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The Anti Ag Agenda

What being anti agriculture really acomplishes

By DC HopePublished 2 years ago 11 min read
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PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or Anti Animal Use Extremists?

A noble cause on the surface that has garnered a large following of good intention-ed individuals.So what’s the problem?The problem is that PETA is not for the ethical treatment of animals it is anti everything to do with animals.

 • Anti pet ownership 

• Anti agriculture 

• Anti equestrians

I’m sure you’re thinking that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You’re right, but what if…

What if in order to attain their goals they spread misinformation?

What if they use lies and half truths to grow their following?

What if their agenda is dangerous for the planet?

How can their anti animal use agendas be dangerous to the planet?

Let’s take a look at the textile industry. Go to your closet and check the tags on your clothes. I’d bet money that most of them are either polyester or a poly blend. What is polyester? Simply, it’s a synthetic fiber that is derived from… drum roll please… petroleum. That’s right, petroleum. So all you anti petrol-product people should probably get a new wardrobe. But I digress. If you google pros and cons of polyester the two pros that pop out the most are 

1. Man made

2. Not flammable.

But those are not pros at all. Being man made may play into PETAs anti agriculture agenda but it is the worst thing for our planet. Polyester is not biodegradable. It is a plastic and discarded clothes make up a large portion of the plastic waste in the world. It takes approximately 450 years for products made from polyethylene terephthalate aka PET plastics, such as polyester to decompose. Technically PET plastics are highly recyclable which was a main selling point in the marketing campaign. The problem is that most people do not recycle which basically makes their selling point moot.

Not flammable… sounds great except that instead of burning it melts. This makes it even more dangerous in a fire. Instead of burning away it melts to your skin causing even more damage. Not only that it goes up fast and is very difficult to put out. Ever wonder why house fires are so bad? The answer is simple. We fill our homes with polyester. Everything from carpets to furniture are made exclusively from polyester.

If melting and plastic waste aren’t bad enough let’s look into how polyester is made.  Polyester is created from a chemical reaction between petrol by products. This reaction requires a lot of energy, which as you can imagine puts out a very large carbon foot print. In short, polyester contributes to the plastic waste pandemic, the devastation of house fires and global warming.

Does PETA care? Absolutely not. PETA will push the slow hidden destruction of our blue planet if it means to get what they want. 

There are other types of synthetic fibers but of all of them only one is not made from plastic and that’s rayon. Rayon is made from reconstituted wood pulp and while it may be natural based the use of harsh chemicals in its reconstruction qualify it for the synthetic category. 

Now let’s compare synthetics to natural textiles. Natural textiles are derived from two sources: plants and animals (we will include silk worms with animals). Plants like cotton, hemp, jute and bamboo are used in many different applications. Cotton and hemp are seasonal, except in more tropical climates which makes them an expensive natural product. Bamboo on the other hand grows extremely fast and is highly adaptive. It can grow in most places and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance and upkeep to grow successfully. Bamboo can be used in many different industries from flooring and furniture to fabrics. However sustainable plant farming is not what’s under attack.

Animal based textiles include wool, silk, cashmere, fur and leather. In this article I will only be discussing non slaughter fiber animals.

First: wool. When you think of wool the first image that pops into your mind is probably sheep but wool is actually an umbrella term that encompasses all woolers from rabbits to yaks. For time and word limits sake we will mostly stick to sheep.

Unless you are anti social media you have probably seen the anti wool PETA memes being shared. Unfortunately due to Vocal's community standard against graphic content I was not allowed to share the ludicrous and grossly inaccurate piece of anti agriculture propaganda, however if you are curious the image is easy enough to find with a simple Google search by typing "PETA anti wool meme".

If you are in a larger and more liberal area maybe you've seen one of their protests like this one

Protesting the sale of wool products at Forever 21

The truth is shearing sheep is NOT cruel. Sheep need to be sheared at least once per year. Depending on your breed, bloodlines, and the length of your seasons your sheep may have to be sheared more than once.

Why? Because sheep don’t shed. Similar to some dog breeds that require regular grooming, sheep will not naturally turn loose of their thick winter coats. Not only that, the thick coat grows constantly. Unlike other animal species a sheep’s coat growth isn’t determined by the seasons. Without proper shearing the coat will grow and cause damage to the sheep.

Just like when a dog’s coat gets matted sheep will sustain skin irritation, topical parasites like mites, vision obstruction and even impaired movement. For an example watch the video of the rescued sheep that was long overdo for a trim. This poor fella lost 77 pounds of wool. Can you imagine walking outside wearing a 77 pound coat in the middle of summer?

Sometimes sheep that are extra wiggly do get nicked while being shorn, but unlike humans who are stuck with bandaids when we cut ourselves shaving, sheep excrete a substance from their skin called lanolin. If you have ever been a breastfeeding mom you know what that is.

For those that don’t know…Lanolin also known as wool grease is naturally produced by wool producing animals as a means to protect their skin and help to shed water from their wool. Lanolin is used for breast feeding moms as a way to sooth dry, cracked and sore nipples. The lanolin not only sooth the inflamed skin of the sheep it also creates a barrier over the injury to help prevent bacteria growth that will lead to infection. That means the sheep heal very quickly so even when they do get cuts or scrapes they will be gone in a few days.

As you can see from the shearing demonstration video sheep don’t die and are never seriously injured by shearing. The only cruel thing is to not shear them. In fact most sheep will sit quietly once they realize what’s going on. I mean… I’d be happy to get rid of all those extra pounds too.

Other species of woolers like rabbits and yaks don’t have to be shorn. Their wool is taken by a technique called plucking which is just brushing out naturally molting wool with a special comb. No pain involved.

Betty Chu with her award winning Angora (Yes, that is a real rabbit)

Most angora rabbits enjoy grooming because it is their special time with their person where they get individual attention. Some angora breeders do chose to shave their buns but that’s usually during breeding season when all that hair may get in the way. No, that’s not a joke. Some angora rabbits have so much hair breeding attempts fail until the pair is trimmed up.

Sweater available at nakedcashmere.com

Cashmere is harvested the same way as angora and yak wool. It is carefully brushed out with a special comb that doesn’t damage the soft hair or guard hairs. Cashmere is the thick under coat grown out by goats during cooler weather.

Cashmere goats

 While all goats produce cashmere selective breeding has made a new breed of goat that produces more cashmere then their dairy and meat producing cousins.

Nubian breed dairy goat. Much less hair.

Natural fibers are biodegradable and do not require the output of large carbon foot prints to manufacture. There are no harsh chemicals or petrol products which means no fossil fuels required. Some natural fibers, like wool are flame resistant and unlike polyester they don’t melt.Don’t get me wrong. I am not anti synthetic fiber. I believe that all products, both natural and man made have a purpose. For instance you don’t want to do yoga or go swimming in wool or cotton. Trust me, that’s already been tried and synthetics were a much needed improvement.

Bathing suits in the 1920s made from wool

You also don’t want to use a synthetic fiber when doing things like crabbing. Why? Because if you lose a pot the cotton rope tying the basket will disintegrate. A synthetic rope will stay put trapping and slowly starving countless marine life. It has actually become a requirement with the Fish and Game wardens to use cotton instead of the much sturdier nylon. If you get caught using a synthetic fiber you will be hit with a hefty fine and possibly lose your license.

Another point that PETA makes a habit of lying about is the round up of Wild horses. PETA will have you believe that wild horses live very short life spans and limited reproduction therefore they are incapable of over population.

The truth... Horses on the range have no natural predators, an abundance of food, are built for resilience and have no selectively bred faults or genetic defects. That means they can and do often live very long lives. Horses aged during roundups range anywhere from weanlings (under a year old) to mid twenties. I’m not saying their lives aren’t hard but they are long. In fact i adopted two wild horses from the Devil's Garden Herd Management Area in July of 2020 that had been rounded up in September of 2019. My mare (female) was aged at 11 and the gelding, (castrated male) was aged by a vet as between 20 and 25.

Long lives and equally long reproductive years does lead to large herd sizes. Large herds will decimate the land. Horses will eat forage down to the roots and their hoof shape acts as a till, destroying the root system. On top of that horse manure breaks down finer than sand in a very short amount of time. This combination will turn once thriving plains into desert wastelands harming the entire ecosystem. 

This will also cause many herds in the most forage poor areas to starve. Many wild horses will not survive the winter. For these reasons round ups are necessary.

Round ups not only protect our environment but they prevent many horses from slowly starving to death. The horses that are rounded up either go to temporary holding facilities to await adoption or to be picked for competition like The Extreme Mustang Makeover or go to long term holding. Long term holding facilities keep herd mates together on large (hundred + acre) sanctuaries. The horses are fed and monitored by staff to ensure their health and male horses are castrated to prevent unexpected population growth. 

As a way to mitigate the cost of the care for the horses and to allow horse owners across the country a better chance at adoption groups of horses are sent to Store Fronts. Store fronts are privately owned ranches that care for the horses, advertise them on social media and act as a middle man to help speed up the adoption process and get these horses in to good loving homes.

The horses that are adopted out go on contract to knowledgeable horsemen with approved facilities. Some go on to compete and act as advocates for the breed. Some, like my old man from Devils Garden are just there to look handsome and get spoiled. No matter what they do after round up I think we can all agree that it’s a much better option when the alternative is slow starvation, but PETA will you have you believe that round ups are cruel and the horses are abused in holding. They will argue that the horses are sent to slaughter which is not only a lie but goes against federal protection acts.

As an active member in the Mustang community I can assure my readers that majority of mustangs end up in loving homes where they are spoiled and lavished with attention. Some even end up as what we refer to as pasture puffs. For those of you non horse people reading… Pasture puff is a horse who’s only job is to stand in a pasture looking pretty, eating treats and consenting to regular cuddles and kisses.

To conclude, because honestly I can go on for eternity on this topic, don’t believe everything you hear or read, especially if it’s from PETA.

PETA, while honorably founded has since strayed into the abyss of extremism. They are ignorant on the subjects they claim to be so passionate about and refuse to listen to experts trying to spread honest information. They use lies, staged “evidence” and half truths to further an extremist vegan agenda. This type of mindset is detrimental to the animals they are targeting, the livelihoods of the people who tend to them, and most importantly, the health and well being of our entire planet. 

While I respect that every person has a right to chose how they live no one has the right to determine how others live. As a farmer and Mustang owner I ask all people to educate yourselves on topics that matter. Before you share that meme or scoff in disgust and jump on the bandwagon, visit a farm or a holding facility. Talk to the people that spend their lives caring for creatures that need the care. You might learn something. 

Advocacy
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About the Creator

DC Hope

I am a mother, a wife and all the things that comes in that pretty package. i have a passion for romantic and paranormal fiction and psychology. i write for my own sanity and to give a little bit of an escape to those that want to get lost.

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