Reader Opinion
The Keene Sentinel
January 10, 2023
Slaughtering animals makes no sense at all
It took me several days to read the recent article (“It doesn’t get any easier,” Dec. 31, from the Valley News) on the farm-animal-slaughtering business in the Upper Valley… not because of a lack of time or interest, but because of the overwhelming sadness of this situation for everyone involved, especially the innocent animals who lose their lives to satisfy the human palate.
There’s no need to cite statistics or to verify the research. We all understand that animal agriculture contributes greatly to the crisis of climate change; we all recognize that we could eliminate the scourge of global food insecurity if we raised grain to feed to people, instead of feeding it to the animals who end up on our plates; we all feel, in our pockets, the enormous costs to the health care system of treating diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers that are related to the consumption of animal products. And then there are the moral and ethical issues…
Mr. Havill, the farmer in the article, said that he cannot watch the killing of the animals he has raised; Mr. Miller, the, “itinerant slaughterer,” said that after 40 years his work still weighs heavily on him and doesn’t get any easier. So why do they do it? Why do people continue to raise and kill animals for food, when there are so many peaceful, tranquil, healthy, affordable and delicious alternatives? It makes no sense at all.
JEAN SLEPIAN
Stoddard