Our food system is a sick fucking joke. Sign here.
“At the Pont-Rouge barn, about 800 calves are subjected to harsh treatment and inhumane confinement for the entire 18 to 20 weeks of their short lives, the undercover investigation reveals. They are housed in crates so narrow they can’t turn around or lie down comfortably. Many are tethered by chains around their necks.
The crates, most of which are no more than 49 centimetres wide, are designed to prohibit exercise and normal muscle growth in order to produce tender veal. The calves are fed a milk-substitute diet deliberately low in iron so their flesh will stay pale. The calves don’t go outside to play, breathe fresh air, clean themselves or bond with their mothers. They never see sunlight, the Mercy for Animals investigator says. Most of their time in the barn is spent in the dark.
In an interview, the investigator said he “lost count†of the number of calves that died while he was there. ‘For some of the time, it was a calf every day. We’d go in and there’d be a dead calf in his crate.'”