CATTLE MARKETS
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] am a lover of animals myself, and would do all I could to prevent needless suffering, but I think your corre- spondent who wrote " Cruelty in the Cattle Markets " in the Spectator of December 8th is a little apt to think in a some-
what sentimental strain, and to credit animals with an exactly similar standard of comfort to our own.
The animals sold in our markets are, for the most part, accustomed to being out in all weathers, many of them night and day, and take no harm from the open air and rough weather. .The men buying and selling feel it, but on the whole the animals do not. Times are hard for the farmer—who will pay for roofing in hundreds of country markets ?
Time, unfortunately, means money. Calves are sold in the auction very rapidly. Were you to have all your calves untied and loose in a pen I think it would be -difficult to get them through quickly, and probably sorting them out hurriedly might lead to rougher handling. - Straw might be a good thing, but it costs money, and the market has to be cleaned up quickly, especially when it is held in a street or square. Young animals are accustomed to lying on cold and often wet ground when in natural conditions.
I think, if a trough is near, animals are usually allowed to drink, if only for the reason that it fills them out and makes them look better. The case quoted of the children driving the cattle away from the trough is beside the point. It is not a fault of the market, but is an individual case of cruelty.
If we are only to have -licensed drovers,. it means more officialdom. What are we to do at the end of a market day if the supply of licensed drovers does not meet the demand— leave an animal where it is for much longer than necessary, or risk being run in for droving without a licence ? A good inspector in the market, who understands the difficulties
and has tact, is, I am sure, an excellent institution, but the unpractical suggestions for the prevention of exaggerated cruelty are only a cause of irritation to at least one animal well-wisher who heartily supports the humane killer.—I am, Sir, &c., Kingston. H. C. METCALFE.
[The R.S.P.C.A. informs us that its inspectors regularly attend the markets in their own areas, and they have been able to persuade local authorities and auctioneers in a number of cases to erect special shelters for calves. The Society is also doing its best to prevent the use of goads, and to insist on water troughs being provided at markets. In some cases children under 14 have been prevented from entering the markets. We are sure that Miss Violet Wood has no desire to minimize the excellent work of the R.S.P.C.A.—En. Spectator.]
Previous page
