By now you've likely heard that the CDC has found a bacteria that resists all antibiotics, even the rarely-used "last resort" antibiotic colistin. And you can bet this won't be the last time you hear a story like this -- bacteria constantly evolve to resist the antibiotics that defeat them. So, upon hearing of this news, factory farms must have instantly discontinued their practice of pumping feed animals full of antibiotics to fatten them up, right? I kid, of course -- nearly four out of every five antibiotics in America still go to nominally healthy animals as a way to get more meat out of them, instead of, you know, sick people or sick animals, as is their proper use. Please, factory farms, tell us we better let you do whatever you want with antibiotics or food prices will suffer. Everyone knows how much I hate these hostage crises big corporations constantly manufacture, right? If we arrive in the era where the next cut we get could kill us, I guarantee you we're not going to be reassuring ourselves that at least the chicken's just as cheap as it was in the old days. Hence USPIRG joins with MoveOn to help you tell the FDA to limit antibiotic abuse on factory farms.
Meanwhile, if you've missed previous opportunities to tell the Department of Labor to enforce fair labor standards at poultry and egg producing corporations, then CREDO still helps you do that. You've no doubt lately heard of worker mistreatment at chicken-processing plants, where workers often spend their entire work day in a room set to almost-freezing temperatures, and rarely get to wash their hands, stretch, rest, or go to the bathroom. This last item, particularly, seems to be a real trouble spot at chicken processors -- workers testified to Oxfam that they've restricted their own water intake and even worn adult diapers because it's so much trouble just to get permission to go to the bathroom. Yes, we all know workers who "go to the bathroom" as a way to avoid work -- but we also all know that, as a boss, you don't let a few troublemakers turn you into a martinet. And we also know that treating your workers badly is a pretty good way of ensuring that they take out their frustrations on the animals they're working on, which is yet another problem we have at chicken processing plants. If this still doesn't hit you where you live, just remember that your boss could very well institute similar bathroom policies on you.
Comments