Ban Imports From 'Shackle and Hoist' Slaughterhouses
In July 2016, eyewitnesses from PETA and Anonymous for Animal Rights (Israel) traveled to South America to expose one of the cruelest industrial cattle slaughter methods in the world. It's known as "shackle and hoist."
Following a series of previous PETA investigations into kosher slaughterhouses in Uruguay, the chief rabbi of Israel promised to phase out "shackle and hoist" slaughter and declare the meat to be "non-kosher."
But as this new investigation has exposed, these promises have not been kept. Sixty to 80 percent of the beef exported to Israel is still produced using "shackle and hoist" slaughter. So why does the Chief Rabbinate of Israel continue to certify such a primitive and cruel practice when there are other methods of kosher slaughter that use more modern equipment and cause less suffering? "Shackle and hoist" slaughter only persists because it's faster and cheaper to disregard animal welfare.
This carefully calculated cruelty allows slaughterhouses to kill more than 90 cows per hour. "Shackle and hoist" slaughter is almost twice as fast as less agonizing methods. This is the hidden cost of cheap kosher meat. The cows are paying the price.
You can help stop this. Join us in urging Israeli authorities to ban imports from slaughterhouses that use the "shackle and hoist" method.
Dear [decision maker],
I just read about PETA and Anonymous for Animal Rights' investigation from Frigochaco, a slaughterhouse in Paraguay that exports kosher beef exclusively to Israel.
PETA documented that cows were electrically prodded into a squeeze box, where chains were placed on their legs before the floor dropped out from under them, dumping them onto the kill floor. Terrified cows were hoisted by one leg and dragged into position, their throats were cut, and then they were hoisted up in the air and moved down the processing line, where workers drove "puntilla" spikes into their spines. Some remained alive and conscious for several minutes during this process.
Animal-behavior expert Dr. Temple Grandin reviewed PETA's footage and condemns the "shackle and hoist" method as "a violation of all industry and international welfare guidelines."
I respectfully urge you to help end this horrific cruelty by banning imports from slaughterhouses that use the "shackle and hoist" method as well as finally following through on years-old promises by Israeli authorities to phase out the cruel practice.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
