Target: US Government, Congress, UK Government,
Dear US Government, Congress and UK Government,
Each year, approximately 77 billion animals are slaughtered for their meat. Many millions/billions of animals are also killed on farms, for being male, for not growing fast enough, or as euthanasia for health issues caused by the inhumane conditions that many animals are forced to live in. Some ex-layer hens, who are sometimes considered worthless because they don’t lay anymore and are too scrawny to be used for meat, may also still be killed by having their poor necks pulled.
Billions of animals are also subject to abuse and exploitation in the animal agriculture industries. Sadly, this is not just limited to illegal instances of abuse. Much of the abuse that happens is legal, standard-practice. For example, piglets have their ears, tails and teeth cut. Male piglets are also castrated. All of this happens without a drop of anaesthetic. Pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even cattle are all often kept in inhumane conditions on factory farms. Pigs are injected with hormones to make them put on weight. Pigs have also been bred and genetically engineered to put on large amounts of weight. Dairy cattle have their young calves kidnapped, despite their cries of distress and anguish, and the cries of their calves, too. The male calves are sometimes used for veal, where they are sometimes fed an iron-deficient diet intentionally, so that they become severely anaemic. Sometimes, they are kept to grow into beef cattle. Often, they are just taken and shot, and then disposed of like rubbish.
Factory-farmed chickens also have their beaks sliced with a red-hot blade. The broiler chickens (the ones used for meat) also put on huge amounts of weight. In fact, I remember reading that sometimes they deliberately leave the lights on in the broiler sheds to stop the chickens from sleeping, so that they can instead spend that time eating and putting on more weight.
The fate of animals destined for meat is brutal and horrific slaughter. Pigs are generally gassed and are then slaughtered by having their throats cut. Some chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys are stunned using gas, too. Some pigs are stunned with electric tongs. Sheep are often stunned with electric tongs, too. Cattle are generally bolt-gunned in the head and then have their throats cut. Some chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys are stunned using an electrified water bath. They all have their throats cut. This is the fate of almost all farmed animals bred for their meat, eggs and dairy in the west. Only the lucky, great minority are rescued. Some animals elsewhere are slaughtered in ways that are even more cruel.
Animal agriculture is also devastating to the planet, destroying much natural habitat, much of which we may never get back. We go on about recycling, but animal agriculture is one of the most environmentally devastating practices on the planet.
In order to save billions of animals from exploitation, abuse and slaughter, and in order to stop one of the most environmentally devastating practices on our Earth, we need to stop animal agriculture. We need to all switch to vegan, for the animals and our planet. We need to all eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and beans as at least 50-60% of our diet for our health as well. Imagine how much obesity rates, and the rates of heart disease and cancer, would drop if we all made 50-60% of our diet the aforementioned vegan whole-foods and also stopped smoking and exercised more.
Signatures