Many of the nations most routine animal farming practices would be illegal if perpetrated against cats and dogs.

Jonathan Lovvorn, Chief Counsel, The Humane Society of the United States

In his groundbreaking book, Animal Liberation, philosophy professor Peter Singer popularized the word speciesism. He wrote:

Racists violate the principle of equality by giving greater weight to the interests of members of their own race when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of another race. Sexists violate the principle of equality by favoring the interests of their own sex. Similarly, speciesists allow the interests of their own species to override the greater interests of members of other species. The pattern is identical in each case

If a being suffers there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration.

Opposing speciesism doesnt mean treating all species the same in all situationsrather, it means not using an individuals species as the basis for harming or protecting them. If its wrong to kill a dog for food, then its also wrong to kill a chicken or pig, as there are no significant differences in their desire to avoid fear and death.

Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals & Legislation

We love dogs and cats. But farmed animals such as cows, pigs, and chickens are seen as objects to be turned into food. This is one of the most pervasive forms of speciesism.

In the September 1976 issue of the trade journal Hog Farm Management, John Byrnes recommended, Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like a machine in a factory. The hog industry went on to do just that, illustrated 30 years later by a National Pork Producers Council spokesperson saying, So our animals cant turn around for the 2.5 years that they are in the stalls producing piglets. I dont know who asked the sow if she wanted to turn around.

Farmed animals live sad livesnormally in dark warehouses that you wouldnt even recognize as farms. They cant breathe fresh air, and they live on concrete or wire that damages their feet. When it comes time to be slaughtered, theyre packed onto trucks, exposed to the freezing cold, rain, or intense heat for hours or even days. Theyre killed at just a fraction of their normal lifespan.

Its hard to comprehend how horrible slaughterhouses areboth for animals and humanswithout visiting one.

To make the most profit, killing and disassembling animals must move quickly and many animals end up being conscious through much of the process. Cows can have their hooves cut off and hides ripped off before theyre finished dying. Pigs often enter the scalding tank while still alive.

Many chickens and turkeys are also alive as they enter the scalding tanksmeant to loosen their feathers. These birds can be identified because their flesh turns bright red as they drown in the scalding water.

This brutal system also treats slaughterhouse workers more as objects to be discarded than as human beings.

National Public Radios 2016 expos, Working The Chain, Slaughterhouse Workers Face Lifelong Injuries, describes how each worker must do thousands of repetitions per day with few breaks, causing a wide range of muscle and nerve injuries. They make low wages and are fired when their injuries prevent them from working.

Worker advocate Gloria Sarmiento says, The speed of the line is really fast. The supervisors are yelling all the timeThey are treating us like animals.

Slaughterhouse workers perform a jobkilling innocent animalsthat few meat-eaters are willing to do. A steady flow of investigations shows that terrible working conditions take a toll on the workers who will sometimes act out cruelly toward the animals. Its a vicious cycle of abuse.

Dozens of undercover investigations have exposed the abuse of farmed animals and the industry has responded by trying to punish whistleblowers. At the industrys prodding, some states have passed Ag-Gag laws that criminalize exposing abuse.

Hog and dairy farms produce enormous waste, which is stored in lagoons and then sprayed on fields. A 2017 Sierra Club article, The CAFO Industrys Devastating Impact on the Environment and Public Health, reports:

If waste is sprayed too often, it saturates the soil and leaks into the aquifer and nearby rivers and streams. The practice also aerosolizes fecal matter, creating toxic particulates that get blown onto nearby homes, accompanied by a terrible stench that drives residents indoors. A majority of those homes belong to African Americans, who have had their property drenched in hog waste for decades and their wells polluted, too.

For 30 years, their complaints about the effect on their health and quality of life have mostly fallen on deaf ears at the [North Carolina] statehousemaking this a clear case of environmental racism with quantifiable human cost.

The Sierra Club quotes residents living near hog waste lagoons:

[Hog waste] comes over here just like its raining. Thats what we inhale if were outside, and it comes inside the house because you cant keep that odor out.

We dont have cookouts or family get-togethers like we used to, because we dont know when the odor is gonna come. When its really hot, it burns your eyes.

The bodies of dairy cows and egg-laying hens are pushed to produce many times more milk and eggs than is natural. When their production decreases, at a relatively young age, theyre slaughtered.

In order to produce profitable amounts of milk, a cow must be impregnated on a yearly basis. While the bond between mother and calf is one of the strongest in nature, dairy calves are taken away within hours of birththey wont be together again. Some calves will be slaughtered within days or weeks for veal.

Undercover investigations show that cage-free eggs rarely come from happy hens.

Male chicks in the egg industry are killed at birth, often ground up alive in macerators.

Although most societies have historically eaten animal products, we dont need to. The vegan movement started in the 1940s, and since then countless children have been raised vegan and grown into healthy adults.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2016)

By eating vegannot consuming meat, dairy, and eggsyou can oppose speciesism and the human rights violations of animal agriculture.

While it can sound intimidating at first, if you experiment with the multitude of satisfying, high-protein vegan foods and ease into it at your own pace, it will soon be second nature.

A plant-based diet can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, greatly reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes, and provide more antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin Call improvements over the standard American diet. But there are a few nutrients you should pay attention to over the long term.

Clarence Kennedy, weightlifter

The meat industry targets men, presenting meat as manly, while middle-aged men die of heart disease at much greater rates than middle-aged women. Peer-reviewed research shows that the health of men benefits even more than the health of women when they choose vegetarianmeat and the meat industry are no friends to men!

The growing number of successful vegan bodybuilders, weightlifters, and other athletes show you dont need animal products to build muscle.

Robert Cheeke, VeganBodybuilding.com

All plant foods contain all the essential amino acidsthe building blocks of protein. To meet protein requirements and to feel satisfied, its important to make sure youre eating some high-protein plant foods each day.

The easiest choices are vegan meats, which are packed with protein. Legumespeanuts, beans, lentils, and peasand foods made from them are also high in protein.

Soyfoodslike tofu, tempeh, and soymilk are high in protein. The meat industry has sensed a threat from soy and promotes anti-soy propaganda, but dont be fooledall legitimate scientific bodies consider soy safe.

That said, its no problem to be vegan without eating soythere are many alternatives!

Choose from a wide range of delicious, high-protein vegan burgers and dogs to toss on the grill! Available from Beyond Meat, Tofurky, Gardein, Field Roast, and others at most grocery stores.

Its not necessarily best to make a sudden, abrupt change in the way you eat. Rather, incorporate new habits at your own pace.

Dont worry about avoiding hidden animal ingredientsas society moves away from using animals these byproducts will disappear. Try avoiding obvious animal products like chickens legs and cows milk without stressing about hidden ingredients.

Remember that although it might be easier to relate to mammals, theres no doubt that birds are intelligent and can suffer. Theres also scientific evidence that fish feel pain.

Because it takes more small animals to feed someone, it makes the most sense not to switch from eating one species of animal to another, but rather to cut back on all animal products at a pace you find sustainable.

Bernard E. Rollin, PhD, Farm Animal Welfare, Iowa State University Press

According to a 2016 Harris poll, there are approximately 3.7 million adult vegans in the U.S., up from half a million in the mid-1990s.

Our numbers are growing, but most people still eat meat out of convenience. While its easier to go with the flow, stronger people take a stand for what they believe inespecially taking the side of those being exploited and abused.

By joining the growing movement of people who oppose speciesism, you will reduce the demand for killing animals. As more people join in, well reach a tipping point at which millions of animals will be spared.

If you want to succeed, it helps to connect with others. There are likely vegan groups in your area who hold social events at local restaurantscheck on Facebook and Meetup.com.

Combating speciesism means not supporting the violence inflicted on farmed animalsby cutting back and eventually eliminating animal products, you can help put an end to speciesism!

Dr. Tom Regan, professor of philosophy

For help going vegan, please see the Go Vegan section of our site.

Thank you!

View post:

Why Vegan - Vegan Outreach