I want you to close your eyes, just for a second, cut out all of the background noise, and concentrate on nothing, I dare you, Just do it.
Then when you open your eyes, read this from a clear point of view:
You find yourself in a place where you have no idea of what or where you are? Where you look up from the ground and you have giant creatures, intimidating and noisy and scary. You are confined to a space where you have no freedom. Even worse, you do not have access to your most basic needs, like water or food. You are confined with 10 others squashed like sardines. Get that feeling?
Imagine being tied down, your head bleeding, legs tied up, head tied to railings. Helpless and completely exhausted from thrashing on the back of an open vehicle.
Then imagine being someone that understands that this cruel way of treatment and then met with total ignorance and aggressiveness from your own species. While you are trying to improve the conditions in which those that feed our hungry, are being treated? Imagine … Telling someone that, that chicken needs water, a most basic need of an animal when stressed, or that driver that, that cow is injured and the way that animal is being transported is cruel and illegal only to be met with total disregard, even though you have the law behind you?
A real welfarist will tell you, we eat meat, but why not treat them with the dignity and respect that they deserve for being slaughtered for our own consumption. We understand that as humans we are dependent on animals for survival, but that there are rules, regulations, standards and laws of which to treat these animals, a basic requirement and expectation, set by international and national peers and experienced farmers.
Going to an animal auction, being an officer of the law with the responsibility of ensuring that the animals at that auction are treated with respect, and as little stress as possible; It is one of the biggest challenges faced by any welfare officer. One would ask, ‘why put yourself through this?’ The answer is that we have a passion for making a difference. You may not change the world as a whole, but for that one animal, you change its world.
But the ignorant, barbaric misconception some farmers or weekend farmers have of you and of animals is so much that it inspires hell’s gates to open on you. The fact remains: The law protects animals, whether you like it or not, there are standards established by the SABS and government. Then you have those outside in town, on their computers, on facebook, a.k.a armchair activists, that criticise but have no idea of what you actually have to face on the ground, instead expect miracles from you.
Someone one day referred to us as Society’s conscience. At places like an auction, we act as a constant reminder that there are societal morals to be upheld, whether you like it or not. Almost like some bars have a care key drop box, whether you like it or not, you cannot drive home under the influence. You cannot expect to treat animals like they don’t have welfare needs and then get upset when they are protected. We are there for them.
Next time you attend an auction, or meet up with a farmer…. Close your eyes…. Then open them again with this understanding
