[Bells]

I've been tossing the idea around of riding around Australia to promote awareness about battery farming. I've just finished school and was planning to backpack around Europe, but have decided that this is far more worthwhile. My ultimate goal is for a law to be passed in Parliament to prevent battery farming, and I won't settle for second best. I know that you may be thinking that I'm being entirely unrealistic, or just plain stupid, but I want to leave this world knowing that I've made a difference for those who cannot speak for themselves. You'll only be wasting your time if you try to tell me differently.

Anyway, my problem is this: I have no idea of what official name I can give to my ride. All I've come up with so far is 'A Ride with a Reason', which speaks for itself... I need help!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, your ideas will be much appreciated!
Bells

 

[CheyAut]

WHAT is battery farming???

 

[themacpack]

WHAT is battery farming???

Stop Battery Farming

 

[Kayty]

Well if you do a run through SA, I'll jump right in there with you.

 

[speedy da fish]

maybe the cause could be a little more broad, maybe animal right in general, i am a vegetarian and dont eat chicken either... but i dont know how much money you will raise for just the prevention of cruelty to chickens.
Maybe all cruel farming methods, like:
Slaughter bound horses being transported in double deckers
Sow cages- cages they keep female pigs in all their lives to pop out piglets untill they die.
Veal cages- calves kept in cages all their lives so they cant excersise and put on loads of weight for fatty meat.
Battery and barn kept chickens
etc...

 

[Kayty]

You're not going to completely stop all of these farming methods. That's what the RSPCA, WSPA etc have been trying to do for years on end. But you can certainly raise awareness, make people see the facts and whats happening. If there is no market for products derived from animals kept in these appalling conditions, then there is no money in it for the farmers to continue these methods of housing their stock

 

[kevinshorses]

I think you really need to do more research on the issue before dedicating your life to it. Rather than try to have something arbitrarily banned why don't you find a more humane way of raising chickens that is also economical? Profit has to wiegh in somewhere and people need to eat. I am much more concerned about the rising cost of food and the numbers of people in the world that go hungry than I am about the supposed mistreatment of chickens.

I have said it many times before but when there are no starving children and no human is living in misery then I will become the biggest animal rights activist that there is but untill then I will focus my efforts on my own kind.

 

[peg4x4]

How to say this---My daddy would say "You can't starve a profit out of anything" Find a more cost effective/kinder way to raise animals. Temple Grandan(sp?) Has done more to promote handleing cattle with less stress than anybody. She has autisum. By the way,if you have anything to do with PETA,understand they think rideing horses in any way whatsoever should be banned. Oh,check up on how many animals they have "saved"..any animal they have gotten their hands on have been put down to save it from slavery.
What I'm trying to say is find a better way to farm/ranch.

 

[Bells]

Thanks for your advice, guys
peg4X4, I considered involving PETA just to help with getting the message out there etc, but yes, there is the fact that they don't like horses being riden and also, unfortunately, a lot of people tend to laugh when you mention them. I say unfortunately because they could be taken seriously on such a serious issue if they tweaked a few of their... stranger... ideas.

kevinshorses, thankyou for your thoughts. I understand your thinking of putting your own species before all others, yet that is exactly why I am doing this; becuase people have very little concern for animals as they consider them less important. My own opinion is that all life, no matter how big or intelligent the form it hold, is precious. That's why I want to promote awareness for battery farming - just because humans are dying and suffering, it does not mean that we have to intentionally be cruel to others just because they are smaller than us. As for your idea on finding an alternative, kinder method of raising chickens - isn't that what 'free range' farms are for?

Kayty - that is exactly what I hope to acheive. I have no doubt that one long ride isn't going to shut down the million dollar battery farm industry overnight, but I want to do everything in my power to let people know exactly what they're funding.

speedydafish - Sorry, when I said 'battery farming' I meant all caged farming, not just chickens.

I haven't anywhere near fine-tuned my plans yet, and am currently writing letters to others who have done similar things for causes that they believe in, to get their advice. I'm also going to write to K Rudd shortly down the track and see what he has to say.

Again, thank you all for your input, and thank you to those who held their tongue

Anyone come up with a name yet? I'm still stuck

 

[Bells]

Sorry, I just realised in my last post that I seemed to be refering to chickens a lot... replace that word with 'animals'. And again, there is always the 'free-range' alternative to battery farming/cage farming in any situation.

 

[justsambam08]

Excellent idea! I think its a little bit funny that here on the horse forum we promote 24/7 turnout for our horses, because thats whats best for them. If we kept them in little stalls 24/7, we'd be considered cruel. Even show horses get turn out in the off season. Just because they're chickens or cows or whatever else doesn't mean anything except we can't put them to work.

Humans are incredibly self-serving, aren't we?

If I was in AU, I'd definitely join.

 

[kevinshorses]

Free range animals are no healthier than factory raised animals and they consume more of teh finite rescourses and produce less food. There simply is not enough "free range" to raise all the chickens in needed that way. Animals that are not comfortable enough don't make good meat and therefore make less money. The animals are as comfortable as they need to be even if that doesn't jive with what people would like to see. Pigs particularly are well cared for a happy. Chickens that are raised free-range have problems with smothering and pecking order at a higher degree than when they are more confined. Please educate yourself more.

 

[Bells]

kevinshorses, believe me, I have educated myself. I have been into these disgusting places and filmed the sh!t that goes on in there and there is NO way that those animals are happy. If you think that chickens are happy stepping on the bodies of other chickens because there is no room for them NOT to, then they must be ecstatic. If you think that almost permanently pregant sows who lie on a concrete floor in a dark shed, not able to even stand in their cage, are healthy, then perhaps you need to look a litter closer. If you think that cows, who are herbivores, not birds, do not suffer from ulcers and poor health due to the fact that they are generally only fed fattening grain because it's 'convenient' and 'cost effective', then I think you're under the wrong impression. Animals are NOT happy in tiny cages, preventing them from practicing natural things. Pigs are just as intelligent as an average four year old. Would you imprison a four year old human in a tiger cage, until they're of no further use to you and so it's therefore time for them to die? Of course not. If you placed a chicken next to an open field and a dark shed, reeking of death with the promise of lifetime improsonment, which home do you think the chicken will choose? Again, there is NO SUCH THING as a happy caged animal. If you still have any doubt about this, why don't you cram three or four of your horses into a single stall, place metal bars below wither height so they cannot stand and then feed them grain, every day for the rest of your lives. At the end you can even reward them with a nice long trip to the slaughterhouse. Oh and make sure you don't clean out their box either, and be sure not to let any natural light in. When you've done that, you can let me know if you still think it's a better option. I'm not sure about your country, but there is ample space for free-range farms in Australia. Apart from chicken farmers, most farmers do choose to raise their animals outside, yet there are some who insist on caging their stock. Like it or not, it's my goal to prevent these people from making a profit out of the disgusting practices that they engage in.

I can see that nobody seems to be able to come up with any ideas and I'm a bit over arguing. Thanks to all those who have supported my idea.