Dr. Michael Appleby. Vice President
Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture Section
The Humane Society of the United States
700 Professional Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Dear Dr. Appleby:
On behalf of United Poultry Concerns, I am writing to express our
dismay over this year's Farm Animals Awareness Award recognizing
James Frantzen and his "Journal" as promoting an ethic of responsible
care for animals. According to the September 26 news release
published by the HSUS, James Frantzen's Journal "conveys the young
man's respect for non-human life and the environment." However, the
excerpt from James's Journal says that he and his family raise hogs
and "beef" cattle for slaughter, that they sell full-grown calves for
slaughter, and that they keep chickens for eggs. (There is no
information about the fate of the "spent" hens or the male chicks or
whether the hens are debeaked-Are they?). James's other
animal-related "interests" are hunting, fishing, and 4-H! Nothing in
the news release explains why The Humane Society of the United States
gave this award to James Frantzen. (It really makes you wonder about
the other contestants.) James does not come across at all as one who
practices a humane ethic or has ever even thought about what the
ethical treatment of nonhuman animals might mean.
This award sends an incoherent message to the public. It belittles
the ideas of respect for animals' lives and animal protection and it
undermines the work of organizations, not to mention other branches
of the HSUS, that are working to promote compassion and respect for
nonhuman animals.
If there is a fuller account of James Frantzen's qualifications for
this "awareness" award, I would greatly appreciate it if you would
please send me a copy of whatever there is that shows this 8th-grader
as having a "humane" and "respectful" regard for the animals he
raises, hunts, fishes, transports, and slaughters.
I look forward to hearing from you soon, Dr. Appleby, and to sharing
your response with our members. I realize that you were not part of
this year's award selection process. Thank you for your time and
attention.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD
President
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
757-678-7875
FAX: 757-678-5070
www.upc-online.org
(UPC Letter to Dr. Michael Appleby re: HSUS Award to James Frantzen)
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