Dairy and Eggs
Where Dairy Is Cruel and Where Calves and Slaughter Aren't Ignored, Take 2
Published August 05, 2009 @ 05:21PM PT
Note: This post has been edited and revised. My original version was directed too personally at Greg, and for that, I apologize.
Greg at Sustainable Food has a post up in defense of what he calls "not cruel" organic dairy :"Where Dairy Isn't Cruel." I imagine--though I don't know for certain--that the post and some of its remarks directed at animal advocates are at least in part a response to some of the posts on this blog.
Will Dunkin' Donuts Go Egg- and Dairy-Free?
Published August 04, 2009 @ 06:10AM PT
Edit: I realize now that the title of this post may be misleading. This COK campaign isn't asking Dunkin' Donuts to go vegan altogether, but to remove eggs and dairy from its doughnuts specifically.
As many of you will recall, DC-based nonprofit Compassion over Killing had great success earlier this year getting Boca to stop using eggs in its products. As of 2010, no Boca foods will include eggs. What so excited me and impressed me about COK's campaign was that it didn't ask the company to go "cage-free" or "free-range" or to reduce its egg use--but to eliminate cruel egg use altogether.
And now COK has taken on a new project: asking Dunkin' Donuts to lose both the eggs and the dairy in its doughnuts, in addition to offering other vegan menu options.
"Fair Trade" Does Not an Ethical Chocolate Bar Make
Published July 28, 2009 @ 07:35AM PT
Much ado has been made recently about Cadbury's decision to go Fair Trade with its Dairy Milk chocolate bar line, the top-selling chocolate bar in the UK (sort of like the British equivalent of Hershey's, for Americans who aren't familiar). But although the company should absolutely be commended for its concern for cocoa farmers and its commitment to helping them via a switch to Fair Trade, this move doesn't suddenly make the bars devoid of ethical problems; there are still mothers, sons, and daughters quite literally dying for the Dairy Milk bars from Cadbury and for other chocolate.
And although this announcement was written about and celebrated in various venues, it was the title and content of a recent Guardian article, "Socially aware chocoholics rejoice as Cadbury's Dairy Milk goes Fairtrade," that really struck me. The article began with this line:
Good news: eating bars of Dairy Milk is no longer greedy — it's snacking with a social conscience.
And that's where I let out a sad sigh.
And the Fires Rage On: 800,000 Birds Burn in Texas, 25,000 in Canada
Published July 12, 2009 @ 11:08AM PT
800,000 hens died in a Texas fire this week, though most news headlines seemed more concerned with reporting that the Cal-Maine egg facility was "damaged" in the fire.
Courtesy WSJ:
"We are very fortunate that this fire occurred at the end of the work day and there were no personal injuries sustained," Chairman and Chief Executive Fred Adams said Friday.
Because one person being injured would have been a PR nightmare. But 800,000 terrified, choking, burning hens? That's nothing. Indeed, in addition to not having to worry about people caring, the company also doesn't have to worry much about this hurting them financially:
The company expects minimal financial impact on operations due to insurance coverage and doesn't anticipate long-term disruptions to customers.
For Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters: The "Calm" Nature of Slaughter
Published June 30, 2009 @ 06:21AM PT
All who insist that killing animals isn't the horrible practice animal advocates know it to be, who insist that the animals remain calm, are unaware of what's about to happen, and go contentedly, obliviously to their deaths need to watch this video that's been circulating in recent days.
It is not graphic--that is, we do not see the animals being shot in the head or their throats slit open or their bodies hung up by one leg. No, what we see (and hear) is perhaps even more devastating. We see an animal alone, trapped, terrified, and looking desperately for an escape from what awaits at the end of the chute. There is no narration. No background music to evoke emotion. Just what really happened, just an honest, unedited look at some of the final moments of one of our fellow thinking, feeling animals who wanted to live.
Once again, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike should pay equal attention. The cows and calves killed for dairy die just as, and have the same heartbreaking fearful experiences as, the animals killed for meat, and they want to live as much as the animals killed for their flesh want to live. Watch through to the end.
The Love of Louie and Libby
Published June 22, 2009 @ 08:08AM PT
I am not going to suggest that you read this story. I am not going to ask that you read this story. I am going to beg you, plead with you, to read this story shared by Joanna of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary.
Particularly if you are someone who doubts the depths of emotions animals feel, who doubts the way they love one another and build specific, chosen relationships as we do, who is unsure of how unique each individual is and how deep the bonds between them go, who thinks that they are distinctly different from us--please read this.
We could change little bits in this story, and it would read just like the story of a devoted elderly human couple, a pair of soulmates connected in ways only they can fully understand, in ways that make their lives worth living. It is a story we can all relate to--about love and about the things we do, the sacrifices we make, the care we provide, and the lengths we go to for the ones we love and wish to protect.
But Libby and Louie are not humans. They are chickens. And their story is nothing short of remarkable. It will swell your heart and bring tears to your eyes. It will change the way you think about chickens. It will change the way you think about "chicken"--and eggs, given how hens suffer and die for them, given how Libbie herself suffered so much for them. I hope it will change the way that you eat.
A preview, if you feel you need one:
McDonald's and the Dairy Industry: BFFs
Published June 03, 2009 @ 06:51AM PT
(Alternate title: McDonald's, the Dairy Industry, and Well-Meaning Vegetarians: BFFs)
McDonald's and other chains, restaurants, and food suppliers already love the dairy industry. It's where they get not only their cheese and milk of course, but also much of their cheap "beef" for hamburgers. But now the love affair is growing. The two are scratching each other's backs with McDonald's new McCafe line. The drinks are apparently quite heavy on cows' milk, so the dairy industry is helping promote the pus, hormone, and cruelty-packed concoctions. Straight from the dairy folks (emphasis mine):
