Mother's Day, May 9, is also the day of the National
Veal Ban Campaign,
which is coordinated each year by FARM (Farm Animal Reform Movement),
a nonprofit group which works to expose the harmful effects of factory
farming
on human health, the environment, and animal well-being. FARM chose
Mother's Day as the day for this event because the cow is a symbol of
motherhood around the world. And yet we treat this animal with
incredible
cruelty.
National Veal Ban Campaign Director David Pryor has
explained that the
gross violation of the sacred bond between bovine mother and child led
to
scheduling the national protest on Mother's Day. David has said "We hope
that Americans will honor their mothers on this day by refusing to eat
veal."
You are concerned about animal welfare and animal rights
or you wouldn't be
reading this newsletter. You wouldn't consider eating veal. You know how
it
is made. You know how the baby calves are taken away from their mothers
soon after their birth and placed in small crates and fed a liquid milk
substitute
lacking in iron to make them anemic so their flesh is white and
preferred by
the compassionless gourmands of the world.
You know how they are chained by the neck to prevent
movement, so that
they can't turn around, or even lie down, so that their muscles can't
develop,
so that their flesh stays tender.
You know how these poor animals are fed large amounts of
antibiotics to
combat the filthy, diseased conditions they are raised in. You know how
the
residues of these antibiotics are passed on to humans making them less
immune to infections.
You know how these calves never see the sun, never walk
in the fields, never
graze in the meadows, never even suckle at their mothers' breasts. You
know
how these babies are slaughtered after sixteen weeks of torment.
What you probably don't realize is that veal is a
by-product of the dairy
industry, and that by using dairy products you support the veal
industry.
To make dairy cows produce milk, they are made pregnant once a year for
the five short years of their lives. Cows can live beyond twenty years
of age
but their production of milk decreases, so most are turned into
hamburger
after five years. The female calves are raised as milk producers to
replace
those overworked five year olds, most of the males become beef and veal.
For twenty years I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian, and I
only faced the fact that
I was still part of the cycle of cruelty two years ago. I regret that I
didn't see
the light much earlier. You know the facts, please go vegan this
Mother's Day.
Write us for assistance, we want to help you help the animals.
Milk, it Does No Body Good.
Go on to
Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry
Return to 9 May 1999 Issue
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