i’ve always thought leather to be a byproduct of the meat industries (for cows at least) so i had to research this when i saw the article.
it turns out that cows are not killed just for leather as the website states. cow hide sold for leather represents only about 5% of the total value of a cow that is slaughtered. no one who raises cows could stay in business by selling them just for the value of their skin considering how much it would cost to raise a cow for maybe 2 years. in poorly developed countries i can’t imagine cow hide being sold for leather and the meat not being utilized for food.
if cow skin is not of leather quality it usually ends being ground up and included in food for other animals such as pigs.
there are some animals that are slaughtered just for their skin if it is valuable enough such as alligators.
i’m not favoring the use of leather or supporting the leather/meat industry but i do like accurate internet information (which is becoming much less common).
i’ve always thought leather to be a byproduct of the meat industries (for cows at least) so i had to research this when i saw the article.
it turns out that cows are not killed just for leather as the website states. cow hide sold for leather represents only about 5% of the total value of a cow that is slaughtered. no one who raises cows could stay in business by selling them just for the value of their skin considering how much it would cost to raise a cow for maybe 2 years. in poorly developed countries i can’t imagine cow hide being sold for leather and the meat not being utilized for food.
if cow skin is not of leather quality it usually ends being ground up and included in food for other animals such as pigs.
there are some animals that are slaughtered just for their skin if it is valuable enough such as alligators.
i’m not favoring the use of leather or supporting the leather/meat industry but i do like accurate internet information (which is becoming much less common).