Cat walk closed at sale barn.

[Susie David]

The owners of the sale yard announced on Monday that the cat-walk over the pens would be closed from now on. The closure is due to the animal rights folks taking pictures with cell phones at various locations and using the pics for negative advertising in their campaign against the beef industry.
Haven't had any pics of the local sale published but they arn't taking any chances.
Had to take one last walk just so I can tell tell the grand kids that I was out there on the last day...to bad I didn't have them with me to witness this sad day.
Dave Mc

 

[bigbull338]

the owers are taking it a bit to far by closing the catwalk.an heres why.by closing them they are caving into the animale rights groups.an thats just plain wrong.

 

[BTRANCH]

You can't blame them for being cautious. Negative publicity can be very expensive in the long run. I wish these people would put their energy into something more productive, like immigration!

I wonder how long it will take to affect the sale barns in my area?

 

[Jalopy]

I know it is not a perfect world but they shouldn't close the catwalk. Let them (PETA,etc.)take pictures.There should not be anything damaging that they can take pictures of from the catwalk. If they are handling downer cattle they should be in trouble. If they are not then the catwalk is part of normal business and they should not cave in to a supposed threat. By closing the catwalk it is almost like hiding from public scrutiny and I believe if they are hiding something untoward they will be caught no matter what they close. JMO

 

[bigbull338]

agreed if you knuckle under an close them.then they can say the sale barns are trying to hide something.thats why they closed their catwalks.

 

[gerardplauche]

Wow! How are people supposed to get a look at cattle before the sale???? The raised catwalk is a place for watching sale barn workers get caught in a jam, trying to find your calves in the herd for comparison, showing your kids which calf you bought for THEM, seeing which cows got "horned" before they run through, etc. I feel it is a NECESSARY part of the sale barn. Hopefully it will not stayed closed permanantly.

 

[kerley]

Jerold is correct, I always walk the cat walk first thing at the sale barn. That is how I pick out what I would like to buy. Some time I don't have time to wait all day to buy. It is just wrong when a select group of people can whine and change the exhisting way of life for so many others. JMO. Tom :cboy:

 

[Lammie]

We were at the local barn a couple of months ago and there was someone there with a video cam. I think she was filming goats, but I didn't stay long enough to see what else she might have been filming. She was sitting up there with the old timers. I don't even like to sit up there. I just take my place alongside the other hobby guys and try not to look too obvious. I do like to sit near the regulars in the cafe and listen to them. And I like to hear them talk walking around the pens and on the catwalk. You learn a lot about what's going on locally.

Getting to the catwalk... I like to go up there to see what there is to see, but I don't like it when there are a lot of folks up there. I am kinda wary about the whole thing falling down. I am just paranoid like that. Plus, I am not a big fan of heights. But it is the only way to see everything.

 

[pdfangus]

I agree that a better strategy would be to not have anything going on that you would be ashamed of seeing in a photo or video somewhere.

The livestock indudtry is going to have to clean up some of our dirty little practices and groups like PETA are going to push us to it.

the video of those downer holsteins that we all saw a while back comes from a commodity mentality that is throughout the food animal industry. Few of us wants to forego that extra couple of hundred bucks for that old cow who can't quite walk all the way by herself so she is prodded and encouraged to move along, often harshly.

We have to learn to recognize things earlier and take corrective action rather than trying to squeeze every last drop of production out of em before shipping. there are some that we may have to learn to realize at home.

 

[grannysoo]

Really makes one wonder if they have something to hide. If you're doing your job right, you should not have a problem with the world seeing what you do. If you're not, then you have a problem.

 

[somn]

I know it is not a perfect world but they shouldn't close the catwalk. Let them (PETA,etc.)take pictures.There should not be anything damaging that they can take pictures of from the catwalk. If they are handling downer cattle they should be in trouble.

Now why do you think the sale barn should be in trouble for handling downer cattle? Sounds like maybe you have not been around much livestock in your life. Downers are a every day part of the livestock industry if you think they are not part of it you are very very naive. There is no reason anyone should be in trouble for handling downer cattle. Unless of course you are campaigning for peta then I could see where you would have a problem understanding the simple fact that the need to handle downers is inevitable. Where do all of you peta people find those rose colored glasses you wear.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I know it is not a perfect world but they shouldn't close the catwalk. Let them (PETA,etc.)take pictures.There should not be anything damaging that they can take pictures of from the catwalk. If they are handling downer cattle they should be in trouble.

Now why do you think the sale barn should be in trouble for handling downer cattle? Sounds like maybe you have not been around much livestock in your life. Downers are a every day part of the livestock industry if you think they are not part of it you are very very naive. There is no reason anyone should be in trouble for handling downer cattle. Unless of course you are campaigning for peta then I could see where you would have a problem understanding the simple fact that the need to handle downers is inevitable. Where do all of you peta people find those rose colored glasses you wear.

yep ive seen several downer's at sale barn's. as too who's fault it was, usually it was the man that brought it too the barn knowing it had problem's, or trying too save theirselves a money on backhoe service.

 

[TexasBred]

Probably........but here, the minute the sale barn accepts the cow she is in their custody and they are responsible for her.

 

[pdfangus]

I know it is not a perfect world but they shouldn't close the catwalk. Let them (PETA,etc.)take pictures.There should not be anything damaging that they can take pictures of from the catwalk. If they are handling downer cattle they should be in trouble.

Now why do you think the sale barn should be in trouble for handling downer cattle? Sounds like maybe you have not been around much livestock in your life. Downers are a every day part of the livestock industry if you think they are not part of it you are very very naive. There is no reason anyone should be in trouble for handling downer cattle. Unless of course you are campaigning for peta then I could see where you would have a problem understanding the simple fact that the need to handle downers is inevitable. Where do all of you peta people find those rose colored glasses you wear.

The first reason is that it is now against the law.
You might get you some glasses of some sort so you can keep up 8) :cowboy: :cry2:

Not everyone who differs from you is inexperienced or a peta proponent.
But I am not in favor of giving peta amunition to shoot me or you with and inhumane handling of livestock is very much that ammunition wether you like it or not.

 

[somn]

The first reason is that it is now against the law.

It isn't illegal here to handle downer cattle at a sale barn. Downers are part of the cattle industry like it or not and somebody will need to handle them.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Probably........but here, the minute the sale barn accepts the cow she is in their custody and they are responsible for her.

that's not what im saying, its the same here. im saying they get dumped off on the barn before they go down. it still reflects on the barn ..

 

[somn]

The first reason is that it is now against the law.

Could you provide documentation proving this statement is true in your state or any other state for that matter?

 

[somn]

The first reason is that it is now against the law.

It isn't illegal here to handle downer cattle at a sale barn. Downers are part of the cattle industry like it or not and somebody will need to handle them.

 

[PaMike]

Our sale barn walled in their cat walks last year. I asked in the office and they said " our insurance company has been wanting us to do it for a while". Thats all they would say.... Its a shame. You used to be able to get a good view of the cattle before they sold....

 

[ALX.]

Not to interject while somn takes these other folks apart, but this whole scenario stinks.

peta goofs can get their vids from anywhere in a facility. Even the ring. I don't buy it.

Structural repairs needed?

Any other catwalks being closed anywhere on the boards?