National Conference to End Factory Farming--Finally!

Folks, I am shocked.

After years and years of farm animal rescue, animal cruelty education, and legislation to improve living and slaughter conditions for farm animals, Farm Sanctuary organized (and made widely publicized) the National Conference to End Factory Farming.

Since I'm usually not as up to date on national news as I'd like to be, I didn't hear about this conference until last week while half-watching the news. My jaw hit the floor. I was surprised enough to see that national dialogue about factory farming was even taking place, but the real bombshell was the fact that footage taken undercover from factory farms was being shown on the news. With the power of the meat and dairy industries, it would have never seemed possible that this would be shown publicly by a powerful, corporate news source. This was more out than factory farming had ever been.

The conference was held in Arlington, Virginia, starting last Thursday, October 27th, and ended yesterday, October 29th. Sponsored by organizations and companies as varied as Whole Foods, the ASPCA, the Government Accountability Project, PlanetSave, and the Doctors' Prescription for Healthy Living, the goal of the conference was to comprehensively address the negative effects of factory farming, including the public health risks, animal welfare, consumer rights, waste management and climate change, and tips for animal-free living. The diversity of these sponsors and issues shows how many aspects of our daily lives factory farming impacts, from the air we breathe to the water we drink to the food we eat.

These conversations are long overdue, and these issues are becoming harder to ignore. It's not just environmentalists and animal rights activists talking anymore; it's regular consumers, doctors and public health officials. Unfortunately, the US is behind many European nations in the fight against factory farming (the European Union banned the use of antibiotics that could be useful to humans on animals raised for food in 1996 and outlawed all growth-promoting drugs in 2006). As much as regular Americans are beginning to discuss these issues, many are still unwilling to take the steps necessary to combat them. Hopefully, as time goes on, more Americans will involve themselves in these discussions and take action accordingly. We will have to wait and see the outcomes of this conference. Regardless, the existence of the conference itself is a huge step for humans, animals and the environment.