In regards to eating meat

[Bring4th_Austin]

Is anyone aware of the http://www.certifiedhumane.org/

I have this here in Brazil as well, in my state (são Paulo) there are farms and slaughter houses following this.

I saw a news article that said the Europe Union won't buy meat that is not produced in this way starting 2012.

This looks like a great program! Here is a video I found on the organization and their practices. Thanks for sharing!

For anyone interesting in comparing different animal welfare certification programs, here's a very comprehensive comparison chart:

http://ngfn.org/resources/ngfn-database/...pendix.pdf

The highest standards are from the Animal Welfare Approved organization, which is what we are certified (to toot my own horn just a bit ).

And for anyone wondering exactly how certain standards are decided, why certain things are considered "humane" and others not, or how the idea of humane animal husbandry came around, I would suggest doing some research on Dr. Temple Grandin. There is a movie about her which is amazing. She pioneered research into the psychological state of animals in the meat industry and helped develop standards which would keep animals within a calm and natural state of mind throughout the entire cycle. Much emphasis was placed on eliminating fear, anxiety, and nervousness.