Mother's Day and the Cow Connection
by Park [email protected]
We celebrate Mother's Day today, but it's 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 four
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 The WTO and
the New Global Realities
Return to 13 May 2001 Issue
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