No Veal for Vegans: The Inhumane Ways of Raising Veal
One of the causes being championed by vegans is their non-consumption of meat because of the method in which it was acquired. The slaughter of animals isn’t just the inhumane thing one could do, but the methods in which animals for human consumption were raised gives them a lifetime of suffering that ends with more suffering. Take for example veal, the tender meat prized by many for gourmet dishes. Veal comes from very young calves who were raised in very extreme conditions in order to produce the special quality of meat.
How calves are raised for veal
After just a day, suitable calves are taken from their mother cows and raised in conditions that will keep their muscles soft. Pens and methods that restrict movement ensure that their muscles don’t develop and strengthen, while artificial liquid diets that exclude iron and fiber are continuously fed to the calves. As a result, growth is stunted and the calves develop anemia, producing the pale and tender veal prized by meat-eaters.
If you think that consuming veal is healthy because of the lack of growth hormones fed to young calves, think again. Due to their living conditions, these animals are always stressed, prompting for more substances and medications to be administered to them. These substances may do their job in further keeping the calves’ meat soft and tender but may prove harmful to humans when the meat is consumed.
In the 20 weeks that a calf is raised for veal, it has known nothing but artificial liquid diets, cramped cells, longing for its mother, frustration, and lots of stress. Aside from the artificial hormones, veal’s meat is also infused with the anger and frustration that the calves have felt in their short lives. The chemicals may do our physical body harm, but the frustration and suffering ingrained in the meat does a lot more not only to our physical health, but possibly to our spiritual selves as well.
Going vegan
Going vegan not only spares these calves the cruelty of being raised for their meat, but it also helps us live healthier lives. Just as we spare these calves from the chemicals, we also spare ourselves from the effects of these artificial substances. Though meat is a valuable source of nutrition, more and more studies show that its consumption leads to more diseases. Vegetables and other edible plants are rich in the nutrients that the human body needs and vegans are doing so much more than just getting their nutrition in much more humane ways. Stopping our inhumane ways such as raising calves and slaughtering them for veal can also help us regain that balance with nature.
Photo Credit : Tony The Misfit