Free from Harm

Last Thursday, I published an article on a breaking investigation from Animal Recovery Mission, in which they exposed horrific, widespread and long term abuse on a dairy farm that supplies Fairlife milk, the largest “humane” label milk company in the U.S., and a partner of Coca-Cola. The Biggest Undercover Dairy Investigation in History – Fair Oaks Farms and Coca Cola from ARM Investigations on Vimeo.

Cows exploited for dairy on a prison farm. Consider a theoretical question. Which is best suited as a prisoner rehabilitation program: running a puppy mill, working in a slaughterhouse, churning out baby food, or growing marijuana? If you chose “none of the above,” you’re wrong. At least, according to the Canadian government, which has been training prisoners in slaughterhouse work for decades, and will soon see prisoners farming cows and factory-farming goats to produce infant formula for China.

When we say, ‘Everything eats and is eaten,’ we are also implying a conclusion which is something like, “Therefore eating animals is justified because it’s natural.” But there are many common, natural behaviors we see in both domestic animals and wildlife that we would find immoral and offensive to engage in ourselves based on modern societal standards. We would never attempt to justify them by citing how other species regularly engage in them.

Photo by Jacqueline Wales Whenever a debate on veganism arises, there is a very high probability that the discussion will turn to lions. People often justify eating animals by pointing to lions eating other animals in the wild, forgetting that lions also steal, rape, and murder amongst themselves, so perhaps we shouldn’t base our morality on what lions do. They point to their own laughable canine teeth, as if they were sporting giant razor-sharp fangs.

Photo credit: Francesco Scipioni One of the most frequently expressed concerns about ending animal farming is what will happen to the workers and/or businesses if and when this change happens? The same concerns are raised in other sectors, such as renewable energy taking over the fossil fuel industry. In both cases the question ignores the fact that new opportunities for work will arise out of the growth of new sustainable food and renewable energy economies.

The following is Jess Strathdee’s first person account of her years spent working on a dairy farm, and what motivated her to finally leave the industry forever. In February 2013, my partner and I moved to live and work on a West Canterbury, New Zealand dairy farm with a 600 head herd. My partner was the second in command on the farm, and I was employed as a relief milker and calf-rearer while starting my studies with Massey University via correspondence.

Photo by Pete Crosbie “Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are consumed worldwide as mutton, hogget, and lamb, kept as wool and milk producers, and used extensively in scientific research.

Some plant crops are particularly destructive to rainforests, indigenous communities and other native species as well as exploit slave and child labor. In discussions of veganism and animal rights, some people justifiably point to coffee, bananas, palm oil and chocolate as being among the most unethical crops. The problem with this critique is that it often singles out vegans as if only vegans — and all vegans — are responsible for their existence.

The Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) recently released the first ever investigation into an organic dairy in the United States and the third installment of the largest dairy investigation of all time into Fairlife and Select Milk Producers Inc. Owned by Fairlife Board of Director Donal De Jong, who supplies dairy to the Fairlife label, Natural Prairie Organic Dairies house over 25,000 cows and consist of four locations near Dalhart, Texas.

I first learned about Karen Davis and United Poultry Concerns in 2009 when exploring ways to better understand and care for my first family of adopted chickens. I was immediately struck by the passion and power of her words. Ten years later, I have come to know Davis as a colleague in animal rights activism, and my respect for her work has only deepened over this decade.