Published Letters and Op-Eds from
COK’s Writers Group

Farm-Animal Story Finds Distant Reader

Published in Frederick News-Post on February 23, 2003.

Several cows were in Frederick County recently when a snow-covered barn roof collapsed on them (“Cattle killed in cave-ins,” Feb. 18).

Animals raised for food in the United States are frequently the ignored victims of natural disasters such as floods, tornados, snowstorms and heat waves.

Their daily lives are no better. These sensitive animals are commonly subjected to intense confinement, branding, castration, and tail-, toe-, and beak-cutting, all performed without painkiller. When their productivity wanes or they reach “market weight,” they're trucked to slaughter to have their throats slit, sometimes while fully conscious.

The suffering experienced by “agricultural” animals could be a thing of the past if people would turn their backs on meat, egg and dairy products and practice compassion by choosing from a wide variety of healthy, delicious vegetarian foods.

Barb Lomow