Being able to abstain from animal products in a person’s life is pretty amazing. I am in awe of the willpower and love of animals that some people have. I want people to realize I am not attacking the vegan lifestyle in the next few paragraphs. I admire and respect anyone who chooses this lifestyle. Animal Rights/Animal Welfare/Vegetarians/Vegans are always polarizing topics. The various sides have a problem of being able to communicate in a productive way.
Misinformation is frustrating.Reading this pamphlet disgusted me. It showed a real lack of understand of animal behavior. There are several wrong statements in this which infuriated me. These pamphlets use the most emotional images (often time outdated or from foreign countries) and statements they can find but refuse to acknowledge there are reasons behind these practices. The one which had me angered me the most was the comparison of rape to artificial insemination. It shows a true misunderstanding of an animal’s estrous cycle. Artificial insemination is performed in according to the estrus phase of the estrous cycle. This is the stage when the female is sexual receptive. There are a lot of physical signs when an animal is going through this, cats display lordosis, cows will mount each other, mares will have a winking vulva and so on. This is when artificial insemination is performed. Yes, to the uneducated it seems rough and wrong, but the process is safer and healthier for the animals. It keeps STD’s to a minimum, keeps the handlers safe, allows for the spread of genetics, and the animals are not injured.
A lot of the procedures we use in animal production do not seem humane. I wish there was an acceptable way to change the gender of an egg so we didn’t have so many male chicks. The agriculture industry is often limited by expense, time and safety. A lot of the procedures may seem cruel, gross and dirty but a lot of the time it is the most humane method the producers currently have. I am more than happy to explain any of the procedures shown in this pamphlet. Especially the baby cow taken from the mother (an interesting note on perennial lactation One of my professors is pushing for more research into perennial lactation. The cow does not dry off, lactation continues for several years. Therefore reducing the stress of birthing to the cow and reducing the need for a yearly calf. Those kind of people are going to be the ones who create change. http://dairy.ifas.ufl.edu/rns/2006/Zartman.pdf)
If people used the energy towards working towards solutions as they did pointing out the flaws, we could solve issues a lot faster.
Wonderfully put :). Also on the mutilation thing which annoyed me. The mutilations listed here are done to prevent future harm to the animal. Beak trimming stops birds damaging each other in fights for example. If done properly it’s pretty painless. Also on the horns of cows… In Britain at least an anaesthetic must be used and it has to be done before a certain age. If you’re going to make something like this, put all the facts, not dubious ones that suit your needs.
I’m also not sure why they think it’s fair to say they don’t lead a natural life? Their bodies aren’t so crippled as they make out as it’s not actually good for the farmer. Crippled animals don’t grow and can’t reproduce, they want to produce the best offspring possible that require the least cost and are so healthy they can produce high quality and quantity produce. Farms are also being pushed to make things as natural as possible and quite a large amount lead natural lives.
Love this. People really need to educate themselves about the production industry. One of the most frustrating things I run into as a pre-vet major.
(via mvl-jaz)
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