The Innocent 10,153,000,000 Victims Of The U.S. Food Industry

This story was shared by Robert Grillo, the founder of Free From Harm. Grillo started the nonprofit group to make people aware that their choice of food matters. “Food choice is the most powerful tool we have for creating a healthier and more humane world for people, animals and the environment, says Grillo.” The activist strongly believes in social justice for animals, especially farm animals that are seen as “commodities” rather than living beings. The vast number of animals slaughtered in the U.S. each year for food is mindboggling, but the millions that are allowed to linger until they die is beyond any sense of humanity.

FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement) has released its report on animals killed for food in the US in 2010 based largely on the USDA’s own data. Of all the findings, perhaps the most mind numbing statistic is this: Of the 10,153,000,000 land animals systematically killed across the country, 875,000,000 of these animals died lingering deaths from disease, injury, starvation, suffocation, maceration, or other atrocities of animal farming and transport. Assuming that all of these practices were perfectly legal, we have an industry that exploits and abuses animals with impunity and a flagrant disregard for their most basic needs as sentient beings.

There is perhaps no greater example of speciesism in practice than this. A look at how the legal system in the US handles cases of criminal animal abuse proves that this speciesism against farm animals is not only accepted as the norm, but a legally protected principle over its actual victims. If these animals were cats, dogs or horses, their perpetrators could be criminally prosecuted on felony charges, but farmers and corporations are not held accountable for their abuses against farm animals, animals that are essentially equal in their level of sentience. And yet 91% of the 10,153,000,000 farm animals killed in 2010 are chickens with absolutely no legal protections whatsoever. This is, in no way, a rational or consistent application of animal protection law.

There is no moral or rational justification for causing suffering to 875,000,000 animals or even one of them. We do so not because we need to, not because animal products are essential to our health. We do so for no other reason than because we derive pleasure from eating them. If we follow this faulty logic, it would also be justifiable to maim a dog because we were angry at that dog. Following this logic opens the floodgates to legally sanction all forms of violence against humans and non-human animals that we are witnessing today.

The answer is not more welfare reform that will regulate the exploitation of animals while continuing to falsely objectify them as commodities (rather than acknowledge them for what they really are). The answer is not more “humane” ways of killing more animals through gassing, electrocution, poisons and other horrendous methods. The answer is not to seek false refuge in “higher welfare” products that (even if they were deemed acceptable) could never be mass produced to support the US population. Let’s stop deluding ourselves. We need to redirect our energies and focus on building a movement that educates people on why this kind of exploitation is wrong, fundamentally and rationally, because we are not dealing with widgets here. We are dealing with sentient beings who have interests of their own and who have at least one right, the right NOT to be exploited by an industry that has no legitimate moral claim for exploiting them in the first place-no more than an individual who abuses a dog or cat.

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Pego R.

10:20PM PST on Mar 4, 2012

Hi Eddie

I hope your roomie is doing OK? I seem to have gone into the critter rescue business since we last spoke. I have a recuperating cat attacked bird and a dumped out stray dog that have expanded the menagerie on my end.

Did you ever look into that book I mentioned by Simon Fairlie? "Meat"

I still think it is one of the best summations of all the avenues in the public eye right now to feed the world and what their real cost on the ground is and will be.

send a green star

Past Member .

8:11PM PST on Mar 1, 2012

Wow, I just saw the words "Thank you Diane, Pego and Marilyn for your thoughtful, eloquent words regarding animal suffering in the food industry" and I thought hell had frozen over. I cant believe this thread is still active!

MarilynBusy F.

5:40AM PST on Mar 1, 2012

cont'd

Unlike you, I WANT to see positive change and I put my money where my mouth is and take positive actions and make and sign petitions constantly, TO EFFECT those changes.
All we see you do is give lip service, list links, call people names and insult them, and stuff yourself with GMO soy shaped like wieners to satisfy your own appetite....while you smugly think that being vegan-by-diet absolves you of all guilt or responsibility.
That's pathetic.

You sound more and more like Dan...and your avatar photo probably came in a new leather wallet!

5:39AM PST on Mar 1, 2012

Robert you think you're qualified or entitled to call us morons....but let's even the playing field here.....
-what do you PERSONALLY do to promote spay and neuter and support animal welfare?
I donate over $1000 annually to my local shelter, which I raise by making special jewelry for at least 3 months of every year. I also donate large amounts of cat and dog food to the local shelter which is given to people having financial problems...so they won't have to surrender or abandon their pets.

How much of your precious time do you donate to socializing cats and walking dogs at the local shelter in order to make them more adoptable?
I'm homebound with a disability, but when I CAN get out, that's what I do.

How many animals have you rescued?
I have 5 special needs rescued cats that eat premium food and have heated beds and annual physicals and vet visits when required...and I even brush their teeth every night to prevent painful dental issues.

How much do you support Monsanto?
I don't eat soy and processed foods, and I avoid products made by the companies they own...ie Scott Tissue products etc.

Unlike you, I WANT to see positive change and I put my money where my mouth is and take positive actions and make and sign petitions constantly, TO EFFECT those changes.
All we see you do is give lip service, list links, call people names and insult them, and stuff yourself with GMO soy shaped like wieners to satisfy your own appetite....while you smugly think that being

Diane L.

3:17AM PST on Mar 1, 2012

"Diane and Pego and Marilyn and Gerald and Doug S and LP R. and aliases Myron and Lucy H. - none of you is moderately interested in what PETA or HSUS or Farm Sanctuary is trying to do".........only part of that which isn't factual is the inclusion of the "and aliases" part. Yes, Robert, you finally GET IT.......none of us are the slightest bit interested in what PETA or HSUS has to say or claims they are trying to do because we KNOW what they REALLY do........collect money from misguided people who think it's going to help save animals, and it ends up making the ilk such as Ingrid Newkirk rich, instead, and they do not save animals' lives, just the opposite.

1:30AM PST on Mar 1, 2012

Since, to him (and Marie) all animals are morally equivelant to humans... Sheesh, that would be the death penatly in this state.

1:27AM PST on Mar 1, 2012

Just imagine, Gerald

If those burrows were filled with humans, Robert's repeated paying for the tilling, poisoning and harrowing of those fields would make him at least a legally culpable accomplice after the fact, and, since he continues to pay to have this done, that would make him an active co-conspirator

Gerald L.

1:36PM PST on Feb 29, 2012

Hayes Robert was your heritage a grass farming people ?
"Collateral Killing" as per eating "Smartdogs" made with gmo soya beans sprayed with Bayer Agra herbicides, maybe some nitrate fertilizer ripped from the bowels of the earth. poor groundhogs ripped and ground to death from tillage equipment. Birds and Bee's poisoned.
Robert you are in DENIAL of your COMPLICITY of killing animals and POISONING the ENVIRONMENT and HUMANITY.

10:32AM PST on Feb 29, 2012

Cont.,

So, sadly, a decision may be made at times (for whatever reason) to kill one to save a hundred (I don't know for certain - that is just my guess as an observer -there may be a number of other reasons as well). And it is self-interest, narrow-minded, linear thinking morons like you people listed above who are responsible for all the killing that is done at all the dog pounds, rescue groups and animal rights groups, as well as, all the killing that is done in the flesh-selling businesses. Because you don't want change; you don't care about getting laws in place that make it a felony to breed someone for money. Breeding dogsand cars should be illegal. Spaying and neutering should be mandatory with severe penalties. Animal cruelty laws should be in place with severe penalties.

People can also choose to eat a flesh-less diet. That decision saves hundreds of lives.

HSUS, PETA, and Farm Sanctuary all use various strategies to get people's attention on this horrifying situation. They also all work to change the laws to make life less miserable for animals. They would all prefer that tomorrow the whole world wakes up and feels respect and compassion towards all living beings. Until then they will continue working towards getting the realities of slaughter out to the mind-numbed average Joe and they will work to change laws in a system of law that is saturated with evil and apathetic and greed motivated humans.

10:30AM PST on Feb 29, 2012

Cont.,

Change is uncomfortable for humans. And humans have nothing at stake so why bother? Animals have everything at stake and have been given no voice.

Changing laws is monumental since greed motivates the continuance of the business of killing. So the people with deep pockets can afford to protect and promote their cruel business. And they know the can rely on the pattern-seeking, apathetic, easy-to- manipulate majority who have nothing at stake. It is after all the cows and pigs and chickens who do the suffering. The virtually zero protection laws don't effect humans directly so what would compel a self-interest species like a human to really care what happens to a cow or chicken?. We don't even recognize a cow to be a "someone." We have learned to call him or her “it.“ The law recognizes animals as commodities - no different than selling umbrellas - only the people at the umbrella factory sure as hell better not treat the umbrellas like slaughterhouse workers treat vulnerable animals.

"Rescuing" animals is a good thing from the standpoint of intention. But all the animal rights groups know, as I know, that rescuing a cow just means another cow will stand in his place at the hand of the butcher. Animal Rights people know that rescuing dogs just means more cows, and chickens will be killed since few dogs are vegan. So, sadly, a decision may be made at times (for whatever reason) to kill one to save a hundred (I don't know for certain - that is just m