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INDUSTRIALIZED CRUELTY:FACTORY FARMINGThe competition to produce inexpensivemeat, eggs, and dairy products has ledanimal agribusiness to treat animals asobjects and commodities. The worldwidetrend is to replace small family farmswith “factory farms”—large warehouseswhere animals are confined in crowdedcages or pens or in restrictive stalls.
U.S. society is extremely naive aboutthe nature of agricultural production.
[I]f the public knew moreabout the way in whichagricultural and animal productioninfringes on animal welfare,the outcry would be louder.
BERNARD E. ROLLIN, PhDFarm Animal Welfare, Iowa State University Press, 1995 Hens in crowded cages suffer severe feather loss.
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THE TRANSFORMATION OF ANIMALS INTO FOODMany people believe that animals raised for food must be treated well becausesick or dead animals would be of no use to agribusiness. This is not true.
Bernard Rollin, PhD, explains that it is“more economically efficient to put agreater number of birds into each cage,accepting lower productivity per bird butgreater productivity per cage…individualanimals may ‘produce,’ for examplegain weight, in part because they areimmobile, yet suffer because of theinability to move…Chickens are cheap,cages are expensive.”1
In an article recommending space bereduced from 8 to 6 square feet per pig,industry journal National Hog Farmersuggests that “Crowding pigs pays.”2
Birds In the United States, virtually allbirds raised for food are factory farmed.3
These animals spend their entire livesconfined indoors, enduring overcrowdedand filthy conditions. Enormous amountsof waste accumulate inside the denselypopulated buildings. Manure fumes cancause eye and respiratory infections andother diseases.4
Egg-Laying Hens Packed in wirecages (the industry average is less thanhalf a square foot of floor space perbird),5 hens can become immobilizedand die of asphyxiation or dehydration.Decomposing corpses are found in cageswith live birds. When her productiondeclines, a U.S. hen is either slaughteredor “force molted”—deprived of food andwater for days in order to shock her bodyinto another laying cycle.3 Since there isno profit in keeping male chicks alive,they are either suffocated in plastic bags,decapitated, gassed, or crushed.1
For modern animal agriculture,the less the consumer knowsabout what’s happeningbefore the meat hits the plate,the better.
If true, is this an ethical situation?
Should we be reluctant tolet people know what really goes on,because we’re not really proud of itand concerned that it mightturn them to vegetarianism?
PETER CHEEKE, PhDOregon State University Professor of Animal Agriculture
Contemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture, 1999 textbook
Inside a broiler house.
For more informationon factory farming
(including itsimpacts on
the environment),and other reasons to
become vegan, please visit
www.whyvegan.org
For more informationon factory farming
(including itsimpacts on
the environment),and other reasons to
become vegan, please visit
www.whyvegan.org3
Stress can make caged birds peck each other. To combat this,the ends of their beaks are cut off with hot blades, causing severe
pain for weeks.6 Some, unable to eat afterwards, starve.1
1 Bernard E. Rollin, PhD, Farm Animal Welfare(Iowa State University Press, 1995).
2 11/15/93.3 Peter Cheeke, PhD, textbook Contemporary
Issues in Animal Agriculture, 1999.4 Diseases of Poultry, 1997.5 USDA APHIS VS, Reference of 1999 Table
Egg Layer Management in the U.S., 1/00.6 Appl Anim Behav Sci, 1990;27:149–57.
Pigs In the September 1976issue of the industry journal HogFarm Management, John Byrnes advised:
“Forget the pig is an animal. Treat himjust like a machine in a factory.”
Today’s pig farmers have done just that.As Morley Safer related on 60 Minutes:
“This [the movie Babe] is the wayAmericans want to think of pigs. Real-life‘Babes’ see no sun in their limited lives,with no hay to lie on, no mud to roll in.The sows live in tiny cages, so narrow they can’t even turn around. They live over metalgrates, and their waste is pushed through slats beneath them and flushed into huge pits.”7
Mrs. DeBoer said she had never milkeda cow by hand, and never expected to.In the factory that is her barn,the employees, almost entirely Latino,manage the machinery.
“It’s just a factory is what it is,” she said.“If the cows don’t produce milk,they go to beef.”
“Urban Sprawl Benefits Dairies in California”New York Times, 10/22/99
Dairy Cows From 1940 to 1999,average per-cow milk production rosefrom 2.3 to 8.9 tons per year;8 somecows have surpassed 30 tons.9 High milk
production leads to udder ligamentdamage, mastitis, and lameness.3,10
It is unprofitable to keep cows alive oncetheir milk production declines. They areusually killed at 5–6 years of age,10
though their normal life span exceeds 20.
Dairy cows are rarely allowed to nursetheir young.10 Many male calves areslaughtered immediately, while others areraised for “special-fed veal”—kept inindividual stalls and chained by the neckon a 2–3 foot tether for 18–20 weeksbefore being slaughtered.11Cow with swollen udder on modern
dairy farm in California.
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Many breeding sows spend their adultlives in stalls without room to turn around.
This sow is strapped to the floor.
Calf raised for veal.
What about Fish? An Instituteof Medical Ethics (U.K.) panel tentativelyconcluded that fish feel pain. Panel mem-ber Patrick Bateson wrote, “Few peoplehave much fellow feeling for fish eventhough many fish are long-lived, havecomplicated nervous systems, and arecapable of learning complicated tasks.”14
Industrial fishing is seriously damagingocean ecosystems.15 Each year, in addi-tion to countless fish, approximately80,000 dolphins and thousands of othermarine mammals are snagged in fishingnets worldwide. Most die.16
7 “Pork Power,” 60 Minutes,6/22/03.
8 USDA NASS, AgriculturalStatistics 2001.
9 Associated Press, 9/20/96.10 Textbook Scientific Farm Animal
Production, 6th edition, 1998.11 USDA, Animal Welfare Issues
Compendium, 9/97.
12 USDA, Survey of Stunning &Handling, 1/7/97.
13 Video footage from The DownSide of Livestock Marketing(Farm Sanctuary, 1991).
14 New Scientist, 4/25/92.15 “Overfishing Disrupts Entire
Ecosystems,” Science, 2/6/98.16 Science, 5/14/99.
Like this bull I had last year—this bull was one of the biggest bullsI’ve ever seen. It was at the very frontof the trailer. And the spirit it had, hewas just trying his hardest to get offthe trailer. He had been prodded todeath by three or four drivers…buthis back legs, his hips have given out.And so basically they just keep prod-ding it. So it took about 45 minutes toget it from the front nose of the trailerto the back ramp….
Then from there it was chained withits front legs, and it fell off the ramp,smashed onto the floor, which I don’tknow how many feet that would bebut quite a racket…I just said,
“Why don’t you shoot the damn thing?What’s going on? What about thisCode of Ethics?”
This one guy said, “I never shoot.Why would I shoot a cow that cancome off and there’s still good meatthere?” When I first started, I talkedto another trucker about downers. Hesaid, “You may as well not get upset.It’s been going on for many years.It will go on for the rest of my life andyour life. So just calm down about it.It happens. You’ll get kind of bitterlike I did. You just don’t think aboutthe animals. You just think that theyaren’t feeling or whatever.”
interview with a Canadian livestock truckerfrom A Cow at My Table, 1998 documentary
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A downed cow is left todie at an Oklahoma stockyard
as her calf watches.
Turkeys on truck.
Transport Crammed together, ani-mals must stand in their own excrementwhile exposed to extreme weather inopen trucks, sometimes freezing to thetrailer.12 These conditions can result in
“downers”—animals too sick or weak towalk, even when shocked with electricprods or beaten. Downers are draggedby chains to slaughter or to “dead piles”where they are left to die.13
It takes 25 minutes to turn a live steerinto steak at the modern slaughter-house where Ramon Moreno works….
The cattle were supposed to be deadbefore they got to Moreno.But too often they weren’t.
“They blink. They make noises,”he said softly. “The head moves,the eyes are wide and looking around.”
Still Moreno would cut. On bad days,he says, dozens of animals reachedhis station clearly alive and conscious.Some would survive as far as the tailcutter, the belly ripper, the hide puller.
“They die,” said Moreno,“piece by piece.”
“Modern Meat: A Brutal Harvest”Washington Post, 4/10/01
IF SLAUGHTERHOUSESHAD GLASS WALLS…If they survive the farms andtransport, the animals—whetherfactory-farmed or free-range—are slaughtered.
Federal law requires that mammals bestunned prior to slaughter (exemptingkosher and halal). Common methods:
◗ Captive bolt stunning – A “pistol” is setagainst the animal’s head and a metalrod is thrust into the brain. Shooting astruggling animal is difficult, and therod often misses its mark.17
◗ Electric stunning – Current produces agrand mal seizure; then the throat iscut. According to industry consultantTemple Grandin, PhD, “Insufficientamperage can cause an animal to beparalyzed without losing sensibility.”12
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To induce paralysis in birds for ease ofhandling, electric stunning is normallyused. However, it is not known whetherstunning renders the birds unconscious;1
the shock may be an “intensely painfulexperience.”19 Each year, large numbersof chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geesereach the scalding tanks alive and areeither boiled to death or drowned.20,21
You have just dined,and however scrupulously
the slaughterhouse is concealedin the graceful distance of miles,there is complicity.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON“Fate,” The Conduct of Life, 1860 7
17 Meat & Poultry, 3/97.18 “Modern Meat: A Brutal Harvest,” Washington Post, 4/10/01.19 “Humane Slaughter of Poultry: The Case Against the Use of Electrical
Stunning Devices,” J Ag & Env Ethics, 7/94.20 USDA FSIS Animal Disposition Reporting System, 1998.21 USDA FSIS, Meat and Poultry Inspection Manual, part 11.
At the slaughterhouse, this pighas collapsed in his own vomit.
In my opinion, if most urbanmeat eaters were to visitan industrial broiler house,to see how the birds are raised, andcould see the birds being “harvested”and then being “processed”in a poultry processing plant,they would not be impressedand some, perhaps many of themwould swear off eating chickenand perhaps all meat.
PETER CHEEKE, PhDContemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture, 1999 textbook
“Hogs, unlike cattle, are dunked in tanksof hot water after they are stunned tosoften the hides for skinning. As a result,a botched slaughter condemns some hogsto being scalded and drowned. Secretvideotape from an Iowa pork plantshows hogs squealing and kicking asthey are being lowered into the water.”18
Not Your Childhood Image by lauren Ornelas, www.vivausa.org
When I saw what life is really like for pigs on today’s farms, I was left feeling physically sickfor days. I suppose I knew they lived on concrete, indoors in factory farms. However, I wasnot prepared for the intensity of their confinement, and the awful reality of their boredom.
In the gestation shed, I heard a constantclanging noise. It was the sows hittingtheir heads against their cage doors asif trying to escape. After a while, somewould give up and lie down, while othersagain took up their futile action.
I saw the pens where pigs are fattenedup for slaughter—essentially concretecells, each holding about a dozen pigs.In one pen, there was a pig missing anear. Another had a rupture the size of agrapefruit protruding from his stomach.A dead pig was constantly nudged andlicked by others. The stench in theseplaces is overwhelming.
At the larger farms I visitedin North Carolina, there werethousands of pigs housedin sheds. Many weredead or dying—oneactually died rightin front of me as Ivideotaped. Deadpigs had been left inthe pens with theliving; other pigshad been tossedin the aisles—barely alive, unableto reach food or water.
Stories fromBEHIND THE WALLSIf you go behind the walls theindustry erects to hide the truth,you will find the situation worsethan you could have imagined.
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A rotting corpse left in the aislebetween pens of live pigs.
Pig with stomach rupture.
Do we, as humans, having an ability toreason and to communicate abstractideas verbally and in writing, andto form ethical and moral judgmentsusing the accumulated knowledgeof the ages, have the right to takethe lives of other sentient organisms,particularly when we are not forced todo so by hunger or dietary need, butrather do so for the somewhat frivolousreason that we like the taste of meat?
In essence, should we know better?
PETER CHEEKE, PhDContemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture, 1999 textbook
The Rescue from www.isecruelty.com
On May 23, 2001, investigators openlyrescued eight hens, in dire need ofimmediate veterinary care, from a factoryfarm in Cecilton, Maryland.
Jane, a henfound pinned byone wing in thewire bars of hercage, survivedthe amputationof her wingand enjoyedsunbathing,running throughthe grass, dust-bathing, jumpingonto her perch at night, andeating her favorite treat—grapes.Jane was free from
the exploitationof the eggindustry forsix monthsbefore succumbing to cancer.
The hens, practically featherlessand very despondent when res-cued, were given a second chanceat life. One year later, Jane’sseven friends are alive and doingwell—enjoying a virtual paradise
compared to their former existenceinside a factory farm. Unfortunately,approximately 280 million hens remainin U.S. battery cages. 9
With increased knowledge of thebehaviour and cognitive abilities of thechicken, has come the realization thatthe chicken is not an inferior speciesto be treated merely as a food source.
LESLEY J. ROGERS, PhDThe Development of Brain and Behaviour in the Chicken, 1995
Lynn, just rescued fromthe manure pits, her comb
caked with feces.
Christina had a fluid-filled cyst coveringher eye when rescuers found her.
Above: Jane, immediately after rescue,waiting to be examined by a veterinarian
before being taken to her new home. Right:Jane, just three months after rescue.
The question is not,Can they reason? nor,
Can they talk? but,Can they suffer?
JEREMY BENTHAMAn Introduction to the Principlesof Morals & Legislation, 1789
Humans—who enslave,castrate, experiment on, and
fillet other animals—have hadan understandable penchant for
pretending animals do not feel pain.A sharp distinction between humansand “animals” is essential if we areto bend them to our will, make themwork for us, wear them, eat them—without any disquieting tinges ofguilt or regret.
It is unseemly of us,who often behave sounfeelingly towardother animals,to contend that onlyhumans can suffer.The behavior of otheranimals renders suchpretensions specious.They are just toomuch like us.
DR. CARL SAGAN &DR. ANN DRUYANShadows of ForgottenAncestors, 1992
True human goodness,in all its purity and freedom,can come to the fore only whenits recipient has no power.
Humanity’s true moral test,its fundamental test (whichlies deeply buried from view),consists of its attitude towardsthose who are at its mercy: animals.
And in this respect humankind hassuffered a fundamental debacle,a debacle so fundamentalthat all others stem from it.
MILAN KUNDERAThe Unbearable Lightness of Being, 1984
Crated calves live intheir own excrement.
Historically, man has expandedthe reach of his ethical calculations,as ignorance and want have receded,first beyond family and tribe, laterbeyond religion, race, and nation.
To bring other species more fully intothe range of these decisions may seemunthinkable to moderate opinion now.One day, decades or centuries hence,
it may seem no more than “civilized”behavior requires.
Wideningthe Circle
10
Ducks and geese are force-fed to produce liver pâté.
Above: Tooth clipping, debeaking, dehorning, tail docking,branding, and castration are standard agricultural practices—
often performed without anesthesia.11 Right: Entangled in the barsof her cage, a hen is left with no access to food or water.
“What Humans Owe to Animals”Economist, 8/19/95
According to the American DieteticAssociation’s position paper, vegetariandiets are associated with a reduced riskfor obesity, heart disease, high bloodpressure, diabetes mellitus, colon cancer,lung cancer, and kidney disease.22
The American Journal of Clinical Nutritionrecently published a series of papers23
describing the benefits of basing one’sdiet on plant foods:
◗ High fruit and vegetableconsumption is associatedwith a reduced risk forcardiovascular disease,several common cancers,and other chronic diseases(such as macular degenera-tion and cataracts).
◗ Legumes (e.g., beans,peas, lentils, and peanuts)are excellent sources ofprotein, fiber, and a varietyof micronutrients and phyto-chemicals that may protectagainst disease.
◗ Regular consumption ofnuts is linked with a lowerrisk for heart disease andlower mortality rates.
◗ Whole-grain consumption isassociated with a reducedrisk for heart disease,diabetes, high bloodpressure, and stomachand colon cancers.
A Healthy Way to LiveA vegan diet can be very healthful. In fact, many peopleinitially stop eating animal products to benefit their health.
11
Simply avoiding animal products will notensure optimal health. Like everyone,vegans should eat a balanced diet.Protein, vitamins B12 and D,omega-3 fats, calcium, andiodine are important.
See www.veganoutreach.org/healthand/or contact us for a free copy of ourVegan Starter Pack, which includes
“Staying a Healthy Vegan”—a detailedarticle with recommendationsbased on the latestnutrition research.
22 J Am Diet Assoc, 1997 Nov;97(11):1317–21(www.eatright.org/adap1197.html).23 Am J Clin Nutr, 1999 Sep;70:429–634.
You can generally shop for vegan foodsat supermarkets, natural food stores,and co-ops. Vegan selections are usuallyoffered at Chinese, Indian, Italian,Mexican, Middle Eastern, Thai, andother ethnic restaurants, as well as manychains, such as Papa John’s, Pizza Hut,Subway, and Taco Bell—just ask!
When baking, you can substitute eggswith Ener-G Egg Replacer, cornstarch(2 T per egg), or bananas (one per egg).
Soy, rice, and nut milks can be used inplace of cows’ milk. These and otherdairy alternatives—including vegancheeses, yogurts, and frozen desserts—can be purchased, or prepared at home.
Vegan twists onfamiliar recipes,
often madewith seitan (or“wheat meat”)and other meat
substitutes, canbe found in many
cookbooks (such asVegan Vittles) and on a
large variety of Internet web sites.
Our free Vegan Starter Pack con-tains a vegan foods glossary
and several easy recipes,including seitan and“cheezes.” See page 15for ordering information.
What to Eat?When changing your diet, it maytake time to explore new foods anddevelop a routine. There are manydifferent products from which tochoose—keep experimenting to findyour personal favorites.
Vegan bacon bits and cheeses made from soy,rice, or almonds are available in supermarkets.
12Popular favorites, such as burgers and applepie, can be prepared with vegan ingredients.
When I met my first vegetarian,he told me he had not eaten meatfor fourteen years.
I looked at him as if he had managedto hold his breath that entire time.
Today I know there is nothingrigorous or strange about eatinga diet that excludes meat.
ERIK MARCUSVegan: The New Ethics of Eating, 1998
Some simplemeal ideas:
◗ BreakfastPancakesSoy yogurtFruit smoothieBagel or toast with jellyOatmeal or other hot cerealCereal or granola with nondairy milk
◗ Lunch/DinnerMock lunchmeat sandwichVegetarian hot dogGrain or soy burgerBean burritoTofu lasagnaSeitan casserolePeanut butter and jellyPasta and tomato sauceBaked tempeh or tofu sandwichSoup or chili (over pasta or rice)Baked, mashed, or fried potatoesTofu, tempeh, or seitan stir-fry
◗ Snacks/DessertPie, cookies, cake, or vegan ice creamRaisins, figs, or dried apricotsPeanuts, almonds, or walnutsBanana, apple, or orangePretzels or popcornChips and salsaTrail mixClif Bar 13
Vegans enjoy delicious dairy-free desserts.
Soybeans are used to make milks, yogurts, cheeses, and awide variety of mock meats, such as deli slices and hot dogs.
A growing number of veganproducts are on the market.
Regardless of any other beliefs we holdand however else we choose to lead ourlives, each of us can decide to act withkindness and compassion.
Making humane choices is the ultimateaffirmation of our humanity.
[W]hen nonvegetarians saythat “human problems come first”I cannot help wondering what exactlyit is that they are doing for humanbeings that compels them to continueto support the wasteful, ruthlessexploitation of farm animals.
PETER SINGERAnimal Liberation, 1990
Vegan OutreachBeing vegan isn’t about avoidinga list of ingredients—it’s about
working to reduce suffering.
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If you would like to share the informationin this brochure, Vegan Outreach canprovide you with copies of Why Vegan?and/or Vegetarian Living to distributein your area. Our free Vegan Advocacybooklet provides more ideas for outreach.
Anyone considering becoming veganis encouraged to contact us for our freeVegan Starter Pack, which includes
“Staying a Healthy Vegan”—an articleimportant for optimal health. The bookletalso contains a vegan foods glossary,recipes, essays, questions & answers,and a list of other resources.
Also available from Vegan Outreach:
◗ What Would Jesus Eat…Today? fromthe Christian Vegetarian Association…free
◗ Animal Liberation Philosophical discus-sion of animal exploitation; P. Singer…$14
◗ Becoming Vegan Excellent compilationof current nutritional understanding andmenu planning; B. Davis & V. Melina…$19
◗ Vegan Vittles Seitan, tofu, “uncheese”recipes and more; J. Stepaniak…$15
◗ Meet Your Meat VHS documentary…$9
All prices include shipping and handling.
See www.veganoutreach.org/catalog toplace an order on-line, or write to us at
Vegan Outreach211 Indian Drive ▪ Pittsburgh, PA 15238
For more information, visit our web site at
www.veganoutreach.orgor call us at 412.968.0268
Many of the photographs that appear in this booklet were provided courtesy ofCompassionate Action for Animals, Compassion Over Killing, Farm Sanctuary,Mercy For Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, USDA, Viva! USA 15
Veganism has given me a higher levelof awareness and spirituality.
DEXTER SCOTT KINGson of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Vegetarian Times, 10/95
A 2000 National Zogby Poll estimatedthe number of U.S. vegans to be abouttwo and a half million.
A 2000 National Zogby Poll estimatedthe number of U.S. vegans to be abouttwo and a half million.
Printed on recycled paper © Vegan Outreach, 2003 Why Vegan? Rev. 9/03
211 Indian Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 ▪ phone 412.968.0268
web site veganoutreach.org ▪ email [email protected]
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