Shouting about the disgrace of our society. We need to face upto the fact that killing animals is just unacceptable. Do something worthwhile today. Be vegan.
Animals intended for meat are often transported for long distances without food or water or any protection. As humans we wear seatbelts and have comfortable seats to sit in. We can stop when we are thirsty or tired. Animals do not have these privileges. Often forced to stand as their crates are so small they cannot sit or lie down, often the walls of the truck are so thin that the cold and wind is very traumatising for the animal. An investigation by the Compassion over Killing group found that some animals were transported for upto 28 hours in these types of conditions, leaving an untold number stressed, sick or dead as a direct result.
The EU passed a law in 2005 which states:
“No person shall transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way that is likely to cause injury or undue suffering to them”
Yet surely this all depends on what is considered undue suffering. Surely in the case of veal calves, being allowed to suckle from their mother for 24 hours to remove her pre-milk, unwillingly separated from her and often put straight into a crate to be sent for slaughter after a few weeks of fattening up, often never living past 6 weeks of age is suffering. Albeit the animal probably remains unaware it will be killed, it still goes through the pain of separation from it’s mother - and those who do not think this is true should see how mother and calves behave when allowed to be together (which is very rare). I have first hand experience of this mother-child separation in relation to goats, the sounds which come from the barn nearby when the little ones are killed in the same room as the mothers is heartbreaking.
So, what is undue suffering? According to the EU regulations, these are the factors which must be taken into consideration:
These are animals, animals which have awareness, can feel frightened and can get cold. These are animals who have no voice, who cannot tell us they would prefer to be alive, to be with their mothers, to eat fresh food and drink fresh water. These are animals which are killed because they are male (in the case of dairy farming and chicken farms), animals who are killed because they can no longer provide for us (a dairy cow who has given milk all her life has no more to give so is sent straight to slaughter). These are animals who are tormented, prodded and shoved around by humans who give little regard to regulations in some cases which are widely documented.
THESE ANIMALS ARE SUFFERING, RULES OR NO RULES! It is time we began to see what a horrendous race we are to treat living, conscious beings in this way. it is not just about transport, it is about the reasons behind that transport.
Be aware of what goes on in the society in which you live. No longer ignore those trucks which pass you by on the motorway or on a quiet county lane. Give a thought to the animals that are in that truck and extend some compassion. That same day if you are a meat eater, try eating a vegetarian meal with those animals in mind who by this time may well be dead or injured and in pain. The try and be vegetarian for a week. By this time you will probably be aware of a lot more than you thought about the treatment of animals. You raised awareness will cause you to spot things you ordinarily would have chosen not to see.
In terms of stopping suffering of animals during transportation, your best bet is to join an action network such as the Born Free or Animal Protection Institute http://www.api4animals.org/index.php if in the US or PETA www.peta.org and go to their Action Centre. Here you can find out a lot more about what you can do, not just in this area but across the board. Please help speak up for those who need you.
I used to eat meat, wear leather and basically had the same contempt for animals which I see on a daily basis everywhere I look. I became a vegetarian after seeing newborn lambs prancing around and not wanting to be responsible for them being murdered. I became a vegan when I was thinking of breastfeeding my son and finally understood what the dairy industry is all about. What I know now, I did not know then. No longer living in ignorance, I have no option but to write this blog.
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