WHY we're leaving animals off the plate at events
Nonhuman animals are amazing! We open our hearts and homes to animals in need and know that they enrich our lives as much as we save theirs. Most of us want to see them happy and free from suffering.

Here's the thing: Over 98% of the animals that suffer and die at the hands of humans are farmed animals. Many species have been considered “edible” historically, but they are no different in their capacity to feel joy, pain, and fear than the animals with whom we share our homes. Rabbits, chickens, pigs, and other species suffer immensely on farms—far worse and in far greater numbers than dogs and cats. They deserve our consideration, too.

This is where we come in. As an organization dedicated to protecting animals, we have chosen to leave them off the plate at our events. Here's why.

EATING ANIMAL PRODUCTS ALWAYS CAUSES SUFFERING

Same Beginning. Same End.
Picture
Dairy calf hours after birth, prior to entering veal crate. Photo by Joanne McArthur.

MIDDLE

“Humane” practices, more often than not, are inhumane. “Organic,” “cage-free,” “free-range,” “certified humane,” and “natural” products can still involve de-beaking, tail-docking, and castration without pain relief; reproductive manipulation and the separation of mothers from young; branding with a hot iron, ear clipping and piercing; and subjection to forced molting—the temporary starvation of egg-laying hens to force them to start another egg-laying cycle. There is no humane way to breed and kill animals.
Picture
Pigs hanging at a slaughterhouse. Photo "49/50" by Seniju/Flickr Commons

BEGINNING

Mammals such as cows, pigs, goats, and sheep are bred through forced insemination, while birds such as chickens and turkeys are confined in sheds and bred excessively. Familial bonds are broken, and mothers will often be separated from their young shortly after birth, or may never get to meet them
at all.

Picture
Turkey hatchlings in de-beaking machine. Photo by Compassion Over Killing.

END

All animals raised for their flesh, milk, or eggs are killed at a small fraction of their natural lifespans. For example, chickens killed for their flesh are killed at 5-7 weeks old. Their natural lifespan is 10-12 years. Dairy cows are killed at 3-5 years old when their milk production wanes. Their natural lifespan
is 15-20 years.

THE PARADOX OF "HUMANE" FARMING
The desire for the improved treatment of farmed animals is based on the idea that it’s wrong to subject animals to unnecessary harm. Yet killing animals that we do not need to eat is the ultimate act of unnecessary harm.
The slaughtering of an animal is a bloody and violent act,
and death does not come easy for those who want to live.
- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau        

WHY LOVE ONE BUT EAT THE OTHER?

SENTIENCE

All animals are sentient. They feel and perceive and want to avoid suffering. All animals, including fish, have complex nervous systems that allow them to feel pain and pleasure. Nonhuman animals are more like us than not like us.
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Photo by Marji Beach/Animal Place

SELECTIVE COMPASSION

For some, the pigs and chickens that are commonly served for dinner are family companions just like cats and dogs.

We want to be part of the change to end selective compassion and consider all animals in our organizational policies.

INTELLIGENCE

Pigs score higher on some intelligence tests than dogs do. Chickens surpass toddlers in basic shuffling games. Fish can complete mazes and remember them days later.

But regardless of how different species measure up to human categories of intelligence, all animals are perfectly adapted for the needs of their species. A chicken is perfect at being a chicken, just as a dog is  perfect at being a dog.
The idea that some lives matter less
is the root of all that is wrong
with the world.    - Paul Farmer
Picture
Photo by Marji Beach/Animal Place

THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH
...the human appetite for animal flesh is a driving force behind virtually
every major category of environmental damage now threatening the
human future—deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and
water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice,
the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease.”
- The World Watch Institute

PUT YOUR COMPASSION INTO ACTION
We strive to help animals at every opportunity.
The food at our events is a wonderful way for us to show
our commitment to helping animals.

We are proud to have joined the hundreds of animal agencies
that are choosing to adopt a humane, healthy and sustainable menu policy.

Thanks for your support!
Sources

“Animal Kill Counter.” Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow. http://www.adaptt.org/killcounter.html

Cowspiracy. Dir. Keegan Kuhn. First Spark Media, 2014. Film.

“Diet and Diabetes: Recipes for Success.”  Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/diet-and-diabetes-recipes-for-success

“Is Meat Sustainable?” World Watch Magazine. Vol. 17, No. 4, July/August 2004. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/549

“Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk.” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/facts/meat-consumption-and-cancer-risk

“Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease.” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. http://www.pcrm.org/about/volunteer/preventing-and-reversing-heart-disease
 
“Understanding Loopholes and Labels.” Humane Facts. http://humanefacts.org/labels-loopholes/

Brown, Culum. “Fish Intelligence, Sentience and Ethics.” Animal Cognition. DOI 10.1007/s10071-014-0761-0, 2014.
 
Capps, Ashley. “A Closer Look at What So-Called Humane Farming Means.” Free From Harm. Sept 2012.
http://freefromharm.org/animal-products-and-ethics/a-comprehensive-analysis-of-the-humane-farming-myth/

Greenwood, Arin. “Pigs Are Highly Social and Really Smart. So, Um, About Eating Them...” Huffington Post. June 2015.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/15/are-pigs-intelligent_n_7585582.html
  
McWilliams, James. “Why Fish Can No Longer Escape Our Conscience.” Free From Harm. July 2013. http://freefromharm.org/farm-animal-intelligence/why-we-have-no-compassion-for-fish/

Oppenlander, Richard. “The World Hunger – Food Choice Connection: A Summary.” April 2012. http://comfortablyunaware.com/blog/the-world-hunger-food-choice-connection-a-summary/