Got this hit while looking for a whole hog supplier....poor little critters :'(
http://www.goveg.com/f-top10pigs.asp?c=pork1209&gclid=COPQpcje9IsCFRNUZQoddxBOag (http://www.goveg.com/f-top10pigs.asp?c=pork1209&gclid=COPQpcje9IsCFRNUZQoddxBOag)
On a separate note....got a l50 lb'er ordered for Memorial Day, it will be humanely smoked at 225 for 23hrs and humanely basted with beer and pineapple juice. The Bradley will be doing cheese and sausage....humainly of course. ;D
I always feel very bad when I hear about the process of turning animals into food, it truly is an industry wrought with bad protocols and accepted cruelty. But I do imagine if these things were more tightly regulated to ensure gentle and humane treatment, the price of meat would sky rocket in the same way that organic produce has. I am quite sure if a company advertised and could prove "humanely processed" they could charge a premium price and would definitely be successful. I know I would pay extra for the piece of mind. I know... seems silly, they all end up dead, and the ole' saying of "you have to kill it before you can grill it" makes all the sense in the world, but the way our culture humanizes animals it makes it very difficult for me to not care HOW they get killed.
Stepping down from my soap box now...
I don't have a problem with how they are killed, but I do have a problem with their living conditions, if you call spending their entire lives packed inside a building with 2000 friends, never seeing the sun or getting to run free (within reason), living. Will that stop me from eating them? No. Am I going to lose sleep over it? No.
Off my soapbox before it caves in under my excess weight from the eating of these tasty animals.
My human qualities are aglow, knowing that piggy willingly gave his life for purposes of fellowship and bringing us all together. Then I remember the beer drinking, rowdy friends ;and above all: Pork Dinner. That part really brings out the smile.
Can't help being a social carnivore. Good luck on Memorial Day.
Pork, the other white meat 8)
Even though we all know this kind of thing goes on, what's the answer?
We hear all the time that if we all stopped eating meat etc that these animals wouldn't suffer, well that maybe true, but after while most of the animals would probably cease to excist, it's not like anybody would keep herds of cows, and farm pigs just to keep as pets?
These animals are all reared for the table one way or the other.
It's all down to money as usual, if every animal was reared and slaughtered in a manner which is deemed humane, the price of the meat would probably double at least.
It's still very shocking to see these poor animals treated in this way (http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tears.gif)