Slaughterhouse Worker Goes Vegan

Australian-born Josh Agland worked in a slaughterhouse for three years before the horrors he witnessed inspired him to become an activist with local political group Animal Justice Party. Agland detailed his experience on the kill line to The Huffington Post, revealing that workers have kill quotas (100 animals per hour) and falling short directly affects their wages. Animals are skinned alive, mutilated, prodded, and neglected in the course of everyday work. Agland recalls a dairy cow who collapsed on the slaughterhouse floor and was left without pain relief because workers believed she was destined for slaughter in the morning anyway. “One-way gates prevent the animals from backing away in fear,” Agland said. “Many get caught as they sprint forward to remain close to a friend for comfort.” The former kill floor worker spoke out about his story because he believes that “it’s the story of the animals who fear and fight death on gruesome, fast-paced slaughter lines, and it’s the story of the workers who perform this dangerous, soul-destroying work. It’s the story of the business of killing and it needs to be told.” Agland’s new line of work is driven by the idea that “we are not just speaking for ourselves but the billions of others who cannot be heard.”