“Nature is one of the most common justifications for animal exploitation…But the assertion that something is ‘natural’ (or ‘unnatural’) has long been used to rationalize terrible things…Many people now reject using “nature” to justify things like sexism, white supremacy, and homophobia but still accept it as a rationale for animal exploitation.”

– Excerpt from “Humane Meat? No Such thing” by Sunaura Taylor.

When I began researching the U.S. veal industry, I was growing more disgusted and angry with each Google search.  After about an hour I was ready to jump into this article with a renewed hatred for the meat and dairy industry.  

Then I came across the article—quoted above—in YES! magazine. It was beautifully written and respectful of the omnivore opinion. Through her gentle consideration of omnivorous ethics, Taylor reminded me that presenting your own opinion begins with first being sensitive to the opinions of others.

As a vegan, many of the discussions I have with omnivores about my diet raises this question of what is “natural” for humans to eat.  Aside from the fact that our bodies aren’t designed to hunt, kill or digest animals, we humans are highly evolved and intellectual beings; as such, it is our responsibility to protect those voiceless species who endure senseless and unnecessary suffering at the hands of the U.S. meat and dairy industry.

Regardless of one’s opinion on the natural human diet, it is impossible to argue that conventional animal slaughterhouses practice humane treatment of animals.

In America—and in other developed/developing countries—most people have the luxury of choosing or tailoring their diets according to their own personal knowledge, judgments and beliefs.

The problem in the U.S. is that most people lack the knowledge to even make those judgments. Instead, they allow the producers and regulators—whose judgments are often highly questionable and motivated by fiscal interest—to make their decisions for them.

The veal industry is—without a doubt—one of the most tragic examples of animal exploitation and mistreatment in this country.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines veal as the meat of a young male calf or beef animal.  Essentially, veal exists because dairy farms exist.

Female cow lactation lasts for about 10 months—so, dairy cows are continuously impregnated in order to maintain the high level of milk production that the dairy industry requires.

Since male calves are of little or no use to dairy farmers, they are taken from their mothers immediately after birth. While a very small percentage of male calves are kept and raised for future breeding, the majority are marketed to veal producers.

Recently, places in the U.K. and some U.S. states have begun to realize the cruelty of the treatment of veal calves and implemented more restrictions on the housing, feeding and treatment of the calves during their short lives.  Even in the best cases, there is rampant mistreatment of the animals during transportation and slaughter.

Sadly, the majority of claves raised for veal in the U.S. are reared indoors, tethered in individual stalls or crates which restrict movement—the cows can’t lay down properly, or stand up fully—until the calf has reached slaughter weight.

The calves are purposely malnourished and their movement restricted so that their muscles cannot fully develop and their meat stays tender. 

There is absolutely nothing natural about the treatment and slaughter of veal calves.  It’s bad enough that calves don’t get the chance to enjoy a full life, drink their own mother’s milk, feel the sun shine, or graze lazily in a pasture; all that these animals will ever know from the moment of their birth to the moment their lives are painfully taken from them is suffering.

How can anyone be O.K. with that?

If it is someone’s personal choice to consume meat, I believe they should know where that meat is coming from and how the animal was treated during its life and upon slaughter.

It is so hard for people to watch the cruelty that most animals face during their lives and before death, because it is easier to be ok with eating something if one is unconscious of the story of that something’s life before it became a sandwich or a soup or a “delicacy.”

Before a person eats veal (and other meats) I believe that they should be able to look that animal in the face, in the eye, hold the knife that cuts its throat, hear its last cry before death and watch its life spill out onto the floor at their feet, and have no feelings of regret or empathy. Only then could such a practice be considered “natural.”

The fact is that most people could not do this. Even if they could perform the task, it is in our human nature to feel sadness and empathy when we witness suffering. 

Ignorance is most certainly bliss, but it is a blind and unhealthy bliss. Too many people don’t want to know how something was raised or slaughtered because somewhere, deep inside, they know that they wouldn’t be fine with it; they wouldn’t be able to “stomach” it.

I urge everyone to reconsider.  Take a look at your food on its journey to your plate and be consciously O.K. with where it came from and how it was treated. Most importantly, treat your body, animals and our planet with the respect and love that they all deserve and are too often denied.