The USDA’s reasoning for not together with poultry below the HMSA is that their slaughter is ruled by the Poultry Merchandise Inspection Act. Nevertheless, this regulation, which, within the USDA’s phrases, requires that birds “be dealt with utilizing good industrial practices and that they don’t die from something apart from slaughter after arriving on the slaughter facility,” is woefully insufficient.
By the point they attain the slaughterhouse, most turkeys may have suffered from the second they hatched. Over 99% of U.S. turkeys are stored on manufacturing unit farms, industrial services the place as many as tens of 1000’s of birds are crowded into sheds. Components of their delicate beaks and toes are reduce off or burned in an try to forestall stress-related preventing and accidents, exacerbated by manufacturing unit farming itself. Bred to maximise agribusiness revenue, trendy turkeys develop too massive and quick for his or her our bodies to manage, leaving many with debilitating leg accidents or coronary heart assaults. In actual fact, the turkeys develop so heavy that they’ll now not mate naturally; as an alternative, they endure synthetic insemination. Throughout transport from farm to slaughterhouse, 1000’s of turkeys might die, afforded no safety from excessive warmth or chilly, and denied meals and water regardless of lengthy journeys.
For individuals who dwell lengthy sufficient to achieve the slaughterhouse, the preventable struggling continues as a result of, with out laws to mandate extra humane dealing with, turkeys are left on the mercy of profit-driven agribusiness.
Birds are violently dealt with and shackled the other way up by their legs to be shocked earlier than slaughter. This immobilizes them so that they don’t transfer and might be killed extra effectively, however the gorgeous isn’t meant to render them insensible to ache, which might be required in the event that they had been protected below the HMSA. Because of this birds might be aware as they’re killed, together with when they’re lowered right into a tank of scalding sizzling water and boiled alive.
