Educational Lesson’s Accuracy Is Questioned

Re “School Defends ‘T-Bone’s’ Slaughter as Educational,” May 19:

The saddest thing about the show-and-tell slaughter of T-Bone is that the humane and painless killing of the steer belies reality. What the kids were not told about is the cruelty of intensive animal farming, starting with the excruciatingly painful removal of the horns and branding; the deprivation of healthful feed so as to force the animals (in the feedlots) into eating what they do not enjoy, but ingest out of sheer hunger; the stressful, often painful long transport to the slaughterhouse; and the heartbreaking cases of “downer” animals, who are chained by a leg and dragged to the killing line.

“Downers” are, of course, animals that are injured and no longer able to walk to their death. Rather than killing them humanely when such an accident happens, greedy agribusiness wants to get the last pound of meat (if only for pet food), bone and other “byproducts” out of these animals. Like their whole species, they live an uncomfortable, joyless life, only to be sacrificed to us.

I grew up on a farm a long time ago and can tell you that animal farming does not have to be cruel. Because it now is, I refuse to eat meat and poultry products and donate the money I save to sanctuaries where rescued animals can live out their lives in tranquillity.

Shame on the educators at Carbon Canyon Christian School for failing to inform themselves about what the meat business is really all about before teaching their pupils a dishonest lesson.

Dagmar M. Rios

Newport Beach