Jane Goodall Institute calls for end to factory farms
Dear Readers: Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Koen Margodt have written a piece entitled “Essay on Factory Farms: Reasons For Adopting a Plant-Based Diet.”
To read the essay, go to: thejanegoodallinstitute.com/essay-on-factoryfarms:-reasons-for-adopting-a-plantbased-diet.
This is most encouraging advocacy by Dr. Goodall, famed for her chimpanzee and conservation work.
She is in good company on this issue: As my late friend, Nobel laureate Konrad Lorenz, asserted years ago, “Factory farming for the purpose of financial gain is without doubt one of the darkest, most shameful chapters in human civilization.”
Another Nobel laureate, Isaac Bashevis Singer, wrote that “for animals, all people are Nazis; for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka.”
Albert Einstein observed, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances of survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
Centuries before any of these, Leonardo da Vinci wrote, “The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men.”
As I see it, the escalating violence, terrorism and war in the world mirror the billions of animals who suffer and are killed daily – along with the destruction and desecration of nature. If we treated all life as sacred, our mental and physical health would improve, along with the well-being of other creatures.
Our collective lack of reverence for life creates wastelands of suffering and extinction, but we could choose to turn this around, restoring and protecting biodiversity, life and beauty on our planet.
On Feb. 1, The Hill published an opinion piece by AVMA President Dr. Rena Carlson, Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.
The piece states that the ongoing shortage of livestock and public health veterinarians threatens the health and well-being of farm animals, as well as human health and the nation’s food supply. Educational debt discourages veterinarians from practicing in rural areas and in public health fields, where pay is comparatively low.
Congress could help ease the shortage by passing the bipartisan Rural Veterinary Workforce Act. This initiative is an ethical imperative so long as we continue to raise animals for food. Large factory farms in the U.S., the U.K. and other countries put small producers out of business, and in the process, impoverish rural community diversity and culture – including support for rural veterinarians. (Full story: The Hill, Feb. 1)
The benefits of conserving large predators
Narrated by actor Peter Coyote, a member of the Project Coyote Advisory Board, the brief documentary film “Ecosystem Allies: Large Carnivores and How They Benefit Us All” is both inspiring and informative. It can be accessed at: youtube.com/ watch?v=Vfx19CgvfWc.
The film highlights the importance of wild carnivores for thriving ecosystems. This film will be a key component of national efforts to inspire new audiences to compassionately coexist with their wild neighbors.
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