Guest blog: Adele Buettner, Farm Animal Council Saskatchewan
Most reasonable North Americans have always opposed animal cruelty. But if you had said “welfare” to ranchers and farmers 30 years ago most would have thought you meant a government cheque. If you had spoken about farm animal care to most retailers, you would have been met with a blank stare.
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Posted by FFC on January 23rd, 2012 :: Filed under
Activism,
Vegan,
VegetarianTags ::
activists,
agriculture,
animal rights
By: Leslie Ballentine, Farm and Food Commentator
There is a common saying among vegetarians that “If slaughterhouses had glass walls everyone would be a vegetarian”. Having been to all types of meat plants I disagree. And so did one of North America’s largest processing companies.
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Posted by FFC on November 21st, 2011 :: Filed under
animal handling,
Beef cattle,
Consumers,
Education and public awareness,
Meat/slaughter plants,
Media,
VegetarianTags ::
animal welfare,
animals,
Consumers,
food safety,
meat,
Media,
Vegetarian
By: Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
One of the great things about our country is the freedom to express and defend our personal opinions. We have more venues to do so than ever before. Not so long ago I was pulled into an on-line discussion on food animal production. The discussion was prompted by a CBC radio commentary on egg production but quickly moved into animal farming and food practices in general and the need to eat animal products in the first place. Illustrating how agriculture crosses into so many issues.
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Posted by FFC on October 24th, 2011 :: Filed under
Activism,
Housing,
Misconceptions,
Speaking out,
VegetarianTags ::
activists,
animal rights,
free range,
Vegetarian
The following is reprinted with permission from the Animal Agriculture Alliance in the United States (www.animalalliance.org). For its full collection of Meatless Monday resources, visit http://animalagalliance.org/current/home.cfm?Section=Meatless_Monday&Category=Current_Issues.
The Myth of Meatless Mondays – Alleviating the Consumer’s Conscience Without Affecting Climate Change
Judith L. Capper, PhD, Washington State University
In July, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a report claiming that everybody should eat less meatand dairy products in order to mitigate climate change. It was an interesting report, not least because it recommended that if consumers were going to eat meat, they should choose “meat, eggs and dairy products that are certified organic, humane and/or grass-fed as they are generally the least environmentally damaging”. Working within the sustainability arena, I firmly believe that any production system has a role within agriculture provided that it is environmentally conscientious, economically viable and socially acceptable. However, the EWG’s promotion of organic or grass-fed systems as having a low environmental impact is ironic given that such systems actually have a greater carbon footprint per unit of meat or milk produced compared to their conventional counterparts.
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Posted by FFC on October 6th, 2011 :: Filed under
Activism,
Beef cattle,
Feeding the world,
Global Warming,
Meatless Monday,
Misconceptions,
Organics,
Sheep,
VegetarianTags ::
activists,
beef,
Consumers,
environment,
meatless Monday,
misconceptions,
organic,
Research,
sheep,
Vegetarian
By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
A November 2010 study by the George Morris Centre, a non-profit agri-food think tank, has found some alarming news about food. Their unpublished study titled Food Waste in Canada, estimates that $27 billion (yes billion) worth of food finds its way into landfill and composting each year. I’ve read elsewhere that 30-40% of our food goes to waste. The blame, according to the research, is split evenly between consumers who throw out food at home and the food supply chain; from farms through to stores and restaurants.
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Posted by FFC on January 17th, 2011 :: Filed under
Activism,
Beef cattle,
Feeding the world,
Global Warming,
Research,
Vegetarian
Posted by OFAC (This article first appeared in OFAC’s February, 2010 newsletter)
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is well known for its outrageous and attention-grabbing antics, “behind the scenes” pressure tactics and for capitalizing on the efforts of others. At the same time PETA (and other animal rights groups) use more subtle methods to exert their influence and line their pockets.
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Posted by FFC on May 19th, 2010 :: Filed under
Activism,
Consumers,
Family vs factory farming,
Media,
PETA,
Vegan,
Vegetarian
Animal Ag Alliance To Yellow Tail: Please Reconsider
02/12/2010 11:05AM
In an effort to assist Yellow Tail Wines in determining its best opportunity to help animals, the Animal Agriculture Alliance has written a letter this week to the company’s owner, Cassella Wines. Yellow Tail Wines announced last week their intent to donate $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States.
Yellow Tail’s announcement has generated considerable controversy among livestock producers and a backlash against the wine company. “The uproar over the last week has shown that you will undoubtedly lose a significant segment of your American customer base if you continue with your pledge of support for HSUS,” the letter says.
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Posted by FFC on February 16th, 2010 :: Filed under
Activism,
Consumers,
Letters to the Editor,
Vegan,
VegetarianTags ::
activists,
animal rights,
Consumers,
HSUS,
misconceptions,
Vegetarian
BY CRYSTAL MACKAY, ONTARIO FARM ANIMAL COUNCIL, London Free Press, 2006.04.22; Letter to the Editor
Regarding the letter, Meat products harmful to the environment (April 20):
I’d like to do something crazy and write in favour of something, which seems to be out of vogue these days. Eating meat is actually good for the environment and makes ecological sense.
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Posted by FFC on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under
Letters to the Editor,
VegetarianTags ::
environment,
Farmers,
food,
meat,
Vegetarian
Myth about calves raised in darkness hampers veal image
By Greg Burliuk, Kingston Whig-Standard, 2002.06.01
Mention the word veal and some people cringe.
“How can you eat baby cows?” was the cry I heard years ago. A British friend once told me that was why veal consumption was so low in her animal -loving country.
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Posted by FFC on July 19th, 2009 :: Filed under
Consumers,
Education and public awareness,
Veal,
VegetarianTags ::
activists,
animal welfare,
meat,
Veal,
Vegetarian
VALERIE TAPLEY, Red and Black, GA, 7/3/08
In response to Tulsi Patel’s column “Vegetarian pleas for animals,” (June 19), first, Ms. Patel, I do applaud you for having an opinion on this issue, as so many people are apathetic about many parts of our culture today.
However, I hope you see that people like myself, who are hoping to enter the meat industry as an employee in the near future, are not writing articles in an attempt to convert vegetarians to meat-eaters.
I’m glad you have a lifestyle you’re proud of, but that doesn’t mean I want to necessarily be converted to your ways of thinking. I do grant that you are able to get an adequate intake from a vegetarian diet, so long as you watch carefully your intake of certain vitamins and proteins.
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Posted by FFC on July 19th, 2009 :: Filed under
Consumers,
Education and public awareness,
VegetarianTags ::
agriculture,
livestock,
meat,
misconceptions,
PETA,
Vegetarian
