University linked to Controversial Animal Research?

[Haspula]

Looks like there are over 70,000 people petitioning against the animal research being done at the research center in Clay Center. It had a link to a very long NYTimes article mentioning the research being done: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/dining/animal-welfare-at-risk-in-experiments-for-meat-industry.html?_r=0

At a remote research center on the Nebraska plains, scientists are using surgery and breeding techniques to re-engineer the farm animal to fit the needs of the 21st-century meat industry. The potential benefits are huge: animals that produce more offspring, yield more meat and cost less to raise.

There are, however, some complications.

Pigs are having many more piglets — up to 14, instead of the usual eight — but hundreds of those newborns, too frail or crowded to move, are being crushed each year when their mothers roll over. Cows, which normally bear one calf at a time, have been retooled to have twins and triplets, which often emerge weakened or deformed, dying in such numbers that even meat producers have been repulsed.

 

[NUance]

Since Congress founded it 50 years ago to consolidate the United States Department of Agriculture’s research on farm animals, the center has worked to make lamb chops bigger, pork loins less fatty, steaks easier to chew. It has fought the spread of disease, fostered food safety and helped American ranchers compete in a global marketplace.

But an investigation by The New York Times shows that these endeavors have come at a steep cost to the center’s animals, which have been subjected to illness, pain and premature death, over many years. The research to increase pig litters began in 1986; the twin calves have been dying at high rates since 1984, and the easy care lambs for 10 years.

Yeah, the deaths of animals are an unfortunate cost of progress in raising livestock. Food production is one of the few areas that we remain ahead of the rest of the world. This research might be one of the reasons why.

I'll bet most of the NYTimes subscribers who read that article routinely pick out choice cuts of beef and pork from the grocery store butcher, without a clue as to how it got there. They would be shocked if they ever visited a packing plant.

 

[BigRedBuster]

What a load of BS.

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

Since Congress founded it 50 years ago to consolidate the United States Department of Agriculture’s research on farm animals, the center has worked to make lamb chops bigger, pork loins less fatty, steaks easier to chew. It has fought the spread of disease, fostered food safety and helped American ranchers compete in a global marketplace.

But an investigation by The New York Times shows that these endeavors have come at a steep cost to the center’s animals, which have been subjected to illness, pain and premature death, over many years. The research to increase pig litters began in 1986; the twin calves have been dying at high rates since 1984, and the easy care lambs for 10 years.

Yeah, the deaths of animals are an unfortunate cost of progress in raising livestock. Food production is one of the few areas that we remain ahead of the rest of the world. This research might be one of the reasons why.

I'll bet most of the NYTimes subscribers who read that article routinely pick out choice cuts of beef and pork from the grocery store butcher, without a clue as to how it got there. They would be shocked if they ever visited a packing plant.

Totally agree. I worked with a person that wouldn't eat seafood or fish cuz it looks the same dead as alive. With butchered meat, she could just ignore it was ever an animal. I wouldn't have a problem with folks getting riled up about this stuff if they would educate themselves before demonizing it. Just not how it works tho...

 

[T_O_Bull]

On one hand you have the people who are against animal research.

On the other hand you have countries with populations that just keep on breeding children.

Do we find ways to feed these people or let survival of the fittest take over.

That is the argument that really needs to be addressed.

T_O_B

 

[C N Red]

On one hand you have the people who are against animal research.

On the other hand you have countries with populations that just keep on breeding children.

Do we find ways to feed these people or let survival of the fittest take over.

That is the argument that really needs to be addressed.

T_O_B

Well, at least China is doing their job by killing babies.

 

[darkhorse85]

Pigs

Looks like there are over 70,000 people petitioning against the animal research being done at the research center in Clay Center. It had a link to a very long NYTimes article mentioning the research being done: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/dining/animal-welfare-at-risk-in-experiments-for-meat-industry.html?_r=0

At a remote research center on the Nebraska plains, scientists are using surgery and breeding techniques to re-engineer the farm animal to fit the needs of the 21st-century meat industry. The potential benefits are huge: animals that produce more offspring, yield more meat and cost less to raise.

There are, however, some complications.

Pigs are having many more piglets — up to 14, instead of the usual eight — but hundreds of those newborns, too frail or crowded to move, are being crushed each year when their mothers roll over. Cows, which normally bear one calf at a time, have been retooled to have twins and triplets, which often emerge weakened or deformed, dying in such numbers that even meat producers have been repulsed.

The bolded is nothing new. Fairly common when farrowing.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Pigs

Looks like there are over 70,000 people petitioning against the animal research being done at the research center in Clay Center. It had a link to a very long NYTimes article mentioning the research being done: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/dining/animal-welfare-at-risk-in-experiments-for-meat-industry.html?_r=0

At a remote research center on the Nebraska plains, scientists are using surgery and breeding techniques to re-engineer the farm animal to fit the needs of the 21st-century meat industry. The potential benefits are huge: animals that produce more offspring, yield more meat and cost less to raise.

There are, however, some complications.

Pigs are having many more piglets — up to 14, instead of the usual eight — but hundreds of those newborns, too frail or crowded to move, are being crushed each year when their mothers roll over. Cows, which normally bear one calf at a time, have been retooled to have twins and triplets, which often emerge weakened or deformed, dying in such numbers that even meat producers have been repulsed.

The bolded is nothing new. Fairly common when farrowing.

Exactly. And, there has also been tons of research and developments on how to prevent that. In fact, right now, there are people in the industry completely rethinking farrowing houses to help not only this but other areas they want ton see improvement.

What drives me crazy about this issue is the total lack of logic. Let's look at it this way. If you are in the business of selling animals that are a certain size or age and if those animals died before they got to that age or size, don't you think as a producer, that would be a bad thing and they would try to prevent that? But...hey....then there are clueless people who act like these premature deaths are what the producers actually want and are happy with.

It's like when PETA puts out videos of some horribly lame/sick animal going to a slaughter house. Ummm....that is not what the farmer wanted either.