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Consumer group upset that PETA kills dogs and cats.

Tom J Bechman 1, Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer

May 14, 2009

2 Min Read

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals own workers have reportedly euthanized more than 21,000 cats and dogs since 1998 in Virginia. And in 2008, PETA killed 2,124 pets while putting only seven in adoptive homes. Yet the animal welfare group was very active in promoting passage of the now famous, or infamous, Proposition Two in California. That ballot initiative could easily lead to the destruction of the poultry industry in that huge poultry state by 2015, if not before.

The news about PETA and its' actions toward pets comes from a source you've likely never heard of- Cow Calf Weekly. It was reported as an item brief in the Indiana Livestock News, edited by Jane Ade Ste4vens. She's director of a group called GINA, Growing Indiana Agriculture. While most of the funding for GINA comes from the Indiana Soybean Alliance, it focuses largely on environmental and welfare issues related to livestock production. The premise is that livestock production is such a big market for soybeans, as well as corn, that Indiana producers need to support ways to get the news out about issues affecting livestock agriculture.

A group called the Center for Consumer Freedom actually petitioned the Commonwealth of Virginia to classify PETA as a slaughterhouse. The irony is unmistakable. PETA is the same group behind stunts where people dress as pigs and try to crash pork queen coronation events and state fair activities, amongst other things. The only time they mention slaughterhouses is when they somehow obtain access and shoot horrific black-and-white footage to make one-sided, biased arguments against livestock slaughter.

"PETA has a $32 million annual budget," spokespersons for CCF say. "But instead of investing in the lives of thousands of flesh and blood animals in its care, the group spends millions on media campaigns telling Americans that eating meat, drinking milk, fishing, hunting, wearing leather shoes and benefiting from medical research performed on lab rats are all 'unethical.'

Whether Virginia will take the request seriously or not remains to be seen. However, it's clear that the consumer group is serious. It's less clear who makes up the group. You can check them out for yourself at consumerfreedom.com.  

Reportedly, there's a petition at that site that you can sign. The petition actually asks the U.S. government to rescind PETA's status as a tax-exempt organization!

About the Author(s)

Tom J Bechman 1

Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer

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