With their celebrity chef, Curtis Stone, Coles have said they are creating “festive inspiration” at Christmas by promoting pork and ham recipes. Woolworths are taking a similar approach with Jamie Oliver.

Would you like to experience a truly compassionate Christmas? If so, then you need to focus on delicious plant-based dining options. The Veganeasy and Viva la Vegan websites have some wonderful Christmas recipes. Many other sources are also available.

If your friends and family need convincing, then perhaps inform them of the horrific cruelty suffered by the animals on their way to the dinner plate.

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For example, please consider what generally happens to piglets and their mothers, even in most so-called “sow stall-free” establishments:

  • the mother is confined indoors for her entire life, in a continual cycle of pregnancy and birth;
  • she is also confined in a farrowing crate (which is even more restrictive than a sow stall) for twenty-four hours per day for up to six weeks on end;
  • her first view of sunshine is the day she is sent to the slaughterhouse once she can no longer become pregnant;
  • the piglets are killed for meat at between 4 and 12 months of age (often 5 to 7 months) when they would otherwise live for 10 to 12 years;
  • their tails are cut off without pain relief in the first few days of life;
  • large pieces are “notched” from their ears without pain relief;
  • their teeth are clipped to the gum line without pain relief;
  • the males can be castrated without pain relief.

These are examples of the cruelty permitted under the inappropriately named “Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Pigs – Third Edition“, released in 2008.

For more information, please see Melbourne Pig Save and the Aussiepigs website of Animal Liberation ACT and Animal Liberation NSW. If you believe that so-called “free range” is the answer, please see the Free Range Fraud website of Animal Liberation Victoria.

Here’s an incredibly powerful video from Animal Liberation ACT, highlighting the horrific findings of fourteen undercover investigations:

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Blog Author: Paul Mahony (also on on Twitter, Slideshare and Sribd)

Related Posts:

Pig Cruelty with Curtis and Coles
Some thoughts on “The truth about pig farms”
The plight of pigs: Oliver’s Piggery, Tasmania
Open letters

Image: aussiepigs.com.au

This post first appeared on the Melbourne Pig Save website on 22 December, 2013