10 Things You Should Know About Free-Range Turkeys
The conditions in “free-range” facilities are often so poor that many turkeys die simply from the stress of living in such an environment.
The conditions in “free-range” facilities are often so poor that many turkeys die simply from the stress of living in such an environment.
The commitment to living the vegan ideal brings with it a truly new year, along with new possibilities, opportunities for creativity, and the new lease on life that comes from doing something that you know is right.
Given the burgeoning opportunities, advocates can pick and choose what methods and media suit their talents, personalities, preferences, and geographic locations.
Even a quick and genuinely painless death deprives an individual of the chance to experience his or her life, in any capacity, ever again. It stands to reason then, that if we believe other animals ought to be protected from being harmed unnecessarily, they ought to be protected from being killed unnecessarily.
Although this may come as a surprise to some, there are ethical vegans across the political spectrum and in every major religion. Veganism transcends politics and religion because it is based on the simple matter of rejecting a particular form of prejudice: speciesism.
The animal industry (including the huge monoculture crops that feed it), is supported by tens of billions of dollars in annual farm subsidies and other government handouts that make it highly profitable to produce animal-based foods over plant-based foods.
While institutionalized exploiters certainly have a lot to answer for, it is consumers who are primarily responsible for animal cruelty through their purchases of animal products.
When we campaign to eliminate one branch of the animal trade while ignoring others, we send a message that certain forms of exploitation are worse than others.
The animal welfare model overwhelmingly benefits industry – not only by providing guidelines which help producers to adopt a more effective business model, but also by assuring consumers that it is possible to breed, raise, exploit, and slaughter animals in an ethical way.
As surely as the abolitionists of the past knew that no man or woman should be the property of any other, the abolitionists of today know that the legal property status of animals stands in the way of their ever receiving any meaningful rights or protection, let alone being granted the freedom to live according to their own needs and desires.
As most people are naturally opposed to unnecessary violence, becoming and staying vegan is not a matter of changing any of our basic moral beliefs. It simply requires us to be willing to change the habits we have developed that prevent us from living according to our principles.