The meat munching and dairy slurping dilemma (part 2)

I've been meaning to get round to writing this part 2 blog for a while. I am conscious that people may start to regard me as some sort of 'vegan dictator'. I don't want that. It took me a while to recognise that there is so much misinformation out there regarding health and diet. My main aim here is to raise awareness, especially for those who are hoping to avoid a chronic illness, or who have a chronic illness and want to improve their health and for those that want to help make the world a better place. I'm not trying to put down meat eaters, farmers or anyone. I simply want people to be open to the possibility that the choices they may be making could be improved for the sake of themselves, their children and the planet. My worry is that until we are all fully aware enough to make better choices, things will only get worse. By worse I mean, more animals will suffer and be abused, more people will get fatter and sicker and our planet will continue to die.


A few things prompted me to start typing this blog today. The first was a Facebook post from a friend, 'Everyone should see this side to cows'. It shows a side to cows that most will not have seen. Friendly, playful animals. We are not used to images like this. Farm animals playing like domesticated pets. We don't like seeing this...we might need to reconsider our views...that they are more than simply steaks or burgers on legs. The second, was an article about a Texas couple who gave up cattle ranching to become vegans and turned their ranch into a sanctuary. (Click here to see) The part that tugged my heart was when the rancher would take away the calves to slaughter...“The mother cows would cry into the night and I’d go out and cry with them even at midnight.” And finally, a very current issue... fox hunting. This new ad campaign (League Against Cruel Sports- Click to watch ad) has been designed to make you reconsider your views and it is similar in style to this other short movie about adopting new pets (Gift - watch the clip) These links show me that we are growing in awareness regarding these issues. They highlight that we are beginning to see animals as sentient beings...not just slabs of meat. They help us to think beyond our ingrained egocentricity that has brainwashed us into believing that humans are the superior beings. Is it really any different from racism or sexism?


The question of whether animals are sentient or not, is a biggy. It used to crop up on a regular basis when I was studying psychology.  "Are animals sentient beings?",  "Do animals have language?", "Are animals aware?" These questions used to frustrate me so much. The real question should be "Do animals deserve the moral consideration of humans in our egocentric world?" Each of these questions are an essay in themselves, but for the purpose of this blog I'm going with the view that they are sentient; they feel pain, experience pleasure, they have a survival instinct and are aware of their existence. I don't think that we need to put animals through unnecessary torture to prove this. And this blog today will discuss this in some more detail.


As I said earlier, animal welfare wasn't really something I considered beyond my own pets. But a change in my own eating habits gave me permission (or I allowed myself) to watch some videos regarding this issue (The links to these videos are on the sidebar of my blog). Frankly, I was shocked. How did I not know about the barbaric torture and abuse of  animals that is commonplace in this world? I am as 'normal' as the next person, so I have come to understand that the reason for this widespread maltreatment of animals, especially in the intensive factory farming industry and why it goes on without anything being done about it, is because not many people know about it. Those that do know, are ones that tend to take a stand on the issue while the rest of the population continue to dine on, oblivious to how the animal that ended up on their plate was treated before it died for them - perhaps hoping/trusting that the animal was treated humanely first.

It can't be easy working in the animal food industry. In the UK alone, over 22 million animals are slaughtered every day!! Animals are more often than not seem as produce, not living, sentient beings. Cattle are dehorned and branded without anaesthetic, kept in barns with no outdoor exercise and milked until they die an early death. In large pig market factories, sows are kept in gestation crates unable to turn or move to look after their piglets. Tail docking and castration (on piglets) are done without anaesthetic. Pigs are often slaughtered after ineffective stunning or electrocution and put into boiling water still alive.  And chickens, oh how we love to eat those! Over 950 million chickens are killed each year in the UK (source to statistics). In intensive chicken factories, chickens are debeaked which often causes severe injury. Hens are packed tightly into wired, battery cages unable to spread their wings and disease is rife.
Many animals die during transportation to the slaughterhouse due to overcrowding, low/high temperatures or poor handling. The methods used to stun animals before slaughter often do not work and they are conscious when their throats are slit.  In a PETA video (link to PETA video) narrated by Paul McCartney, he is famously quoted as saying "if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everybody would be vegetarian." If you watch the video, you will understand why he said this.
In the UK, there are slaughterhouse regulations which are supposed to be followed and vets are supposed to monitor animal welfare. Sadly though, there has been criticism from the European Commission regarding the lack of this monitoring (source).
Footage of the barbaric leather and fur industries, especially those in China, have me in tears every time I watch. Dogs, cats, foxes, in
fact anything with fur, skinned more often than not, alive. These animals used in this trade are then butchered and fed to the other animals waiting to die for their fur. Beautiful, white Angora rabbits, pinned to boards while their fur is cruelly ripped off their bodies as they scream in terror and pain, then thrown back in their cage for the process to be repeated several more times. Baby seals bludgeoned to death in front of their mothers for their fur... What, I ask, is the real cost of a fur coat?

Then there is the science industry, which uses animals in various (Link to gov figures/report) Animals are cut open, shocked, poisoned, gassed, burned, deprived, neglected and psychologically tortured. They never know a kind word, see the outside world or walk on grass and we do this in the name of scientific advancement, such as the creation of new drugs.
Animal testing is hugely controversial with many arguing that these tests, while some may help to create a beneficial drug, many substances tested will never be used for anything, thus the animal suffers or dies in vain. Also, animal testing is very costly with countless animals killed after testing (even if they recover). But, the main criticism is that animal testing is never fully reliable as humans and animals respond differently to various drugs, which begs the question...why test if comparisons cannot be made?
types of testing.  In the UK, legislation against animal testing has been tightened over the years, partly in response to growing public awareness and concern however,  recent government statistics show that despite pressure to reduce testing, the number of animal experiments continues to increase with 4.12 million procedures carried out in 2013!
I've covered many areas of animal abuse, but there are many more...animals used for entertainment purposes, such as zoos, rodeos, dog fighting, dog and horse racing, circuses and street entertainers. There is also the sickening whaling (Norway, Japan and Iceland) and dolphin trade (Japan)...words quite simply fail me when I watch footage of these beautiful mammals being slaughtered. And the fishing industry, where our seas are overfished and ecosystems are destroyed.

My words won't mean a jot unless you see for yourself the cruelty that exists in our world today. I urge you to take the time and have the courage to watch either 'Earthlings' or 'If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls.' I personally feel that there is a growing cultural shift where people are becoming more compassionate towards their fellow wo(man), more "green", more consciously aware, who are moving towards vegetarianism and veganism.  The flip side however, is one much darker. I have read recently that there is a rise in animal cruelty (source) In the news too, we read more frequently about child abuse scandals, human rights violations and war. Two groups of people poles apart. Hopefully, those in the middle will shift more to the 'compassionate side.' Time will tell.

When I started my experiment with being vegan it was purely for health reasons. Animal welfare and
saving the planet were secondary to me at that point. I guess I just didn't have the guts to look at these issues. I was frightened of what I would learn...I knew the reality would not bode well to someone such as myself, that considered themselves an animal lover. It is only now, after taking the time to learn about it, I can say I wish I had found this stuff out before now, I would have tried harder to change. I'm still trying hard to keep changing. I eat a vegan diet and I am now moving towards a vegan lifestyle. I have many boots, shoes and bags which are leather. I will continue to use these until they are done as just throwing them out is, in my opinion disrespectful to the animals that died for them. I am also trying to find and purchase vegan beauty products. It is a learning curve which I hope to share with those willing to listen...to shift along with me. Small steps...

The final part (3) of this blog will cover how moving to a vegan lifestyle can save our planet.