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Benner’s, a Long Island, New York farm has come under fire recently after a visitor uncovered the fact that a cow purchased a couple of years ago was destined for slaughter and was set to be consumed by the farmer and his family.
Despite being in operation for nearly 40 years, apparently some folks are still shocked that cows on farms, just like Benner’s, are raised solely to feed humans.
In addition to raising cows, chickens and other animals, the farm also offers educational tours and hosts birthday parties on their grounds. It was on a birthday party tour when Jean Benner, who has owned the farm since 1977 with her husband Bob, was originally asked about the fate of Minnie the cow.
Minnie is a meat cow.
She also happens to be quite friendly, affectionate and playful according to the recently created Save Minnie from Slaughter Facebook group, which astonishingly enough, has garnered over 900 members in a short time.
Kimberly Sherriton learned that the cow she had fallen in love with during her 20-minute visit was scheduled to be slaughtered and eventually consumed by the Benner family. Shocking, I know.
She then went so far as to offer to purchase the cow from the Benner’s and place her in an animal sanctuary where she could spend the rest of her days in complete bliss.
The Benner’s scoffed at the idea. Rightfully so.
“Why would I send her to live in sanctuary someplace with no reason for being?” Jean Benner asked WCBS-TV. “Her reason for being is to be a meat animal. That’s what she was born to be.”
But it didn’t end there. The Facebook Group along with a Change.org petition were created. The Benner’s were inundated with threats, phone calls, terrible reviews and the like in an attempt to sway their decision regarding Minnie.
The Benner’s stood their ground.
“If I do it for you, I have to do it for somebody else,” he told WCBS. “I have to do it for somebody that falls in love with a chicken in 10 minutes.”
Much the same as hunters do, the Benner’s and farmers across America have an affinity, an understanding and a reverence for the animals they farm.
While it may not seem like they or we as hunters truly care about the animals we raise or pursue, that couldn’t be further than the truth.
“…we care for the animals we raise” and “families who spend time with us are able to have this connection to where food comes from. We are sympathetic that many people today do not have a direct connection to their food source. We get it. There is a disconnect for people, and that is hard. But we are farmers, and we do have that connection to our food,” Bob Benner told TBR.
