What we can do

In my constant research and reading about the topic of eating kind, I came across this great article that talks about things we can do today (some of them are VERY easy) to directly improve welfare of farm animals.  Read the full article here or see below for my summary:

Incorporate the Three R’s into Your Life
  • Refinement: look for humanely raised products
  • Replacement: look for vegetarian alternatives
  • Reduction: reduce meat consumption by just one meal a week

The reduction part seems pretty easy to do and the results are fantastic! According to MSPCA, “if we reduce the consumption of animal products by just one meal a week, approximately one billion animals would be spared the suffering that occurs with intensive confinement operations.”  And when we do buy meat, stick with the humanely-raised options!

Support Legislative Action

There are many websites and organizations that make it very easy to take legislative action, including keeping you up to date on various issues and even providing email templates so making a change is as easy as pushing a button!  My go-to websites are Farm Sanctuary and HSUS.Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it?!

Update: egg industry moves forward

On July 7th, Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers have come to an unprecedented agreement, which calls for a national labeling program for all eggs sold commecially and promises to provide consumers with more information about the production practices used by egg farmers.

  • Some of the requirements from the proposed legislature include:
  • Elimination of barren battery cages through a phase-out period
  • Allowing birds to engage in their natural behaviors, currently denied to them in cages
  • Mandated labels on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the methos used to produce the eggs, such as “eggs from caged hens” or “eggs from cage-free hens”.
  • Prohibiting molting through starvation

This is a great move for chicken welfare and I’m hoping we’re going to see similar developments for other farm animals.

More information available on the HSUS website.

March activity

Here are some of the initiatives that I’m working on in March:

  • Support Senate Bill 917!  I’ve sent an email to Committee Chair, Loni Hancock, asking support for this bill.  You can do the same, by going here.
  • Ban shark fin sales in California!  Several other states (including Hawaii and Washington) have already done so, and California is (hopefully) next.  Fill out this short form to send a letter to your Assemblymember and urge them to support this important bill.

February activity

Here’s the list of activities that I completed in February.  Thanks to Farm Sanctuary’s Action Alerts and Updates, my outreach was very easy, with minimal time and effort required.  Take a look at the website and the issues below and if one stands out, please take action now! 

  • Urged the USDA to protect downed pigs and other animals. Take action now.
  • Email to Smithfield urging them to keep its promise of no more gestation crates through the Farm Sanctuary website.  Take action now.
  • Email to University of Mississippi Medial Center urging them to stop abusing pigs in student labs (through the Farm Sanctuary website).  Take action now.
  • Signed a petition against a USDA recently allowing companies to put a “naturally raised” label on meat and meat products that come from animals whose upbringing was far from natural.  Take action now.
  • Email to my U.S. Representative to take action on my behalf and ask S. Ward Casscells, M.D., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to end the use of animals in combat trauma training (through the Farm Sanctuary website).  Take action now.
  • Email to support the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (HR4733).  Through the Farm Sanctuary website.  Take action now.