14 Cattle Trucks Go Up In Flames at Harris Ranch

Animal-rights arson at Harris Ranch?

Curtice, a 30-year veteran of the sheriff's office, said there have been animal-rights protests at the ranch, but "I don't think we've ever had anything like this."

Animal rights group claims credit for Calif. arson

Animal rights activists claimed responsibility for the fire at the state's largest cattle feeder, beef processor and beef marketer on Monday in an email released by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office. The email includes a detailed description of how the fire was lit.

Animal rights activists take credit for burning of Harris Farms cattle trucks

The fire started just before 4 a.m. in the truck storage area of the sprawling Harris Farms feed lot at the intersection of Highway 145 and Interstate 5. Several tractor-trailer rigs were fully engulfed in flames when deputies and Cal-Fire firefighters arrived. It took about 45 minutes to put out the blaze.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/10/2677557/animal-rights-activists-take-credit.html

Animal Rights Group Claims Responsibility for Harris Ranch Fires

video:

That is so sweet!

Thank you!

how stupid do you have to be to think this accomplishes anything positive for people concerned with real animal issues?
its only possible positive is increasing the animosity towards people concerned with the fate of real animals in the real world.
I wish I could believe there is any other reason for this to happen.
I bet the farmers and water merchants would pay big money to damage the whackos who support the Endangered Species Act by tarring them with feedlot arsonists.
THAT MAKES SENSE.
nothing else does.
morons abound.
Did they get a freebie from some hardcore monkey wrenchers?
probably not, prison is a major threat these days. HARD time.
suckers by the minute.
enjoy the show.

The problem here are concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that create conditions of disease and suffering. The crowded conditions encourage rapid spread of pathogens that require cattle to be heavily dosed with antibiotics. Then the pathogens mutate and develop resistance to these antibiotics. This is why there are recalls from E. coli tainted meat.

Before the CAFOs cattle lived free range on the ranch. Of course before that there were free roaming bison that didn't require any inputs from humans. The ideal condition for the future of humanity would be restoration of bison, elk and other mammals to be harvested sustainably as indigenous people have done for centuries. Even the strictest animal rights activist would grudgingly agree that hunting free range bison is far less cruel than the current state of cattle in CAFOs.

The Potential Role of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Infectious Disease Epidemics and Antibiotic Resistance

Mary J. Gilchrist1, Christina Greko2, David B. Wallinga3, George W. Beran4, David G. Riley5, Peter S. Thorne5

1 University Hygienic Laboratory, Iowa City, Iowa, USA, 2 National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, 3 Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 4 Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA, 5 College of Public Health, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa, USA


Abstract

The industrialization of livestock production and the widespread use of nontherapeutic antimicrobial growth promotants has intensified the risk for the emergence of new, more virulent, or more resistant microorganisms. These have reduced the effectiveness of several classes of antibiotics for treating infections in humans and livestock. Recent outbreaks of virulent strains of influenza have arisen from swine and poultry raised in close proximity. This working group, which was part of the Conference on Environmental Health Impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Anticipating Hazards—Searching for Solutions, considered the state of the science around these issues and concurred with the World Health Organization call for a phasing-out of the use of antimicrobial growth promotants for livestock and fish production. We also agree that all therapeutic antimicrobial agents should be available only by prescription for human and veterinary use. Concern about the risk of an influenza pandemic leads us to recommend that regulations be promulgated to restrict the co-location of swine and poultry concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on the same site and to set appropriate separation distances.

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.8837

"Antibiotic Resistance: Another Gift from the CAFO System

The presence of animal factory pathogens discussed in the preceding pages is bad enough but bacteria and viruses becoming immune to antibiotics is truly frightening.

Low dosage non-therapeutic antibiotics are used to promote growth and higher dosage antibiotics are used to prevent the premature death of animals from the unhealthy CAFO environment.

Antibiotic resistance is the likely result of this practice and we may not be able to defend ourselves from the onslaught of pathogens with our existing arsenal of antibiotics.

Supplements that focus on immune support may take on a new, very important role in the fight against food and water borne disease.

John Robbins, internationally renowned author of The Food Revolution and other related books, wrote a very comprehensive article for the Huffington Post on July 23rd, 2010 titled, "Why Factory Farms Threaten your Health".

The focus of the article is how the use of antibiotics in CAFOs is fueling the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Among other things, he reports that the Union of Concerned Scientists says, "Only about 30 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are administered to people to treat diseases.

The other 70 percent, the vast majority, are administered to U.S. livestock, primarily to compensate for the unnatural and unhealthy conditions of factory farming. "Industrial livestock systems," the organization concludes, "are hog heaven for resistant bacteria."

He also says that if ones goal was to breed antibiotic resistant bacteria, there would not be a more effective system than the factory farm. "It is not entirely an exaggeration to say that as a result, factory farms have become biological weapons factories."
"

http://www.factory-farming.com/antibiotic_resistance.html


As far as the tactics used in this incident are concerned, let's not forget that this is nothing less than urban warfare and our species collective future and survival are at stake. My verdict would be self defense used on the part of these animal rights activists to stop a greater threat, and once again as by ALF creed no human or animal were harmed in the process.

Or would it be preferred to have some lone wolf wingnut infiltrate the CAFO and start collecting samples of ultra-resistant and fast breeding pathogens in their own personal petri dish? Then maybe people will be longing for the good old days when those nice folks from the ALF were the only domestics to worry about!!

The best option for humanity is to recognize the fatal flaws of CAFOS and eliminate CAFOs from the face of Earth once and for all!!