Breeding:
- Animals such as cows, chickens, pigs and sheep are ‘domesticated animals‘ – they have been created by humans to have particular characteristics using selective breeding techniques over many generations. They are, therefore, not ‘natural’ animals in the sense that they do not exist in the wild, and probably would not survive very well without human intervention.
- Chickens, for example, have been bred so that they cannot fly. Their wings can carry them off the ground temporarily but they cannot get very far. This makes them easy for humans to control, and also very vulnerable to predators – see link.
- Cows have been bred to have various characteristics such as large udders (which make them produce excessive quantities of milk – often up to 10 times more than a calf would need). Other cattle have been bred to have large, lean bodies so that they can be used for meat. Certain sheep have been bred to have excessive quantities of wool, and pigs were bred to have temperaments which make them more docile, for example.
Slaughter:
- Minister Simon Coveney says ‘slaughter causes suffering’
- Slaughter – from Animal Aid
- Slaughterhouse – The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment inside the US Meat Industry – by Gail Eisnitz
Live Export:
- Irish Cattle bound for Libya are beaten, stabbed and dragged by their eye sockets
- Shocking live export conditions not uncommon say animal rights groups
Videos:
- SWINE – the horrors of factory farming.
- Why Vegan?
- The best we have to offer? Inside Ireland’s ‘Humane’ Farming
- Stop eating your friends – vegan documentary
Related links:
- Why Vegan – from Vegan Sustainability Magazine
- HumaneMyth.org
- A closer look at what so-called humane farming means