Livin’ Veg

Mercy For Animals Dairy Investigation On ABC January 28, 2010

Mercy for Animals just released footage of their latest investigation. What’s the topic? Dairy farms. ABC gave them great coverage showing the inhumane treatment of dairy cows. I normally avoid the video…it’s too hard to watch but this, because it was on primetime gets the point across without spiraling a person into a state of depression and anxiety.

They talk about milk’s fabulous marketing campaigns with happy healthy cows and people. The reality is perpetually pregnant cows, tail docking without pain relief, open wounds, violence from the workers towards the animals and little or no space to move for the duration of their lives. Click here for the full story and video or visit Mercy for Animals for more information. Note, the footage on the MFA site is going to be way more graphic than the footage on ABC.

Repost the article to your facebooks, twitters and whatever else you have. The truth about dairy should be shown to the masses. We can help spread the word!

HSUS Uncovers Cruelty at Vermont Slaughter Plant November 3, 2009

HSUS released an undercover video of calves raised for veal being horrifically abused. It was so despicable that state and federal officials shut the plant down to investigate further. I do not recommend watching the video. It’s graphic and appalling and in my opinion best reserved for those who don’t know about the cruelty that happens on factory farms. If you’re on this blog, I assume you are familiar with what goes on. But if you want to watch the video, you can see it here.

Even if the video is too horrible to watch, it’s important to know what the footage revealed. Brace yourself:

In one scene, a worker attempts to skin a calf who is still alive, directly in front of a USDA inspector. This government official tells the worker, on hidden camera, that if another USDA inspector saw this, the plant would be shut down, but he allows the abuse to continue. In another scene, the slaughter plant’s co-owner, who has claimed in press reports that he had no knowledge of cruel treatment at his facility, is shown shocking downed calves with electric prods in futile attempts to force them to stand. Prodding one calf to stand up, he says to the animal, “There ain’t nothing wrong with you, sh*t box.” At one point he jokes that one of the staggering calves “looks like you on a Friday night,” referring to the USDA inspector, who laughs at the co-owner’s joke.

I’m assuming after reading that, you want to do something to help. Click here to help protect other calves from facing the same cruelty. A couple clicks of your mouse could make all the difference for these animals.

Two Campaigns Against Fast Food Joints September 17, 2009

I love campaigns that get massive companies to change their ways. We haven’t had any in a while and now there are two being done by two great organizations.

1. HSUS is asking everyone to ask IHOP to switch to cage free eggs. Why now? IHOP’s egg supplier has just been exposed. HSUS writes, “An undercover investigation has revealed shocking abuses at IHOP’s egg supplier…the footage reveals filthy conditions, sick and injured hens, and birds forced to live in cages with the decomposing corpses of their cage-mates.”

Click here to take action and contact IHOP!

2. For the past few weeks COK has been immersed in a campaign to get Dunkin Donuts to stop using eggs and dairy in their products! Dunkin Donut’s egg supplier is also mistreating chickens. I’m guessing IHOP and DD share an egg supplier. Big ag business is a small world.

Click here to take action and contact Dunkin Donuts.

It’s really amazing how effective consumer calls are when trying to get a company to change their sordid ways. These two calls which will take you a total of 3-4 minutes will help change conditions for millions of hens. Together, we can change the world:)

Some Vegan Restaurants in LA Not Actually Vegan July 1, 2009

The vegan world has been buzzing with some upsetting information. Quarrygirl.com did an undercover investigation on 17 vegan restaurants in LA to see if they were as vegan as they claimed. 10 passed. 7 did not.

NOTE: They just did a follow up blog. Totally worth reading. Click here.

Winners and good guys: Flore, Vinh Loi Tofu, Truly Vegan, Vegan Glory, Vegan Express, Vegan Plate, Real Food Daily, M Cafe, Native Foods and Leaf Raw Cuisine.

Suspects and potential bad guys: Pure Luck, Vegan House, Lotus Vegan, California Vegan, LA Vegan Thai, Vegan Joint and Green Leaves Vegan.

Quarrygirl tested for three non item vegans in the food: Eggs, Cassein, and shellfish. You should go to their site to read up on how they did it, what was found, how potent the findings were and much more. They give every detail possible. And they did the testing by the book. So, I’d like to thank Quarrygirl.com for doing this investigation. Also, what if someone is allergic to eggs or shellfish? How can you deceive someone like that and advertise yourself as one thing and be something else? So annoying.

Unsung Hero - The Undercover Investigator March 11, 2009

There are unsung heroes in the animal rights world. People who do jobs most of us could never ever do. So this post is a thank you to those undercover investigators who lie and put themselves in despicable positions for the greater good - to get the truth out there. They are one of the biggest reasons why our movement has been so successful. And they do it without being thanked and without being seen.

Read this article in Time from an undercover investigator. You’ll want to shake his hand, but you will never ever meet him. He’s alone.

Here is a bit of the interview, but I recommend reading the whole thing:

How has doing this job shaped the kind of person you are?
This job has completely redefined who I am and has completely changed my outlook on the world. It’s a very depressing life and it’s a very lonely life. Most of the time I’m pretending to be somebody that I’m not. Most of my social interactions are under the pretext that I’m a different person and that I’m trying to hide a certain part of myself.

What kind of toll does that take on your mental health?
You’re moving constantly and assuming other identities. At the end of the day, you’re not really left with very much. It is very difficult to manage that type of lifestyle.

I’ve done things that I’m not proud of — things that I don’t want to have to admit, even in my field notes when I type them up at the end of the day. But there needs to be payback for the animals. Either way, as much as it sucks, I just feel like I have to keep going. But any dreams about who I was going to be before I took this job, are gone.

So, thank you “Pete” for all that you do. You’ve made the world a better place for animals and are perhaps the most dedicated among us.