Beware Of Meat Industry Propaganda

August 30, 2021 Meat Industry

The meat and dairy industries have influenced global dietary guidelines for decades. Here in New Zealand, we grew up being bombarded with messages from our “world-leading” industries. A lot of what was said was completely false. Dairy Propaganda Cow’s milk has long been marketed as healthy for all, especially children, with a lot of public
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Why Do Some Meat-eaters Hate Vegans?

June 29, 2020

All of us make dozens of food choices each day; we decide if we want coffee or tea, cereal or toast, cookies or fruit, plant-based or meat-based food. Why do those who choose not to eat meat commonly incur the jibes, scorn and wrath of those who do? Many proud meat-eaters will trot out their
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Are You Really An Animal Lover?

October 29, 2018 Curious Cow

Most people in New Zealand love their family pet. They typically say that they cherish the environment and the animal world. They are disheartened and outraged when elephants, whales, koalas or pandas are mistreated because they consider themselves a lover of animals.  Conversely, most New Zealanders have a double standard when it comes to the
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Moving To A Kinder, More Sustainable New Zealand

August 14, 2017 Cute Baby Pig

New Zealand’s economic prosperity relies heavily on agriculture, especially animal agriculture. We farm over 30 million sheep, seven million dairy cows and four million cattle. Over one hundred million meat chickens, three million egg laying hens and 800,000 pigs live on factory farms. We also export live animals, mainly dairy cattle to a number of
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Carnism Is The Social Norm

January 24, 2017 Carnism Is The Social Norm

Most people say they’re animal lovers, but if they eat meat it’s like a cannibal saying they’re a benevolent humanitarian. Carnism is the belief system that conditions people to eat certain animals 1.  The average person loves their dog or cat and would find it abhorrent to eat them for dinner.  Many of these same
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Dairy Is Damaging New Zealand

March 15, 2016 By Kyle Lockwood - Traced from the design gallery for the New Zealand flag referendums, 2015–16See more information about this flag design., CC BY 3.0 nz, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43422495

For the last few decades, the Government has been herding New Zealand farmers towards the dairy gravy train.  By 2025, the New Zealand dairy industry aims to substantially increase production, and the National Government’s key international focus seems to be furthering the interests of the dairy industry in New Zealand 1.  12,000 New Zealand dairy farmers 2 and
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Cowspiracy: Environmental Impacts Of Animal Agriculture

June 22, 2015

In New Zealand, animal agriculture is huge business. According to government statistics, there were nearly 3.7 million beef cattle, over 6.4 million dairy cattle, and over 30 million sheep in New Zealand in June 2013 1. Another vitally important industry in New Zealand is tourism, and our marketing image is that of a clean, green
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But Plants Feel Pain Too

January 7, 2015

Many antagonistic meat-eaters love to jeer at vegans and vegetarians and say lines such as “what about all the plants you’re murdering, they feel pain too”. On one side of the coin, it’s a bit of a cop out because they don’t want to think about the signficant pain and suffering they’re causing animals; on
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The Horrific Life Of New Zealand Bobby Calves

July 8, 2014

Most people believe that the way a cow produces milk for humans is as natural as a bee pollinating a flower. The majority of dairy food consumers don’t realise that these cows are typically artificially impregnated each year and that over one million young babies (called “bobby calves” by the farming industry), are considered to
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Health Benefits Of A Plant Based Diet

June 30, 2014

Living a vegan lifestyle and eating a diet free from animal products can not only be rewarding in terms of ethics, it can also pay off in terms of health1. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and pulses all have huge benefits beyond merely keeping a healthy body weight. An increased intake of vitamins, minerals and
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The Unsustainable Use Of Grain Feed

November 19, 2013

When counting the cost of meat production there are many factors to consider – money, environmental impact, water expenditure are obvious, but one major cost that is sometimes forgotten about is grain feed. While water and environment have localised implications for New Zealand, grain has become a more globalised issue. It is often produced in
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1,000 Litres Of Water To Make 1 Litre Of Milk

June 27, 2013

When discussing the “price” of milk it’s easy to overlook an important component – instead of the numbers on a shopping receipt, it’s the cost in terms of water that the public needs to become far more aware of. When all the different requirements are tallied, it becomes clear that a litre of milk requires
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Anti-Cancer Diets Recommend Meat Reduction

February 26, 2013

The meat industry doesn’t advertise these statistics. The more meat you eat, the higher your cancer risk. Practically all anti-cancer diets recommended by experts recommend the reduction of red meat from your diet and to move to a plant-based diet. According to The World Health Organisation and The World Cancer Research Fund, diet and nutritional
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The Great Milk Myth

January 25, 2013 The Great Milk Myth

Most people believe that milk is a healthy food choice, but is this a marketing myth perpetuated by the dairy industry? There is a reason that a large number of people are lactose intolerant. The human body is not designed to digest lactose after weaning. Cow’s milk contains lactose, therefore many people cannot digest cow’s
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Deforestation Due To Animal Farming

November 29, 2012 Photo Credit: SAFE

A car road trip from Christchurch will take you past seemingly endless fields of grass. There are cows, sheep and giant irrigation machines. There are hedges and fences, but a distinct lack of native trees. The Canterbury Plains have been stripped bare of its once extensive lowland forests. No more towering kahikateas, no more…
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What Gives Humans The Right To Enslave, Torture And Kill Our Fellow Creatures?

November 20, 2012

Humans are the most powerful species on this planet, but does that automatically give us the moral right to do whatever we want to with animals? Many dictators and tyrants have enslaved, tortured and murdered their fellow citizens over the centuries because, for whatever reason, they felt superior and had the power to…
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