The purpose of this page is to talk about 'meat'.



 

Everybody knows what 'meat' is. Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Generally, this means skeletal muscles, fat and other tissues, but may also describe other ‘edible’ parts, such as organs and offal. The term ‘meat’ most often denotes the flesh of mammalian species (pigs, cattle, lambs, etc.), specifically reared for human consumption; it generally excludes fish and other seafood, poultry, and other species, including wild or non-domesticated animals (game). Terminology varies worldwide, depending on country-specific, cultural or religious preferences.



What doesn’t vary, is that the product we call 'meat', was a sentient and conscious living being… right until the moment it was slaughtered and ‘processed’.



When talking 'meat', there is more, much more to consider than just the rampant cruelty involved in the murder of species other than our own, which is somehow deemed acceptable. Of equal concern is the fact that scientifically, meat and dairy, in fact all animal protein, is acknowledged as being harmful to human health. Additionally, raising animals for food requires massive amounts of land, food, energy and water, and contributes to climate change. Livestock is recognized as a serious threat to the environment, causing air, water and soil pollution.



We have created this website to compile all this information in one single place; it covers:



 

• animal cruelty
• diseases linked to meat and dairy consumption
• livestock and environment
• livestock and climate change
• meat production and water usage
• meat demand and deforestation
• human starvation
• slaughter
• exploitation of slaughterhouse workers



Everything on these pages is based upon scientific facts and information taken from reliable and established sources. All sources and references are acknowledged at the bottom of the relevant page. There is no personal interpretation on these pages; this enables you, the reader, to reach your own conclusions, rather that be manipulated into a certain way of thinking.



It is not uncommon to hear people saying that vegans care only for animals and not for people. That is a misperception. By the time you have read all this information, you will understand that vegans DO care a great deal for people. And that veganism isn’t just good for animals, it’s good for people AND the planet, too.



We, at Occupy for Animals, care greatly about animals; that is a fact. At the same time, we are equally concerned about the health of our children and grandchildren, and yours. We are also increasingly concerned for their future, because of the current state of the climate and our environment.

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We care about the starving children, the majority of whom are barely surviving, in countries that export most of their grain production to western countries where it is used to feed livestock. We care about the farmers in developing countries who are being driven off their land because their efficient, plant-based agricultural model is being replaced with intensive livestock rearing. We care about the slaughterhouse workers who face physical dangers and psychological problems based on their work, and continue to be exploited by a greedy system.



We are concerned that animal products these days are sold with a feel-good story: the animal was humanely raised, it was cage-free, it was free-range, it was pasture-fed, it’s hormone-free, etc. Excluded from these stories is the fact that an animal was killed; that he or she was a sentient and conscious being who didn’t want to die.

 

Excluded also, is that meat dramatically increases the risk of many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, harmful cholesterol levels, diabetes and obesity; that meat production contributes to climate change and damages the environment; that it is responsible for most deforestation; that it contributes to poverty in developing countries and to human starvation; and that the person who slaughtered the animal - the person we almost never consider - has to cope daily with the trauma of his/her job.



Vegans care about all of this, as you will see in every section of this website. We hope you will care about it, too, and read all the pages here (most of them are short!), because these things impact us all.