Last week, the Newbury, Massachusetts police station received several calls from residents complaining of strange sounds coming from nearby farm. Upon investigating, the police found the source of the noise: female dairy cows who were bellowing and crying after having been separated from their calves at Sunshine Dairy Farm.
Earlier this month, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials announced nearly 90,000 pounds of ground meat are being recalled from Central Valley Meat, a dairy cow slaughter plant in California. The recall was issued based on concerns that the meat, which was being distributed to student cafeterias via the National School Lunch Program, may contain small pieces of plastic.
Chances are good that if you’re reading this blog, you care about animals. In fact, polls show that most Americans do. Not only do we overwhelmingly favor laws to protect animals from harm, more than half of homes in the US have at least one companion animal and 50% of pet owners consider their furry friends as much a part of the family as any other person in the household.
Even for those of us who weren’t chemistry buffs, the periodic table of elements always had interesting appeal, perhaps because the renowned chart demonstrated so much ingenuity and potential in the world around us. What else has potential? Choosing vegan foods. Simply by leaving animals off of our plates, we can prevent and reverse illness, preserve the environment and precious resources, and protect billions of cows, chickens, and pigs from a life of suffering.