10/02/24 One of the Largest and Most Exploited Groups of Mammals Remains Invisible
Today is World Farm Animals Day – every year over ninety billion sentient beings end their life in slaughterhouses
- More on farm animals’ everyday life to be shown at mobile exhibition in Zagreb from October 4 to 5
On October 2 World Farm Animals Day is celebrated to raise awareness on the horrific living reality of animals farmed for food by humans. According to official data, over ninety billion land animals are slaughtered every year. This shocking figure does not include fish or other marine animals whose loss of life is measured in tonnes. “It is a devastating and painful fact that the vast majority of animals farmed and killed by factory farms do not even grow up to maturity before they are sent to slaughterhouses, only because humans are accustomed to consuming meat, milk, and eggs,” warn Animal Friends Croatia.
The group point out that farm animals make up a huge proportion of the total number of mammals living on our planet – of the total number of mammals 62% are cattle, and of all the birds, around 70% are farmed poultry. Worldwide, every day humans kill hundreds of millions of fish, 900 000 cows, 1.4 billion goats, 1.7 million sheep, 3.8 million pigs, 11.8 million ducks and over two hundred million chickens. The figures are nothing short of appalling! It is therefore absurd and ethically questionable that, despite this, farm animals are almost invisible to the public eye, often remaining unrecognised as sentient beings who are subjected to unimaginable suffering.
“For generations, children have been learning at school that cows give milk and hens give eggs. It is a fact that no farm animals give anything away, but that in the farming process, humans appropriate body excretions created by the manipulation of animals’ reproductive systems. On top of this, humans finally take away their life in a slaughterhouse. Their short lives are filled with suffering, which is why farms and slaughterhouses are far outside the public eye,” explain Animal Friends Croatia.
However, their life before the slaughterhouse does not compare to the deceiving commercials by the meat and dairy industry. During their short life, farm animals do not have the opportunity to perform basic natural functions or display natural patterns of behaviour. Factory or any other farming sees animals genetically manipulated, deprived of fresh air, sun, and a natural environment, stuffed into overcrowded spaces, deprived of their natural food, and prevented from roaming freely. Females are forced to produce the maximum number of offspring as biologically possible, only to have their babies taken away following birth and fattened up for slaughtering.
World Farm Animals Day is celebrated every year not only to raise awareness on the enormous suffering the most exploited animals on Earth experience but also on the devastating effect of their farming on our planet. Mass animal farming for food produces unbelievable 57% of greenhouse emissions causing climate change. Industries exploiting animals for human consumption use a shocking 83% of world agricultural land. In addition to deforestation, animal farming is also responsible for the enormous waste and contamination of drinking water. This results in environmental degradation and an alarmingly high use of natural resources.
However, Animal Friends Croatia emphasise there is a solution: “Switching to a plant-based diet can reduce negative greenhouse emissions by 49%, farming land usage by 76% and water waste by 19%. Any one of us can take the decision today to eat more plant-based food and less meat, milk, or eggs. Animals feel pain in the same way that humans do, and their suffering and death are not necessary. For this very reason, an increasing number of people care for animals, environment, and health, and recognise the value of vegan products as tasty, healthier, diverse, and suitable for everyone.”
Animal Friends Croatia invite you to visit the For the Animals European Tour 2024, travelling across major European cities, presenting everyday animal farm life inside a truck equipped with multi-media screens. It will be on show in Zagreb for free from October 4 to 5.
