Worker mistreatment and unsafe working conditions at AgriProcessors, the largest glatt kosher slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant in the world, prompted this action. In addition, in 2004, egregious inhumane animal abuse was documented at this same AgriProcessors plant, subsequently confirmed by the USDA. Clearly these atrocities violate the Jewish mandate in the Torah against tza’ar ba’alei hayyim, causing unnecessary pain to animals.

In fact, “Kosher” actually means “fit” or “proper.” Thus, if the meat we consume is truly fit or Kosher, we must ensure that the animals that supplied that meat live and die humanely.

In my opinion, guidelines for humane Kosher Shechita should include: 1) waiting until lack of movement before moving or removing organs from animals; 2) banning the use of electric prods; 3) providing a calm atmosphere for the animals; 4) using captive bolting (fatal electrical shock) in a timely fashion when Shechita fails to produce rapid unconsciousness (making meat from these animals un-Kosher); 5) requiring the use of an upright pen for animal restraint (such as the Grandin pen); 6) prohibiting the practice of shackling and hoisting and the use of inversion pens (currently stated to be a violation of Jewish law in the Conservative Teshuvah authored by Elliot Dorff and Joel Roth, “Shackling and Hoisting” YD 6.2000); 7) re-considering the use of pre- Shechita stunning (halakhically reasonable grounds for pre- Shechita stunning are presented in the Conservative Teshuvah authored by Mayer E. Rabinowitz, “A Stunning Matter: Stunning and Bolting After Shehitah.” YD 27:1.2001a).

Implementation of guidelines for humane Shichita will ensure that we observe the spirit of the law as well as the letter of law when certifying meat as kosher.

So you don’t want the “self righteous breast beating and chest thumping?” Then clean up your act. What do you think I will believe, my own eyes or your report from your summer field trip?

What a specious argument. The clarity of the halacha has nothing to do whether the kashrus standards should be recast. A boycott? Most of the people boycotting don’t eat kosher now so how would it help?

also would the “some evidence” consist of the ongoing hatchet job vendetta the Jewish lite news rags have against Aaron’s? First try to nail them on alleged environmental violations. Then let’s move to allegations of cruelty. Then onto labor violations. Then when nothing else sticks try anti-trust violations. It’s beginning to sound like a well orchestrated smear campaign.

I went out to Postville this summer and toured the plant on my own terms with no restrictions on what I could see, do or who I could talk to. I found much of the media to be spin and innuendo and no more. Can anyone here say the same? Or do we trot out the well worn PETA videos and some third hand lashon hara and start the self righteous breast beating and chest thumping again? Are people arguing from knowledge, armed with facts or are they just ranting and venting. One can only wonder.

I may not be a huge fan of Gershon Tennenbaum, but as a rav and an organic food grower (and having been consulted on eco-kashrus in its infancy) , I’m certainly not convinced that the hechsher tzedek does not have an underlying ulterior motive to strip control of the definitions of kashrus from Torah Jews – much as “mikveh” has suddenly been “rediscovered” and made “relevant”.
If you don’t like their business practices or environmental policies, your remedy is to not buy their meat not redefining kashrus.

And would a bunch of non-Jewish eaters support or not care about a tzedek hekhsher? I am particularly curious if non-Jewish boycott pressure on the Glatt industry would only cause the community to reject even further the concept.