I bookmarked this interview more than a month ago, and because I’m notouriously bad at doing anything in a timely manner, I’m just getting around to it now. TIME did an interview with an anonymous animal rights investigator, the kind of person we have to thank for the numerous slaughterhouse and factory farm videos we have helping our cause. As you read in the interview, it’s not an easy job. For one thing, there’s the job itself. The people who go undercover to obtain jobs at these places are expected, as workers, to do as they’re told – including helping in the slaughter of animals. This obviously raises ethical questions – if you’re a vegan, and a proponent of animal rights, how can you participate in animal cruelty, even if it is for the advancement of the cause? It is my personal opinion that it is wrong to kill an animal, regardless of the circumstances. However, if an undercover investigator is able to get hired in a factory farm/slaughterhouse in a position that is not directly responsible for an animal’s death, then I think it is a great way to spread the word.

Another hardship these people face are having to hide their identity in order to get hired at more than one farm. Companies always perform background checks, and will find out about any other farms someone has worked out, and why they are no longer there. A factory farm owner is not going to hire someone who poses a threat to profits. The person interview in the TIME article has actually changed his name twice already to continue his work.

Even though I completely stand by what I said above about participating in the killing of animals is unacceptable at any time, I am thankful for the footage. And I hope the people shooting it have jobs that keep their hands free of blood.

Another reason I like this interview: it’s good to see the mainstream news do a piece on the animal rights movement that is unbiased for once.

TIME – Undercover Animal-Rights Investigator