nathanrunkle

Yes, I have. I've been to dozens of factory farms and many slaughterhouses - both in the United States and other countries. It's really hard to describe what these places are like. There is suffering everywhere. I've had animals die in my arms. I've pulled animals out of manure pits who were drowning. I've seen animals being dragged to their deaths and having their throats slit, all in front of other animals who watched. It's heartbreaking and traumatizing. You can see much of this in MFA's undercover investigation footage. But what you don't experience when watching the videos are the smells. Factory farms are filthy places. The stench of feces is overpowering. It stings your throats and burns your eyes. It's because of these personal experiences that I'm so passionate about ending factory farming in my lifetime.

Good question--it comes down to what you're most passionate about. There are so many organizations doing great work for animals, but most groups address various cruelties. At MFA, we focus 100% of our time and resources on preventing cruelty to farmed animals for two reasons: (1) By the numbers, they're the most abused animals on the planet (see this blog post: https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/why-farmed-animals/), and (2) They're given the least attention (only 1% of donations to animal charities go to those that help farmed animals).

At MFA, we want to reduce the most amount of suffering for animals as possible, and since our movement has very limited resources, we believe we can make the biggest impact by narrowing our focus on the most abused and least cared for.

Thankfully, MFA and other groups that focus on helping farmed animals have been able to make tremendous strides over the last few years--from passing 11 state laws, to getting literally hundreds of food companies to commit to banning some of the worst factory farming practices, to advancing clean meat. We're also seeing the number of people eating vegan on the rise (http://www.mercyforanimals.org/wow-veganism-in-american-has-grown-by-600).

I'll always advocate for plant-based eating, because no matter how good the animals are treated, they're still seen and used as commodities--and slaughtered against their will. That said, there's clearly a difference between what you do and how the typical factory farm operates.

And while you may not use some of these practices, many small farms still do engage in some factory farming practices, such as cutting off the tails of cows used for dairy, cutting off the beaks of hens, cutting off piglets' teeth, etc. all without painkiller. Some of the worst abuse we've seen occured at smaller farms.

But to be clear, we dedicate nearly all of our resources to fighting the largest meat, dairy, and egg producers (and on the legal front, working to criminalize the most abusive practices), because the vast majority (certainly more than 90 percent) of all farmed animals are in large, industrialized factory farms.

Re: clean meat, copying and pasting an earlier comment I wrote: Clean meat has the potential to dramatically improve our world. It could not only lead to the end of factory farming and animal agriculture as we know it, but it could make our food much safer. Clean meat could prevent billions of sentient and intelligent animals from facing the horrors of factory farming and slaughterhouses. It could also help ease the strain on our environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Early research suggests that clean meat could use up to 90 percent less land, water and energy to produce than growing and raising animals. Clean meat, as the name implies, would also be far cleaner than meat grown from animals. And since it would be created in a sterile environment (not around animal feces) it would have far less e coli, salmonella, campylobacter, and other food illness related bacteria.

Thank you!

1) No, not yet. 2) Yes, all the money I make from the book is being donated to MFA.

I always admired social justice leaders - such as MLK and Gandhi. I drew inspiration from their commitment to non-violence and ability to win hearts and minds, which helped change the world. My biggest inspirations comes from animals themselves. I'm most moved by acts of bravery, courage, and love exhibited by animals imprisoned on factory farms. Stories of animals escaping slaughterhouses. Fighting to survive. Freeing themselves from cages, then assisting other animals by freeing them, too. There is a battle happening every day on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. These precious animals are doing everything they can to escape oppression and win freedom.