HBD Sent One Reader to Farm Sanctuary's Conference to End Factory Farming. Here is Her Story...

In October, a group of professionals, activists and concerned people got fired up about animal abuse.

As someone who considers herself pretty savvy about the issues, I expected to simply be energized to do more and have the honor of meeting some of my heroes in the movement. Mission accomplished. What I didn’t expect was to cry like a baby and blow up my Twitter account with facts and figures I just couldn’t keep to myself.


Higher Education
 
So, where to begin?  Many people know that there are three basic reasons to boycott factory-farmed products: animal welfare, environmental impact and your own health.  What you may not know is how you could be supporting factory farms on a daily basis - without even knowing it.
 
Animal Welfare

Do you tout the virtues of buying organic meat and dairy? Animals are treated inhumanely, regardless of whether they are raised organically or not. And what does “cage free” even mean?  Only that there is access to outdoors.  Freedom awaits the hen that can use her deformed, detoed feet to climb over thousands of other birds. If she makes it out the tiny door, she could get a chance to peck at the ground with her amputated beak. Aaah, the life of a cage free hen – those lucky birds!

Environment

Okay, so you drive a hybrid, you have water savers on all your faucets and you have the sexiest set of recycling bins on the block. Big whoop. The biggest threat to our water, air quality and land is - you guessed it - factory farming. Where these torture communities move into town, all hell breaks loose.  If you really want to make a difference in keeping the planet clean, the best step you can take is to ditch the meat, dairy and eggs. No excuses.
 
Health

You already know the dirty deets on eating this crap. Animal protein is full of artery-clogging cholesterol and fats and is virtually devoid of minerals and vitamins. But what about protein? This battle cry is such old news, it's ridiculous.

First of all, Americans eat way more protein than is needed and we suffer from way more health problems as a result.  Second, there is plenty of protein in all the good stuff. For every 100-calorie portion size, there are 10 grams of protein in broccoli, 7 grams in romaine lettuce and 7 grams in kale - and those are just veggies. If you are eating enough calories, you’re getting enough protein.
 
The Bottom Line

In the name of money, factory farms hurt our planet, abuse our animals and disease our bodies.  And don’t let the price fool you. When you factor in the cost of healthcare in this country directly associated with food-related illnesses like obesity, diabetes and heart disease, this ain’t cheap meat.


Change is Possible
 
No matter which health issue you feel most connected to, we should all have a common goal to rid our world of this kind of devastation and abuse. We are in a time now where big agriculture is nervous, and they are working hard against legal actions and activist work to change their atrocious ways.

As you learn more, share what you know - and take action. Our world depends on it.
 
What will you do to help end factory farming? Tell us in the comments section below!


Samantha Robinson, Guest Blogger
An animal lover since childhood, Samantha’s path to veganism grew from a concern for the treatment of farm animals - whom she believes are individuals and every bit as sentient as our dogs and cats.  She and her family visit Farm Sanctuary as often as they can to visit their adopted farm friends – a sheep, pig, cow, duck and turkeys!  Samantha and her veggie husband and two veggie children live in Tampa.





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