OldDog/NewTricks
Well-known member
HSUS's Pacelle blasts AVMA
…
AVMA response to HSUS (Pacelle) blog as delivered by Dr. Ron DeHaven, Executive Vice President and CEO, AVMA:
"I'd like to take a few minutes to respond to recent statements from Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, which were highly critical of the AVMA.
When you don't have all the expertise at your fingertips, the result can be inaccurate statements, and it can be easier to mislead with a sound bite than inform with the facts. Unfortunately, it appears that Mr. Pacelle has fallen into both of these traps in his most recent comments on the AVMA's approach to animal welfare.
Mr. Pacelle's statements regarding the AVMA's positions and approach on downed livestock and induced molting are just factually wrong so I won't belabor those. His horse slaughter example, however, serves to illustrate an important difference between the two organizations. In contrast to what Mr. Pacelle has suggested, the AVMA is not "pro-slaughter." Rather, its membership includes equine veterinarians who, day-in and day-out, are forced to personally confront the realities of the large population of unwanted horses in this country. These experts understand what happens when an option for humanely killing these horses in a regulated environment is taken away—large numbers of horses end up being abandoned and left to starve. The current economic climate has only made things worse. Open the paper today in any area where people keep horses and you will begin to understand why knee-jerk responses to welfare concerns, such as the position taken by the HSUS on horse slaughter, are not in the best interest of animals.
Tugging on people's heartstrings to raise money is easy; finding real solutions to animal welfare challenges is not. HSUS certainly excels at the former; the AVMA continues to direct its energies toward the latter.
Mr. Pacelle is ignoring the legitimate concerns of animal welfare scientists and veterinarians, and misleading the American public to further his organization's agenda. If he truly cared about the welfare of animals, he would not be so quick to criticize and minimize the input of veterinary experts.
Veterinarians choose their careers because they care about animals. At the same time, veterinarians understand that, when it comes to animal welfare, a knee-jerk response based solely on emotion, not science, might not be in the best interest of animals."
…
From:
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 10:29 AM
To: Reynnells, Richard
Subject: < > HSUS's Pacelle blasts AVMA
HSUS's Wayne Pacelle's blog blasting the AVMA and its evil connection to food animal vets and big ag
(see the full thing at http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/08/avma-pew-report.html ).
August 19, 2009
AVMA Off Course From Veterinarian's Oath
The HSUS doesn't shrink from its responsibility to take on industries that cause or defend animal abuse, including trophy hunting groups like the Safari Club or factory farming advocates like the United Egg Producers. But it's startling when we have to call out groups that should stand in the forefront of animal protection but are part of the problem when it comes to the mistreatment of animals.
That is, sadly, the case with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). People rightly look to their individual veterinarians as experts on animal welfare. They take an oath to alleviate animal suffering and in their professional work or in their volunteer efforts, they nobly fulfill that oath on a daily basis. Yet it's been our experience that AVMA policies are out of step with a large share of veterinarians and the organization typically takes unfriendly positions on many of the major animal welfare questions of the day.
(....)
...At the AVMA, we've seen time and again how the livestock veterinarians, such as the swine and poultry veterinarians, control the thinking of the organization. These vets typically work for agribusiness and they embrace the mindset of the industry, including the view that animals are just production units. And unfortunately, it's standard for the AVMA to stand in the way of sensible reforms in the realm of industrial agriculture.
Read more at: http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/08/avma-pew-report.html
…
AVMA response to HSUS (Pacelle) blog as delivered by Dr. Ron DeHaven, Executive Vice President and CEO, AVMA:
"I'd like to take a few minutes to respond to recent statements from Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, which were highly critical of the AVMA.
When you don't have all the expertise at your fingertips, the result can be inaccurate statements, and it can be easier to mislead with a sound bite than inform with the facts. Unfortunately, it appears that Mr. Pacelle has fallen into both of these traps in his most recent comments on the AVMA's approach to animal welfare.
Mr. Pacelle's statements regarding the AVMA's positions and approach on downed livestock and induced molting are just factually wrong so I won't belabor those. His horse slaughter example, however, serves to illustrate an important difference between the two organizations. In contrast to what Mr. Pacelle has suggested, the AVMA is not "pro-slaughter." Rather, its membership includes equine veterinarians who, day-in and day-out, are forced to personally confront the realities of the large population of unwanted horses in this country. These experts understand what happens when an option for humanely killing these horses in a regulated environment is taken away—large numbers of horses end up being abandoned and left to starve. The current economic climate has only made things worse. Open the paper today in any area where people keep horses and you will begin to understand why knee-jerk responses to welfare concerns, such as the position taken by the HSUS on horse slaughter, are not in the best interest of animals.
Tugging on people's heartstrings to raise money is easy; finding real solutions to animal welfare challenges is not. HSUS certainly excels at the former; the AVMA continues to direct its energies toward the latter.
Mr. Pacelle is ignoring the legitimate concerns of animal welfare scientists and veterinarians, and misleading the American public to further his organization's agenda. If he truly cared about the welfare of animals, he would not be so quick to criticize and minimize the input of veterinary experts.
Veterinarians choose their careers because they care about animals. At the same time, veterinarians understand that, when it comes to animal welfare, a knee-jerk response based solely on emotion, not science, might not be in the best interest of animals."
…
From:
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 10:29 AM
To: Reynnells, Richard
Subject: < > HSUS's Pacelle blasts AVMA
HSUS's Wayne Pacelle's blog blasting the AVMA and its evil connection to food animal vets and big ag
(see the full thing at http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/08/avma-pew-report.html ).
August 19, 2009
AVMA Off Course From Veterinarian's Oath
The HSUS doesn't shrink from its responsibility to take on industries that cause or defend animal abuse, including trophy hunting groups like the Safari Club or factory farming advocates like the United Egg Producers. But it's startling when we have to call out groups that should stand in the forefront of animal protection but are part of the problem when it comes to the mistreatment of animals.
That is, sadly, the case with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). People rightly look to their individual veterinarians as experts on animal welfare. They take an oath to alleviate animal suffering and in their professional work or in their volunteer efforts, they nobly fulfill that oath on a daily basis. Yet it's been our experience that AVMA policies are out of step with a large share of veterinarians and the organization typically takes unfriendly positions on many of the major animal welfare questions of the day.
(....)
...At the AVMA, we've seen time and again how the livestock veterinarians, such as the swine and poultry veterinarians, control the thinking of the organization. These vets typically work for agribusiness and they embrace the mindset of the industry, including the view that animals are just production units. And unfortunately, it's standard for the AVMA to stand in the way of sensible reforms in the realm of industrial agriculture.
Read more at: http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/08/avma-pew-report.html
