Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry

This book is for everyone to read, not just animal activists or vegetarians. This is a book about corporate greed and government ineffectiveness, and how absolutely everyone in the room refuses to see the Pink Elephant at the table, stuffing itself at the expense of your health and hard earned money.Pay Attention! Virtually every piece of meat you purchase from your supermarket with the "USDA Inspected" safety stamp on it HAS NEVER BEEN INSPECTED AT ALL. USDA inspectors are no longer responsible for "Contamination Control", which amounts to debris coating the carcass such as feces, urine, mucus, pus, hair, dirt, grease, rat droppings, blood clots, etc. Their only responsibility is to examine the organs and head for gross malformations, and the inspectors are severely reprimanded or even fired for stopping the line, so virtually every filthy and disease ridden corpse makes its way to your table anyway.A) Taking the butchering of animals away from the smaller, pride-of-ownership slaughterhouses and moving virtually all of the animal product production to high-speed, high profit corporations was a deadly move, and it is up to the working-class people to stop it.B) The US is the only industrialized country that cools their chicken carcasses in water instead of air cooling, creating a virtual disease pool filthier than a public toilet next to a crack house. Why? Because water adds weight, so you get the privilege of actually paying increased poundage for the putrid and infected water your chicken soaked in.C) Going against the National Academy of Science recommendations, the USDA relaxed standards and cut back on inspections while allowing production to increase over 40%. The question is no longer "IF" there is fecal matter on your meat, but "HOW MUCH IS ACCEPTABLE". Feces has been reclassified from a "Dangerous Contaminant" to a "Cosmetic Blemish". So has hair, mucus, dirt, droppings, etc.D) With greed and profit being the only driving force behind the industry now, they have tried to pass the buck to you, the consumer, by telling you that the process of decontamination is up to YOU; i.e. cook your meat before you eat it. When did the decontamination issue switch from containment BEFORE occurring to recovery AFTER they allowed the feces to literally pass under their noses?E) Working conditions in these Flesh Factories are deplorable, with chances of injury or illness six times greater than working in a coalmine. Workers cannot leave the floor to take a bathroom break, and often urinate into the blood trench or on themselves. If a worker removes a carcass as "condemned", the Supervisors at the plant often put it back into production and reprimand the worker.F) Slaughterhouses take advantage of immigrant labor, knowing they are too poverty stricken or scared to protest their working conditions. The USDA Veterinarians who oversee the Plant's Inspection Line are mostly Foreigners, who fear for their jobs more than American workers.G) Animals go through the Kill Line ALIVE all the time, it is so common that slaughterhouse workers do not even see it as an infraction any longer, they are more worried for their own safety from dropped carcasses, flying hooves, slashing knives, faulty equipment, and inhumanely high speed Lines.So, are you scared yet? I simply skimmed the surface of this book, and if you are not already terrified by these seven points, you should be.This isn't just about animal cruelty, or poor working conditions; its about the unfathomable corporate greed that we the people have let our Politicians slip past us, where only a few come out ahead and millions of others will suffer. From the mistreated workers and their families, to taxpayers whose hard earned dollars are now paying for a toothless agency (USDA), all the way down to the victims of the tainted food passed down to us by an industry no longer accountable for its own greed.Ms. Eisnitz has sworn affidavits from people all across the industry, from plant workers and plant supervisors, USDA Inspectors and USDA Veterinarians, even a letter from the (then) Secretary of Agriculture Edward Madigan (who not only denied any wrongdoing in a letter, but also unwittingly documented that the USDA was breaking the law) stating that inspectors were not allowed near the line.She took her entire caseload of documented proof of the industry's greed, neglect, and cruelty to the shows 20/20, 60 Minutes, and other prime time media, but was told that her story was "Too Graphic" for the public-at-large to handle.Too Graphic? We see war, murder, rape, incest, child abuse and more just on the 30 minute segment of news, and the media felt this would be "too graphic" for you, the consumer, to handle. I found this horribly pompous of them, and have since written a letter to both shows.The only thing I didn't like about the book was its lack of a reference listing; web sources and whatnot. But Eisnitz does name names, and references the Human Farming Association if you want further information. Overall, I highly recommend this book, but don't read it before dinner. Enjoy!!

A captivating, eye-opening, and jaw-dropping read, all at once. I was aware of slaughterhouse horrors before picking this book up, but I never knew just how bad things really were, in the meat and dairy industry. Slaughterhouses and factory farming plants truly define Hell. This book was published over a decade ago, yet much of what she writes of still holds true today (although things are slowly changing as the public becomes more and more aware). The Afterword did give me some hope. Appalling how much of this country runs on greed, and how much the wool is pulled over consumers' eyes.I, like most people, grew up eating meat and dairy and thought nothing of it. But, my SO, mother, and I had started making a shift toward more plant-based eating a few months before I heard of this book, and this just pushed me further into incorporating more plant based and vegan foods into my diet, than ever before. My body can no longer tolerate more than small amounts of dairy, and I eat very little meat nowadays, and only if there's very limited vegetarian choices available (at certain restaurants, social events, etc).My heart truly hurt for the poor animals who live miserable existences, only to die such a violent death. No living being deserves to suffer the way they do. My God, some of the things that workers described brought me close to tears. And the filth, grime, and diseases that run rampant is enough to turn anyone off meat. I was also one of those who thought all workers in these factory farms were monsters, but very few of them actually take any pleasure in what they do. Many of them act this way because of supervisor's orders, and poor oversight from government agencies. Workers constantly facing the threat of losing their job if they don't keep the line moving, having a high rate of bodily injury, denied bathroom breaks, cast aside once they're of no more use to the industry, just like the animals.Much kudos to Ms. Eisnitz for her perseverance and determination in exposing the truth, and even putting her own health on the line. We need more people like her, who aren't just content to sit around and wait for things to happen, but to make change happen. This book is so well-written that it almost reads like a novel, and keeps you turning the pages. She also speaks much of her own experiences during this time.Recommend this book for anyone who eats, period. But especially those who frequently eat meat, cares about where their food comes from, who loves animals, and those who support worker rights. If you really must eat meat, do your research make sure you know where it comes from. Don't just blindly trust the USDA and FDA to do what's right...for animal welfare, for the environment, and most importantly, for your own health. Always remember, cheap meat comes with a heavy price to pay.

A must read! I learned a lot about the meat industry! Maybe more than I wanted to know. The story's of animal abuse are unimaginable! Upon doing further research I have found that a lot of these things talked about may be isolated incidents. I am sure abuse goes on but many slaughterhouses today are so monitored. It's a sad reality people eat meat and as a result many innocent animals will die because of that. I like how Dr. Temple Grandin puts it " natures cruel but we don't have to be" I highly recommend watching her videos on meat industry processing on YouTube. She explains the process, yes you see the animal killed but I am amazed how fast and efficient it is done. I'm sure the animals get scared because a new environment but they don't even realize what is happening. It helps you appreciate where your food comes from a lot more. Even the grueling work these people put in to put food on your table. Loud machines, constant repetitive motions, the smells you get the picture. I used to fear the process or if I drove close to a place like that and was afraid of what was happening in there. I'm sure there are some slaughterhouses that do everything wrong and as described in the book. The work Temple Grandin has put into the industry has truly minimized the stress put on the animals. She also helps in the pork industry. I am a lot more cautious of the meat and poultry I buy now. I have switched to grass feed beef and air chilled chicken! It took me a good month to start eating meat again after reading this! So be prepaired! If anything it's a good read to become more educated on what your feeding your family!

Mind blowing

This book could have been so one sided and biased but Gail has written a book which everyone should read. It empathises with the workers who work in horrendous conditions and pulls no punches when it comes to describing in graphic, first hand detail, the violence that takes place prior to that meat getting on your plate. Vegans and vegetarians should read this to provide one more resource of justification as to why they do what they do and meat eaters should read the book to ensure that they are making fully informed decision about the food that goes in their mouths. Well written and emotionally draining stuff.

un libro che racconta la realtà. occorre cambiare prospettiva e usare empatia nel mondo che ci circonda, questo è il primo passo verso il cambiamento.

Dieses Buch sollte wirklich JEDE/R lesen. Es geht nicht nur darum, wie "unmenschlich" mit Tieren umgegangen wird, sondern auch darum, zu welch absurden und gefährlichen Bedingungen Fleisch für den Verbraucher hergestellt wird. Wir leben heute in einer Welt, in der Verbraucher immer mehr hinterfragen und dazu gehört auch die Herkunft der Lebensmittel. Und das ist gut so! Das Buch verdeutlicht einmal mehr, wie durch die Habgier der Hersteller der Endkunde größtenteils nur noch Abfall aus der Fleischindustrie aufgetischt bekommt. Abfall, der nachweislich krank macht. Frau Eisnitz dokumentiert und schafft Fakten durch brillante Recherche. Sie ist mutig genug, der Gesellschaft einen Spiegel vorzuhalten. Ich kann nur hoffen, dass sich immer mehr Menschen von dieser Art der Ernährung abwenden und sich endlich wieder darauf besinnen, wie LEBENSwichtig eine qualitativ hochwertige Ernährung für den Menschen ist. Das Buch ist dabei sehr hilfreich und öffnet einem die Augen.

This is the disturbing and shocking truth behind our factory farms. Excellent and highly readable.