Feb 08 2012
Less Meat is “Good News” to HSUS
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), not to be confused with a humane society pet shelter, puts up a façade that it actually supports “humanely raised” food products. In reality, HSUS is a vegan group—it just won’t say so because 99 percent of the public doesn’t have an ideological problem with eating cheese.
HSUS’s mask slips every now and then, however, such as when HSUS Food Policy Director Matt Prescott gleefully wrote last month that a decrease in meat consumption is “good news.” (Not surprisingly, Prescott’s piece was quickly tweeted by former PETA VP Bruce Friedrich.)
Prescott was writing to promote HSUS’s Meatless Monday campaign, which is named after a similar movement started by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health a few years back. That’s the joke, of course: HSUS wants Meatless Monday through Sunday. It just uses the limited “Monday” angle to appear moderate.
Here’s some food for thought: The goal of the Meatless Monday campaign is to, essentially, reduce meat consumption by 14 percent by getting people to eat 1/7th of what they currently consume. Prescott reports that meat consumption is expected to have fallen by 12 percent this year compared to 2007.
So haven’t the goals of Meatless Monday basically been met? Will HSUS pack up its Meatless Monday campaign once the magic “14 percent” is hit?
Not a chance.
Remember, the goal of HSUS is to eliminate using animals for meat (or eggs, or dairy). An HSUS VP was very clear: “We don’t want any of these animals to be raised and killed.” Even if meat consumption dropped by 90 percent, Prescott and HSUS would still be saying “eat less meat” and still trying to bankrupt the few livestock farmers left. Yes—even the family farmers HSUS claims to favor. (And of course, they’d be cheering the “good news” of bacon’s demise all the way to the salad bar.)
HSUS deflects claims that it has a vegan agenda by saying that 95 percent of its members are not vegetarian. However, soon after Wayne Pacelle (HSUS’s first vegan CEO) took the reins in 2004, he reportedly created a no-animal-products-in-the-office policy. Additionally, HSUS has a corporate policy not to serve any food products from animals—even humanely raised organic products—at any HSUS events. Employees aren’t supposed to expense food products from animals, either.
So let’s get this straight: HSUS won’t recognize 95 percent of its members’ own values (who have no problem eating meat), much less the values professed in public by HSUS’s leaders to support family farmers. Pacelle is all too happy to speak of “so many small farmers who are honoring that standard of animal husbandry and properly caring for their animals.” Just don’t expect HSUS to put its money where its mouth is. Or Pacelle to put his mouth where his mouth is.
If HSUS actually believed there is such a thing as humane meat or ethical eggs, it would buy some. It doesn’t.
Prescott himself is a former PETA activist. And now this guy is HSUS’s “Food Policy Director”? That shouldn’t instill confidence in any farmer—much less the 99 percent of consumers who don’t share the HSUS/PETA values for eating.
Comments
I’m confussed… 15 years ago we rescued 3 littermates, then took in 2 more strays. After loving and caring for these animals I began to question my meat consumption, to the point of becoming a pescatarian. I understand your distain for HSUS’s fat pension fund and their non-support of shelters but, what is wrong with eating less meat from horrific factory farms or inhumane slaughter houses. I think it is great that you are alerting people that may be giving money in hopes of helping cats and dogs only to be helping rich CEO’s build their fat nest eggs, kudo’s!!! But now, I have to question your motives… do you really care about shelter animals or are you only “watching” out for big business, the big business of factory farming!! I walk the talk, so when I say that I don’t have a problem with small HUMANE farmers, I REALLY DON’T!! Also, they would make a much better living if the factory farming of animals would end! I need to check you guys out much further!!!
The fact of the matter is the only farms that will be affected by the policies the HSUS is trying to push are the small family farms. Corporate farms don’t follow the same rules, they have $500/hr lawyers finding every loophole and every little angle that can be skewed. Small farms, independent farms don’t stand a chance of survival if PETA and HSUS get their way. The images that you see on your television screen of animals being mistreated and inhumanely killed are so misleading and false. Your average American farmer cares very much for his livestock, they are his way of life, not just a paycheck. And don’t think that the HSUS and PETA are just after livestock producers, if they get control it will be illegal for anyone to own any animal, period! Got a parakeet in a cage? Well that’s just horrible! He was meant to be free! Declawed your cat?!?! Talk about inhumane!!! Got a pint sized pup you’re dressing in baby clothes and putting in your purse?!? OFFICER ARREST THIS WOMAN!! Don’t be fooled. These people are greedy, money hungry, soulless individuals who see only dollar signs when they see anything with fur on it’s hide. They don’t care about the animals, they care about the money they’re making off of convincing YOU to care about the animals.
And to be clear, I am fully aware of the difference between the HSUS and my local animal shelter. When it comes time to get a new family pet (after losing a cat or dog) adoption from my local animal shelter is my first choice. And when I do adopt, I pay the fee and add as much as my budget at the time will allow as a donation to help care for the animals there. They are two separate entities and if the HSUS actually cared about animals they would be giving more than the measly 1% they get in donations to animal shelters. Instead 99% of their intake goes to fund more misleading and malicious commercials begging for more money and to pay their ridiculously over payed CEO.
HSUS and PETA paint a sad picture of the American Farmer. American Farmers are the symbol of capitalism through the entire world. We are the backbone of a free society. We don’t parade around in force to promote a Hitler like agenda. If the public wants to consume meat in their healthy diets, then let them, and I will continue to produce the best pork products I can. That is our liberty!
Comments are moderated, and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. Extremely lengthy comments and those that contain obscenities may be edited before they are posted.
Add a comment:
I don’t understand why you are vilifying the Humane Society for their views on meat consumption or how this actually threatens the family farmer. We will never become a 100% vegan society; however, we the average American diet could benefit greatly with the reduction of meat, processed foods and an increase of fruits, vegetables, and fiber.
The environment pays a heavy price for the large agribusiness as well. If we Americans did adapt our diets towards a more environmentally friendly plant based diet it would be less profitable for large agribusiness and the financial benefits would improve for the family farmer.