There are so many reasons people go vegan! In honor of World Vegan Day, we’re offering six very tangible reasons that get to the heart of the matter.

At Farm Sanctuary, we’ve worked for 35 years to bring to light the horrific treatment of farm animals and to end their exploitation. We also acknowledge the interrelated harms caused by today’s exploitative food system on farmworkers and food chain workers across the United States. In honor of World Food Day, let’s take a moment to better understand farmworkers’ experiences.

Jenny pressed her snout against the walls of the crate, choking through the blazing heat for a breath of fresh air. She should have spent this kind of day rolling through the cooling mud, coating each outstretched limb with nature’s sunscreen. But her throat was dry; her cramped legs ached. And nobody knew the little pig needed help.

Dogs are “man’s best friend.” Cats rule our homes—and the Internet. So where do turkeys fit into our lives? Some might argue, “on a plate.” In 2019, the United States slaughtered and processed nearly 230 million turkeys as food. Roughly 20 percent—46 million—were killed just for Thanksgiving, a.k.a. “Turkey Day.” It’s a fate we would never subject to our companion animals. But Thor, Lady Sif, Freyja, Brunnhilde, and Sheila turkeys were companions. Their former owner, a small hobby farmer, refused to let any harm befall them—even though most other farmers would raise them for meat.

A Library of Resources for Pre-K to College and University Educators

35 Sanctuary Moments You May Have Missed

In 1986, Farm Sanctuary launched the farm animal rescue and Sanctuary movement. It continues to grow because others—like our Sanctuary friends at Odd Man Inn—are growing with us.

In June, we sent a healthcare team to Tennessee to lead a Sanctuary clinic week with Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge. Odd Man Inn (OMI), a “refuge for animals out of options,” was first incorporated in Washington state, but this year, they acquired 93-acres of land in Jamestown, Tennessee—and with it, guardianship of 160 pigs. Now, they’re in the process of moving their operations to Tennessee and learning who lives on the property and what type of care they need. Below is an excerpt from our interview with Wendy Smith, Co-Founder and Director at Odd Man Inn (OMI).

Pietro is a Holstein calf. Holsteins are commonly raised for dairy––and in dairy, boy calves are generally sold for meat. But the farmer couldn’t sell Pietro. The newborn was sick, and he had a broken leg. He could barely stand, let alone walk. It wouldn’t be worth their time or the cost to nurse Pietro to health and then sell him.

Most teens can’t wait for their first set of wheels. Tyler’s car search took a very different turn after checking out a pop-up sale and finding a ram––the sheep kind, not the truck kind.