So, as promised I said I would share about the various effects that animal agriculture/meat production/consuming meat has on suffering, our environment and our health.

The first thing I want to talk about is suffering, (*insert sigh here*) I know no one wants to talk about suffering but it’s important to understand the truth behind these industries. I’m going to focus on the meat industry today, but there are so many industries exploiting animals. Just to name a few- the fur industry, animal testing for chemicals, cosmetics, body care, household cleaners etc. We’ll get to these topics another time. I realize that I can’t effectively cover all topics in one post so todays post will just be in regards to suffering in animal agriculture.

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”-Paul McCartney

I’m sitting here wondering where the heck to start, I take a deep breath here and realize that what I’m sitting here writing about means I have to relive the images, the videos, the absolute HORROR that I have seen in slaughterhouses. I have never been to a slaughterhouse but there are a TON of undercover organizations who go into these places and film so that the general public can see the truth. We would like to think that in a slaughterhouse an animal still has rights, it still receives proper care, and respect for the fact that it’s a living, breathing being-but in a slaughterhouse an animal is strictly property. When you view something as property and not something with a soul, with emotions and with rights, you are starkly disconnected from it. When you stop seeing an animal as something that feels pain and something that wants to live, you do whatever you want to it. Many, certainly not all-of the heinous torture acts that go on in slaughterhouses is as follows; many animals are repeatedly electrocuted with electric prods in their anus, their eyes, their mouths, anywhere to cause maximum suffering; they are severely beaten with various objects like metal poles, they are kicked in the face, their heads are stomped on, their limbs are broken, they are painfully branded and in some cases they are stabbed. This barely covers the surface of the suffering that happens.

“This pig, tied and immobilized, unsuccessfully tries to escape while the workers for several minutes pulls out the piglets. They remove her intestines, liver and other internal organs while she suffers terribly. The animal is left in agony with internal organs spread over the ground until she dies several minutes later.”

If you still don’t believe me, I am linking the video so you can see for yourself. I will warn you this video is extremely brutal and I guarantee seeing this, will change the way you look at meat.
http://www.animalequality.net/news/360/pigs-brutally-stabbed-swords-spanish-pig-farm-supply-leading-uk-supermarket-morrisons

Let’s talk about living conditions…as you can see in the photo below, animals aren’t given any room to walk, or let alone turn around. Pigs are extremely intelligent animals, smarter than your dog actually and confinement like this with zero stimulation essentially makes animals go crazy. Chickens begin to peck at each other for stimulation…so the result was to chop off their beaks- a very, very painful process. You know those days you feel cooped up in the house? Try living in your bath tub for your entire life, and being tortured everyday. That’s the life of a factory farm animal.

I’ve included this photos, which to be honest aren’t even close to the violent videos I’ve seen. If you’re upset by this-you should be. You have the power-it’s on the end of your fork. You, in this moment can decide that you don’t want to contribute to this suffering.

Lastly, you might be saying…well the animals already been killed why not eat it? It’s a good question and one that I receive all the time. The answer to that is simple. If everyone stopped buying meat today-the demand for meat would stop, therefore they wouldn’t continue to produce animals for meat that no one is buying. It’s simple supply and demand. WHERE YOU PUT YOUR DOLLAR IS WHERE YOU PUT YOUR SUPPORT. If you choose to consume meat and meat products, you ARE directly supporting this kind of suffering. You are telling the meat industry, hey I want more of this keep doing what your doing, that includes suffering. If you stop purchasing meat and meat products, you and millions of other people are helping save an animal every single day. You’re telling the meat industry, I’m better than this, I care, and I don’t support this.

I could truly go on, and on, and on about the suffering endured in every aspect of meat and meat products (eggs, and dairy) forever. However, I’m hoping that this had an impact on you. If it didn’t I encourage you to watch the video I posted above, or go on youtube and search slaughterhouse and watch those videos, that will be all the information you need to make a decision.