WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? Our current pandemic responses for animal-exploitative industries are unjust and short-sighted. Animal-based farming must be put into our past if we are to shape a better world for humans and nonhumans. The bailing out of our current food system creates an unsustainable supply chain. If constant support was not in place, we would see an end to animal agriculture. What would our future food system look like and how can we reach that stage?
MEET KUMAR! A fantastic example where ethics won over profits Sivalingam Vasanthakumar was raised on a Sri Lankan dairy farm and studied agriculture in both India and the UK. He became a sheep farmer and in 2019 gave his lambs and remaining sheep to Goodheart Animal Sanctuary in Worcestershire. He believes that farmers need support to enable them to transition to plant-based farming, and that the entirety of food production and land management needs reform.
Plant-based farming initiatives are vital to help farmers swap to plant-based farming. There are fantastic examples whereby groups are helping farmers take this transformative leap, here in the UK, in Europe and globally. From The Vegan Society’s ‘Grow Green’ campaign to ‘Refarm’d’ and ‘Transfarmation’, more supportive programmes are popping up! JOIN US IN DEMANDING THAT THE UK GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTS PLANT-BASED INITIATIVES INSTEAD OF FUNDING ANIMAL EXPLOITATION! Visit: animaljusticeproject.com/costofapandemic
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THE COST OF
A PANDEMIC A pandemic created by a zoonotic disease can cause unimaginable upheaval and suffering. Some, including Coronavirus (Covid-19), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), HIV, Bird flu and Swine flu, have devastated populations around the world.
BUT WHAT IS THE TRUE COST OF A PANDEMIC? AND WHO PAYS THE PRICE?
WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH & WHO PAYS THE PRICE?
These violent industries are propped up by government bailouts but we must demand an end to these outdated and unsustainable policies. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government gave £10 million to the fishing industry. At least £500,000 has been used to create a pro-dairy campaign – ‘Milk Your Moments’ – to increase the public’s dairy consumption, plus £10,000 compensation per individual dairy farmer. The government must cease any and all funding promoting animal exploitation but this will not happen without outside pressure. We are at a pivotal time. This failing system has been supported for too
The Covid-19 pandemic that has engulfed the world is deadly to both humans and non-humans. The toll to human life has been enormous and devastating. The number of animals indirectly at the mercy of this disease has rapidly grown too. Millions of animals around the world have been buried alive and slaughtered on farms. They were treated as objects that could simply be thrown away. Each individual, a sentient and feeling animal who wanted to live and thrive, discarded. The slaughter was widespread, from British trout farms to US pig farms. Millions died as a result of this pandemic.
EXPOSING EXISTING PROBLEMS With over 200 zoonotic diseases recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), some highly infectious, the underlying problems within our societies and industries could not be clearer. Animal exploitation – animal agriculture and aquaculture, the fishing industry and wild animal consumption – is the greatest cause of pandemics and epidemics. As pressure mounted on these industries, the cracks showed the existing problems. The truth has been exposed: animal agriculture is propped up by the government. Government bailouts are essential to keeping these industries going. Exploitative
BAILING OUT ANIMAL EXPLOITATION
practices are funded by taxpayers’ money. There is an intense fragility of a food system that is heavily reliant on animal-based foods. Violence is inherent within animal agriculture and, when faced with problems, violence is always their solution.
THE NEED FOR CHANGE The time for change is NOW. With desperate pleas having come from many animal exploitative sectors, we must pressure the government to hand over funding only to industries willing to transition to less destructive and kinder productions. We must demand an end to animal exploitation by corporations and push for innovative and environmentallyconscious plant-based farming. It has never been more urgent for us to demand whole system change and a move away from traditional abusive and violent cycles. People and animals are dying by the millions. We must act NOW!
long. Resources are being lost and animals are paying the ultimate price. Violence is at the heart of these businesses and they should not be supported by taxpayers’ money.