BC was struck by a “heat dome,” wildfires, a tornado, and now an “atmospheric river” causing mass flooding & landslides, burying entire cities.
One of the most impacted areas is Abbotsford – the core of BC animal agriculture.
Imagine being a mother pig, trapped in a metal cage, with your piglets next to you. Water starts pouring in… filling the manure pit below, then creeping through the slatted floors and up your legs. One-by-one your babies die. You desperately try to escape, but the bars containing you don’t budge.
Or the chickens, turkeys, and calves in hutches. They all screamed in terror as they drowned to death. They wanted to live.
With the confinement of thousands (if not millions) of animals inside farms, there’s no chance of them escaping, especially during a crisis.
While farmers evacuate, the mayor said to “abandon all efforts to save livestock” because “human lives are more important.” While I acknowledge the immense impact to human life, and the devastation this has caused, I also acknowledge how clear this statement is – those animals don’t matter. They never did.
Consider why the animals are there in the first place. They’re viewed as products. Every one of those animals would have been sent to slaughter. Instead they’re drowning, starving or dying from hypothermia.
How would one evacuate millions of animals anyways? They have no means of transportation and nowhere else to go.
And we haven’t even talked about climate change yet. The data is irrefutable, can we all recognize that now?
Animal ag is one of the largest contributors to the destruction of this planet. Scientists have stated we will never reach our climate goals without a significant reduction or elimination of the meat, dairy & egg industries.
We can cut our personal eco impact in HALF just by eating a fully plant-based diet.
If we continue as we always do, next year the fires, droughts & floods will get worse. And worse. And worse.
Do we truly not care to have drinkable water, breathable air, or a home to live in?
As BC heals from this tragedy, it gives us a opportunity to restructure agriculture; leaving animals out of it. If not, we will all pay the price.
-Amy Soranno
