What Happened to Animal Rights?

An article in the Huffington Post titled "Chicks Being Ground Up Alive," at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/01/chicks-being-ground-up-al_n_273652.html, explains the horrible discoveries made by an animal rights group as they researched Hy-Line North American Hatchery in Spencer, Iowa. There is a written portion of the article, providing an introductory description of the events that truly take place in the hatchery, and a video captured by the undercover animal rights group displaying the horrifying treatment of living, breathing baby chickens at the Hy-Line Hatchery.

In the video, the workers of the hatchery roughly handle and toss delicate chicks, as if they are inanimate objects, with no regards to the life of the chick behind the meat. In the video, the workers must separate males from females. In the article, Mercy for Animals, states that “male chicks are of no use to the industry because they can't lay eggs and don't grow large or quickly enough to be raised profitably for meat. That results in the killing of 200 million male chicks a year.” The male chicks are then sent through a machine that literally grinds the chick alive. Any chick that does not get caught by the sex-sorting machine is left to die, either from being famished or scalded by the washing cycle. This kind of treatment to any living creature should be considered illegal and unethical in every meat industry or farm in existence.

In the article, it is stated that, "The video, shot with a hidden camera and microphone by a Mercy for Animals employee who got a job at the plant, shows a Hy-Line worker sorting through a conveyor belt of chirping chicks, flipping some of them into a chute like a poker dealer flips cards."The workers in the video are demonstrating no sympathy or regard to the chicks’ lives. The nonchalant tone of the working being interviewed in the video describing the chicks in this hatchery shows that the values within Hy-Line North America’s hatchery are highly corrupt.

Without access to the article “Chicks Being Ground Up Alive Video,” or similar articles, many citizens would be completely uninformed of the horrible things taking place in meat industries. The unethical treatment of animals in meat industries is not a primary concern of many citizens when sitting down for a meal. Unless the citizens are informed about the terrible methods of killing animals for meat processing, they are only lead to believe that animals are treated fairly and killed in a painless or respectful way.

At the end of the video, the narrator states, “The cruelty you have witness is not isolated, but rather inherited and wide-spread within the entire industry. Please remember these chicks the next time you sit down to a meal. You can help in this needless cruelty by adopting a compassionate, vegan diet.”

Unfortunately, in society today, it is difficult to adopt a vegan diet, since readily made food is easily accessed and inexpensive. Many people with low incomes or financial issues that are supporters for animal rights and against the unethical treatment of animals may not have the funds to afford vegan food products. Even a citizen with sufficient funds to adopt a vegan diet cannot change the fact that meat industries are corrupt and will do whatever possible, whether that means killing chicks alive or abusing animals, in order to accumulate large quantities of money. What else can citizens do to put an end to the cruelty and mistreatment of animals? We, the people, can unite for a common cause to promote animal rights. There are many incidents involving cruetly to animals besides the situation at Hy-Line Hatchery; some of which are displayed at http://www.chooseveg.com/. One person can make a small difference in this issue, but with the power of many, laws can be passed to put an end to the unethical treatment of animals.

Created By: Lindsay Matthews