Farm Sanctuary launches the Virtual Experience:
Explore... and meet first hand the ambassadors of Farm Sanctuary...
Investigate and learn of factory farms from breeding to slaughter....
Some images are graphic and painful to see... Of course there's no need to do so if you've eliminated animal products from your life... But if you haven't and don't think consuming meat & animal products contributes to cruelty and violence - you're obligated at least least to be informed of what the animals have no choice but to endure every day...
Farm Sanctuary opposes the slaughter, consumption and commodification of farm animals.
I think you'll find there are many wonderful reasons to Go Vegan.
Apr 22, 2009
Visit a Virtual Factory Farm - Meet Sanctuary Animals - Go Vegan
Farm Sanctuary launches the Virtual Experience:
Explore... and meet first hand the ambassadors of Farm Sanctuary...
Investigate and learn of factory farms from breeding to slaughter....
Some images are graphic and painful to see... Of course there's no need to do so if you've eliminated animal products from your life... But if you haven't and don't think consuming meat & animal products contributes to cruelty and violence - you're obligated at least least to be informed of what the animals have no choice but to endure every day...
Farm Sanctuary opposes the slaughter, consumption and commodification of farm animals.
I think you'll find there are many wonderful reasons to Go Vegan.
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8 comments:
What is a factory farm? How can I tell the difference between a family farm and a factory farm?
Great Question! Some family farms are factory farms. Case in point is Harris Ranch in California. They opperate one of the largest feedlots in the country, yet the operation is run by the Harris family. Farm Sanctuary defines factory farms as an an attitude that regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited for profit. In animal agriculture, this attitude has led to institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction and resource depletion, and animal and human health risks. CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) as defined by the USDA would be considered factory farms, but so would massive feedlots and drylot dairies by Farm Sanctuary's definition. Visit www.factoryfarming.org for more information.
So families farmers shouldn't own a lot of animals even if they are taking very good care of them? How many is too many?
Hello and thank you Tricia... Yes, going to factoryfarm.org is a great suggestion! :)
But if I may butt in on answering: how many animals is "too many"? My belief is that if one animal is "bred" just to become a "product" for man... that one is too many.
I believe in taking care of the animals that are here now - because we have made them to be here. It is now our responsibility for their wellbeing. But I would not wish to bring one more into being, for any purpose... I don't see what the point would be...
And by "taking very good care of them" - we must assume that they will not be snuffed from life - no matter how their flesh or hide serves man. Any less would not be very "good care" at all - would it?
The animals that are raised for "food" - Granted they may have a better life on a smaller farm - but they are still killed at a fraction of their total life expectancy -and as the saying goes... their lives still end at the same butcher's knife. And all of this of course, is tragically unnecessary. We can do better than this for all concerned.
Hope this answers your question. Thanks for dropping by.
So you guys are trying to put family farmers out of business? Where will all of our food come from?
Hello again... that's a great question as well. Obviously this evolution into veganism is not going to happen overnight. There's some resistances of course I'd say a great begining would be to get our tax dollars out of supporting the "meat industry". You see,the U.S. government is also the meat industry's largest customer so the "machine" of the operation will be a gradual shift as more people become aware that we're much better off eating a healthy food rather than a dead one...
However, as we move into this shift... I believe most "family farmers" will alter their operations to growing the healthy product that is (and will increase to be) in demand. After all... everyone wants to live a good long life - meat narrows down that possibility - So the farmers of course would want to offer the product that consumers want... correct?
We will also stop feeding 80% of the grains and vegetation to animals that we do now... Thereby feeding more people as well. Veganism is about distributing the food better... we have enough - we're just fattening too many animals instead of feeding people.
There is no doubt that if we are to move into a sustainable future it must be through a plant based diet. And even in doing such, along the way if there are some enterprises that will have to find better work - that is the nature of change.
Certainly many during the civil war argued that the economics for plantation owners would be jeapordized... But- we did the right thing... and everyone found a way - right?
One cannot continue to do a wrong act simply because it is profitable. That would be highly unethical and very bad for social health.
Again - thanks for dropping by.
I double checked some of your mubers since I didn't think they made sense. I found out the US government isn't the biggest customer of US beef. And livestock aren't eating 80% of all the grains and vegetation that humans could otherwise be eating either.
And if we all went vegetarian, where would we grow all of it. Wouldn't we have to rip up the beautiful grasslands to grow more food? This would release untold amounts of carbon into the atmosphere making global warming worse.
You seem to be a very reasonable person, but the things you are saying just don't seem to make much sense. I know some family farmers down the road that do a great job of raising their livestock. I want them to stay in business, I wish you would too.
The U.S. in all it's subsidies... and in all the programs that buy all dairy, eggs and meat - that supply all Federal Instituitions... hospitals, schools, senior centers, the military are indeed (one of the largest) reasons why the meat industry exists.
For example, the beef industry gets "grazing rights" on land that is publically owned... they pay pennies an acre for this priviledge. If you or I wanted to "rent" the same property we'd never be able to do such - let alone at these prices.
The Federal government allows for hunting and gives grants to certain states to control "predators" to protect livestock... It also actively controls "invasive" species of animals and plants in order to safeguard animal agriculture.
The EPA does not hold agricultural farming to the same standards as other industries. Even though these farms are responsible for polluting ground water...
Did you even go to www.factoryfarm.org
?
Just in the research to control ticks for cattlemen - the government gives hundreds of thousands of dollars for this... and for research of better genetic lines... or research to study "meat" pathenogens... and animal diseases.
I believe you're going to have to do some more "study" on the issues rather than a quick Google... All the answers and "proof" is not going to come to you in one hour or less... I mean give it a good effort - This might be a reasonable start to how much funding and support the meat industry is given by government:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=U.S._Government%27s_War_on_Animals
It is said that without this funding - a burger would cost $30 or more... Certainly without the price supports to dairy milk would cost dozens of times over what consumers pay at the store...
And concerning the environment: Please read "Livestock's Long Shadow" or Mark Bittman's "The Meat Guzzler".
And finally, I'm certain your neighbors (down the road) are wonderful folks... I don't even know them, but I want so badly for them to succeed in a sustainable business that I wish they'd alter their "product" from livestock to producing real, healthy, sustainable "food" like grains and vegetation for human consumption.
Every indicator says this is the way the future is pointed towards... doctors know it, scientists know it... Soon Wallstreet (and economics) will catch up as well -
Like I said... it's a matter of time:
"The vegetarian and vegan segment has the potential to grow to
nearly six times its current size, which would bring the total number
of such consumers to almost 18 million adults."
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS162289+17-Jul-2008+BW20080717
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