Slaughterhouse [Paperback]

 

 

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In 1989, Gail Eisnitz recieved a letter from Timothy Walker, a well known whistleblower. His letter stated that he has first hand knowledge that a slaughterhouse (Kaplan Industries) was skinning live cattle. At first, she didn't know what to believe so she called the USDA. A USDA inspector called her back with the findings: no cattle were being skinned alive at Kaplan.
She decides to contact Walker by phone. When asked how he knew that Kaplan was skinning live cows, he stated that he was a USDA employee. He begins to tell Eisnitz a few more details.
In the US alone, over one hundred and one million pigs are slaughtered each year. Thirty seven million cattle and calves, more than four million horses, goats and sheep and over eight BILLION chickens and turkeys are killed.

Millions of chickens leaking yellow pus, stained green feces, contaminated by harmful bacteria and tumors are shipped for sale to customers.

At a Perdue plant, there is so much fecal contamination on the floor from chickens that it leaked into a workers boots and burned his feet so badly that his toenails had to be amputated. The company won't even allow workers to leave the line to go to the bathroom so they relieve themselves on the floor. Sometimes the chickens that are hung, fall to the floor that is covered with roaches, feces and blood. The chickens that fall aren't even washed off before being hung back up on the line. One worked said that he "saw flies on the chicken as it went down the line and maggots in boxes which contained bags that the chickens would be wrapped in." Occasionally, maggots were ground up with everything else and remained in the final product.

This is disturbing, and it should be. I hope that those who read this book will do something. Write to your senator or member of parliament, stop eating meat or even distribute this book among friends. Just do something. These are animals. They feel pain just like you do. Would you allow this to happen to a dog or cat? They why allow it to happen to farm animals.
This is a book that everyone needs to read. A lot of people believe or like to believe that their dinner arrived on their plate humanely. People need to know about wrongdoings like this. It's inhumane and it's wrong, plain and simple.

This is a well written unemotional account of conditions and atrocities happening at several, if not all, slaughterhouses. Since USDA seems unable to conduct surprise inspections, one must assume that USDA is in cahoots with the meat industry, surprise surprise. The filthy conditions and working environment in the chicken slaughterhouse is unbelievable, but the information came from so many different sources I DO believe it. I was not a meat eater before reading this book, now I have earmarked pages to show to carnivorous friends when they come to my house. The filthy conditions alone are enough to turn anybody off eating meat, but add to that the incredible cruelty to the animals, specially those described at the hog slaughterhouse, makes one believe the workers at the plants have absolutely no feelings at all. This is so shameful and slaughterhouses should be investigated by somebody other than the USDA.

In the movie The Matrix, taking the red pill meant you will learn what's really going on in this world. Taking the blue pill meant you go back to your ignorant but happy life. Reading this book is like taking the red pill. You can't unlearn this. The main takeaway points for me are:

1) A shockingly high percentage of cows and pigs are fully conscious as they have their throat slit, skin peeled off their head, legs cut off, tail cut off, scalded, etc. The cows scream, try climbing the wall, flail around, and one employee said he saw cow tears. On page 130 it says 25% - 30% of the cows are butchered alive according to one plant employee. Many employees say that this happens in slaughterhouses across the country. This happens because the bolt guns are not pressurized enough, or the bolt is too small, or the employee misses, or because the line is moving too fast. Some employees said when they get behind they hang live cows on the line without shooting them in the head first. Cows have been seen 7 - 9 minutes down the line still breathing and mooing.

2) When a pig or cow gets caught in a truck, ramp, gate, or wherever, the solution is to just saw the leg off without killing the animal first. Helping the animal humanely takes too much time.

3) When a pig is frozen to the side of a truck but still alive, they just rip the pig off leaving a chunk of skin on the truck. They might even pull a leg out. Breaking bones, stabbing the eyes, electric prodding anuses/mouthes/eyes of animals, beating with metal pipes, leaving sick or disabled animals to starve or freeze to death, etc. is normal everyday practice at all slaughterhouses.

4) Poultry is not covered by the Humane Slaughter Act. They are shocked before having their neck slit, but the voltage is so low they are still awake and feel the cut. Then they are scalded in water alive. Rabbits are also considered poultry and therefore are not covered by the Humane Slaughter Act. In at least one plant rabbits have meat hooks put through their legs alive, then are decapitated with dull knives which often takes 3 - 5 tries. Rabbits scream like infants.

5) The USDA does nothing about animals being slaughtered alive, and are completely toothless. USDA is run by the meat industry and they are pushing for deregulation (fewer or no inspectors, fewer responsibilities and powers, etc.) Anyone who tries to help the animals is fired.

I could go on and on... I haven't even touched on the disgusting things that happen to the meat or the working conditions for employees.

Yes this book was written by an animal rights activist. I know meat eaters who roll their eyes when they hear "animal rights". That tells me they condone what goes on in factory farms, transport, and slaughterhouses. They don't realize that humans are animals too and that there is absolutely no difference torturing an animal or a human. All animals (including humans) feel depression, despair, terror, pain, and suffering. Just because humans are more intelligent than other animals doesn't give us the right to do what we do to them. Human babies are probably about as smart as a pig. Is the factory farming and slaughter of human babies any different? For me the answer is absolutely NO. I know that rhetorical question will offend some people, but keep in mind that I am *deeply* offended by the very real inhumane living conditions, transport and slaughter of animals just to satisfy human taste preferences. Just because we can eat meat doesn't mean we have to eat meat. Our human intelligence gives us the power of empathy and compassion. We can choose to not eat meat or animal products.

I don't believe for one second that the majority of the meat industry isn't as described in this book. The slaughterhouses investigated in this book are just the tip of the iceberg.

This book has pushed me from casual vegetarian (eat meat sometimes) to full vegan. Thank you!

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5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener
I am only halfway through the book and it is an absolute eye-opener. One cannot read this book for hours on end as it is very graphic and highly disturbing. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Mich76RN

5.0 out of 5 stars Gail A. Eisnitz is a Modern Day Heroine
Gail A. Eisnitz is one of the bravest, brighest lights on this planet. I recently had the privilige of meeting and interviewing her and was immensely impressed and inspired by her... Read more

Published on Jun 16 2004 by Suza Francina

4.0 out of 5 stars Literally - clean your plate!
Ms.Eisnitz has convinved me that the principals that drive successful businesses are at work in our food supply to nefarious ends. Read more

Published on Jan 2 2004 by Christopher C. Lee

5.0 out of 5 stars Made a vegetarian out of THIS Texas girl!
I was raised on steaks, ribs, burgers, chicken, turkey - you name it. Reading just excerpts of this book made me an instant vegetarian. Read more

Published on Dec 9 2003 by towerclockraven

5.0 out of 5 stars disturbing
the most vivid and readable account of slaughterhouse practices you're likely to find. instead of relying on numb statistics, the author puts a face on your food, and on the men... Read more

Published on Aug 13 2003 by Josh J. Gubser

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to ignore
I've read this book from front to back, and although it took me several weeks (the gruesome pictures I had in my mind were hard to swallow) I'm glad I did. Read more

Published on July 29 2003 by Adam Chen

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opening
Slaughterhouse reads like a novel. It is captivating and dramatic! I first read it 2 years ago and it confirmed to me in so many ways why I became a vegetarian. Read more

Published on July 21 2003 by Michelle Langley

5.0 out of 5 stars A painful but necessary eye-opener.
I highly recommend Slaughterhouse to anyone who is brave enough to discover how animals become meat. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars enlightening
this book opened my eyes to the sheer brutality of factory farming. this is a MUST READ! Thanks to this book I became a vegetarian. Read more

Published on Jan 2 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing corporate disgraces
Gail Eisnitz writes an extremely vivid account of how the USDA is truly out for the interests of Agribusinesses and not at all interested in the health and safety of the American... Read more

Published on Sep 20 2002 by Robert Miller

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