Peta Undercover: Sacred and Federal Laws Violated at Iowa Slaughterhouse

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The Iowa secretary of agriculture, chief rabbinate in Israel, and the Orthodox Union weigh in on AgriProcessors. Read their reactions here.

AgriProcessors workers ignore the suffering of cows who are still sensible to pain after having their throats slit by the ritual slaughterer. The animals stagger and slip in blood while their tracheas dangle from their necks.

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Answering to a Higher Authority

Jewish law (halacha) for kosher slaughter (shechitah) is quite strict and the process is supposed to be less traumatic for animals than mass production methods used in ordinary slaughterhouses, where high-speed slaughter lines often leave conscious animals dangling in the air—their full bodyweight pulling their hip joints out of their sockets.

According to the National Jewish Population Study, the American Jewish population presently comprises 5.2 million people, 1 million of whom observe kashrut (kosher) all the time. For these observant people, the importance of adherence to strict Jewish law cannot be overstated. But the vast majority of Jewish people—even those who are not observant—identify kashrut as the marker of Jewish identity.

According to authorities, what we documented at AgriProcessors violates both Jewish ideals and kosher laws so important to observant Jews. The eminent chief rabbi of Haifa (Israel), Shear-Yashuv Cohen, condemned the actions as “definitely unacceptable by halakhic standards.” Rabbi David Rosen, former chief rabbi of Ireland, called the abuse a “flagrant violation of Jewish halachic (religious legal) requirements.” Rabbi Barry Schwartz, who sits on the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Task Force on Kashrut, asserts, “The suffering of these animals during slaughter is sickening. Death is neither quick nor merciful.”

Jewish Ideals Require the Humane Treatment of Animals

The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), the largest Orthodox Rabbinic authority, has endorsed a replacement for the shackling-and-hoisting method of kosher slaughter. The replacement is a pen that provides support for the animals’ bodies while they bleed out.

The Israeli Supreme Court outlawed the production of foie gras, although it was a major industry in Israel. Foie gras is the fattened liver of ducks or geese who have been cruelly force-fed to the point where some cannot even walk but must move their bloated bodies around by pushing their wings against the floor. Some of these birds’ stomachs actually burst from having grain blasted into them. Several prominent U.S. and Israeli rabbinic authorities have strongly discouraged or issued bans on the consumption of and/or raising of animals to make veal and foie gras.

Jewish Law Opposes Cruelty to Animals

The slaughter of animals certified as kosher is prescribed by Jewish law. The knife used to cut the neck of an animal must be completely free of nicks or imperfections, and it must be razor sharp so that the animal is almost unaware that it has passed through his or her throat. No pressure may be applied to the blade as it is drawn across the animal’s throat, and the major arteries, trachea, and esophagus must all be severed with absolutely no hesitation and with a continuous stroke. One of the five basic disqualifications of shechitah is the tearing of the trachea and esophagus. At AgriProcessors, cows were first cut by the rabbi, but following that procedure by just a few seconds, another worker, not trained in ritual slaughter, tore the esophagus and trachea out of the conscious animal, clearly in violation of both the intent and the letter of kosher law.

The Role of Jewish Authorities

The Orthodox Union (OU) is the largest of all kosher certification authorities, certifying more than 250,000 products manufactured in nearly 5,000 plants located in 60 countries around the world.

The OU has a history of being concerned about animal welfare, having been credited with using its considerable influence to convince kosher slaughterhouses to move away from the shackle-and-hoist system in which fully conscious animals were lifted by one leg into the air before having their throats slit.

From “The Kosher Primer,” Orthodox Union Web site: “ The Torah requires that meat and poultry be slaughtered in a prescribed manner known as shechita. The trachea and esophagus of the animal are severed with a special razor-sharp, perfectly smooth blade, causing instantaneous death with no pain to the animal” (emphasis ours).

From “The Kosher Advantage,” Orthodox Union Web site: “ In addition a specially trained expert must slaughter meat and fowl in a painless ritual fashion in order to render it acceptable” (emphasis ours).

What PETA’s investigator documented at AgriProcessors does not follow OU’s dictates. PETA has informed the OU of the suffering we found at AgriProcessors. Click here to read PETA’s letter to the OU.