Cows Can Be Transported For 52 Hours Without Food or Water

There are myriad reasons to eat less meat or at least eat local and "happy meat" that has been raised on grass and treated properly. Here is another that I didn't know:

Current regulations allow cattle to be transported for up to 52 hours without water, food or rest. Pigs, horses or poultry can be without water, food or rest for 36 hours. Transport trucks don't have heating or cooling, so imagine a trip from Alberta to Texas in winter.

In the name of efficiency, we have centralized the processing of animals, increasing the risk of large-scale contamination. We feed them food they are not designed for so they get sick, and fill them with antibiotics to keep them alive long enough to get big enough to slaughter. It isn't nice.

But 52 hours without water, food or rest? That is beyond cruelty. ::Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals More on Industrial Meat in TreeHugger:Boss Hog: Rolling Stone Gets Down in Pig Manure : TreeHuggerThe Meatrix : The Meatrix 2.5: A Look Inside Fast Food Nation More on Giving Meat the Tailpipe Treatment Finding a Place to Make Happy MeatMore reasons to eat less meat on TreeHuggerUN Expert Says Eat Less Red Meat To Reduce CO2 EmissionsMeat-eating Warrants Same Scrutiny as Driving and FlyingStudy Finds Meat and Dairy Create More Emissions Than MilesWhat's Our Beef With Climate Change?How to Green Your Meals