Meet the animals we farm for food

_Elsa_

‘Food production kills billions of animals each year. That’s more than all other forms of animal use combined. Millions more farmed animals suffer in cruel confinement. Humans consume some amazing animals. Fishes have great memories. Chickens think about their future. Pigs can play video games. And cows love to jump and play in the sunshine. The evidence is clear: the animals we eat are capable of thinking, feeling, and suffering just like cats, dogs, and humans.

While relatively few people eat a completely vegetarian or vegan diet, support is strong for protecting farmed animals. Most people continue to believe that meat is “necessary,” but most people also believe in giving farmed animals the same consideration as pets.

ON THE FARM - Before they are slaughtered for food, or when they are used to produce eggs and dairy, animals live in cramped conditions. Mother pigs who are constantly pregnant live in gestation crates where they cannot stand or turn around. Hens in caged systems are given less space than a letter-sized piece of paper, making it impossible to spread their wings. Chickens, in particular, have been bred for “efficiency” by making them grow bigger and faster, regardless of the consequences for the animals themselves.

Staggering numbers of animals are bred for profit, raised in cramped and cruel conditions, and slaughtered at increasing speeds with little to no oversight. These are worrying trends for anyone who cares about animals, and everyone agrees that people have a right to know how their food is produced. Animal advocacy groups work hard using undercover video, investigative work, and other means to expose the conditions under which farmed animals are raised and killed. In the U.S., this exposure has led to a backlash from the animal farming industry. Since 2012, so-called “ag gag” have been proposed in a variety of states across the country. These laws attempt to criminalize undercover investigations of animal farming. While most of these laws have failed to pass or have been struck down, some have succeeded, hindering investigations in those states.

THE ENVIRONMENT - Some people who consume animal products may think that, while factory farming exists, surely the meat they buy comes from farms that have better conditions. Unfortunately, organic, free range, and humane labels typically have little bearing on the actual conditions of a farm. By the numbers, the vast majority of animals we consume come from factory farms.’ (Source)

Poor Tiffi! The tears are running down her face. 

Let’s continue - Meet the animals we call our companions

Start at the beginning - What is an ecosystem?