Adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet can do more than save the planet: it is also a compassionate choice that will reduce animal suffering.
Globally over 50 billion animals are slaughtered every year for human consumption as meat. This includes over 45 billion chickens, 2 billion ducks and 1 billion pigs. Farm animals suffer daily due to their inability to express their natural behaviour and from painful mutilations such as tooth and beak trimming, castration and tail docking.
Transportation to slaughterhouses, often over long distances, crammed into trucks or ships with unfamiliar animals, results in stress, dehydration, exhaustion and death. At the slaughterhouse many animals die painful deaths due to inadequate slaughter regulations, a traumatic end to a short and often miserable life.
These sites will tell you more . . .
Meat (broiler) chickens Most chickens raised for meat are produced in cruel factory farms where they can’t sunbathe, dustbathe or live in family groups.
Campaign Against Tegel Cruelty Learn about the cruelty involved in the production of Tegel chickens. Includes a photo gallery and undercover video footage showing the suffering of meat chickens during their short lives.
Ducks Consumption of ducks has increased significantly in western countries in recent years. Most are raised in cruel factory farms.
Pigs Pigs are intelligent and sensitive animals that suffer greatly when confined in factory farms.
Slaughter of the innocents In the United Kingdom every day over two million animals are slaughtered in over 600 slaughterhouses. UK animal rights group VIVA! has documented the reality of the slaughter process in the United Kingom, a reality shared by billions of animals worldwide.
Fishing Hurts A website by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that demonstrates the suffering experienced by fish when caught by commercial and recreational fishers and the environmental damage fishing causes. Website includes a photo gallery showing the brutal reality of commercial fishing and delicious faux-fish recipes.
