If Killing Animals Is Traumatic for U.S. Farmers, Why Have Slaughterhouse Workers Do It?

Piglets being hauled in a transport truck from a breeding facility to a farmer’s growing sheds. Near Monmouth, IL, March 2016; photo taken by B. Donaldson

US lawmakers stood up for the mental health of farmers in late April, calling on the White House Coronavirus Task Force led by Mike Pence to provide “mental health assistance to farmers, veterinarians and others involved in the difficult decisions and processes around euthanizing and disposing of animals . . .” Yet, if farmers need mental…