Animal Cruelty: Who Is To Blame?

Oct 232011
 

by Angel Flinn

For many of us who are aware of the multitude of ways that animals suffer at the hands of humans around the world, this ubiquitous cruelty is the most pressing social justice issue of them all. From declawing to debeaking, ear clipping to tail docking, the suffering that human beings inflict on animals being used for food, clothing, research, ‘pets’ and entertainment appears to know no bounds, and the many brutal ways in which we force animals to succumb to our desires appear to be limited only by the scope of our imaginations.

But why does all this cruelty take place? And what can we do about this horrifying brutality as individuals? It’s easy
to point the finger at the direct perpetrators of animal cruelty as being villains who need to be brought to justice. It’s much harder – and yet much more significant – to turn that critical eye inward and ask oneself, ‘What am I doing to contribute to this?’ But it is only by asking that question that the path toward emancipation from barbaric injustice becomes clear.

The vast majority of the time, money and effort of animal welfare organizations goes toward trying to develop new laws and regulations to address the many separate issues relating to animal cruelty, while at the same time trying to force the industry to adhere to those currently in place. As explained in Are Anti-Cruelty Campaigns Really Effective?, these efforts consistently fail to create any significant improvement for animals.

Behind these campaigns lies a hidden assumption that the animal industry is responsible for animal cruelty. But is this assumption warranted? Isn’t industry simply a middle agent put in place to do the dirty deeds requested by consumers of animal products? Although it’s true that the animal industry is an eager and aggressive middle agent, its role is only that of middle agent. As such, while institutionalized exploiters certainly have a lot to answer for, it is consumers who are primarily responsible for animal cruelty through their purchases of animal products.

Many people will likely respond that their concern is not with the rights of animals not to be enslaved and killed, but with the excessive brutality in the animal industry; gratuitous violence for instance, and the cruelty that is inflicted on animals along the way to being slaughtered and butchered – debeaking, dehorning, detoeing, mulesing, castration, tail docking, etc. But as long as our society continues to treat animals as property and economic commodities, our legal system will continue to accept such mutilations as a necessary evil on the way to providing goods and services to a human population largely indifferent to what is hidden behind remote sheds and slaughterhouses.

In any case, even if we did find some way to eliminate every single practice involving physical mutilation, it’s impossible to make slavery and murder anything other than slavery and murder. We can slap fancy labels on the products of animal misery and market them as ‘humanely-raised’, ‘animal compassionate’, ‘ethically-produced’ or ‘guilt-free’, but needless killing is needless killing, and no amount of regulation can change that.

It is understandable that individual stories of horrific suffering make people want to seek out the perpetrators, bring them to justice, and protect potential victims from experiencing the same treatment. But pointing the finger at institutional exploiters ignores the most significant issue – that no matter what the suppliers do along the way, consumption of animal products ultimately requires taking animals’ lives.

How can we expect morally decent behavior from the people we ask to carry out the task of breeding, confining and ultimately killing and butchering the animals we choose to enslave and eat? These are innocent beings who most people would rather and embrace than hurt and kill.

There is something very unjust about the fact that we delegate the most obscene work of our society to a select few who are emotionally hardened enough to carry it out, only to later denigrate them for their disconnection from their natural sense of empathy. When thinking about it honestly, most of us would be hard-pressed to find it in ourselves to slaughter an animal – or to rip off her skin, or slice open her body to remove the entrails, or butcher her flesh into supermarket-sized pieces… And yet, we continue to ask others to do it for us, while most people refuse to even watch these things on video or hear others describe them.

But our distaste toward being involved in such violent acts isn’t something that should be squelched and suppressed, as Michael Pollan or Julie Powell would have us believe. No – we should be grateful for the revulsion we feel when we imagine what happens to animals in between being born and being on our plates. Our horror is a sane reaction to practices that are nothing short of horrifying.

We cannot separate ourselves from depravity simply because we have found a way to tuck the dirty deeds out of sight – behind the walls of slaughterhouses and other obscure buildings. And all the disconnection and indifference in the world cannot change the fact that it is impossible to distinguish the immorality of a Pollan-style DIY approach from the immorality of any other act of unnecessary violence.

In any court of law, those who are complicit in a crime are considered to be responsible along with those who carry it out.

As expressed so eloquently by Ralph Waldo Emerson,

“You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.”
…

Angel Flinn is Director of Outreach for Gentle World — a vegan intentional community and non-profit organization whose core purpose is to help build a more peaceful society, by educating the public about the reasons for being vegan, the benefits of vegan living, and how to go about making such a transition.

Dan Cudahy is author of Unpopular Vegan Essays: Unpopular Essays Concerning Popular Violence Inflicted On The Innocent.

“Ethical” cheese is hard to come by

Oct 232011
 

Full story: E-The Environmental Magazine

It turns out that suffering-free cheese is nearly impossible to come by. The problem for sympathetic vegetarians begins with the sourcing of milk. In factory farming dairies, milk cows are typically dosed with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to push milk production to 70 pounds per day or more. BGH promotes mastitis, a painful inflammation of the udder. Then there’s routine dosing with antibiotics to compensate for the spread of diseases on giant, crowded feedlots.

The natural life span of dairy cows is 20-25 years but they are slaughtered at four or five years because they are lame from confinement or otherwise “used up.” A spokesperson for organic milk says their milk cows are generally allowed to live a few years longer than those on factory farms but are still slaughtered for beef well before the end of their natural lives.

And there is still the issue of what happens to male calves. Milk cows have to be re-impregnated about once a year to maintain milk production, and only the female calves have value as replacement milk cows. In factory farms, male calves are slated for veal production or castrated without painkillers, fattened to maturity and slaughtered.

This story is sourced from the USA but the issues remain the same: vegetarian rennet or not, have you thought through all your eating choices?

Ban Live Exports from Australia

Jun 082011
 

The incredible story of Bill and other animals has emerged after investigation footage of animals exported live from Australia was filmed by Animals Australia investigators in Indonesia recently. Please join us, Animals Australia, and RSPCA Australia to demand justice for Bill and all animals exported live through the live export trade.

You can watch Bill’s story and cast your vote at Ban Live Export

(Please note that the second half of the video is very difficult to watch.)

If you can’t bear to watch all of the video, you can still protest about this. There is a form letter to sign, or you can write your own, and you can share it through Facebook or Twitter. Please do this – we can make a difference from here.

Parents Warned Duck Shooting Too Dangerous

May 162011
 


Careless and reckless behaviour during the first day of duck shooting has resulted in a fatal shooting and the Armed Offenders Squad arresting a gun-wielding duck shooter in a bar. Police say they received about 15 complaints relating to unsafe behaviour involving firearms.

Animal advocacy group SAFE says these incidents highlight that duck shooting is far too dangerous to be promoted as ‘fun’ and ‘sporting’.

SAFE is issuing a strong warning to parents to reconsider allowing their children to use shotguns to kill animals in the wake of the fatal shooting and police complaints. Last year a ten-year-old boy suffered serious shotgun injuries to his right hand while shooting. SAFE says it is just a matter of time before a child is hurt or killed this season.

SAFE says it is particularly deplorable that Fish and Game is this year actively promoting their ‘sport’ as fun and exciting to young children when they are effectively putting children into a war zone.

“It is ludicrous that Fish and Game are encouraging young children, some of whom could barely write their name, to hold and fire a shotgun. To place children in what is tantamount to a war zone, where 40,000 shooters are blasting at whatever moves, is reckless and irresponsible. No matter how many rules are put in place, the sad fact remains that loaded guns in the hands of over-zealous amateurs is a recipe for disaster,” says SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor.

SAFE estimates the nations’ duck shooters were responsible for shooting over 200,000 ducks, geese and swans this weekend, with as many as one-third crippled and maimed.

“International research reveals 20-45 per cent of waterfowl shot by shooters are wounded and not retrieved, causing alarming levels of suffering. SAFE believes tens of thousands of ducks, geese and swans, including non-game and protected birds, would have been left crippled in fields and lakes to die a lingering death since Saturday,” says Mr Pryor.

“To call this ‘ethical’ hunting is an oxymoron and to encourage young people to join this bloodsport is sending the wrong message to the next generation,” he says.

Teenagers as young as fifteen can shoot on their own while those under twelve can buy a hunting licence online for $2 and fire a shotgun under the supervision of someone over the age of fifteen.

SAFE calls on families to seriously consider the risk of injury to their loved ones and encourages them not to participate in the cruel ‘sport’ of duck shooting.

For more information call SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor 021 189 9226.

Christchurch Animal Aid – We Need You!

Feb 282011
 

SAFE is assisting with the Christchurch relief effort for people and animals who are separated and to support animal welfare groups on the ground. We have set up the Animal Aid facebook site which lists all the resources for those who have lost animals and those who have found them, in an attempt to link everybody up.


This Animal Aid site is for Christchurch people who have lost or found animals following the catastrophic earthquake. Please BECOME A FAN too, then SHARE with friends to help us unite people with their beloved animals. Let’s help lessen their worry and suffering.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Aid-Christchurch-Earthquake/128399143899998#!/pages/Animal-Aid-Christchurch-Earthquake/128399143899998

Silo Occupation Exposes Hen Cruelty

Feb 282011
 

MEDIA RELEASE 20 February 2011

The plight of New Zealand’s three million battery hens has prompted a daring lock-on demonstration on top of two silos at a battery hen farm in Tuakau, south of Auckland, at first light this morning.

Two activists, who are chained to two seven-metre high metal fixtures, say the sound of tens of thousands of battery hens in the sheds below is keeping them motivated and determined to stay overnight. One of the chained activists, Deirdre Sims, says while their occupation is unlawful they are prepared to be arrested in the interest of helping caged hens in New Zealand.

Local SAFE campaigners have joined a crowd of 20 demonstrators protesting outside the farm along the roadside. The national animal advocacy group says it wholeheartedly supports this peaceful demonstration as it coincides with its own NoCages campaign launched last week, calling for a ban of battery cages.

“We totally understand their frustration and conviction, given the scale of animal abuse happening inside factory farms like the one they are occupying. It should be the battery hen farmers being challenged by the law, not those advocating for the better treatment of battery hens,” says SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor.

“The New Zealand public is growing ever frustrated that two decades of Government inaction and failures to adequately amend animal welfare legislation still has the majority of layer hens in cruel cages. New Zealand claims to be a world leader in animal welfare but three million hens suffering inside cages is nothing to be proud of,” says Mr Pryor.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), which reports to the Minister of Agriculture, issued the draft welfare code for layer hens on 8 February for public consultation.

“NAWAC is foolishly recommending simply replacing existing battery hen cages with another cruel system called colony cages. This is a totally ridiculous position for NAWAC to take, which is why SAFE is calling on the public to make submissions calling for a total ban on all cage systems. Over 3000 e-card submissions have been sent to the Government since the code review process began,” says Mr Pryor.

For more information contact SAFE campaign director, Eliot Pryor, on 021 1899 226.

Going vegetarian one day a week can make a big difference

Dec 062010
 

By Carol Misseldine

Posted: 11/05/2010 10:30:00 AM PDT

The indefensible impacts of factory farms, including unspeakable animal suffering, environmental devastation and human health, are well known.

Yet over 95 percent of meat, dairy and egg products consumed in the U.S. still come from these operations. Even in “green” Marin, most fast food outlets, grocery stores and restaurants rely on factory farms for the food they offer.

The unconscionable suffering inflicted on animals should be reason enough to end these horrific operations. In a recent Washington Post column, Princeton University philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah identifies factory farming as a practice our descendents will condemn us for, just as we now condemn the once accepted practice of slavery.

The fact that animals experience fear, anger, surprise, sadness, disgust, joy, empathy and compassion is callously ignored on factory farms. Worldwide, 58 billion land animals, including birds, pigs and cows, are slaughtered for food each year; 10 billion in the U.S. That’s 31 million each day in our country alone. Most live miserable lives and die horrific deaths.

Extreme overcrowding on factory farms prohibits many from turning around or stretching their limbs for their entire lives. The dehorning, castration, tail docking and beak-trimming treatments routinely forced on farm animals without painkiller would be punishable by criminal charges if inflicted on our pets.

Since most people say they do not want animals to be abused, supporting factory farms by purchasing their products is inconsistent with most people’s values.

The environmental impacts are also devastating. Livestock production is a major contributor to biodiversity loss, land degradation and water consumption, and contributes at least 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Much of this impact comes from growing and fertilizing feed for livestock; 16 pounds of plant protein are needed to produce one pound of beef protein. A U.N. study found that “a shift “… to vegetarianism in the U.S. could reduce land and fertilizer demands of Mississippi Basin crops by over 50 percent, which would return nutrient loads to levels at which the Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ was small or nonexistent.”

Eating vegetarian one day each week reduces environmental impact to a greater extent than eating a completely local diet. Switching to a plant based diet results in greater reductions than switching from a sedan to a Prius.

When it comes to our health, research continues to underscore the impacts of the “Standard American Diet” (SAD), characterized by high consumption of animal products and low consumption of plant based foods. Cultures that eat the reverse of SAD have a lower incidence of obesity, cancer and heart disease. That’s why the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Dietetic Association, and former President Bill Clinton all promote the benefits of a plant based diet.

Some suggest free-range farming as an answer.

While this is a step in the right direction, there is simply insufficient land to pasture the 58 billion animals killed for food each year to meet current global demand. Living sustainably, and compassionately requires a reduction in our reliance on animal products.

Any major social change has relied on people of conscience to highlight indefensible practices and insist on higher standards. Factory farming is a blight on animal welfare, the environment, and human health. What we do with that knowledge defines who we are.

As Jonathan Safran Foer writes in his book, “Eating Animals,” “We can’t pretend ignorance, only indifference. The critique of factory farming has broken into public consciousness. We are the ones of whom it will be fairly asked: What did you do when you learned the truth about eating animals?”

Don’t Buy A Goat This Xmas!

Nov 152010
 

Christmas shopping, festivities and gluttony is well and truly upon us. As we think about what gifts to give our loved ones, SAFE Campaign Officer Mandy Carter reflects on the growing popularity of ‘ethical gifts’.

pigOver the last few years, several aid agencies and organisations have been offering alternative gifts for the caring consumer or the person that has it all, in the form of a donation which will provide something for those desperately in need – solar panels for the eco warrior in your life or a symbolic ‘urine bottle’ for those into activism. In New Zealand, there is Oxfam’s ‘Unwrapped’ scheme which tenders gifts for ‘Animal Lovers’, effectively offering an animal’s life as a present. You can load the gift basket with goats, ducks and donkeys! On sale are piglets for $40 each or a pair of chickens for $14. The idea is that these animals will be farmed or eaten in third-world countries, providing both an income and food for impoverished communities. Handily, the animals pictured on the website are also dressed in funky clothing just so we know they’re having a good time too!

Although these schemes may seen a great idea at first, behind the bright colours and friendly theme is a more serious issue that raises many questions. Such as, what type of situation does this pose for the animals? Are we placing the animals at risk in an attempt to help poor communities? Does this form of donation really help solve the issues? And what about the way the animals are pictured dressed up?

goatOf course many thoughtful shoppers will happily purchase these ethical gifts in the belief they’re doing some good at a time when most people are buying their least favourite uncle yet another pair of unwanted socks. However there are some important issues you should consider before hitting that ‘buy now’ button.

Quite simply, these schemes cannot offer animals a life that meets all their needs. Absolute essentials to animals are space, proper nourishment, water, shelter, access to veterinary care and an ability to exhibit their natural behaviour. Resources are in critically short supply in many third-world countries, exactly the reason why aid agencies are actively trying to help, so it is unreasonable to expect impoverished communities to be able to provide adequately for the animals in their care.

SAFE as an animal advocacy organisation will always speak up for our furry (and not so furry!) friends but this is not all about animals, this kind of gift doesn’t help people either. Livestock farming uses up agricultural land, water and other resources that could be far more efficiently used for growing food for people to eat directly. One example is it takes over seven kilograms of grain to produce less than 500 grams of edible animal flesh, making meat consumption a very inefficient use of grain. Another reason not to encourage meat eating is the growing evidence that it can cause serious diseases such as cancer.

There is something demeaning about picturing the animals dressed up also. Not only do we potentially fate them to a life of suffering, but they are humiliated at the same time – dressing up the very serious issue of dealing with world hunger in a funny wig and sunglasses. Charities must work together to make a better world, and campaign on issues which will benefit humans, animals and the environment for the betterment of all.

So what’s the alternative to ‘the alternative’ present for the ethically-minded person? I suggest still donating to your favourite charity, just check that your money is going to the campaign you want it too! Be really in-keeping with that Christmas spirit and do something positive and proactive, but costs little, such as planting a tree with your family (try Google for schemes near you, or Aucklanders visit volunteer in parks. Another alternative is the Karori Sanctuary Trust. Why not think about New Zealand’s own animals this Christmas and pledge to go veg? Check out SAFE’s new Go Veg Starter Kit. This helps not only animals and your own health and wellbeing, but also reduces the pull on the world’s resources.
Have a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year!

PS. If you have some spare time to give this Christmas too, please consider signing up to be a collector during SAFE’s annual appeal in December!

$2 million Anti-Factory Farming Fund Launched

Nov 082010
 

8 November 2010

A two-million-dollar fund is being launched today to challenge cruel factory farming practices in New Zealand in an effort to stop widespread animal suffering on factory farms. National animal advocacy group SAFE will administer the fund and says the Animal Justice Fund (AJF) will act as a national watchdog for factory pig, chicken and battery hen farms.

The Animal Justice Fund has been established to promote animal protection through strategic litigation, public awareness campaigns and the prosecution of persons or businesses who commit offences against animals on factory farms or through commercial practices.

The Animal Justice Fund is financed by former Kathmandu founder and philanthropist Jan Cameron. Ms Cameron and SAFE are confident that the AJF will have a significant impact on cruel farming practices in New Zealand.

“Ms Cameron is a passionate supporter of SAFE’s factory farming campaigns and has, over the last four years, donated more than A$35million to various human and animal-related causes in Australia and New Zealand,” says SAFE director Hans Kriek.

“The Animal Justice Fund will enable SAFE to step up its public awareness campaigns and provide a strategic opportunity to take court action against companies who mislead consumers about the origins of their products. SAFE may even challenge, in the High Court, welfare codes that allow ongoing abuse of animals,” says Mr Kriek.

The Animal Justice Fund will also provide rewards of up to $30,000 for information provided by farm workers and other industry insiders who expose animal cruelty that leads to a successful prosecution or a significant animal welfare outcome.

“In New Zealand, no routine inspections of factory farms are carried out by animal welfare enforcement agencies. This means that animal welfare standards are not properly monitored, let alone enforced, and the suffering of millions of animals goes unnoticed. The need to encourage those who witness cruelty to come forward is more critical than ever,” says Mr Kriek.

Ms Cameron has initiated a similar Animal Justice Fund in Australia where she has contributed A$5million. SAFE is extremely grateful for Ms Cameron’s generosity and willingness to help factory-farmed animals in New Zealand.

“Ms Cameron has a proven track record as an astute business woman and she will bring that same level of determination to the campaign to improve the lives of millions of abused factory-farmed animals in New Zealand,” says Mr Kriek.

For more information contact SAFE director, Hans Kriek on 027 446 2711.

Photographs of animal cruelty on New Zealand factory farms or examples of SAFE’s new ‘Animal Justice Fund Whistleblower’ advertisements, that will soon be appearing in rural newspapers, are available on request. For more information visit: The Animal Justice Fund

Three Young Cows Seek Safe Haven

Nov 082010
 

When a compassionate Auckland woman noticed heifers (female calves) grazing at an organic fruit and vegetable farm, she asked what their destiny would be.

Sadly they would face the same torturous lifestyle as other “dairy” cows who are forcefully impregnated every year, have their newborn calves wrenched from them annually and are exploited for their milk until they are slaughtered for hamburger meat at an early age.

These beautiful heifers are almost 11-months-old, will eat from a human hand and need havens where they can live out their natural life-spans of up to 25 years without being exploited as milk or breeding machines or slaughtered for their flesh or skins.

If you know of a sincere soul in the North Island who will allow any of these creatures to simply be appreciated for their beauty and gentle natures, please contact me immediately. The farmer is planning to sell them on Trade Me so time is of the essence…

Animal Re-Homing

 Older Entries
If you found this information useful, please consider a small donation to help us create event more. You can Donate here. We use PayPal for safe online transactions.
© 2011 NZ Vegetarian Society Site by HMU