The recent commentary about bulls implies that humans are doing animals a favor by breeding them for beef and dairy. Life for bulls and other animals is so miserable that we shouldn’t pat ourselves on the backs for bringing them into existence to serve our purposes. Bulls are sentient animals who feel pain, just as humans do. Yet bulls and other animals are bred and killed for food.
On dairy farms, male calves are taken from their mothers and raised for veal. They’re fed foods that are low in iron, so they’ll be anemic and their flesh will stay pale.
The only way to be sure that animals don’t suffer on your behalf is to go vegan. Choose milks made from oats, soy, nuts, and other plant foods. Kind people don’t want to support cruelty to animals, so they’re opting for vegan milks, which are delicious, nutritious, and environmentally friendly. Vegan foods generate fewer greenhouse gases, and studies show that the only way to feed the growing population by 2050, without destroying more forests for grazing land, is for everyone to go vegan.
Fortunately, it’s easy for Vermonters to get produce, grains, legumes, vegan milks, and other healthy vegan foods, as I have for the 20 years I’ve been vegan, at local stores and restaurants.
Leeanne Siart
Burlington
