| Just the Facts by Judy Carman In the tradition of mystical activism, I ask you to bear witness with me to these facts and consider the suffering that the paradigm of domination is now causing both in the physical and in the spiritual lives of human beings, the earth, and the animals. -- Forty eight billion farmed land animals -- eight times the human population of the world -- are killed for food each year worldwide. That enormous figure does not include the horses, dogs, cats and wild animals killed for food, nor the uncounted millions of male chicks ground up while still alive because they have no monetary value. Eighty nine million tons of fish, which would represent billions of uncounted individuals, are also killed each year. Fully one third of those residents of the sea are killed and tossed away as trash. -- U.S. factory farms produce 2.7 trillion pounds of manure per year, which causes more water pollution than any other industry in the U.S. -- It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, whereas a pound of wheat only requires 25 gallons. -- One acre of land can grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes or 165 pounds of cow meat. -- 125,000 square miles of rainforest are destroyed each year to raise cows. -- Dairy cows are cruelly confined in factory dairies. They cry and mourn when their babies are taken from them at birth. The male babes are chained in tiny stalls, and slaughtered for veal at 6 to 8 weeks of age. -- Pigs and chickens on factory farms are confined in dark, poorly ventilated buildings, many in cages so small they cannot move or lie down comfortably. Many of them are ill with untreated tumors and diseases at slaughter due to the abominable living conditions. -- Slaughterhouses are notorious for inflicting unbearable torture on the animals they slowly kill and dismember. -- While "developed" countries dine on the flesh of their animal kin and overeat to the point of obesity, 40,000 children die every day for lack of food. Most of the grain they could eat is fed to farmed animals. -- It is estimated that one vegan potentially releases enough grain, water and land to feed 20 starving people, and that one vegan will save the lives of at least 100 animals each and every year of his or her life. -- The consumption of animal products is a leading cause of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses that plague people who eat them. This is because the human body is not designed to be a predator (e.g. no ripping fangs or claws) or to digest dead animal tissue (e.g. lack of necessary digestive capability). Sources: Facts mentioned in this article, along with many more, can be found in: Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul by Judy Carman and The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World by John Robbins. |
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July 2004 |
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