It's not Chicken!

by Raymond McInerney - Global Country of World Peace Thu May 23, 2002 21:12 raymond.mcinerney at ul dot ie 122 Vale Avenue, Carew Park, Limerick 086 3626144

Better still go Vedic Organic Agriculture.

by r Thu May 23, 2002 22:44

Yeah and it gets worse. According to an article in a back issue of the "Ecologist", a small number of animals, usually pigs, that have been used in xenotransplantation experiements (manipulation of live animal organs with the purpose of transplating them to humans) end up in the food chain. As it's necessary to use human genes in these animals' organs, it means, well, you are effectively what you eat!

r

by Sam Fri May 24, 2002 00:41

Broiler chickens are the birds that are reared for the meat we call "chicken". These birds have been especially bred over many years to grow quickly and put on weight (meat) in as short a time as possible. About 68 million broiler chickens are reared and killed each year in the Republic of Ireland.

Most broiler chickens have to live in huge sheds without any windows or any form of natural light. It is normal for the sheds to contain 10,000 to 20,000 birds. The birds are not kept in cages, but are reared on the floor which is covered with a deep layer of "litter", e.g. wood shavings. Conditions become very cramped as the birds grow; each bird may have only about 500 cm2 of space - an area smaller than the cover of a telephone directory. The sheds are not cleaned out during the lifetime of the birds. The wood shavings may become damp, greasy and smelly. The wet litter contains ammonia from the chickens' waste. This can cause blisters to develop on the birds' breasts, ulcers on their feet and burns on their legs. These can all be very painful.

It is impossible for so many birds to receive individual care. The birds are fed and given water automatically by machines. The person in charge simply has to maintain the equipment, check on the general health of the birds, and remove those that die.

Each year in the Republic of Ireland it is estimated that about 2 to 3 million broiler chickens die before reaching slaughter age. Many of these deaths are caused by heart and lung diseases and disorders.

Most chickens are killed between the ages of 6 and 7 weeks. Scientists have speeded up the growth process by carefully breeding from chickens which tend to grow fast (this is called "selective breeding"). Broiler chickens now reach slaughter age twice as quickly as they did 30 years ago.

The muscle (which becomes the meat that is eaten) grows very quickly but the development of the bird's legs and skeleton does not keep pace with the rest of the body. Therefore the legs have to support a great weight. A leading scientist has compared this to a nine year old child (in weight) having to stand on the legs of a five year old. Each year, a huge number of broiler chickens suffer from painful, sometimes crippling leg disorders.

Once the birds reach slaughter weight, they are caught up and transferred to crates in the back of lorries. Usually, a person acts as a "catcher", picking up several birds by the legs. Many chickens suffer bruising and broken wings and legs during this process. Wings and legs may be trapped when the birds are being pushed into cages. Some birds die on the way to the slaughterhouse. These deaths can be caused by injuries, suffocation and shock.

Chickens are taken from the crates and hung upside down on a conveyor belt. They pass through an electrically charged water bath which is meant to stun the birds (make them unconscious). They then have their necks cut, which kills the birds. Unfortunately, some birds are not stunned properly and may regain consciousness as they bleed to death.

by Oliver O'Driscoll Fri May 24, 2002 18:35

After reading the above posting re the treatment of chickens, I am glad that I am a veggie and do not in any way support the barbaric treatment of living beings. What levels some people will descend to for money.

by Kev - Socialist Party Sat May 25, 2002 14:53 thekevolution at yahoo dot co dot uk

Wow oliver, I though i was the oly veggie in the party. but im not an animal rights head, im an animal welfare head.

by Discover Magazine - N/A Tue May 28, 2002 05:36 none at none dot edu address phone

Source :
http://www.discover.com/search/index.html
====================================

Where's the beef?
Every last scrap of cow gets used somewhere

B L O O D

Cell culture laboratories
Bovine serum albumin provides a wide variety of macromolecular proteins, low-molecular-weight nutrients,
carrier proteins for water-insoluble components, and other compounds necessary for in vitro growth of cells,
such as hormones and attachment factors. Serum adds buffering capacity to the medium and binds or
neutralizes toxic components in the growth milieu.

Home and industrial uses
Plywood adhesives, fertilizer, foam fire extinguisher, chemical fixer for dyes

T A L L O W S
(fat derived from meat, bone, hooves, and horns)

Edible tallow
Used in shortening for baked goods and in combination with vegetable oils for frying foods. Also used in
chewing gum

Inedible fats and oils
Various industrial tallows: Top White Tallow, All-Beef Packer Tallow, Extra Fancy Tallow, Fancy Tallow,
Bleachable Fancy Tallow, Prime Tallow, Special Tallow, No. 2 Tallow, A Tallow, Choice White Grease,
Yellow Grease

F A T T Y A C I D S
(derived from tallows)

General uses
Plastics, tires, candles, crayons, cosmetics, lubricants, soaps, fabric softeners, asphalt emulsifiers, synthetic
rubber, linoleum (metallic stearate), PVC (calcium stearate), jet engine lubricants, carrier for pesticides and
herbicides, wetting agents, dispersing agents, defoamers, solubilizers, viscosity modifiers

Oleic acid -> pelargonic acid -> synthetic motor oil
Oleic acid -> fed into gel cultures to produce antibiotics
Azelaic acid -> high-performance coatings for planes and cars, food packaging, fishing line, acne
medication, furniture
Stearic acid-> aluminum tristearate -> cosmetic gels, pharmaceutical additives, grease additives, toner
adjuvants, antifoam agents, explosive additives, waterproofing agents

Fatty acid amides
Lubricants in industrial processes

Fatty acid amines
Rubber, textiles, ore floatation, corrosion inhibitors, metalworking lubricants

Fatty acid esters
Emulsifiers, coating agents, textile sizers, lubricants, plasticizers, defoaming agents, lithium-based greases,
textile lubricants, rolling and cutting oils, metal-machining lubricants

Fatty alcohols
Sodium alkyl sulfates, ultimately made into detergents

G L Y C E R I N
(derived from tallows)

Glycerin derivatives
A wide range of pharmaceuticals including cough syrups and lozenges, tranquilizers, eyewashes,
contraceptive jellies and creams, ear drops, poison ivy solutions, solvent for digitalis and intramuscular
injection, sclerosing solutions for treatment of varicose veins and hemorrhoids, suppositories, gel capsules

Glycerol
Solvent, sweetener, dynamite, cosmetics, liquid soaps, candy, liqueurs, inks, lubricants, antifreeze mixtures,
culture nutrients for antibiotics

Glycerin mist
Aftershave preparations, shaving cream, toilet soap, toothpaste, sunscreens and sunblocks, dental floss,
bath salts, bubble baths, body lotions, cleansing creams, moisturizing creams, external analgesics and
counterirritants, shampoos, hair coloring preparations (bleaches, dyes, rinses, tints), hair dressings
(brilliantines, creams, pomades), hair mousse, hair and scalp conditioners, hairspray, topical antibiotic
preparations, hemorrhoidal preparations, pharmaceuticals for veterinary use, liquid household hard-surface
cleaners, laundry aids (ironing and dry-cleaning spotting solutions), agricultural chemicals, automobile body
polish and cleaners

C O L L A G E N
(derived from connective tissues and beef skins)

Hemostats, vascular sealants, tissue sealants, orthopedic implant coatings, vascular implant coatings,
artificial skin, bone graft substitutes, corneal shields, injectable collagen for plastic surgery, injectable
collagen for incontinence treatment, meat casings, food additives, artificial dura maters, dental implants,
wound dressings, antiadhesion barriers, platelet analyzer reagents, research reagents, antibiotic wound
dressing, lacrimal plugs

G E L A T I N
(derived from collagen)

Food uses
Powdered gelatin, leaf gelatin, gelatin hydrolysate, instant gelatin, jellies, confectionery (jelly beans, jelly
babies, gums, pastilles), aerated confectionery (marshmallows, meringues, nougats, fruit chews), caramels,
sugarcoated almonds, desserts and dairy products (Bavarian creams, mousses, piecrusts, margarines,
dietetic products, yogurts, ice creams and sorbets), clarification of wines (fining agent), decorations
(garnishes, galantines, foie gras, eggs in jelly), gel reinforcement for cooked meats to improve slicing, gels
for the liquor exuded from hams during cooking, gels to preserve pâtés, dietetic products (dietary breads,
biscuits, powdered soups)

Cosmetics
Protective creams, beauty masks, lotions, shampoo bases Health-pharmaceutical products Soft capsules,
hard-shell two-piece capsules, hemostatic sponges, biological adhesives, blood serum, binder in pills and
suppositories

Industrial uses
Binder for flammable substances in matches, binder to improve "crispness" of banknotes, coating for
microparticles of self-copying papers, glues for paper and cardboard cartons, bookbinding glue, electrolytic
surface treatment of metals

Photographic uses
Emulsion gelatin, dispersion gelatin, protective-layer gelatin, backing gelatin, baryta gelatin, modified gelatin

O R G A N S A N D G L A N D S

Lungs: heparin (blood thinner), pet food

Heart: pericardium patches

Trachea: chondroitin sulfate (arthritis treatment)

Tendons: elastin, peptone

Gall: cleaning agent for leather, paints and dyes

Intestines: glycosaminoglycans (for cartilage and joint treatment), sutures, musical strings, racquet strings

Liver: catalase, used in contact-lens care products

Pancreas: insulin, chromotrypsin, glucagons

Placenta: glycosaminoglycans, alkaline phosphatases, fetal calf serum

Testicles: hyaluronidase (cartilage and joint treatment) Umbilical cord: hyaluronic acid

Uterus: glycosaminoglycans

Spinal cord: pharmaceuticals, laboratory reagents, source of neural lipids and cholesterol

Bile: bile acids used to make industrial detergents, bilirubin to measure liver function

Nasal septum: chondroitin sulfate

Nasal mucosa: heparin

Bone: charcoal ash (for refining products such as sugar), ceramics, cleaning and polishing compounds,
bone and dental implants