02/thanksgiving-0247.htm

         My point here is not to pick on the Co-Op as being an animal  
abuser. My point is that Mr. London is obviously unaware of some of the  
suppliers the Co-Op has and what they do, or is not aware of what 
constitutes animal’s  abuse or cruelty. If Mr. London believes chopping 
beaks off birds or buying  from suppliers that have gotten federal 
suspensions for not controlling Mad Cow  is not violating animal rights and 
a "clear commitment to selling only meat that has been raised in a humane 
fashion,"  he has the right to  adopt that personal use definition.
        However, according the definitions of animal rights groups  like 
PETA www.peta.org ,  environmental groups like the Organic Consumers 
Association http://organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm  , and the Federal 
Government http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/QER_Q4_FY2005.pdf  ,  at least some 
of the suppliers for the  Co-Op are not being humane toward the animals they 
are raising.

           Bovine Appetite,
           _DJA

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