The video speaks for itself.

Take action, and share ALDF‘s video on Facebook and Twitter.

Oakland, CA – A new flash poll conducted by Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter (NOBS) found that over 50% of Oakland residents in City Districts one & three – areas with the highest concentration of urban livestock – are opposed to the breeding, keeping, and slaughtering of animals in backyards. The percentage of residents opposed to backyard livestock increased to 60% and over in zip codes most directly affected by the impacts of urban livestock.  As Oakland explores new regulations on urban agriculture, NOBS warned city leaders months ago about this growing consensus, which is now validated by these results.

“We have been working for some time with the Oakland Planning Department as it develops a new set of rules for urban farming and we thank them for their hard work,” stated Tim Anderson, co-founder of NOBS. “During this time, we shared the community’s enthusiasm for growing vegetables and fruits in backyards.  However, when it comes to breeding, keeping, and slaughtering animals such as pigs, rabbits, goats and others, we remain deeply concerned about the potential fiscal, public health, and animal welfare hazards. This poll clarified where the community stands, and we hope Oakland’s current and future leaders take notice,” he added.

The flash poll of 1,158 residents in Oakland City Council District one found:

• 52% opposed to backyard slaughter with just 28% in support.
• That number increased to 60% opposed in the zip codes most impacted by a growing number of Oakland residents breeding and slaughtering animals.

In District three, 745 residents were surveyed.  Results found:

• 55% opposed with just 20% in support.
• That number increased to 66% in the zip codes most impacted.

“There is an intensity of opposition to this activity among those who know best – the neighbors already impacted by backyard livestock and slaughter,” added Anderson.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, an author and educator dedicated to empowering people to make informed food choices and co-founder of NOBS, stated “The city doesn’t have the funding, training or capacity to cope with what are already consequences of urban livestock or to enforce the complicated regulations that are being proposed by the Oakland Planning Department. This means that there is a real danger for city residents who would be exposed to viruses, pathogens, and diseases as well as blight and noise. We have also already seen evidence of people mistreating and inhumanely – and illegally – slaughtering the animals they’re raising. We need to come together as a community to address what are currently real concerns for our beloved city – not create new ones. ”

The poll also uncovered some surprising findings on the first choice city council candidates in Districts one and three. Among the findings were:

• In District one, Amy Lemley is leading the race with 12%, Dan Kalb at 6%, and Craig Brandt at  4%.
• In District three, there is a virtual dead heat among four candidates – Alex Miller-Cole, Nyeisha DeWitt, Lynette Gibson-McElhaney, and Sean Sullivan.
• However, in each race there remains a huge number of undecided voters (70% in D1, 65% in D3).  This means that winners will be determined over the coming months by those who understand and meet the expectations of their constituency.

The full results are listed below.

NOBS hopes to use the results as a starting point for a conversation with Oakland leaders and the community about some of the very real hazards related to the breeding, keeping, and killing of animals. NOBS would also like to continue working with the city’s planning department to help more Oakland residents grow produce and fruit while protecting people, animals, and Oakland’s sense of community.

###

About the Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter Flash-Poll: Residents and Districts one & three were contacted during the first week of September by phone and asked to answer two questions via their keypad. The first question asked their opinion about breeding, keeping, and slaughtering animals in their backyards for consumption, while the second question asked for their first choice to represent them on the Oakland City Council. A total of 871 individuals took the poll in District one. A total of 563 individuals took the poll in District three.

Poll Results

“I feel like I’m orchestrating a murder. It’s very complicated. So many details. Like who’s going to kill them? How will I transport the pigs to the assassin? Does my friend’s truck have a trailer hitch with a functioning light? Etc. In short, I’m freaking out. A friend of mine asked if I’m going to miss the pigs and I didn’t hesitate: absolutely not. They’re so much work to feed. They’re ill-mannered/rude. They fight over food. They are not gentle. The attract flies.” ~Novella Carpenter, Ghost Town Farm Blog

“Then the sweet and gentle next door neighbors complained that the pigs smell. ‘My little girl,’ he pointed to his adorable little munchkin, ‘was in the backyard and almost vomited from the smell.’” ~Novella Carpenter, Ghost Town Farm Blog

“As promised, I unearthed the goose from the freezer…and killed the two living ones to boot.  My downstairs neighbors finally complained about the incessant honking of the geese, and like a true country bumpkin, I slaughtered them the minute after the complaint was lodged.” ~Novella Carpenter, Ghost Town Farm Blog

“‘Want to see a baby goat?’ I brought him into her room. ‘Don’t get attached,’ I said. ‘He’s not going to make it.’ … ‘Can’t you save him?’ T asked. ‘Probably not, plus he’s a boy: worthless in the dairy business.’”  ~Novella Carpenter, Ghost Town Farm Blog

“We don’t want to open up a slaughterhouse in the backyard. We just want to kill a chicken.” ~Novella Carpenter, Businessweek (“Kill-It-and-Eat-It Locavores Give Cities Indigestion”)

“The Lord of Death rode the 24-hour heat wave into the Bay Area and swept up my sweet little [rabbit] Lisa. Virgil has panted through the heat but Lisa nursing and keeping her litter could not bear it. It has been such a stupidly cold summer, I would not have thought one day of mid-ninties would devastate my doe [female rabbit] and her kits [baby bunnies], but these are the lessons to learn…The only way I could think to prevent this from happening again is to not breed in June, July, or August so as to prevent the overlap of physical strain with any possible hot days.” ~Esperanza Pallana, Pluck and Feather blog

“Back in August ’10, my doe [female rabbit] Lisa sadly had a heat stroke, leaving me to hand raise orphaned kits. Once this was under control, I located another doe, Anabelle, who has turned out to be quite a number. Anabelle is a skittish rabbit that does not take easily to breeding. She fights like hell and pins her bum to the ground. She also has not been so good with maternal duties. She killed her first kit and she abandoned the next litter (I told you, complicated). I have contacted the breeder she came from (she actually originally came from the East Coast – has to do with a genetic diversity project of 4H breeders).” ~Esperanza Pallana, Pluck and Feather blog

“I am often asked if I break the necks of my poultry and I do not. I thought, since I had someone right there with me, I would personally attempt this by hand with my rabbit…mistake. I was not strong and sure enough, maybe my arms are not long enough. Whatever it is, I shall not attempt that again if I can help it.” ~Esperanza Pallana, Pluck and Feather blog

“I probably…slaughtered – or helped slaughter – maybe 400 animals, so I don’t consider myself an amateur.” ~Kitty Sharkey, Havenscourt Homestead

Source: http://chicken.firstcultural.com/

In April 2012, Roberto Celedon was arrested for butchering animals on his property in Southern California. The news called him a “backyard butcher,” one who slaughters animals illegally to sell, or for personal consumption. The below video depicts his actions, and how the animal suffered.

Roberto Celedon was arrested and charged with a felony under California Penal Code 597(b) which states that every person who “tortures, torments,” “cruelly kills any animal” or “subjects any animal to needless suffering” is guilty of a crime punishable by a fine of not more than $20,000 and/or imprisonment in excess of one year.

Industrial Slaughter

In August 2012 the USDA shut down a Central Valley, California slaughterhouse because animals were being slaughtered in a way that the USDA deemed, “unacceptable treatment of cattle.” These cows were dairy cows, but were sent to slaughter because milking them was no longer profitable for their previous owners, as is standard industry practice.

But the question remains. Do we need either? When so many options are available to feed people in our neighborhoods—more healthful foods nonetheless—why should anyone stand behind creating new laws that would allow animals to be harmed in this way?

Collectively, wouldn’t our efforts be better spent creating urban agriculture policy that encourages growing crops, but discourages people from killing sentient beings? We don’t need more animal farms in Oakland, or anywhere else.

Support animal-free agriculture in our cities. Many lives are at stake.

With what seems to be an increasing amount of urban dwellers – who are non-animal rescuers – wanting backyard chickens, Have A Heart Farm notes the downfalls associated with such an endeavor and in addition to the issue of routine exploitation, how it too often ends in problems for both the chickens and those who do farm animal rescue. There are issues of what becomes of these chickens when they are ill and/or not wanted any longer for whatever reasons. Too often, these requests come not from the bird owners, but from others who have found these birds – often ill and/or injured – dumped and abandoned in various locales.

Rooster rescued from a backyard farm in Oakland

There is only a limited segment of the population of those who keep backyard coops who are willing or able to spend money on veterinary care when chickens become ill, which is often the case in extreme weather climates, finding it cheaper to just replace the ailing birds with new ones which often results in inhumane outcomes for the ailing birds. Those who wish to act responsibly often find it difficult in urban areas to even find veterinary care for chickens. Also, just the word “coop” often attests to the cramped and inadequate conditions of many backyard impromptu chicken housing units that are thrown together when some people are suddenly inspired but ill-prepared to have their own chickens. An additional issue is when gender-typing goes awry and the expected egg laying hen turns out to be a crowing rooster, again resulting in an unwanted bird. And, while the issue of the number of dogs and cats being dumped at shelters is a major issue in animal welfare, there are at least shelters in urban areas that will take dogs and cats.

This is not the case for chickens, who often at best end up in animal control facilities that are unable to keep even healthy birds more than a day or two before euthanizing them. Those of us in farm animal welfare are often expected to have some kind of “magic” sanctuary to send these birds to, which is often not the case due to the limited number of farm animal rescue sanctuaries in existence and the number of rescued chickens they already have. Additionally, many sanctuaries are not even equipped for chicken rescue and are unable to take any in at all. Also, people often become desensitized and therefore dismissive to chickens in ways that they would not be so to dogs and cats, often viewing chickens in terms of eggs and/or meat.

Like the plight of so many animal species, chickens are often emotionally unappreciated and not recognized as the highly sociable and intelligent sentient beings that they are. Those who rescue chickens and/or care for them on a daily basis can attest to the challenges involved in caring for them responsibly, especially in climates that have hot and cold temperature extremes. As with any living beings, great thought and planning has to go into caring for them with the main thought and intention being what the reasons are for having chickens to begin with, and whether these reasons primarily benefit the chickens or the people involved.

The planned Have A Heart Farm sanctuary will be including rescued chickens in its animal family roster. For more information about Have A Heart Farm and how the public can help and participate, please see our website:

http://www.haveaheartfarm.org/

Originally posted on Have A Heart Farm’s blog by Debby Rubenstein. Reposted with permission.

Read the full text of the proclamation below

RESOLUTION DECLARING THE WEEK OF APRIL 15-21, 2012, AS “OAKLAND VEG WEEK” IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND

WHEREAS, the City of Oakland is dedicated to the preservation of the environment and natural resources; and

WHEREAS, the City of Oakland is dedicated to green initiatives and green management; and

WHEREAS, the City of Oakland is dedicated to the health of its citizens; and

WHEREAS, a report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization documents that livestock production is “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems,” degrades land, pollutes water, and is a significant contributor to global warming; and

WHEREAS, Oakland passed a landmark Energy and Climate Action Plan in 2011 with the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, raising animals for food, including growing and processing the crops to feed them, is far more water-intensive than eating plant-based products directly; and

WHEREAS, the head of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommended that individuals reduce their carbon footprint by decreasing their meat consumption and noted, “In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it [reduced meat consumption] clearly is the most attractive opportunity. Give up meat for one day each week initially, and decrease it from there”; and

WHEREAS, leading public figures advocate for reduced meat consumption, such as Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeOeneres—who both have websites dedicated to this issue—and President Bill Clinton—whose meat-free diet has been the subject of numerous major news stories; and

WHEREAS, childhood obesity rates are at an all-time high with thirty-one percent of adolescents ages 12- to 17-years-old, and one-in-three California children ages 9-11 years old, at risk of or are already overweight; and WHEREAS, the American Dietetic Association recognizes that reduced meat consumption decreases the risk of various health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and various cancers; and

WHEREAS, nearly 10 billion birds, pigs and cows, most of whom live on massive factory farms that cause animal suffering and environmental destruction, are slaughtered for food each year in the United States, and The Humane Society of the United States finds that “if each one of us cuts back on our animal consumption by only 10%, approximately one billion animals would be spared a lifetime of suffering each year”; and

WHEREAS, the City of Cincinnati’s Food Task Force recommended that residents replace some of the meat in their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables; and

WHEREAS, the former Chicago health commissioner encouraged residents to join him in going meatless for a month to reduce obesity and lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol; and

WHEREAS, Oakland Unified School District is practicing Meatless Monday each week to introduce students to healthy vegetarian options and to benefit the environment; and

WHEREAS, California municipalities like Marin County and San Diego have recognized Veg Week out of concern for the humane treatment of animals, environmental sustainability, and public health; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED: the City of Oakland proclaims the week of April 15-21, 2012, as “Oakland Veg Week,” and encourages Oakland residents, restaurants, schools, grocery stores, organizations and other institutions to join public officials in choosing and offering a greater variety of vegetarian foods.

• Download the official Oakland Veg Week resolution

Maure pit below battery cages (Marji Beach)

When rescuers first showed up at a Turlock, California egg-farm, men in hazmat suits were gassing hens and dumping their lifeless bodies onto front-loaders. More than 20,000 hens had already starved to death after their owner decided that he didn’t want to feed them anymore and walked away. Stanislaus County Animal Services finally relented to mounting public pressure, a gathering crowd, and hundreds of phone calls, granting rescuers permission to intervene. Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary and Animal Place were the first on the scene and the last to leave, despite initially being told they could not go in.

Animal Place played a leading role in the rescue. Animal Place showed up in force with a full regiment — almost the entire staff — and devoted its entire facility to helping the hens. Animal Place Executive Director Kim Sturla was on the phone during tense negotiations with the director of animal control, ultimately tipping the scales to allow people to go inside. The sheer number of hens that were able to be rescued would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication, and resources that Animal Place contributed.

Volunteers worked around the clock to save the lives of over four thousand hens. After a rescue window of only two days, the remainder of the hens were killed by state authorities using carbon dioxide gas chambers. The birds were abandoned two weeks earlier because owner A&L Poultry left them starving to death inside the farm. Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary was first alerted to the unfolding crisis on the afternoon of February 22, and dispatched two rescuers immediately.

“When we arrived on the scene outside the abandoned egg farm, I was horrified at the suffering of the chickens happening in front of me, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the cruelty,” said Anne Martin, Harvest Home Board Member. “By the next morning, we had partnered with sanctuaries, volunteers from across Northern California, and thousands of supporters following the rescue of these chickens. Together, we were able to save over 4,460 hens who will never again suffer the severe confinement of an egg farm, and from this time forward, will know only human kindness.”

Hen rescued from the manure pit (Christine Morrisey)

Onsite veterinarians checked individual birds before rescuers were allowed to load them onto trucks, but amidst the chaos many birds were overlooked. An Animal Place volunteer noticed several live hens languishing in a manure pit underneath the battery cages, and waded into the cesspool to save them. Sixteen hens were saved from the cesspools, and are in the process of recovery at Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary in Stockton. They were thoroughly cleaned, given medical care and syringe-fed nutritional supplements to revive them to full health, and will stay at the sanctuary where they will enjoy open space, sunshine, the companionship of other chickens, and be allowed to live out their lives.

“The scale of this week’s effort is truly ground-breaking. A coalition of committed animal protection groups joined forces with Animal Place and Harvest Home to complete the largest ever farmed animal rescue in the United States,” said Christine Morrisey, Harvest Home Sanctuary Manager. “In light of the immense animal suffering within the walls of this egg facility, we were grateful to make the best out of a horrible situation. We applaud local and state authorities for allowing rescuers the opportunity to provide life-saving relief for thousands of animals on the brink of death.”

Harvest Home served as a temporary shelter for approximately one thousand hens, providing emergency supportive care before workers from Animal Place and other rescue groups were able to pick them up. The vast majority of the hens — over 4,100 — are now learning to be chickens again at Animal Place, practicing dust bathing, scratching for food, and basking in the sun. If you live in a place where hens are allowed and want to adopt a chicken as a companion, many of the hens will soon available through Animal Place’s Rescue Ranch in Vacaville.

If you live in the region, you can also visit the sixteen hens rescued from the manure pit, once they have fully recuperated, by scheduling a tour of Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary. Harvest Home relies on donations to support the sanctuary residents and continued rescue efforts, so sponsor a chicken today. Volunteers and donations are crucial to support the lifelong care of these animals.

While the rescued chickens begin their new lives, public pressure continues to mount on the former owner. Activists have started a petition to urge the District Attorney to press charges against A&L Poultry owner Andy Keung Cheung for willfully abandoning the 50 thousand hens.

Hen enjoying sun for the first time

The hatcheries that supply chicks to this factory farm and countless others are the same hatcheries that many backyard poultry farmers mail-order chicks from. Sadly, even chicken farming on a very small scale directly supports factory farming.

If you love chickens, please consider adopting a vegan diet.

Members of Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter joined the rescue effort to save thousands of hens from this factory farm.

Short film by Animal Place, showing the conditions inside the farm, and the hens who escaped a horrible fate.

Despite what appeared to be an attempt at investigative journalism in a clearly biased opinion piece (though Mother Jones didn’t position it as an Op Ed), the author got several things wrong. Megan Webb, the director of the city shelter (Oakland Animal Services), has formally expressed concerns on the shelter’s website about the “influx” of “farm” animals appearing at the city shelter. The shelter also just closed the night drop to reduce animal intakes. If our city’s shelter director’s concerns are not enough of a warning of what’s to come, all we need to do is look at what other cities are experiencing. The Minneapolis-based animal rescue group, Chicken Run Rescue, says the number of hens surrendered and abandoned since the city passed a law allowing chickens has tripled. We can’t even take care of dogs and cats in our underfunded shelter in Oakland, despite there being laws and regulations about how pets should be treated. The last thing we need to do is add more animals and more potential problems. The Precautionary Principle alone begs for such prudence.

Also, the home occupation permit that the author mentioned in her post (and that I mentioned above) allows people to sell PLANT-based crops only. It absolutely does not include eggs and honey. Having one slaughter hobbyist get (mis)information from another does not “good journalism” make, though that’s exactly what Mother Jones says is one of their values. Did no editor check this contributor’s “facts”?

As for the author’s dismissal of our perception that this is elitist foodie-ism and her guess that eggs from backyard hens “would likely be cheaper,” that’s also not what the facts show. When you factor in the costs of building/buying a coop and building fencing and protection from predators, we’re talking about $4,000. And that doesn’t even include the care and feeding of the birds – if they stay healthy – which amounts to between $250 and $300/year. People will inevitably cut costs so that they’re not paying over $2.00 per egg, and the animals will suffer for it. We stand by our perception that allowing animals in backyards increases bragging rights and locavore cred but does nothing to alleviate the issues that people living in food deserts in Oakland currently face.

Finally, the author’s inclusion of El Cerrito also warrants a correction. City attorneys provide guidance; they do not make “rulings.” The Supreme Court case cited by the El Cerrito City Attorney during guidance dealt with a ban on ritual slaughter specifically targeting the Santeria religion.  The case clearly upholds the principle held by the Supreme Court that laws that are neutrally crafted and generally applicable do not violate the religious clauses of the First Amendment.  An outright ban on all slaughter (as opposed to only ritual slaughter) would meet the requirement of being “neutrally crafted” and “generally applicable.”  This information has been provided to the El Cerrito City Council, and they have agreed to revisit a ban on slaughter.

The bottom line is that there is no problem Oakland has that the proliferation of farmed animals in backyards will solve, and I encourage Mother Jones to cover this important issue in a thoughtful, responsible, unbiased article.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

It is hard to imagine how anyone could spend time with sweet Reggie and not develop a deep affection for him. Pigs are highly intelligent animals, capable of complex thinking that rivals that of companion animals like dogs. They also have rich emotional lives, form lifelong friendships, grieve the loss of loved ones, and even argue with herd mates who upset them. All of this is true about our new friend, Reggie.

Once at our shelter, Reggie underwent treatment for a rash and parasites. After a quick recovery and a brief period of shyness, he is now thriving. He seems to understand that when his caregivers come around each night, their only intention is to bid him a restful night’s sleep. One night while a caregiver tucked him in, Reggie began to pile up fluffs of straw next to him — building a nest for his caregiver to sleep in. This is an act of love that few pigs perform for anyone outside their species.

We are so grateful that this loving, gentle boy is now part of our Farm Sanctuary family. His story highlights how frequently our society views farm animals as commodities, even outside the confines of factory farms. Only when people are introduced to farm animals as individuals are they able to see how much these animals, who are used for food, are like the cats and dogs we know a bit better. Reggie and farm animals everywhere have as much joy for life as we all do, and they are every bit as deserving of our compassion and respect.

Originally published by Farm Sanctuary