Comments on: A Simple Matter of Right and Wrong Goes Very, Very Wrong at a Vermont Slaughterhouse http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/2009/11/05/a-simple-matter-of-right-and-wrong-goes-very-very-wrong-at-a-vermont-slaughterhouse/ Always ask, "Is Your Food Animal Welfare Approved?" Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:50:05 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Stacy Martin http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/2009/11/05/a-simple-matter-of-right-and-wrong-goes-very-very-wrong-at-a-vermont-slaughterhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1196 Stacy Martin Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:25:01 +0000 http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/?p=3766#comment-1196 Even more reasons to be aware of where your food comes from. I started raising my own animals for meat five years ago because I could not in good conscience purchase food that came from our factory farm systems. We now take all of our animals to a local, AWA facility for slaughter because even though we raised the animals right, we wanted to know that they were then handled and slaughtered humanely after they left us. This facility has allowed us to watch our animals being slaughtered-what a great piece of mind. Even more reasons to be aware of where your food comes from. I started raising my own animals for meat five years ago because I could not in good conscience purchase food that came from our factory farm systems. We now take all of our animals to a local, AWA facility for slaughter because even though we raised the animals right, we wanted to know that they were then handled and slaughtered humanely after they left us. This facility has allowed us to watch our animals being slaughtered-what a great piece of mind.

]]> By: beth http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/2009/11/05/a-simple-matter-of-right-and-wrong-goes-very-very-wrong-at-a-vermont-slaughterhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-952 beth Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:37:11 +0000 http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/?p=3766#comment-952 Thank you for your comment. We understand your concern about not wanting to economically support slaughter plants who don’t practice high animal welfare. Look for the Animal Welfare Approved label on products and search for farms that are Animal Welfare Approved. (http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/awasearch/search/find) Animal Welfare Approved has a number of standards addressing issues of raising dairy calves. Standard 5.2.4 Dairy calves must not be weaned from milk before they are six weeks of age. This requires calves to have access to milk until six weeks old. Standard 12.1.2 Calves must not be moved from their birth farm until they are at least one week old. This requires the calves be at least seven days old before being moved. Standard 12.1.4 Calves must be sold directly to the farm where they will be raised. This requires that if a farm sales calves they can only be sold to farm that will raise them. The preferred method is covered by standard 5.1.4 Calves should be reared by their mothers. Please note that Animal Welfare Approved reserves the right to endorse only those farms that have goals the program deems compatible with the Animal Welfare Approved program’s long term goal of promoting a humane, sustainable and independent farming culture. We have also recently conducted a review of all the Animal Welfare Approved Standards. The review is in the final stages and a clarification on dairy calves has been added. 14.0.7 Slaughter of calves for meat at less than four months of age is prohibited. We hope that this will clarify our standards on dairy calves. Thank you for your interest in our program. Thank you for your comment. We understand your concern about not wanting to economically support slaughter plants who don’t practice high animal welfare.

Look for the Animal Welfare Approved label on products and search for farms that are Animal Welfare Approved. (http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/awasearch/search/find)

Animal Welfare Approved has a number of standards addressing issues of raising dairy calves.

Standard 5.2.4 Dairy calves must not be weaned from milk before they are six weeks of age. This requires calves to have access to milk until six weeks old.

Standard 12.1.2 Calves must not be moved from their birth farm until they are at least one week old. This requires the calves be at least seven days old before being moved.

Standard 12.1.4 Calves must be sold directly to the farm where they will be raised. This requires that if a farm sales calves they can only be sold to farm that will raise them. The preferred method is covered by standard 5.1.4 Calves should be reared by their mothers.

Please note that Animal Welfare Approved reserves the right to endorse only those farms that have goals the program deems compatible with the Animal Welfare Approved program’s long term goal of promoting a humane, sustainable and independent farming culture. We have also recently conducted a review of all the Animal Welfare Approved Standards. The review is in the final stages and a clarification on dairy calves has been added.

14.0.7 Slaughter of calves for meat at less than four months of age is prohibited.

We hope that this will clarify our standards on dairy calves. Thank you for your interest in our program.

]]> By: Charlene http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/2009/11/05/a-simple-matter-of-right-and-wrong-goes-very-very-wrong-at-a-vermont-slaughterhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-950 Charlene Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:06:52 +0000 http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/?p=3766#comment-950 Is there a way to ensure that we as consumers are not in any way, shape or form, economically supporting these slaughter plants that abuse the young calves in this way? Is there a way to ensure that we as consumers are not in any way, shape or form, economically supporting these slaughter plants that abuse the young calves in this way?

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