raising pigs

[Guest guest]

I monitor the 4-H Youth Fair and animal auction here in the summer. Kids,

all ages, raise farm animals for about 6 months...sheep & pigs mostly,

although there is beef too but of course that is a longer haul and usually

just FFA. Anyway, it is really tough on the kids. The first year kids are

crying as they face the reality of the fact that the animal they have just

raised, loved and cared for is now going to go up on auction with the

slaughter trucks just outside the door waiting to haul their beloved pet off

to slaughter and will be dead before night fall. It is heart breaking. They

are told throughout the process that they just have to get over it and get

on with it, that this is the way of life and that they are raising money for

their college. These animals are so trusting of their young masters. And the

kids know it and feel the betrayal in their souls. By the second year they

are still struggling with the whole emotional thing, but by the third and

fourth year they are hardened against their own emotions. However, I think

that is appearances only, that they are gritting their teeth shoving down

their feelings of compassion and love for the animals they have brought to

be slaughtered. But we tell them in our culture that animals are here for us

to use in what ever fashion we want. This summer there was a young woman,

probably 17, who had a sheep up for slaughter. She was quietly standing by

her beloved pet and crying. She was so embarrassed when she realized I had

seen her. What are we doing to our children when we push them into this?

They say that having compassion for animals leads to a more sensitive nature

and more compassion for humans. Of course these children have no recourse

but to complete the process...even though they all have second thoughts

about going through with it they aren't allowed to stop. If they were given

the choice I suspect that they wouldn't take that pet to the auction. But

adult pressure and parental refusal to allow it is astronomical. They don't

want to continue to feed an animal that is just an eater.That pressure leads

kids to apply peer pressure too in order to feel that what they are doing

everyone is doing. Luckily under your circumstances though this wouldn't be

the case of course and I bet your daughter would change her mind about

eating her pet...a pig takes about six months to reach slaughter weight

which is now about 250 lbs. Long enough for a child to become attached. We

spend so much time teaching our children to be loving, caring human

beings...is there something odd in this?

linda

 

 

" Meg " <itszen4me

> The 9 yr old wants to raise a pig for slaughter, so once in a while she

> gets meat, I wont tell her no, she's old enough to decide for herself.

> I wont let her have a pig though, and I dont think the city with either

> Meg