Most people love animals and would never want to hurt them. While many consider dogs and cats cherished family members and revere wild animals in their natural habitats, society has conditioned us to view other animals as resources for us. We’re taught to ignore their suffering behind closed doors in industries that exploit them for food products, clothing, entertainment, transportation, research, breeding for companionship, cosmetics, and more.
Farmed animals are no different from our dogs and cats in all the ways that matter. They are intelligent and experience many emotions, including empathy, grief, and joy. They have a strong will to live and seek safety, comfort, and the company of their families and friends. Most importantly, like all sentient beings, they feel pain and fear, suffer, and do not want to be killed.
Speciesism is the first form of discrimination we're taught. We're raised to believe that a handful of select species deserve our respect and love, while others are viewed as commodities — objects, numbers — for us to use, dominate and kill at will. This mindset of human supremacy, rooted in the “might makes right” mentality, drives our oppression of animals and creates a foundation for discrimination against humans who are also perceived as different.
Standard, legal practices in all animal farming — whether a small farm or large factory — inflict agonizing suffering and pain that we would never put our dogs or cats through. These abuses include:
- Sexual violation and forcible impregnation
- Mutilations with no anesthesia, such as cutting off beaks, tails, horns, testicles, teeth, ear notching, and branding with hot irons
- Taking babies from their mothers
- Killing all the male babies in the dairy and egg industries
- Killing all the mothers in the dairy and egg industries
- No food or water for days during transport to slaughter in freezing or sweltering heat conditions
- The terror of the slaughterhouse
- Many animals are still conscious while slaughtered
Instead of seeking more “humane” ways to use and kill animals, the first step in ending the suffering and cruelty inflicted on our fellow Earthlings is to stop consuming or paying for their flesh, milk, and eggs - products for which they are slaughtered at a fraction of their natural lifespan. Whenever animals are exploited for human gain, suffering is inevitable.
There is no humane way to use or kill someone who doesn’t want to be used or killed. Going vegan is not just food for thought; it’s a matter of life and death. It’s about seeing things from the victim’s point of view - if we wouldn’t want it done to us, or another animal we care about, we shouldn’t do it to them. Each animal is a someone, not a something.
Eating a well-balanced, whole-food plant-based diet not only benefits animals but also your health and can help prevent some of the top diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. It can also help solve world hunger by freeing up 77% of the global farmland currently used for dairy and meat production, to grow crops to feed directly to humans. It’s also the most direct way to reduce your environmental impact on a regular basis.
Veganism is the principle that humans should live without exploiting animals. By choosing daily not to participate in the system of violence against the most ignored and vulnerable animals on the planet, we can help create a more just, peaceful, and compassionate world for all.
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegan.” — Paul McCartney.
For inspiration and support for living vegan, and other ways to help the animals, discover our resources here:
- Brand new free Vegan Mentor Support group.
Starting January 13th, 2025, monthly guidance and community, in real time. - Register for our Veganuary fireside chat.
Join some of our IDA campaigners for all things vegan. - Watch our Vegan Advocacy webinar and interview with Dr. Faraz Harsini, of Allied Scholars for Animal Protection.
- For easy tips on what and how to eat plant-based, get our Free Vegan Guide.
- See the truth about the dairy industry, from our previous alert on bird flu in dairy cows.
- See our latest news and alerts to take action for Farmed Animals.
- Don’t forget about fishes and all marine animals.
- Access our support line for animal activists.
- Read and download our free handout on humanewashing, — you can order via mail too.
- For the truth about animal agribusiness and other industries that exploit animals, watch Dominion.