In the Humane Slaughter Act (Act), Congress declared it to be "the policy of the United States that the slaughtering of livestock and the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods (emphasis added)."

That raises a very important question. If the animals bred, born, and raised on factory farms have been brought into this world for no other purpose than to be slaughtered, aren’t they, from the moment of their births, being handled in connection with slaughter? PETA contends that they are, and so we are challenging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for limiting the application of the Act. The USDA is the federal agency responsible for implementing the Act, but it has enacted regulations that only apply when the animals have actually reached the slaughterhouse, leaving them to suffer without protection for nearly their entire lives.

With that in mind, PETA’s attorney filed a landmark petition with the USDA, demanding that the agency designate humane methods of treatment for animals raised for food, leather, and other commercial practices to protect them from abuse throughout their entire lives, from the moment they are born until the moment they are killed.

In addition to humane "handling" standards, PETA’s petition also seeks to apply the Act’s protection to the millions of animals who are slaughtered each year on the farm, rather than at "official" slaughterhouses. Among other methods, these animals are killed with captive-bolt guns (often improperly administered by poorly trained workers with faulty equipment), shot, beaten to death, slammed to the ground, abandoned, and denied veterinary care, and some are even left to suffocate when, still conscious, they are buried beneath a pile of other farm-slaughtered carcasses. PETA believes that the law requires that the protections of the Act be applied to livestock being slaughtered in all situations, as whether an animal is slaughtered on a farm or in a slaughterhouse makes no difference to the animal’s ability to suffer.

Granting PETA’s petition would make a world of difference to animals who live miserably and are violently slaughtered by the millions. Of course, the best way to stop the abuse is to stop contributing to the idea that animals are food instead of living beings with feelings, wants, and needs that are similar to our own. But while others continue to eat flesh, PETA will fight to ensure that animal suffering is minimized. Click here for a free vegetarian starter kit.

Please write to the Secretary of Agriculture and urge her to comply with her legal obligation to apply the federal Humane Slaughter Act to animals handled and killed on factory farms, as stated in PETA’s petition.

The Honorable Ann Veneman
Secretary of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Tel.: 202-720-3631
Fax: 202-720-2166
E-Mail: agsec@usda.gov

Please help us make a difference in the lives of the millions of cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals suffering on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. Click here to support PETA's work in their behalf.