There’s nothing more common at a barbecue than burgers. But knowing where hamburger meat actually comes from might just make you lose your lunch.
For starters, The Washington Post reports that one hamburger can contain meat from dozens of different cows. “Meat patties aren’t just made from the muscle tissue of a single animal, but from the fibers of as many as a hundred cows, or even more, the author explains. “We mix different kinds of cow tissue like one combines colors on a palette, potentially putting animals that once grazed next to each other into tightly packed beef discs.
What’s more, most cows slaughtered for hamburger meat come from the dairy industry. Yes, inside nearly every hamburger are the remains of America’s dairy cows. And these animals suffer horribly.
After four or five years of producing abnormally large quantities of milk, thanks to genetic manipulation and drugs, cows become “spent. Their bodies just give out and they stop producing as much milk. Many suffer a painful infection called mastitis; others become so weak they are unable to stand.
Weak, lame, sick, or injured, “spent cows are often brutally prodded, beaten, and dragged before being slaughtered and processed into ground beef at a fraction of their natural life span, which could be as long as 25 years.
These 16 photos prove that the animals killed for hamburgers lived in a hell of grief, pain, and suffering.
1. Cows forced to stand in stalls with inches of feces covering the floor
Mercy For Animals’ brave undercover investigators risk everything to shed light on the horrors farmed animals endure every day.
Please consider becoming an Investigator Ally with a monthly gift to support their work to expose the truth of where meat comes from. You can also end your support of such a cruel industry by leaving animals off your plate. For information on eating more compassionately, please click here.
For starters, The Washington Post reports that one hamburger can contain meat from dozens of different cows. “Meat patties aren’t just made from the muscle tissue of a single animal, but from the fibers of as many as a hundred cows, or even more, the author explains. “We mix different kinds of cow tissue like one combines colors on a palette, potentially putting animals that once grazed next to each other into tightly packed beef discs.
After four or five years of producing abnormally large quantities of milk, thanks to genetic manipulation and drugs, cows become “spent. Their bodies just give out and they stop producing as much milk. Many suffer a painful infection called mastitis; others become so weak they are unable to stand.
Weak, lame, sick, or injured, “spent cows are often brutally prodded, beaten, and dragged before being slaughtered and processed into ground beef at a fraction of their natural life span, which could be as long as 25 years.
These 16 photos prove that the animals killed for hamburgers lived in a hell of grief, pain, and suffering.
1. Cows forced to stand in stalls with inches of feces covering the floor
2. A cow being brutally kicked in the face by a worker
3. Workers docking a cow’s tail, a procedure that involves cutting through sensitive skin, nerves, and bone without any painkillers
4. A cow with painful sores and wounds on her udders
5. A worker spraying a downed cow in the face with a high-powered hose
6. Heavy machinery dragging a cow to a transport truck
7. Calves viciously thrown into the back of a pickup truck
8. A dead calf left to rot on the floor
9. A downed cow chained by the neck and dragged across a feces-laden floor
10. A worker punching a cow in the face
11. A tractor dragging a chained cow by the neck to slaughter
12. A worker force-feeding a calf
13. A cow with a painful, bloody rectal prolapse
14. A calf being painfully disbudded, which involves burning or cutting out a baby cow’s horn buds
15. Cows forced to stand in feet of feces
16. A newborn calf being taken from his mother
Mercy For Animals’ brave undercover investigators risk everything to shed light on the horrors farmed animals endure every day.
Please consider becoming an Investigator Ally with a monthly gift to support their work to expose the truth of where meat comes from. You can also end your support of such a cruel industry by leaving animals off your plate. For information on eating more compassionately, please click here.