When Is It Time To Say Enough Is Enough

We drive these animals insane before we eat them and it’s just wrong.”
As a chef, he seeks animals that are raised because they taste better.

I don’t know if it’s one of those strange little ironies of life, where most of us are counting down the days to World Vegan Day, October has to be one of the worst months I have ever seen regarding the use of animals.

The month started with a national day of action by Animals Australia and other organisations hoping to bring an end to Australia’s live export trade.

It was during the ensuing media circus where politicians and those seeking their 15 minutes of fame to further their own agenda, made a big song and dance about the conditions that live export animals are kept in which is apparently substandard, yet make no mention of the similar conditions that domestically killed animals are kept in.
We have heard them talking up killing animals here because it will mean jobs, improve our economy, and benefit a trade union.
We have endured their continual doublespeak rhetoric claiming that live export has to stop because it will be better for the animals, yet failing to mention that animals exported from other countries are treated far worse.

At the recent ALFA BeefEx conference RSPCA Australia’s CEO, Heather Neil, told the beef feedlot industry that if they treated their commodity better, they would be able to put a higher price on it, and that the consumer will be only too happy to pay it too.
We heard that the RSPCA will soon be launching its Beef Welfare Challenge where if the farmer pays a premium to the RSPCA, they will be able to used an RSPCA approved sticker on their product, and the RSPCA will even help them sell their product by telling everyone how great it is.

This past weekend saw the annual Animals Australia AGM and Animal Activists Forum in Sydney. Going by the program, a majority, if not all of the speakers and presenters there were promoting regulation/reform of the industry. I’d be surprised if there was anyone there that actually questioned the use of animals.

And just when I didn’t think things could get any worse, I came across this News Ltd article in which some of this countries most well known chefs are adding their name to the coming Animals Australia campaign to end factory farming.

It is during this article where Neil Perry says:

“If people only knew about where the food comes from they would be horrified to eat it,” Perry told The Sunday Telegraph on Friday.
“We drive these animals insane before we eat them and it’s just wrong.”
As a chef, he seeks animals that are raised because they taste better.
“I am a big believer in karma and trying to do the right thing and making sure that animals are well treated. I make no bones about the fact we’re going to eat them at some stage, but that if they are treated better they taste better.”

So now we have Animals Australia urging people to buy happy meat because it tastes better.

At what point will those of us who are vegan, and not using animals in any way, say enough is enough and actually start campaigning for the use of them to stop?

Continually preaching that we won’t be able to get people to go vegan if we only tell them that is a self defeating position, and indicates an extreme lack of ambition, on behalf of the organisation. This is pretty much telling those of us who are vegan, that our message isn’t worthy enough of being heard, and that getting people to cut back is a better way to do it

There is only one other area where people are continually told to slowly cut back, and that one day, of may stop the practice, and that is the Quit campaign. Though mind you, I’d hazard a guess and say that the only reason for this is that the drug companies are able to make a bucket load of money with the products they peddle.

If you are a gambler, would those who are helping you to kick the habit tell you to keep gambling, just spend a few dollars less the next time you go out?
What about AA, NA, and similar organisations?
Even using the words of the month for October, misogyny and sexism. If I were to undertake a particularly sexist behaviour, would people tell me that it’s ok for me to be like that, though if I did this or that differently, the females concerned would appreciate it?

The answer to all of the above, is that for each example we are told to stop the particular practice.

Why then do we accept the softly softly approach?

I still stand by the position that those advocating for incremental change are actually helping industry more than they are actually helping the animals. Just because they tell you they are, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are.

People for years were told that the world was flat, even when it wasn’t.
Runner were told that they would never break the 4 minute mile, or running 100m in under 10secs.
The Wright Brothers proved that man can make a powered flight.

It is up to us, as those who legitimately want to see and end to animal use, to challenge those commonly held beliefs and to continually promote veganism.

Anything less is to capitulate to those organisations that are only interested in promoting themselves.

Let’s accept October for what it was, an abject failure with regards to the use of animals, and make November starting with World Vegan Day, one that the animals will be grateful for.

One where we can say that not only did we do the best that we can do, we did all that we can to promote veganism and to get the animals out of their cage, regardless of how big it is.