Ten Billion Lives
By Anissa Campa
@anissacam
Many companies have obliged to the supply and demand of animal products around the world. Due to an accelerated increase in commercialized food chains , cows, pigs and chickens are the main sources of meat and dairy supply alongside turkeys, buffalo, sheep and goats. This has caused the death of up to 56 billion animals annually in the United States. That does not include fur, leather and lab testing industries.
Legal practices in agriculture industries such as the “debeaking” of chickens, turkeys and ducks by burning or chopping are performed daily. Live chicks are ground up due to the male species being of no use to the industry. Physical handling such as kicking, punching and throwing is common from farm owners. Cattle are usually shot in the forehead with a stunbolt pistol or sometimes electrocuted. Throat slitting is also a common practice in all species, causing the animal’s blood to drain in a process that can take minutes.
Animal rights has become a social awareness creating countless organizations and animal-oriented companies. Advertisements, documentaries and undercover videos have helped raise awareness of the unspoken acts occurring daily in efforts to prevent animal torture.
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) is one of the many non-profit organizations fighting to stop inhumane practices of slaughter.
On April 13, 2017, FARM attended Chaffey College offering $1 to anyone willing to watch a four minute video on the issue. In an interview, Todd Lee, a FARM representative and environmentalist, stated:
“We should be concerned about animals and their rights, not so much the right to be treated the same as we treat a human but certainly in the sense that we shouldn’t cause unnecessary suffering.”
FARM is currently leading a “10 Billion Lives” tour throughout California colleges to educate students on animal rights.
“The biggest step you can take is not paying people money to do this," Lee said. "The more people are demanding animal products like milk, cheese and meat, the more people are going to be supplying it.”
Educating friends and family is also a key factor in achieving this goal. Encouraging others makes the impact even greater and is easier to continue with support.
To those that are already on the process of eliminating meat and dairy from their diets, “being realistic and doing what makes sense to you is the best route to take,” Lee suggested. “Meatless Mondays” and “Salad Sundays” are a good way to start and remain sustainable.
Major food companies including Chipotle, Subway, Taco Bell and Blaze Pizza offer vegan-frienly options. The Happy Cow app also helps to find local vegan restaurants and vegan options in your area.
FARM plans to return to Chaffey College next year. For more information on FARM or the “10 Billion Lives” tour, visit 10billionlives.com.
Image by Thegreenj via wikicommons.