I read Ms. Greet's exposé on the Delmarva Poultry Industry in the recent issue of the Cape Gazette, and just didn't realize what I had missed seeing in my 40-year career as a Board Certified Poultry Veterinarian (yes, there are actually rigorous academic programs for species-specific education and training of veterinarians) as well as other areas of expertise crtical to the development, growth and success of any endeavor.
While my industry, nor any other, is not free of mistakes and poor acts by some people, the industry I worked in for those many years is filled with people who do good work, take pride in their efforts, learn from their good and bad decisions, and provide safe, secure, comfortable and healthy environments for both the chickens and themselves. Those folks are too busy working to have time to entertain the world of public communication, but being retired, I have taken the time.
The vast array of sins reported in Ms. Greet's letter is of such magnitude that I am surprised that gun violence is not also an issue. On a serious note, I have spent many a day, in very cold and very hot weather, in chicken houses where I knew that the conditions in those houses were, sad to say, better than living conditions endured by too many people in this world.
For me, the break in temperature and ventilation was a welcome relief. Processing plants, hatcheries and feedmills are sophisticated and well-managed facilities with the same concerns afforded both the chickens and the people.
You don't have to be a veterinarian to know that animals (of which chickens are included) will not grow well if not raised in a comfortable environment, free of many of the atrocities cited in Ms. Greet's letter.
Poultry science, husbandry, nutrition, management, disease control, food safety, welfare and genetics, ecology and environmental science are subjects just too complex and interesting to describe in a short letter, but there are many, many, many people who work in "my old" industry who do know their business, and do it well every day.
Again, I recognize that my former industry, nor any other venture of any type, is not free of mistakes and problems, but I just could not let such venom appear in print without a knowledgeable response. Such venom must have been transcribed on an empty stomach. I prefer open eyes that don't just look, but actually see.
A proud and retired poultry veterinarian,
Spangler Klopp, DVM, Dpl ACPV
Lewes
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
