What can we realistically do to creat real change to reduce cruelty to animals raised for human consumption?

Question

Understand that I absolutely do not believe that an animals life has near the importance or relavance than that of a human beings life. On the other hand, the deplorable conditions and the unjust manner and cruelty with which some animals are treated is morally wrong. However, I am of the belief that for optimal health, ones diet should include some animal products, which for me includes only milk and eggs. That being said, even though these animals are not slaughtered to obtain the milk or eggs, I know that many of them are treated poorly and live miserable lives, and will ultimatly be slaughtered. If someone could share with me practical ways of reducing this suffering I would like to hear them. For me, becoming a vegan is not an option. I don't believe in the end it will make a significant change to the situation. A practical suggestion is one that will be endorsed by non veggies, as they are the consumers of these products and make up most of the population.

"MAX MARIE" You are obviously very passionate about this subject. And although thoughful, you have not offered any solutions that will lead to real and signioficant. Maybe every little bit does help, but in the grand scheme of things it simply does not lead to real change. I will agree to disagree with you with regard to the benefits of a vegan diet. Short term, I believe it can have fabulous health benefits. Long term, I personally don't think so, at least that was the case for me. For every source you have stating the benefits of a vegan diet, there are others that refute there argument. And I am fully aware of the abuses that are taking place with these animals. What I am looking for are practical solutions that will be accepted by main stream omni-vores which have the potential to lead to real change. I personally believe that the media has to play a much bigger role than they presently do to bring about real change.

Answer 1

I think I might be able to help. I did some research, and found out how horribly laying hens are treated, and how toxic commercial milk is. First, the hens. They are often force molted, to improve their output, by starving them for up to 14 days at a time. They are fed pesticide laden grains, growth hormones and antibiotics, which passes into the eggs. When they are too useless to lay anymore eggs, they are slaughtered and turned in to canned meats and cat food. Now, for the milk. Cows, too, are first fed the wrong diet. Cows are meant to eat grass. They are fed a diet of pesticide laden grains, and often brains and other organ meats from their dead ancestors. They, too, are given milk producing hormones, steroids, and antibiotics which pass into the milk. The milk is ultra pasturized, which renders it nutritionally void, and it is there "enhanced" with synthetic vitamins. I gave up milk and eggs for over 10 years, but missed them desperately, although I was highly lactose intollerant, and got very ill after drinking milk. A year ago, a friend introduced me to raw milk and dairy. I was skeptical at first, but tried it and tolerated it well. I joined a local food co op (I have lived in my small town for over 20 years, and had no idea we had such a thing) I was able to join a cow share program, where I can get milk, butter, cream, and cheese from my cow. My daughter and I visit our pampered, well cared for cow all the time. We thank her for the gift of her dairy products. When she calves, we go without milk so she can nurse her calf. As for the eggs, we use organic, free range eggs from well treated hens. I feel like this is a more reasonable option than supporting commercial companies who mistreat their animals. Fresh, raw dairy and organic eggs seam a much more humane option. We are enjoying the benefits of these gifts, and the animals are well cared for and cherished. Google raw milk for sources where you might be able to obtain it. It is much more readily available than many people realize. If you need more info, feel free to email me. THanks for caring, I hope this helps some

Answer 2

I know you don't like Max Marie' s answer but it is
right on point. I don't have much too add and I'm
glad. I know I can be long-winded.

Vegetarian outreach and lobbying for reforms
such as ending beak searing, the use of shock
devices, the practice of skinning animals alive,
requiring anesthetics for castrating, etc. are
worthy efforts.

The reason I think reform is so important is because
it drives up the cost of production and the product
and makes factory farming more of a hassle.
If it's not worth it, who wants to keep doing it?

Laboratory grown meat is a great hope for
animals also. If you can produce something
in a lab that is free of toxins, triglycerides,fat,
and hormones, health conscious people will
switch from slaughtered meat. Factory farming
can be reduced, possibly even phased out.

Newcastle, bird flu, Mad Cow and diseases
to be named later will probably compel people
to switch to something besides breeded and
cloned meat.

I think these are our most reasonable hopes.
Gentle persuasion from mother nature and
activists will produce more results than any
moral argument than I can give. All we can
do is explain our position and do our best,
but it always seems to take alienating forces
to push unwilling people into doing what is
morally right.

Answer 3

Cookie: Veal is made by preventing the calf from using its muscles, which makes it soft, and depriving the calf of iron making veal light in color. That is why they are locked up in wooden gating, so they can't move and cannot get any iron (which they could if the gates were metal, they would lick the metal for iron). So in concept, free range veal isn't the same as veal that is generally developed.

There are a few things:
*As many have said, organic, since it is supposed to provide for better conditions for the animals
*Introducing people to good vegetarian food, most people, even some vegetarians haven't eaten really good veggie food (find a good restaurant)

Answer 4

Buy organic, or from local farmers.
Most see that their animals are well taken care of and humanely dispatched. Chickens and other fowl are usually free ranged. Same with cattle, goats, and other hooved animals. Some feed all organic where some have are not able too afford the expensive feed but still make sure that their livestock is properly taken care of.

Answer 5

You can go organic. I am. Organic eggs and milk come from organic animals.. And all organic animals are raised without abuse and aside from that organic products are so much tastier and healthier for you. The more people go organic, the less business the slaughter houses will get.. And they will have to stop slaughtering and abusing the animals.. Of course we can't force everyone to go organic but the more people that do, means less people that are eating animals that have been treated cruely. I don't believe that animals are just as important as humans but they are still a huge part of our earth and I don't mean as food. And I don't believe that going vegan or vegiterian helps anything because even though you aren't eating meat you are taking away from the animals food supplies. If you get "normal" eggs from a store, your getting eggs that come from chickens that are so crammed in their cages that they cannot move, if you get organic eggs you are getting eggs that come from chickens that are free range and free to move around and do everything as they please. If you get "regular" milk you are getting milk from a cow that has spent her whole life hooked to a mechine that sucks the milk outta her and the only other thing she does is breed, til she gets too sick to do anything and is sent off to be eaten.. Then there is organic milk, which comes from cows that live in feilds where they can roam and do everything they please, and they don't spend their whole lives breeding and having the milk sucked from them.. Organic animals are treated like pets. It costs alittle more but for your health and the sake of the animals it is worth it.

Answer 6

The best thing we can do is keep talking about it. Keep living the best lives we can. Be the best example we can. Do so compassionately. Not like zealots. Speak kindly. Speak lovingly.

Never stop learning. Look for the right opportunity to launch dialog on the situation concerning the deplorable conditions that constitute factory farming.

But again, speak with compassion for your fellow listener. Watch closely for that moment when they can no longer bear it and shut down. Change the subject immediately.

The cows and chickens who give you milk and eggs are killed when they no longer produce. Cows go to slaughter. Chickens are just killed. There is no longer a market for spent hen meat.

We have a local organic free range egg farm, Petaluma Poultry. Their euthanasia habits are so bad they've spawned the term "zombie chicken." These poor "spent hens" are gassed and buried in sawdust. But so many of them aren't dead. So they crawl out of the sawdust only to be captured and gassed again.

Who would do that to such a beatiful creature with such a strong will to live?

Your standard dairy cow can life 20 years or so. A "spent" dairy cow is slaughtered at around 6 years old. That's after having calf after calf ripped away from her. Very often having to hear her bably slaughtered. They are not slaughtered humanely. They die screaming. That dairy cow will spend her life suffering from mastitis (swollen pus laden udders) and ketosis. Ketosis is the same illness people get from high protein diets. Their improperly nourished body begins to digest itself to survive. A poorly nourished dairy cow will digest herself in order to give us milk. She will most likely have had her tail hacked off and cauterized without the benefit of anesthetic.

We do not need any animal product in our diet. Many notable doctors such as Dr. Neal Bernard are showing that some of our most chronic diseases can be reversed with a vegan diet.

Don't worry. I'm not trying to convert you. Just painting the real picture for you.

EVERY little bit counts. If your meat loving friend wants to "cut back" - don't give him or her a bad time. Help them! Encourage them. Treat them to fantastic vegetarian meals. Encourage them to buy their meats from sustainable organic farmers. Zombie Chicken is better than Battery Cage Chicken.

I have done a lot to improve the eating habits of many of my friends and family in this way.

Help yourself by keeping tabs on your favorite animal activist sites. Watch slaughter factories and auction houses go down one by one.

Vegetarians save 95 animals a year. Hungry children can be fed the grain not needed to keep sad little dairy cows alive in their pathetic conditions. Thirsty people can be given the water not needed to clean up all that excrement and blood.

Be gentle with yourself. You can't help anyone if you spend too much time watching PETA videos then suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.

Answer 7

confident they do. I went for a walk interior the park with my puppy goat Gary and he observed what each and all of the teenage goats recently could call a 'super extra healthful goat'. She replaced into somewhat somewhat if I do say so myself. in any case, while Gary observed her he have been given all shy and he started out blushing sooo plenty his total face went purple and that i nevertheless there replaced into something incorrect with him!! So I rushed him to scientific institution and that they only referred to as me loopy for taking a goat to a scientific institution no longer a vet.

Answer 8

you said many of em are treated badly,
i say all of em are treated like they're in hell, the abuse never stops, if the choice is between death or be a chicken in a cage, i'm sure everyone will chose death, then if the chicken had a choice, i'm sure the chicken will chose death, so the torture is unfair in everyway, the only thing I do is stay out of the way, see no evil, hear no evil

Answer 9

Free range. Let them wander in a natural way. I am actually interested in free range veal. People have such a problem with veal, but I believe that if we let the calves live happy calf lives, they will not have to endure the mostly cruel existance of being a full grown cow.

Answer 10

i am so sick of this! we have to be able to do something about animal cruelty? If we all got in a big group we might go to jail but it is for the sake of animals,we could protest.


SAVE THE ANIMALS!