Hi sumac, mother nature delivers the final word???
Now isn't that a revelation!
Bird Flu and Chicken Factory Farms: Profit Bonanza for US Agribusiness
by F. William Engdahl
November 27, 2005
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=ENG20051127&articleId=1333
Don't ya all just luv politics?
EXECUTIVES, ACTIVISTS ON TRIAL
Videotaped evidence filmed at a Pennsylvania farm has been ruled permissible in a trial against Esbenshade Farms chief executive and its farm manager. Each faces 35 counts of animal cruelty, with potential fines of up to $750 and 90 days in jail per violation. Defense attorneys had argued that John Brothers, the activist who made the tape, had violated constitutional search-and-seizure rules since he filmed without permission after misrepresenting himself on an employment application. Brothers had omitted the fact that, prior to working for Esbenshade for a few weeks last autumn, he had worked for Compassion Over Killing (COK). He returned to COK afterward, but testified that he had independently sought employment at Esbenshade and made the tape. The defense is also trying to establish that the investigation was conducted by the state, with the humane society police officer who filed charges doing so in collaboration with COK. Officer Johnna Seeton denies this. The defense also asserts that the animal cruelty statute cannot be enforced against "normal agricultural operations," such as Esbenshade. Brothers reportedly documented ill and injured birds crowded in cages, hens impaled on wire, and mounds of dead birds. Documentation, including video, can be seen on the COK website.
Felony charges against two Philadelphia animal-rights advocates for allegedly trespassing at Lancaster County's Kreider Farms in November 2004 were dropped and reduced, respectively. Felony charges against Lisa Levinson were dropped because she is only a spokesperson for the animal-rights group Hugs for Puppies, and she did not trespass on the property. Felony charges against Christopher Price were reduced to a summary trespassing offense. Price, who videotaped conditions inside three chicken houses, pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $582 in fines and court costs. Referring to the aforementioned Esbenshade case, he said he might consider new tactics in the future. The group's documentation is available on its website. Kreider Farms offers an online virtual tour (click on "Chicken Cam").
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell signed House Bill 213 into law on April 14. The bill, to become effective 60 days from its passage, amends the state's crimes code to include the offense of "ecoterrorism." Passed overwhelmingly in both House and Senate, it makes obstruction of commercial activity involving animals or plants a felony. Specified offenses (such as agricultural vandalism, crop destruction, criminal trespass or theft) are already crimes in Pennsylvania, but this legislation is said to be aimed at deterring politically motivated property destruction with the intent of intimidation. If the specified offense is already classified as a first-degree felony, a person convicted under the new statute could be sentenced to up to 40 years of imprisonment and may face a fine of up to $100,000. Additionally, restitution could be ordered in an amount up to triple the value of the damages incurred. The Governor stated that under the new measure, a person exercising their right of freedom of petition or freedom of speech on public property or with the permission of the landowner and who is peaceably demonstrating or exercising those rights is to be immune from prosecution or civil liability for ecoterrorism. The American Civil Liberties Union, however, opposed the bill on First Amendment grounds. The Animal Agriculture Alliance is urging that it be used as a model in states without similar measures.
Today, Compassionate Consumers president Adam Durand was found not guilty of criminal burglary, a felony charge that could have resulted in a 7-year prison term. Durand was on trial in New York on charges of burglary, petit larceny, criminal trespass and criminal mischief. Previously, two fellow Compassionate Consumers activists pled guilty to reduced charges of trespassing and petit larceny, both misdemeanors. The three were arrested last year after releasing a documentary they made during clandestine visits to a laying hen facility owned by Wegmans Food Markets. The film shows dead hens caged with live ones, birds with their heads caught in cage wires, and chickens who had fallen into manure pits. Eleven ailing hens, said to be worth $2.80 each, were taken by the activists. The company pressed charges against them after the district attorney said he found no evidence of cruel treatment by the chain. Wegmans states that it follows standard industry practice and participates in voluntary industry efforts regarding animal care. The production manager testified that one person tends to 80,000 chickens. Testimony details can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/l7m2m
IMMIGRATION RALLIES SHUT MEAT PLANTS
Major U.S. meat companies announced they would be closed on May 1 as tens of thousands of workers around the country rallied for immigration reform. Tyson Foods shut nine beef plants and four pork plants, and Cargill and Perdue Farms closed some facilities. However, supplies of pig, cattle and chicken meat are already large as the spread of bird flu, a temporary chicken import ban by Russia, and a fifth case of mad cow disease in Canada have impacted sales. Production was also ramped up over the weekend to make up for Monday's loss in output. Of the 11.5 to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, an estimated 40% work in agriculture, and 25-75% of U.S. farm laborers are "fraudulently documented."
Cities Brace for Immigration Rallies
The Los Angeles Times, Michael Muskal, May 1, 2006
http://tinyurl.com/jz9ee
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