|
Factory Farming
Many people believe their food comes from the traditional image of farming that we see in movies, cartoons, and advertising. The image is this: Cows, pigs and birds living happily on a small family owned farm. Sadly this vision is a thing of the past. Family farms are no longer the majority and most farmed animals do not live their lives happily roaming in pastures. Like many industries farming has become industrialized.
When one thinks of a factory, they think of mass production. A factory farm is no different. The goal is to turn out the highest amount of product at the lowest cost to maximize profits. When this philosophy is applied to living beings, there is little concern for health or happiness. Every year nearly 10 billion animals die after spending a lifetime in these horrific living conditions which makes mainstream farming today a grim reality.
"Aren't farm animals protected by law?" you ask. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) is the main federal law that covers farmed animals. However, it excludes chickens, turkeys, rabbits and fish. The HMSA's most important provision is the requirement that animals covered by the Act be rendered unconscious before being slaughtered. There are no federal laws covering how animals are treated on the farm.
Some states have taken steps to pass their own laws on the "humane" raising of animals raised for food. For example, the gestation crate (two foot wide metal enclosures used to confine breeding pigs) has been banned in Florida and Arizona.
In order to learn about specific animals and their lives in an age of industrialized farming, please click on the following links:
Factory Farming:
www.FactoryFarming.com
www.hsus.org/farm/
www.vivausa.org/campaigns/index.htm
www.factoryfarm.org
www.mercyforanimals.org/factory_farming.asp
Cows:
www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_cows.asp
www.factoryfarm.com/topics/cattle/facts/
Pigs:
www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_pigs.asp
www.factoryfarming.com/pork.htm
Birds:
www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_chickens.asp
www.chickenindustry.com
Egg Laying Hens:
www.factoryfarming.com/eggs.htm
www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_chickens_egg.asp
Dairy Cows:
www.factoryfarming.com/dairy.htm
Veal:
www.noveal.org
www.factoryfarming.com/veal.htm
Fois Gras:
www.gourmetcruelty.com
www.nofoiegras.org
www.stopforcefeeding.com/page.php?module=home
Fish:
www.factoryfarming.com/fish.htm
www.fishinghurts.com/fishFarms.asp
Environment:
www.pleasebekind.com/coexist.html
www.factoryfarm.com/topics/air
www.factoryfarm.com/topics/water
Workers Rights:
www.factoryfarming.com/labor_dairy.htm
www.goveg.com/workerRights_farms.asp
Animation:
www.themeatrix.com
www.meatrix2.com
Companion Animals
 Companion Animals have a different role in our society than wild animals or farm animals. We share our lives and homes with them and because of this connection they become a member of the family. However, companion animals are still subjected to some of the same problems as other animals even though they are held in such high regard. Facilities as innocent looking as pet shops may sacrifice animal welfare concerns for the sake of making money by buying their animals from facilities like puppy mills. Companion animal abandonment and overpopulation is a massive problem. Dog and cat overpopulation means many homeless animals and not enough people or shelters to take them in. This results in euthanizing unwanted animals. On top of these issues is the unmistakable link between animal cruelty and human violence.
All fifty states have anti-cruelty laws making it a crime to mistreat dogs, cats and horses. The definition of cruel usually refers to killing, injuring, or causing pain but also may extend to the deprivation of food, water and shelter. In some states, animal cruelty is classified as a felony, meaning that the punishment could include imprisonment and heavy fines. Anti-cruelty cases are handled in criminal court and are prosecuted by the state. The law also allows the owner/guardian of a killed or injured pet to sue in a civil court case for compensation but what is available is different in each state.
Please take a look at the links below to learn more about animal welfare issues that effect companion animals.
Rescue Shelters:
www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=shelter_2k5_searchShelter
www.hsus.org/pets/animal_shelters
Overpopulation and Spay/Neuter:
www.helpinganimals.com/ga_spay.asp
www.idausa.org/facts/overpopulation.html
Pet Shops and Puppy Mills:
www.stoppuppymills.org
www.idausa.org/campaigns.html
Bringing a Companion Animal into Your Home:
www.helpinganimals.com/ga_petstore.asp
Animal Cruelty and Human Violence:
www.hsus.org/hsus_field/first_strike_the_connection_between_animal_cruelty
Wildlife
 There are many issues that fall under the category of wildlife and conservation. Hunting, poaching, habitat destruction and endangered species are just a few. As the human species uses more land and resources, more animals are put in danger and are becoming extinct.
There is very little protection for wild animals. However some laws have helped protect wildlife from the dangers of the modern world. The Endangered Species Act is a federal law that makes it illegal to harm or kill endangered species and protects the habitats in which they live. Today there are over 1,300 species listed as threatened or endangered on the Endangered Species Act. Animals become endangered from either hunting and poaching or loss of habitat from logging, oil drilling and pollution. Bald eagles, grizzly bears and gray whales are three species who have recovered from near extinction as a result of this law and who have been removed from the list.
Take a look at these links and familiarize yourself with some of the major issues that affect our world's wildlife.
Endangered Species:
www.worldwildlife.org/endangered
www.bagheera.com/inthewild/classroom.htm
Urban Wildlife:
www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_and_habitat_protection_programs/
www.hsus.org/wildlife/urban_wildlife_our_wild_neighbors/
www.pleasebekind.com/coexist.html
Bush Meat:
www.bushmeat.net/writings.html
Habitat Destruction:
www.greenpeace.org/india/campaigns/save-our-seas/threats/habitat-destruction
Hunting:
www.hsus.org/Stop-Canned-Hunts.html
www.stopthesealhunt.com
Rain Forest:
www.janegoodall.org/news/topics/topics.asp?Category_ID=4
Animal Testing/Vivisection
Make up, skin care, home cleaning products, medicines and psychological testing are a few of the reasons why animals are used for experimentation. Some companies perform tests on animals to gather safety data of products used by the public. Or as with vivisection, animals are used in experiments to learn more about the inner workings of the body. Sometimes this research is used for important medical purposes but more often than not, it is used for mundane products like bathroom cleaner, eye drops, or so a student can dissect a frog.
Most people believe that the law requires animal testing on cosmetics to test for safety or else it wouldn't be done. This is not true. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that companies perform safety testing, but it does not need to be done on animals. However, it is the traditional way companies have shown (in the event of a lawsuit) that their products are safe to use. With public pressure, many companies have switched to cruelty-free alternatives using cell, tissue and organ cultures and computer models.
Take a look at these links to learn more:
Animal Testing:
www.stopanimaltests.com
www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/animal_testing
www.mercyforanimals.org/cosmetic_testing.asp
www.mercyforanimals.org/vivisection.asp
Vivisection/School Dissection:
www.animalearn.org
www.aavs.org
www.dissectionalternatives.org
www.navs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ain_edu_other_resources
Click on this link to find out what companies do and don't test on animals:
www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp
Entertainment
When children are small, there is nothing more exciting than seeing an animal up close at a petting zoo, watching them do funny tricks at the circus or watching animals on TV and motion pictures. However, the animals may pay a high price and often lead miserable lives just so the public can see them up close and personal.
The federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is a group of laws that sets standards for the care and treatment of animals in zoos, aquariums and circuses. The AWA provides that zoo and circus animals are entitled to food, water, rest, veterinary care and to be free from "unnecessary discomfort." Training methods commonly used in the entertainment industry are not covered, so the use of bullhooks and whips on performing elephants, bears and big cats is legal. The AWA does not protect animals in other types of "entertainment" such as rodeos and horse and dog races.
Take a look at these links to see how animals are treated when used for human entertainment.
Zoos:
www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/zoos/
Circus:
www.circuses.com
www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/circuses/
www.idausa.org/campaigns/circuses/circus.html
www.mercyforanimals.org/circuses.asp
Rodeo:
www.RodeoCruelty.com
www.idausa.org/campaigns/sport/rodeo/rodeo.html
Film/TV:
www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_film
Animal Fighting:
www.hsus.org/hsus_field/animal_fighting_the_final_round/
www.idausa.org/campaigns/sport/cock/cockfighting.html
Racing:
www.idausa.org/facts/racing.html
Marine Parks:
www.idausa.org/campaigns.html
Animal Skins/Clothing
While a leather wallet or the fur trim on a jacket may look cool, the animal cruelty behind these items is not. Cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, raccoons, minks, and many other animals often suffer for fashion. Leather is a by-product of the suffering of cows and pigs on factory farms. To make a single fur coat, 60 mink must endure unthinkable abuses on fur farms or possibly suffer for many days in the wild caught in traps. Many Australian sheep raised for their wool will endure heat exhaustion, mutilation, and cruel live-export.
There are no national laws that protect the treatment of animals raised and killed for their fur. Of all the animal industries, it is probably the least regulated. But individual states have made significant progress. Eight states (and more than 85 countries) have passed their own legislation prohibiting or limiting the use of the steel jaw leghold trap - the most commonly used trap in the industry. And in New York, a law was passed in 2007 prohibiting the use of electrocution to kill animals on fur farms.
Visit these websites to learn more about the hidden cost of fur, leather, and wool.
Fur Farms:
www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/
www.furisdead.com
www.furkills.org
Leather:
www.cowsarecool.com/theFacts.asp
www.cowsarecool.com/otherAnimals.asp
Wool:
www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=55
Are Animals Sentient?
 Are animals sentient beings? Do they have feelings? Do they lead rich emotional lives that we can relate to? One may say you only have to look as far as the difference in personality between one cat and another to know that each animal has his own cares and concerns. There are many studies proving animals lead intricate emotional lives although we may not always understand them. Take a look at these sites and see for yourselves. You may find an elephant mourning over the loss of her young or a sheep that likes it when you smile.
www.sentientbeings.org
www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/writes/intros/sentience.html
|
