Cattle

 https://justiceforanimals.org/?curid=401

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This assignment is a work in process and not ready to be assigned. Assignments are moved to the draft namespace after an author has accepted the assignment.

<-- Visible editorial notes appear between <-- and --> tags. You can delete them after you start on a section or you can hide them by using the standard notation for comments, adding an exclamation mark: "." They should be deleted, hidden or not, before the pre-publication review. The author should delete this particular one after reading it. -->

This article provides summarized information about cattle that should prove useful to those advocating for animal rights, as well as to those exploring the rationale for veganism.

It covers various aspects of cattle in the context of animal rights, including injustices and suffering, humane labels and certifications, sentience and cognition, the environmental consequences of cattle framing, the health risks of beef, and impacts to communities and workers,

<-- Use Pigs as a model for this article. Deviations are allowed, of course. The books Slaughterhouse, and Eating Animals can help in running down primary sources, if you have those books or can get them. -->

General Information

Definitions

Cattle are "domesticated quadrupeds held as property or raised for use," or more specifically "bovine animals on a farm or ranch." We use this word reluctantly because of its etymology from property, but related words, as shown below, don't adequately describe our topic, while cattle does.

Bovine is sometimes used as a synonym for cattle, but zoologically means "any of a subfamily (Bovinae) of bovids including oxen, bison, buffalo, and their close relatives."

Cow is sometimes used generically to refer to male and female cattle, but technically is "the mature female of cattle (genus Bos)." Not in this article, but the word is also used for females of other species, such as elephants and whales.

Heifer refers to...

Steer

Bull

Oxen

Lineage

Numbers

<-- when referring to numbers slaughtered, link to this table instead of using a footnote. -->

Injustices and Suffering

<-- of course don't be hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration to use graphic, persuasive language that represents reality. -->

Loss of Life

We have no nutritional need for beef, so denying cattle their lives is unnecessary, as are the other forms of suffering enumerated here. Not only are we taking their lives—we are doing so after allowing them to live only about ??? percent of their natural life spans. Dairy cows are slaughtered after living ??? of a ???-year natural lifespan, while cattle used for beef are slaughtered after living ??? of a ???-year natural lifespan.

To take the life of any sentient being is to harm that being by depriving them of opportunities for fulfillment, even if it is done suddenly and painlessly (which it is not, as explained below).

Slaughter

<-- discuss methods of slaughter, for example: USDA inspecter testimonials, slaughter speed lines, and the cruelty involved. The books Slaughterhouse" and Eating Animals can help if you have them or can get them. —>

<-- for each of the following cruelties, but only as applicable: to what extent is it performed?; when (what age, repeating?); how painful?; pain relief given?; lasting damage? -->

Dehorning and Debudding

<-- point out it is performed on cows, not just bulls; try to find out the extent to which this doesn't occur because of selective breeding to eliminate horns. -->

Artificial Insemination

Semen Collection

<-- This is a good

Teaser Bull. <-- citations needed -->To artificially inseminate a cow, semen must be collected. This involves a teaser-bull, usually a male, and an involuntary donor bull. In the process, female pheromones are released to get the "donor" bull aroused, compelling him to mount the teaser bull. In the process, the teaser bull often, to put it mildly, suffers tissue damage, as semen is collected in what the industry calls a loving cup.

Electroejaculation. <-- describe the process; how much is it used in comparison to the Teaser Bull method? -->

Mechanical Milking

<-- for how long at a time?; how many times a day?; infection and mastitis -->

Castration

Handling and Transportation

Treatment of Veal Calves

<-- point out that veal is a product of the dairy industry and would not exist with it; point out here that sometimes males born to dairy cows are sometimes slaughtered for waste soon after they are born, as veal is increasingly unpopular -->

Separation of Calves from Their Mothers

<-- say "soon after birth" — don' try to be too specific on time frame because it varies; cows are maternal—known to bellow for weeks after separation; calves will never know the love and nurturing of their mothers, etc -->

Repetition of Reproductive Exploitation

<-- point out the cruelties to the dairy cow, except for dehorning, are repeated for 4 or 5 years and then they are slaughtered for waste or for hamburger meat -->

Another Injustice / Abuse, etc

Humane Labels and Certifications

<-- These should be US-centric, but feel free to include other certifications/labels as well, particularly if they are widely used across multiple countries. -->

Label or Certification 1

Label or Certification 2, etc

Sentience and Cognition

While we are not suggesting that the degree of moral consideration given to an animal be based on their cognitive capacity, it seems that most people are not fully aware of the rich cognitive, emotional, and psychological lives that pigs experience.

<-- Discuss. Include evidence pigs that have desires, preferences, emotions, a sense of themselves, and a sense of the future. -->

Environmental Consequences

The breeding, confinement, and slaughter of cattle have a profoundly negative impact on the environment.

<-- discuss -->

Human Health, Nutrition

Health, Nutrition Topic 1

Health, Nutrition Topic 2, etc

Animal Protein

All animal protein, pig meat or otherwise, carries risks that are not associated with plant protein. A review by Dr. Sofia Ochoa cites 42 studies showing that animal protein…

• elevates hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which stimulates cell division and growth in both healthy and cancer cells and "has been consistently associated with increased cancer risk, proliferation, and malignancy"

• "results in us having higher circulating levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)," which "injures the lining of our vessels, creates inflammation, and facilitates the formation of cholesterol plaques in our blood vessels"

• causes the overproduction of the hormone fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), which damages our blood vessels, can "lead to enlargement of the cardiac ventricle, and is associated with heart attacks, sudden death, and heart failure"

• can result in the overabsorption of heme iron, causing the conversion of other oxidants into highly reactive free radicals that "can damage different cell structures like proteins, membranes, and DNA" (heme iron "has also been associated with many kinds of gastrointestinal cancers")

• can result in a higher incidence of bone fractures because of animal protein's high concentrations of sulfur

• contributes to atherosclerosis—plaques of cholesterol that accumulate in the lining of our vessels; this condition is far less common on a vegan diet because absorbable cholesterol is not found in plants

Social Consequences of Pig Production

<-- Discuss worker issues, pig shit being sprayed in North Carolina, etc. -->

Meta

This article was originally authored by Bethany Chester with contributions by Greg Fuller . The contents may have been edited since that time by others.