When you think about it…killing at any speed is hazardous to one’s health.

The USDA may allow poultry companies to increase the number of chickens processed per minute. View our list of vegan/vegetarian options that support a humane diet.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is putting the final touches on a proposal that would allow poultry companies to accelerate poultry processing lines. Translation: the companies can increase the speed at which they can kill animals from 140 to 175 chickens a minute and from 45 to 55 turkeys a minute.

The obvious hazard is to the birds—more will be slaughtered a minute, an hour, a day at these plants. At current “line speeds,” many birds are not dead before they enter tanks of scalding water. They are, in essence, boiled alive. With more rapid line speeds, more chickens and turkeys may die horrific deaths. Ironically, birds who die this way must be discarded. If a bird hasn’t completely bled out prior to being dragged through the scalding water, the bird’s flesh becomes saturated with blood, which can carry pathogens, thereby making the flesh unusable.

There’s another group who will suffer, too—the workers in these factories. Injuries to slaughterhouse workers can be career ending and sometimes life-threatening. Workers are dealing with frightened animals, they are handling sharp objects, walking around on slimy floors, and generally moving faster than any of us can comprehend, all to take the lives of innocent animals.

So, whether a human or a nonhuman animal, when you think about it…killing at any speed is hazardous to one’s health. Chose a vegan/vegetarian diet instead and end the killing.

When you think about it…maybe shipping animals long distances should just stop.

Live animal transport can be extremely hazardous, subjecting animals to extreme weather conditions and traffic accidents.

Live animal transport is injurious to most, if not all, the animals who are shipped long distances to be slaughtered.

In the United States, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, and cattle are routinely shipped fairly short distances before they reach slaughterhouses, yet they can still be subjected to extreme weather conditions. Horses sent to slaughter may be in transit for a couple days before reaching slaughterhouses in Mexico or Canada and some are shipped overseas. Australia transports sheep and cattle to the Middle East by cargo ship. All these transports are fraught with danger. Trailers break down, traffic jams occur, accidents happen. What then becomes of the “cargo”? They often languish inside hot containers, are ejected onto roadways, or are tossed about in high seas.

Of course, the worst danger of all is that they are being shipped to slaughterhouses. So, when you think about it…maybe shipping animals long distances should just stop.

When you think about it… rooftops are no place for chickens, pigs, cows, or goats.

City environments are unsuitable for farm animals, exposing them to air, light, and noise pollution.

For many urbanites, the idea of a little country in the city is appealing. Instead of putting posters on their walls of country scenes, or taking weekly drives into the country, they decide to bring the country into their home or more often onto their rooftops or balconies. While rooftop vegetable gardens are definitely a great way to enjoy fresh produce without having to go to the country, bringing chickens and other farm yard creatures to the Manhattan skyline is a bit over the top. Legalities aside, keeping animals typically thought of as farm animals in a city environment places them in unnatural settings. They are exposed to air, noise, and light pollution unheard of on the farm.

Animals who live on farms are of course also at risk—their lives may be shortened or debased simply because they are thought of as commodities for human consumption. If we can move away from the idea of animals living on farms so they can be killed for our dinner to animals living on farm sanctuaries so they may enjoy their lives to the fullest, we will all benefit. For, when you think about it…rooftops are no place for chickens, pigs, cows, or goats…neither are factory farms.

Protect the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay needs you to protect it. Save the bay before it is too late.

The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and needs to be protected. However, millions of tons of manure are generated each year on the Delmarva Peninsula, primarily from poultry operations. These poultry operations often house tens of thousands of animals at a time. As a result, the bay, the aquatic life it supports, and the communities that depend on it for their livelihood face significant threats from the pollution caused by these concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

The federal Clean Water Act needs to be strengthened to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Let President Obama know you want to see a strong rule proposed now to save the bay from the damages caused by pollution generated by CAFOs.

The Chesapeake Bay needs you to protect it. Save the bay before it is too late.

The Honorable Barak Obama
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Cockfighting Felony Bill Defeated in TN

Paws Down!
To the Tennessee state legislature for failing to pass legislation that would increase penalties for cockfighting to a felony.

According to a news source, “For the past four years, Tennessee lawmakers have tried to increase the penalty for cockfighting and, for the past four years, the bills have been blocked before they reached the House floor.

Photo by Mary R Vogt

“’It is one of those anomalies in code. Fighting any other animal in the state is a felony, except for fighting roosters,’ said Rep. John Lundbert, R-Bristol….”

Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Knoxville, “considers people coming from other states for the fights as a form of tourism. ‘They buy food, they stay in hotels, they buy gas,’ he said.”

Tennessee is one of 12 states that do not classify cockfighting as a felony.

Take Action: Tennessee residents, write your legislators letting them know you want Tennessee to join the majority of states that have made cockfighting a felony. Let them know also that Tennessee can garner tourist dollars other ways, with the beautiful Great Smokey Mountains National Park, the Falls Creek Falls, and Pinson Mounds, not to mention The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, the Alex Haley House, and, of course, the Grand Ole Opry.

Source:
timesfreepress.com/

Two states trying to end cruelty: Horse tripping in Nevada and cockfighting in North Carolina

Photo by Mary R Vogt

One way to protect animals is through the legislative process. Two bills currently before two state legislatures will, if passed, help protect animals of these states.

Nevada residents, contact your state senators and ask them to support SB 364, a bill to end the practice of horse tripping. The bill would prohibit a person from engaging in horse tripping for enjoyment, entertainment, competition, or practice and from organizing a horse tripping event for the same purpose. Horse tripping is where some device, such as a wire, is used to cause a horse to fall or lose his or her balance. The bill includes criminal penalties for engaging in this act.

Residents of North Carolina, please write to your representatives asking them to support H 395, which would strengthen the law prohibiting cockfighting by extending the prohibition on cockfighting to include penalties against individuals who breed, possess, sell or train roosters, gamecock, or other fighting birds, as well as those who manufacture, promote, sell, or transport implements commonly used in cockfighting, including gaffs or slashers, or other sharp implements intended to be attached to the leg of a fighting bird.

Residents of other states, make sure your state has appropriate laws to protect all the animals within its borders. Join organizations within your state that follow bills in the state legislature and join their mailing lists so you can be informed and write to your legislators in support of appropriate protection for the animals.