Veggiest is passionate about a meat-free diet, and will happily discuss the innumerable benefits of adopting a veg lifestyle with anyone who asks. When it comes to speaking of slaughterhouses and the meat-producing industry in the U.S. however, Veggiest almost always keeps mum. Why? Well, to be frank, we don't want to piss anyone off. We understand there are many happy carnivores out there who want nothing less that to hear the reality of how their burgers actually get to the table.

However, the time has come for this Veggiest to speak out in the face of the recent beef recall, the largest in U.S. History. For those who were unaware, the recall was triggered by a video released that shows the inhumane treatment of so-called 'downer' cows on their way to slaughter. These cows were so sick, frail, and most likely disease-ridden, that they could not walk on their own. In response to the investigation, the Humane Society has filed suit against the USDA in order to close the loophole that allows beef from sick cows to be distributed in the U.S.

We are including the video from the Humane Society in this post, but give fair warning that it is very graphic and not safe for work and you must be prepared for the questions it raises as to the wide-spread mistreatment of animals at plants across the country. Veggiest also encourages you to visit ChooseVeg.com to see further videos that expose the harsh reality of factory farming.

The opinions expressed in this post are those of this particular Veggiest. The video below depicts behavior at a particular slaughterhouse -- Westland/Hallmark in Chino, California -- and is not intended to illustrate so-called factory farming practices in general.