My Visit to Farm Sanctuary

These days, it’s hard to imagine anymore of farms with farm animals in them, enjoying their freedom. Cows chewing on grass under the light and heat of the sun. Pigs sunbathing on a puddle of mud. Goats resting by the trees. Flock of sheep running around. Chickens and turkeys roaming around as they peck the grounds. With the domination of farm factories since the late 19^th century, animal farms are steadily becoming nothing but an illusion. 

As you may or may not know, farm factories are the current norm in how we produce meat here in the United States and internationally. Farm factories are able to supply the high demands for meat and because of them our meat is cheap. Unfortunately, this efficient food production and cheap meat results in farm animals being confined to small places, crammed together. They are mutilated – debeaking on poultry, tail docking on pigs and cows, iron branding. They are denied of sunlight, freedom and taste of natural habitat. They are abused and at the end of the day, they are sent to slaughterhouses to be killed for food.

I used to be a meat lover and never have I imagined I would consider going vegetarian or vegan. That was until I saw what really goes on in factory farms. This realization led me to Farm Sanctuary on May 4^th, 2014 in Acton, California. Founded by activist and bestselling author, Gene Baur, the Farm Sanctuary is devoted to rehabilitating and caring for farm animals that have been rescued from farm factories and neglect.

It was about 12 noon when the gates of the Farm Sanctuary opened. I parked my car on the dirt road and as I was walking to the entrance, I passed by a cute Llama. He/she was friendly as if she was waiting for me to say hi to him/her. Right there and then, I could tell this is a special place for animals. 

We were treated with some really nice, delicious vegan hors d’oeuvres. I snacked on a plate of vegan nachos topped with vegan cheese along with veggie burger and vegan brownie. I sat on a grass by the tree and I was amazed to see just how many people came to visit the Farm Sanctuary that day.

Gene Baur

Gene Baur made an inspiring speech about farm factories and its negative impacts in our health, environment and the farm animals that endure torture, abuse and slaughter. One thing I mainly took away from his speech is that we have to be conscious about what we consume and what we do. It is only through awareness that we start to question the ethics of social issues like factory farming and where we can start making more responsible and humane choices that align with our values and our health. 

The last stop of the day was the interaction with the farm animals. This was of course the highlight of my visit. I saw two pigs right by the mud. One chose to lie down and sunbathe in the puddle while the other chose to mingle with us. I touched one of them and he/she came towards me. There was no fear in his/her eyes. I could feel the sense of trust coming from him/her; seemingly so sure people won’t hurt them. I love their feet because they seem to walk in high heels. 

  
I moved on to the cows next. Farm Sanctuary has different cows and we were educated on how certain ones are mainly used for dairy, for lean beef and for steak. As I stood there and pet them, I couldn’t imagine that they were the actual live form of animals I used to have on my plate. I realized that we have this disconnect with the farm animals that we hardly notice them in our steaks, in our barbecues, in our pork chops and in our bacon.

I got to interact with the goats, sheep, chickens and turkeys as well. Everyone seems nice and at ease with the people around them. As I watch them do their own thing, I couldn’t help to think that animals remind us how to be humans; how to live a life that is in harmony with each other and with our environment. They look like they have a blissful life, which is the far opposite of the abusive environment in farm factories. 

As I walked out of Farm Sanctuary, I had these questions lingering in my mind-- will factory farming end? If everyone will come to see what goes on in factory farming, will that be the end of this current norm in our society? 

Farm factory is a multi-billion dollar business. It thrives because there is a demand for it. But if we bridge that disconnect between humans and farm animals, reveal the dirty secrets of farm factories, educate people about the harmful impacts of factory farming in the environment, animals and our health, and empower them on compassionate food consumption and meat substitutes, I’m optimistic that we can reduce and maybe even halt the demand for meat. Then factory farming will be a thing of the past. And there will be no farm sanctuaries, just animal farms. 

 "A better attitude leads to better actions and a better world..."

What's Wrong with Factory Farming

Personal thoughts:  It's hard to imagine the horrors that occur in animal slaughterhouses - cows, pigs and poultry lined up in assembly line, grinding machines, getting cut open and skinned while conscious, being shot multiple times, locked up in severely confined spaces, fed with antibiotics to induce growth and the list goes on. These sound so bad to be true. But it's the reality. This is the reality of millions of animals who suffer from birth to death in factory farms. Today, more animals are tortured in the history of U.S. The days of animal-human bonding, family farms and organic products free from disease-causing antibiotics and growth chemicals are long gone. Ultimately, we are fed with flesh of animals that is byproduct of greed, corruption, cruelty, torture, blood, diseases, death and environmental contamination. Factory farming has evolved in such horrific ways that we are almost forgetting what it means to be human. However, I refuse that all hope is lost. Though factory farming is deeply ingrained in our current society, it doesn't mean it can never be dismantled or challenged. But is has to start with people knowing that day to day reality that occurs in it, so we can take actions and evoke change.


What's Wrong with Factory Farming?

The intent of presenting this data is not to "demonize farmers, many of whom went into the business out of a desire to work with nature and be close to the land, and don't like what's going on any more than you or me. But something has happened to the way animals are treated in modern meat production that is a disgrace to the human spirit, and a violation of the ancient human-animal bond...

The process of rearing farm animals in the US has changed dramatically from the family farms of yesteryear. This reality, coupled with the exemption of farm animals from laws that forbid cruelty to animals, has produced a heartbreaking situation. More animals are subjected to more tortuous conditions in the US today than has ever occurred anywhere in world history. Never before have the choices of each individual been so important." John Robbins, The Food Revolution (2001)

Statistics*

* All statistics and information compiled from The Food Revolution by John Robbins (2001), Diet for a New America by John Robbins (1987), Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet and the Rainforest Action Network.
 
Excrement:

Production of excrement by total US human population: 12,000 pounds/second

Production of excrement by US livestock: 250,000 pounds/second (including 25 pounds of manure per cow per day)

Sewage systems in US cities: Common

Sewage systems in US feedlots: None

Amount of waste produced annually by US livestock in confinement operations which is not recycled: 1 billion tons

Where feedlot waste often ends up: In our water

Gallons of oil spilled by the Exxon-Valdez: 12 million

Gallons of putrefying hog urine and feces spilled into the New River in North Carolina on June 21, 1995, when a "lagoon" holding 8 acres of hog excrement burst: 25 million
 
Fish killed as an immediate result: 10-14 million

Antibiotic Resistance:

Antibiotics administered to people in the US annually to treat diseases: 3 million pounds

Antibiotics administered to livestock in the US annually for purposes other than treating disease: 24.6 million pounds

Antibiotics allowed in cow's milk: 80

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13%

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91%

Reason: Breeding of antibiotic resistant bacteria in factory farms due to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock

Response by entire European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban
Response by American meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support

Numbers of Animals Slaughtered for Food in US:

Number of cows and calves slaughtered every 24 hours in the US: 90,000

Number of chickens slaughtered every minute in the US: 14,000

Food animals (not counting fish and other aquatic creatures) slaughtered per year in the US: 10 billion

Slaughterhouse:

Transcript of New York Times full page ad published June 22, 2001 detailing the horrors of our modern-day slaughterhouses. With 309-330 cows per hour coming by on the "disassembly" line, there are many who are still fully conscious with eyes wide open when skinned and cut apart. They die literally piece by piece.

Factory Farm Animals with Diseases from Intensive Conditions:

A report by the USDA estimates that 89% of US beef patties contain traces of the deadly E. coli strain. Reuters News Service 8/10/00

US pigs raised in total confinement factories where they never see the light of day until being trucked to slaughter: 65 million (total confinement factories are banned in Britain)

US pigs who have pneumonia at time of slaughter: 70%

Primary source of Campylobacter bacteria: Contaminated chicken flesh

People in the US who become ill with Campylobacter poisoning every day: More than 5,000
 
American turkeys sufficiently contaminated with Campylobacter to cause illness: 90%

Americans sickened from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: More than 650,000

Americans killed from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: 600

Increase in Salmonella poisoning from raw or undercooked eggs between 1976 and 1986: 600%

90% of US chickens are infected with leukosis -- chicken cancer -- at the time of slaughter.

Average lifespan of a dairy cow - 25 years; average lifespan when on a factory dairy farm - 4 years.

Water:

Water needed to produce 1 pound of wheat: 25 gallons

Water needed to produce 1 pound of meat: 2,500 gallons

Cost of hamburger meat if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by US taxpayers: $35/pound

When water shortages occur, citizens are often requested to not wash cars, water lawns and to use low-flow shower heads. However, cutting back on meat consumption would save much more water given that the water required to produce just ten pounds of steak equals the water consumption of the average household for a year.

About 70% of the water used in the 11 western states is dedicated to the raising of animals for food.
Years until the Ogallala Aquifer runs dry (formed by glaciers, the largest underground lake in the world and source of fresh water beneath an area from Texas to South Dakota, and Missouri to Colorado): 30 to 50
The amount of water that goes into a 1,000 pound steer would float a (Naval) destroyer. (Newsweek article "The Browning of America")

Advertising:

Amount spent annually by Kellogg's to promote Frosted Flakes: $40 million

Amount spent annually by the dairy industry on "milk mustache" ads: $190 million

Amount spent annually by McDonald's advertising its products: $800 million

Amount spent by the National Cancer Institute promoting fruits and vegetables: $1 million.

Source 


"A better attitude leads to better actions and a better world..."

Personal Thoughts: The Horrible Exploitation in Farm Factories

Factory farming has dominated the food industry in the United States and other countries worldwide. Upon industrialization, multi-billion dollar companies found a way to exploit livestock animals and the consumers with factory farming business. Millions of animals are grown in locked up facilities, very tight cages, under unimaginable, torturous and miserable conditions. They are deprived of their natural lifestyle and food. They consume antibiotics so they can grow up to the ideal size for meat consumption. Ever wonder why we get all kinds of diseases, infections and cancer? Have you ever thought about why cancer is now the leading cause of death? Do you know that these antibiotics injected and fed to pigs, cows, chickens and other livestock animals are the same that alter our cells, our growth and development that make us susceptible to cancer, various infections and antibiotic-resistant diseases?

Pregnant pigs are locked up in gestation crates that barely fit their size. Every single day, 24/7, they are confined to these crates standing and laying on their own feces and urine. Piglets go through tail docking, (cutting of their tails) without any pain relief, causing severe pain, distress and infection. 

Cows suffer the same 'protocol.' Cows are locked up in dark facilities, cramped up next to each other, never able to see the light of the day. Their ears are clipped with numbers by hot iron rod, again without any pain relief, that causes burn, infection and severe pain. Calfs are deprived off their mother's milk because we take them away for our consumption. Mothers and babies are violently separated from each other and never see each other again. Cows used for dairy have milking apparatus attached them for hours or on constant basis, as if they're milking machine. They often cause mastitis (breast inflammation and infection) resulting in pain and misery for the cows.

Pigs and cows sent to slaughterhouses are either shot or shocked to be unconscious. Afterwards, their necks are cut off so they can bleed to death. However, many still remain conscious as they are hung upside down, cut from their throat and bled. Many suffer for awhile, seizing and crying out of agony, before they die.

Chickens suffer in the same tight, cramped up living conditions. Their beaks are cut off at early age to prevent so called 'aggression' that is proven to be very painful and distressing. Male chicks are sent to grinder to be ground up alive as soon as they hatch. The misery is so unimaginable in fowl cages to the point it gets difficult to tell which ones are dead and alive. When it's time for slaughter, chickens are shackled (hung upside down), which is very painful and stressful for them and one by one their necks are sent to a grinder. They are also sent to scalding water, while still alive.

These are just the three main livestock animals abused, tortured and exploited for our meat consumption. This is not to mention the goats, lambs, turkeys, ducks and many other farm animals that simply become 'an object' rather than living beings that share the planet with us, that are also created to coexist with us.

Worldwide, approximately 70 billion farm animals are grown for food. There are at least 19,000 farm animals that are killed every minute. How did we get to this? How can we call ourselves humans because of this?

Large farms are replaced by tight cages, confined crates, dirty and bloody floors. Green pastures are nothing more but grinding machinery, knives and blades for slaughter. Animals are not living beings but objects, a means of production. Our desire for their flesh is overshadowed by the fact that they possess incredible intelligence, individual personalities, and desire to live a life free from suffering and pain. Instead of personal names, they are assigned with individual numbers. They are mutilated. Abused. Exploited. Tortured. And killed.

Burned bodies

Most of us grew up with meat consumption. The steaks. The pork chops. The barbecues. The ribs. The fried chickens. The bacon. As we enjoy all these things that are plastered all over the place, all over the markets, have we ever come to think how these foods get into our grocery stores, supermarkets and our plates?

We must realize that farm factories is not far off from sexism, homophobia, human trafficking and racial segregation -- social issues that have plagued the human kind throughout our history. It's a form of oppression. It's a form of human cruelty and exploitation. It's a matter of domination and thirst for power and greed. It's just in a different face. We, as consumers, are buying into this. We grab a piece of fried chicken filled with antibiotics that kill us within, that put toxins in our bodies. We breathe air pollution and live in the age of global warming because of the environmental pollution caused by farm factories. In short, we consume our own destruction and we pay for them with our money. 

The link of farm animal oppression to any social injustice that have troubled our society in the past and today gives me the agony and hope at the same time. Much progress has come for those who were oppressed and treated as less. Women who cannot vote, work or say their voice are now lawmakers, businesswomen, celebrities, millionaires, activists...African-Americans who were treated as slaves and animals because they're black and a lower class of human beings are now lawmakers, business owners, CEOs, celebrities, activists..The homophobic sentiments are now turning to increasing acceptance towards same-sex couples, same-sex marriage. The tightening regulations and prosecutions for human trafficking prove that justice is underway.

These kinds of social progress instill hope in me that we can find a way to speak up for the voiceless farm animals. That we would find the compassion within all of us to stand up for their powerlessness. That we would gain the strength to change our lifestyle so they can have the right to live among us, just as how we want to live in this world. That we would find it in our hearts to treat them as valuable living beings, our companions.

A lot of work needs to be done and it starts by being educated and informed on farm factory atrocities. It's not until we become aware that this horrible system goes on that we can start making responsible decisions and choices on how we could deal with our crooked, flawed and greedy food industry that don't really care for our welfare as much as they care about the money that comes to their bank accounts.


"A better attitude leads to better actions and a better world..."