"Do They Know it's Christmas?"

[iago]

I debated about posting this a lot, but decided I'd post it with a note: this is graphic and kind of gross, so don't watch it if you don't want to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCX7f_s1CA4

I used to hate watching those kinds of videos. Not because they're gross or anything, but because they sort of make you look at something that you're in denial about: where your food actually comes from. It puts a face on the animals that you eat, a face that you don't really want to see.

Basically, it's about how food animals are treated in the current farming structure. They're the situations that people don't think of when they think of farms, but it's something that people ought to be aware of.

For anybody who doesn't know, I'm a vegan, I have been more or less for a few months now.

And yes, this video essentially amounts to propaganda. However, there is still a ton of this stuff going on, and when you eat meat/dairy/eggs, you're supporting this type of thing.

So yeah, there it is for what it's worth. Decide for yourself if you want to watch. :P

[Armin]

I think to stop a thing like this, buying meat you know has been farmed with care would be a better idea. In economics, your dollar is your vote. Not voting at all doesn't help as much as voting for fair treatment. When a company sees their losing business to a more animal friendly farm, they'll likely change their policies to compete with them.

[rabbit]

Or cover up their crappy farms...

[Hitmen]

Man, I want some bacon

[Blaze]

Man, I want some bacon

*high five*

I've been to many chicken and beef farms in Canada, and all I've seen is as humane as you can get when you need to kill something..

[Armin]

Or cover up their crappy farms...

Which is when you sue the shit out of them. Almost nothing can be kept a secret forever.

[iago]

I think to stop a thing like this, buying meat you know has been farmed with care would be a better idea.

You're right that that helps, and I'd encourage people that, if they're going to eat meat, they should eat that type. I still don't (personally) think that we have the right to kill/eat any type of animal, but I am well aware that others don't agree with me.

[Hitmen]

If there was a way to get a delicious steak without harming the cow, I would agree with you. But sadly there is not :(

[CrAz3D]

I think that abuse is the exception, not the rule, but it is still sad ... just as child abuse is sad but usually the exception, not the rule.

And x2 for what Metal said about eating free range animal stuffs.  There is A LOT of money to be made in that category of the industry because people are willing to pay a little more for "cleaner" food.

[iago]

I think that abuse is the exception, not the rule, but it is still sad ... just as child abuse is sad but usually the exception, not the rule.

80% of meat in Canada comes from factory farms, and those are the bad ones where they only care about the bottom line, not the animal. So the majority of meat (and milk, eggs, etc.) comes from places last that.

And x2 for what Metal said about eating free range animal stuffs.  There is A LOT of money to be made in that category of the industry because people are willing to pay a little more for "cleaner" food.

You have to watch out for "free range", because the definition of that in Canada and the US is so loose that it's almost meaningless.

[iago]

If there was a way to get a delicious steak without harming the cow, I would agree with you. But sadly there is not :(

You can get food that's extremely close to steak that isn't even made of meat. The thing about meat is, there's very little actual flavour, and it can be simulated pretty easily. The hardest thing is the texture, I haven't had any meat substitutes (or cheese substitutes) with the proper texture yet. But the flavour is totally there.

[rabbit]

This is a question for iago, what with you being a vegan and all: would you eat meat grown in labs (vs raised as animal)?

[Hitmen]

You can get food that's extremely close to steak that isn't even made of meat. The thing about meat is, there's very little actual flavour, and it can be simulated pretty easily. The hardest thing is the texture, I haven't had any meat substitutes (or cheese substitutes) with the proper texture yet. But the flavour is totally there.

Make me a fake steak and we shall see!

[while1]

Speaking of vegans... iago, are you still a vegan if you swallow?!?!

[iago]

This is a question for iago, what with you being a vegan and all: would you eat meat grown in labs (vs raised as animal)?

That's a funny/tough question because I was thinking about that yesterday. Strictly speaking, if no animals were used in the making of it, I think it would be ok. However, vegans also tend to stick with natural foods, mostly for health reasons, and test tube meat is a long way from natural. So from that perspective, I don't think a lot of vegans would.

So to sort of answer your question: I don't know, I'd have to think about it.

Speaking of vegans... iago, are you still a vegan if you swallow?!?!

Haha, for the purposes of veganism, humans don't count (within reason). Breast milk and.... that are probably ok, as long as you don't start, like, making cheese out of the woman's milk.