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Temple Grandin Praised By PETA

Written by Vegetarian Star on February 11th, 2010 in Animal Issues.

2010 Winter TCA Tour - Day 6

The story of Temple Grandin is depicted in a new HBO movie starring Claire Danes.

Although not a vegetarian, Grandin’s work in animal behavior resulted in her designing more humane methods to apply to the livestock industry.

PETA’s president and co-founder Ingrid Newkirk has written a piece in the Sacramento Bee on Grandin’s work.

A few highlights:

“I admire her work in the field of humane animal slaughter. PETA would prefer, of course, that no animals be killed for food, but we won’t ignore the horrors of factory farms and slaughterhouses just because we wish that they didn’t exist.”

“Throughout her career as an animal-science professor at Colorado State University and a consultant to the American Meat Institute, Grandin has worked to improve animal-handling systems at slaughterhouses – markedly decreasing, although never able to stop completely, the amount of fear and pain that animals experience.”

“This may seem like a small victory – the cows are still going to be killed after all – but until the day that we get animals off the dinner plate altogether, is it too much to ask that we do everything we can to reduce the fear and suffering that they experience in the slaughterhouse?”

Read more at the Sacramento Bee.

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13 Responses to “Temple Grandin Praised By PETA”

  1. C Says:

    Imagine we’re in the 1800’s and slavery hasn’t been abolished yet. I know that slavery is going to keep happening, so I’m going to campaign for more “humane” treatment of slaves rather than ending slavery. Then I’m going to “praise” these humane slave owners!

    Were there actually any people that did that? I’ve never heard of one…

  2. Laura Says:

    Ingrid Newkirk is a psycho, i saw that documentary she did that was on HBO i may be a vegan but PETA IS bunch of crazy lunatics that give vegetarians and vegans a bad name.

  3. Jo Says:

    I don’t understand how Ingrid Newkirk could call animal slaughter “humane”. That’s a total oxymoron.

    It’s simply our moral obligation to relieve suffering when and where we can, which may be what Grandin has done.

    But, to for Newkirk and Grandin to start using the term “humane” in regards to slaughter and intensive animal confinement is to suggest that these practices could be done in a moral way.

    Rather, Newkirk and PETA should show some appreciation for Grandin’s work for the limited amount of relief it has provided. Then, expose Grandin and other “meat scientists” for their immoral support of factory farming itself as an industry of abuse in the interest of profit. Grandin is actually helping corporate farmers find ways to manipulate pig genes so that pigs feel less emotions. Grandin and her fellow scientists even created a name representing the fact that pigs feel negative emotions due to their daily abuse. They call it “porcine stress syndrome”. Grandin and her ilk are suggesting that pigs are dysfunctional because they resist being put in crates daily for years, and never let out.

    Grandin wants the pigs to be “calmer” and deal with abuse “better”. Read her academic papers, and you will see that she works to make factory farming more profitable for the meat industry. The real motive that the meat industry has in implementing Grandin’s advice is just to get more animals killed more efficiently. There is no actual concern for the animals. Calmer animals are just easier to torture and kill.

    Grandin even praises McDonald’s for their “animal welfare” standards. This is sickening considering that McDonalds has demanded the need for such large scale animal abuse in the first place. Grandin is on the McDonald’s website. Now, all those purchasing Happy Meals can feel less guilt due to the propaganda of humane treatment.

    Grandin and all those meat scientists at many universities, such as Colorado State, need to be exposed for the Nazi -like research they do daily in finding ways to further objectify animals, and view them less as alive and more like “production units” (which is the term these scientists and corporate farmers literally use).

  4. Diane H. Says:

    Jo – thanks. You said it very well. Grandin is a very scary person.

    Killing animals, genetically manipulating them so they accept pain and confinement “better” just helps the meat industry. Grandin’s work promotes more and more eating of animals and animal deaths.

    I don’t want to help the meat industry. Grandin is a psycho.

  5. Mike Says:

    Oh, God, all this makes me so sick. We humans are still very primitive. We have a long way to go.

  6. Benjamin Says:

    Grandin appeals to the meat market’s wallet, which is the only thing about it that’s remotely reachable, since slaughterhouses are not run by people with heart. Of course she’s going to try to convince them to use her methods by appealing to their desire for money and efficiency. Are they going to drop 25-100k to make cows happier? Obviously not.

  7. PETA, you are not the voice of Animal Rights (so stop talking) « vegan animal liberation alliance Says:

    […] Ingrid Newkirk describe this as “I admire her work in the field of humane animal slaughter.” […]

  8. No New News Here: PETA Still Supports Pit Bull Bans | BSL News Says:

    […] you know, then I see PETA giving awards to slaughterhouse designers, honoring the NYPD for killing mice, and of course, supporting Breed Bans of our loving companion […]

  9. Laura Barry Says:

    It appears that reality is not factored into these responses. You must face it that our world will never be slaughter-free. Yes, it’s heart-breaking, but a percentage of people (meat-eaters) just don’t care, otherwise, it wouldn’t be this way. Yes, some people who are ignorant can be converted, but others know what happens and don’t care. Therefore, yes, I personally would sleep better knowing that the meat-eaters are at least treating those animals with respect before they are being sacrificed. It’s the cruelty involved prior to death that is so disturbing. You write as though you don’t have friends or family that eat meat. Any step forward should be encourage, not dismissed.

  10. AnaMarie Says:

    Do any of you realize Temple Grandin is autistic? Apparently not as you all decide to make your hasty judgements about her, talking about how insane, psycho, etc…she is. Are you seriously calling someone w/a condition as serious as autism a psycho? This is what makes me REFUSE to go to any PETA rallys or raise/donate to PETA. Some of you are quite rude, obnoxious and very intolerant of someone w/a neurological disorder who has risen w/this disorder that affects millions of human beings, vegetarian or otherwise from all over the world who is actually making a difference with the meat industry and has hopefully changed the minds of meat eaters making them vegetarian as she demonstrated the horrific methods the meat industry used to slaughter animals. What disgusts ME the most is the heinous intolerant treatment of a human being by another human being who refuses to rise above their own neurotic elitist attitude to try to educate others in a tolerant manner instead of mocking, making fun and resorting to sophomoric name calling, etc… those who don’t know about vegetarianism and the reality of slaughtering of animals. She’s making a difference the best way SHE knows with autism! Makes me somewhat ashamed to know fellow vegetarians act in such a disgusting manner. Shame on you, and yes, I know someone w/autism; my son, who is a vegetarian like me. Why don’t you get off your high horse, toss your holier-than-thou pontificating thinking and read a bit about autism, then maybe raise awareness of being a vegetarian to those with autism? That’s what we’re doing as a family as we present the incredible benefits to autistic children who are fed a veggie diet.

    I will NEVER help out PETA again!

  11. Rebecca Bostwick Says:

    AnaMarie, I completely agree. It never ceases to amaze me that my fellow vegetarians and vegans can be so compassionate, sympathetic, and loving towards animals, yet when it comes to humans, they’re the first to judge. Instead of educating, gently nudging, and being good examples of this way of life, so many are rude, intolerant, and pushy.

  12. herwin Says:

    Most so called animal welfare measurements are done by the industry to maximise meat/milk/egg production, not at all for “welfare”.
    Sorry, i can’t praise Grandin.

  13. Marideth Says:

    PETA is full of stuff like this from their “If you wouldn’t eat your dog why eat a pig,” and then they turn around and kill pets. And their vegan golden boys are jerks, look at Paul McCartney’s performance with Nirvana a while back. Then just reading he things people will say! “Maybe someone should slit [his] throat like that” “I see 4 or 5 people who deserve 6 bullets to the head” It makes people like me who isn’t vegan want nothing to do with them just because of how they treat people