Documentary - Dominion (2018)- Treatment of farm animals in Australia

I came across this video last week and watched it a few nights ago. I was going to post a thread about it but with the holiday in the States being the next day, I decided to wait till afterwards b/c it is a very graphic and disturbing documentary.

Dominion is dubbed a "vegan" documentary and it is largely filmed within Australia though I think I noticed some footage from Vietnam and possibly the US and England as well. It is by far one of the most revealing hidden camera documentaries made to date to show the cruelty and extreme brutality inflicted upon living creatures under the guise of being treated "humanely".

Warning - this video is VERY disturbing and if it doesn't shock you, make you upset, or at least uncomfortable, then IDK what to say. I would guess there are many that won't be able to get very far into it - the only reason I did was because I felt I needed to see the extent of the problem and turning my back on it feels tantamount to saying "I don't care" or that the treatment of the animals doesn't matter.

I would like to make a statement that I am certain of, that not all animals that are farm raised meet the same fate - in that the selected clips are most likely outliers from the total footage collected, and it seems that they might have tried to make it seem like the example behavior shown is the norm, instead of rare. It's possible that only 1 in 100 animals suffer a difficult slaughter (multiple attempts), but they show only the difficult ones which makes it look much worse than the situation really is. It's also very possible that they are showing the worst offenders within the industry and other farms may not have issues such as this. I know of many farms where the animals aren't treated like this, they have open fields to roam, aren't in cages 24/7, etc. This does not excuse any of the actions seen in the video, I just want to give perspective about what is being seen, I find it curious that they don't highlight how many slaughters they recorded, and if the trouble deaths were standard or rare.

The first segment which deals with pigs, sows,etc is particularly difficult to watch, IMO. The problem slaughters of the large sows where the electrocution or bolt gun doesn't work and they use a firearm to finish the job, is extremely painful to watch, as the sow takes 2-3 additional shots to the head while it coughs out clouds of what looks like gunpowder smoke from it's nasal cavities and or lungs. It looks like something from a literal hell-scape.


The problem I have with these videos is that it paints the global industries with a broad brush when we only see examples form one or two farms and it is impossible to state that this is the norm globally when many of these farms are breaking laws within their country of operation. So take that into consideration if you decide to watch the video. It might be a better idea to find some clips of the video if you don't want to watch the whole thing, as I can't stress enough how disturbing the video is, it's basically a snuff film for animals.

The video does cover things like the fur industry, which is worth watching, b/c it shows the needless suffering of these farmed animals when there are extremely good alternatives in the synthetic markets. This part is towards the end, I'd say 90 mins into the video or so.


Watch at own risk - Graphic violence towards animals. Highly suggest none under 18 watch.

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof
The problem I have with these videos is that it paints the global industries with a broad brush when we only see examples form one or two farms and it is impossible to state that this is the norm globally when many of these farms are breaking laws within their country of operation. So take that into consideration if you decide to watch the video.

Thank you for noting that. Some Vegans have a tendency to exaggerate to the point of outright deception. I have zero issues with Vegans as long as they don't expect everyone to switch simply because they say so. I've even been in discussions where they actually claim all animals on all farms are abused. Then of course you have PETA with the stated goal of eliminating all domestic animals, who would like to just slaughter them all and outlaw all livestock and pets.

I do think it's fair to criticize how some operations abuse animals, but only if it's pointed out most ranchers treat them like pampered pets and carefully care for them because they are so valuable. Only a content, well cared for steer for instance produces high quality meat. Poorly treated animals produce only the low quality meat, so abusing them is kind of stupid to begin with.

It should also be in the conversation that livestock raised in captivity are content. Thousands of years of breeding has produced docile animals that would suffer if set free.

We are animals also, omnivores that evolved to eat a mixed diet to be healthy and strong. People who eat diets that require supplements are eating wrong for their own bodies. I can't imagine for instance working at physical labor where you need 4,000 calories a day and lots of protein to just maintain weight, trying to do that on a Vegan diet.

I'll go along with livestock should be treated better by those not already doing so. Operations abusing animals have no real need to abuse them and I agree they need to be exposed. One way to stop them is to only buy quality meats, which they can't produce, but that of course costs more.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

There are obviously a lot of poorly managed farms, just like there are poorly managed gas stations, and poorly managed restaurants. Humans do a poor job at pretty much everything except for a small percentage of exceptional people who seem to do all of the innovating, and industrious work.

That being said, i think it is hard to find good help, and some people just should not work around animals. I have trained working and show horses for most of my life, and i have seen the cruelest people take the worst kind of pleasure from beating an animal for simply not understanding what is being asked of it.

Some people are cruel. That problem extends into every aspect of society.

For every scene in that 'special', I have seen, worked on and know of hundred farms that are run very well.

Dominion is dubbed a "vegan" documentary and it is largely filmed within Australia though I think I noticed some footage from Vietnam and possibly the US and England as well.

Some of these scenes have been set up. A small pile of dead animals just on dirt with no other relevance, is in my view, footage set up for the cameras by the people making the documentary. Inclusion of video from other countries and trying to say it occurs in Australia should set of alarm bells in the viewer's mind. This is a hit piece documentary!

Some of the so-called Australian footage is many decades old and such practices vanished long ago.

Hit pieces like this only tarnish the radical Vegan's position rather than strengthening it.

Yes, it does happen in isolated cases, situations that Governments react to swiftly.

There are always asshats.

To suggest that this 'special' is indicative of farming practices is just radical lies.

P

I think slaughter houses should have to install camera's to monitor workers and keep a 30 day (minimum) log of the activities. The logs can be reviewed by the owners/managers and weed out the abusive people in their employ. Regulators can also demand access to these video logs and see how the animals are being treated - massive fines would be issued for those who can't produce the videos - the fines should be such that they assume the worse behavior was on the videos that are missing, thus there is no incentive to hide/destroy videos over showing the original videos - AND - if the company isn't don't their job to ensure proper treatment, then they deserve the fines they accrue.

This may seem harsh but with the price of video camera's and equipment these days, this is a small price compared to the size of the operation (both physically and fiscally). I think we should all want to ensure that our food comes from abuse free means and eating food that has suffered abused lives and "torturous deaths" is not something that I would support and I feel there is a karmactic aspect to eating animals who have suffered such.

We can't change what animals are made to eat, how they behave, and the way the food chain works, so the best we can ask for is to ensure the process does not inflict unnecessary suffering upon those animals who give us life.

originally posted by: pheonix358
For every scene in that 'special', I have seen, worked on and know of hundred farms that are run very well.

Dominion is dubbed a "vegan" documentary and it is largely filmed within Australia though I think I noticed some footage from Vietnam and possibly the US and England as well.

Some of these scenes have been set up. A small pile of dead animals just on dirt with no other relevance, is in my view, footage set up for the cameras by the people making the documentary. Inclusion of video from other countries and trying to say it occurs in Australia should set of alarm bells in the viewer's mind. This is a hit piece documentary!

Some of the so-called Australian footage is many decades old and such practices vanished long ago.

Hit pieces like this only tarnish the radical Vegan's position rather than strengthening it.

Yes, it does happen in isolated cases, situations that Governments react to swiftly.

There are always asshats.

To suggest that this 'special' is indicative of farming practices is just radical lies.

P

I can say for certain that there are two scenes where I know were part of other films and those are pig farms in Vietnam and fox farms where they skin the animal alive (which I believe was in China). I saw these about 10 years ago, if not more, and remember the scenes vividly and the pig farm, some of the methods they use I think are not legal in Australia though may be legal in Vietnam, but there is no discussion of that.

What I'm really concerned with is if any of these videos are made specifically for content in documentaries such as this. Meaning, even though it is a "hidden camera" we can't know if the people there are not making the conditions worse for the camera, if the people working have been paid to treat them bad (for the camera), etc. That would be very sick and saddening.

people would say "no one would ever do that", but when I hear the phrase "by any means necessary" or "by any means necessary", I also think of the phrase "for the greater good". So I think it possible that a few animals are treated absolutely horribly to get it on camera so they can besmirch an entire global industry and help push their agenda.

I would have said that this wasn't possible 10 years ago, but after seeing how they treat humans, I can't say that this would be beyond their capabilities to reach their goals.

The problem I have with these videos is that it paints the global industries with a broad brush

It is also something that involves all levels of the animal for food industry. Do you remember this or last year the young people who saw the large semi filled with pigs who as we all know do not sweat and are in misery when hot just like dogs only worse.
They tried to bring a hose with water to the animals as they sat in the sun while the truck driver ate in the truck stop. They were eventually sued for trying to water the animals.Why do they have to suffer all the way to the slaughter.

a reply to: Blaine91555

I've even been in discussions where they actually claim all animals on all farms are abused.

We are animals also

Yes so this is the point, would we feel today ANY slave was NOT abused?

I can't imagine for instance working at physical labor where you need 4,000 calories a day and lots of protein to just maintain weight, trying to do that on a Vegan diet.

These 14 elite athletes are vegan — here's what made them switch their diet

www.businessinsider.com...

originally posted by: SeaWorthy

The problem I have with these videos is that it paints the global industries with a broad brush

It is also something that involves all levels of the animal for food industry. Do you remember this or last year the young people who saw the large semi filled with pigs who as we all know do not sweat and are in misery when hot just like dogs only worse.
They tried to bring a hose with water to the animals as they sat in the sun while the truck driver ate in the truck stop. They were eventually sued for trying to water the animals.Why do they have to suffer all the way to the slaughter.

I think this is classic mis-direction and trying to use a single case to paint the industry as a whole - JUST as I said in the post.

So did the guy sit down for a 7 course lunch at an expensive restaurant that took 2-3 hours? Or was it some side of the road burger shack type thing where he probably took 20 mins to eat his meal (maybe 40 mins if he releived himself).

Do you think the pigs are never out in the sun themselves? Maybe the world needs to set up watering stations for all the wild pigs so they don't get sun stroke.

Maybe the farmer doesn't want tainted water fed to his pigs. Does that water come from a know and tested source? Is it bacteria and virus free? How do you know where it came from? What right do the bystanders have to interfear with the farmers business.

This example is classic hysteria about nothing and from what has been explained, I support seuing the "doo-gooders" (more like troublemakers).

So can you tell me how long the guy was at the rest station? Did the "do-gooders" prolong the stay by their actions, making the pigs suffer more b/c of what they were trying to do? Isn't it these people who are actually at frault in making them suffer?

When the pigs are being transported, even in 90+ degree heat in an open top trailer, they cool off A LOT while it is moving and a 20-40 minute stop isn't going to kill them or even make them suffer a lot. Their body temp had probably dropped a fair amount in the prior transport before the stop because of the air movement, that when they stopped, it allowed them to get back up to normal temp. But I doubt that type of thing is ever considered by people like you.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I think this is classic mis-direction and trying to use a single case to paint the industry as a whole - JUST as I said in the post.

What do you want people to give a thousand cases? This is called an example, you are trying to hard!

Is it so wrong to have compassion?

This tells your true feelings why even make the thread.Glad you were not this judge.

This example is classic hysteria about nothing and from what has been explained, I support seuing the "doo-gooders" (more like troublemakers).

Standing up for convictions is never a negative.

Canada woman faces 10 years in prison for giving pigs water on hot day

During the six days of court testimony, Krajnc’s lawyers drew comparisons between her actions and those of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. They seized on the trial to offer a window into the meat industry, calling on witnesses who described its impact on environmental sustainability and animal welfare.

The pigs, he noted, had managed to make it to their final destination, despite Krajnc’s actions. “Protesters had given water to pigs before. The driver was aware of this. The slaughterhouse was aware of this. Despite this, the slaughterhouse had never refused to accept a load of pigs for that reason,” he said. As he dismissed the charge, a loud applause erupted among the many activists who had crowded into the Toronto-area courtroom to hear the verdict.

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
Is it so wrong to have compassion?

No.
Every year I see farmers cut down cornstalks, and other defenseless crops.
Vegan Demons don't recognize that cornstalks are alive. Ever since Veganism got mainstream media to the masses more and more crops are being eaten every year. At the rates the vegan demons are killing and eating the crops, animals around the world will die of starvation in the year 2040!
Save the animals from suffering and starvation!
Keep vegan demons away from crops!

The documentary is made by activists. If you can't handle activism don't watch it. What do you expect from them, to tell you everything is alright, you have zero faults?

By watching Dominion or Earthlings you will be disturbed, if these documentaries don't disturb you then something is very wrong with you. humans are compassionate beings and this content must disturb you more or less.

My favorite sentence in this topic is:

I think slaughter houses should have to install camera's to monitor workers and keep a 30 day (minimum) log of the activities.

Maybe someone need to explain to you what is slaughterhouse:
en.wikipedia.org...

Slaughtering:
The killing of many cruelly and unfairly, especially in a war!!!

I can't imagine for instance working at physical labor where you need 4,000 calories a day and lots of protein to just maintain weight, trying to do that on a Vegan diet.

Ok here is real life example:
I am Vegan, I just come tot he forum from 1h training, 30 minutes running (5kilometers) and 30 minutes doing weights. Now I am relaxing before I do stretching for next 1h (yoga).

I didn't eat since yesterday 7PM (now is 1PM), I won't eat until 3PM. Then I will eat 4k calories (sometimes, even more, all in less than 4 hours). I repeat this every day...

I won't talk about veganism, it is a topic that should not be discussed, only if you are activist which I am not and I don't care what other people do.

Also check this guy:
www.beegans.com...
I bet he is needing maybe 8000 calories when in heavy training, look at his body, when he just seats or walks he is burning enormous amount of calories...

Moralist vegans and vegetarians are idiots that know nothing abut how to actually help the animals and care only about their own self righteous morality.

Being vegan or vegetarian does nothing to help animals, it just causes them to not be customers and thus be disregarded and irrelevant. There's nothing meat producing industries could do to acquire them as customers, so why should they care.

If they honestly wanted to make a difference, they would research which industries are humane in their care of animals and do it right and buy exclusively from them, and promote their product to their friends, providing free advertisement to the more humane companies and helping them flourish, while simultaneous hindering the less humane companies by exposing their less humane policies and practices.

This would both encourage more humane treatment by creating a strong market for it, and discourage it by hindering the less humane companies.

As is they just make a lot of noise and since they don't actually buy the meat the more humane places produce in an attempt to pander to people who want more humane treatment for animals they actually make it harder for the more humane companies to stay in business and maintain such policies.

originally posted by: Puppylove

If they honestly wanted to make a difference, they would research which industries are humane in their care of animals and do it right and buy exclusively from them, and promote their product to their friends, providing free advertisement to the more humane companies and helping them flourish, while simultaneous hindering the less humane companies by exposing their less humane policies and practices.

This would both encourage more humane treatment by creating a strong market for it, and discourage it by hindering the less humane companies.

I agree with you on these parts. I use to work on a pig breeding farm. It was a more humane company than whats in the video. If you got caught kicking or punching a pig you would get terminated on the spot. If you noticed a pig all scratched up from other pigs we would move her to another area where she would be safe. In the movie it says the pigs start screaming because they're scared in their cage, in reality they all start screaming when food is on the way. There is also other rules that I saw that were broken in this video as well in the pig industry.

I was shocked at first working there because I didnt know what to expect. You realize its just part of the process in the food industry to get food on your plate.

People got to realize the animal food pyramid, and how humans got to the top of it.

originally posted by: TopSecretMan

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
Is it so wrong to have compassion?

No.
Every year I see farmers cut down cornstalks, and other defenseless crops.
Vegan Demons don't recognize that cornstalks are alive. Ever since Veganism got mainstream media to the masses more and more crops are being eaten every year. At the rates the vegan demons are killing and eating the crops, animals around the world will die of starvation in the year 2040!
Save the animals from suffering and starvation!
Keep vegan demons away from crops!

I bet you have a dog.

a reply to: TopSecretMan

People got to realize the animal food pyramid, and how humans got to the top of it.

People wanted to sell you something that cost more so they did.