Farm Animals’ Plight

Re: “New Food Label to Certify Humane Treatment of Animals” [Sept. 20].

First McDonald’s Corp. raises the bar for treatment of egg-laying hens owned by their suppliers, and now the American Humane Assn. has created standards by which farmers may claim that their livestock are treated humanely, and still the agribusiness industry complains that this is too much, that we are going too far.

It have no realistic basis for complaint, though, since these are not mandatory regulations but only voluntary guidelines. Obviously the fear is that if these guidelines catch on with more producers, retailers and consumers, they will more clearly define and expose the inherent cruelty of techniques used by the majority of farmers, despite the industry’s claims that only healthy, happy animals will produce profitably.

DAVID MCINTIRE

Gardena

*

One requirement is that an animal intended for human consumption must be healthy enough to be able to walk off the farm under its own power.

Great. Walk from the farm to the slaughterhouse. A great walk for the cow.

On the other hand, I’m not sure if I’d want to eat an animal that could not walk off on its own.

ARCH MILLER

Arcadia