As the Board of Supervisors unilaterally paves the way for industrial chicken farming interests (Perdue and Tysons’ collective beaks are salivating) by eliminating lot coverage limits which discourage huge metal chicken houses now — and also including a term, “waste related,” in the proposed zoning ordinance, this article should inspire all to take a more active role in the Board’s ongoing assault on Northampton County residents’ quality of life.

Our local Resource Conservation and Development District is currently working on a project called “Chicken Litter Incineration” which is aimed at giving the industrial chicken farms a purported solution for the millions of pounds of chicken manure generated annually. One major problem with this solution, besides the obvious, is that these mega-growers feed their birds arsenic to help them grow faster and keep down on rodents. The arsenic is designed to pass through the chicken’s digestive system and winds up in the “litter”. The literature out there says that even state-of-the-art emission control devices are not that effective in removing this arsenic from the exhaust streams of these “chicken litter incinerators,” so the carcinogenic arsenic can be spewed into the atmosphere for public inhalation.

Northampton County possesses one of the most fragile ecosystems on the Eastern Seaboard, and there is no question that our sole-source aquifer is showing signs of stress. Thank you Dr. Davis and Wayne Creed for shining the light on the plight of these wonderful birds. As my wife and I teeter on the edge of becoming complete vegetarians, this outstanding piece of journalism and Dr. Davis’s commitment to the humane treatment of these superb creatures may have sealed the deal. Hats off and a hearty bow to the Cape Charles Wave for bringing these issues to the forefront.

There is a reason we eat meat: we are used to eating locally — and that means in most places it’s animal and vegetable. We created the factory farms because we didn’t want to pay $8 a pound for chicken. Farming can be done small scale and humanely.

During the yearly Islamic celebration of Eid al-Ahda, millions of cattle, goats, and camels are ritually slaughtered and a portion of the meat donated to the poor, a portion eaten by the family, and a portion gifted. This sacrifice is under scrutiny by many of today’s Muslims. In India, the annual celebration of this festival and the associated animal slaughter incites terrible bouts of violence between observant Muslims and outraged Hindu protesters. Cows are sacred to Hindus, and most Hindus are vegetarians. There seems to be a lot of killing in a country where spirituality is measured by the way animals are treated, and the virtues of nonviolence are exalted.

Animal sacrifice is part of Santeria and can even occur in the observance of Goddess worship in a few Hindu sects. As Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy stated in the decision regarding Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, “religious beliefs need not be acceptable, logical, consistent, or comprehensible to others in order to merit First Amendment protection.”
It is no secret that “Kosher” slaughterhouses and meat packing plants have been for years the targets of PETA, so much so they have been accused of fanning the flames of anti-Semitism. There was/is much room for improvement in any and all agribusiness, including our local chicken industry where the growing, slaughter, and processing of animals intended for human consumption is a major contributor to the economy. I am happy to report that these issues are being properly addressed and corrected in “Kosher” facilities. Research has shown that if in the proscribed position and if ALL proper ritual slaughter procedure is followed, including the requirement the animal not be slaughtered in the presence of another, the animal feels no pain. Many of the large agribusiness-style slaughter houses have given way to smaller, more easily monitored and controlled facilities.

Andy Zahn, I respect and understand your right to eat meat, just as I respect the right of those who wish to lead a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. I was raised in a meat eating household. I am the product of blended cultures, i.e. a mixed marriage. My father was reared in an observant household and my mother on a large southern farm where they grew and raised, harvested and slaughtered, and preserved all of their own food. My grandmother would throw the just-beheaded chicken, the soon to be “guest of honor” at Sunday dinner, under a bushel basket to keep it from running around without its head; apparently chickens are famous for doing this, as are some politicians and many zealots, no matter their persuasion. Some say meat is murder, to others it is killing. There is a difference. Maybe vegetarianism and total nonviolence are the way to personal enlightenment. It is not my privilege to impose my spiritual beliefs on another.

According to the Bible, if one is inclined to accept its guidance, G-d gives mankind permission to eat meat after the Great Flood, with the admonishment that is must be done without cruelty. This is part of what is referred to as the Noahide Laws, precursor to the more well known Ten Commandments. Apparently humans, in an earlier time, would eat parts of a still living animal, piece by piece until the animal died. The dietary laws handed down were actually an attempt to minimize cruelty, adding to the assurance of ritual purity. They also reiterate a respect for life and gratitude for our being allowed to live, as the Lord has the power of life and death.

I was and still am a very finicky eater. I was a vegetarian for many years, and prefer to cook for myself. It is no coincidence that my vegetarianism coincided with my dealing with meat packing and butchering facilities. I do, however, understand the need for adequate high quality protein in the human diet. Scientists tell us that increased consumption of meat allowed for exponential development of the human brain as our species evolved. Vegetarianism done properly does, or at least did up until a few years ago, require a lot of do it yourself preparation. My Jain friends, even though strict vegetarians, still include diary, especially yogurt, as an important part of their diet. They do not consider diary cows as slaves to humans. One cares for and feeds a cow; she in return provides milk.

We as a society must do what we can to insure animals are not subjected to abuse; proper treatment and respect for animals is a must. The FBI now tracks animal cruelty cases, as they have finally recognized that animal abuse and other sociopathic behaviors go hand in hand.

Gever means both “man” and “rooster” in Hebrew. This, however, does not give license to refer to anything, other than the attempted genocide and successful slaughter of 6 million Jews, or the enslavement and transport of 15 million Africans by way of the Middle Passage, as Holocaust.

If everyone would give up meat there would be side effects. There always is. Millions of people in one way or another earn a living through the meat industry. The economy is not very healthy and if these people lost their jobs it would be that much worse. So that’s selfish. To have a job. Then if we are permitted to eat eggs and drink milk, what to do with old hens and cows no longer productive? No small number of animals. As always, the males of every species, including human, are worthless so what becomes of them, the roosters, the bulls and the rams? If we want things made of wool what to do with the lambs and mutton?

Sometimes I look on my field and I see ten and more deer eating away. Young tender green plants just emerging and now nipped to the ground, gone. At times there are 40 and more wild turkeys on the field eating their bellies full. The combine comes to acres of vacant space with the crop cleaned off.

Besides the animals killed by cars which causes injuries and death to motorists as well, the wild animals if left unchecked will be competing for the very food eaten by Vegans, so do the math. In India they have a religion which is of the same belief as the Vegans, that they are not allowed to kill anything and so they starve as they watch the rats eat their grain.