If everybody reading this article, made just a few little changes to their weekly routine we could truly make a difference to improve the lives of animals who are suffering. Whether it means going vegan one day a week, or only buying animals not tested on animals when you shop, it only takes a few LITTLE changes to make a BIG difference, so PLEASE if your an animal lover like me and would like to help then read on ..

The best things in life are CRUELTY free!

Here are some steps that everybody can take towards becoming a kinder world ...

1. ONLY BUY CRUELTY FREE PRODUCTS WHEN YOU SHOP ~

Whether it be cosmetics such as make up and shampoo or cleaning products , many of the things we buy regularly may have been tested on animals, every time we buy these products we are funding this unnecessary procedure ... it only takes a few seconds to look at the bottle (usually the back) for either a 'leaping bunny' or NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS in writing. This is a change everybody can do you don't even have to be vegetarian and it doesn't mean you will be out of pocket for it either!  Many products in 'home bargains' and 'ALDI' have great options for example .... ALDI's 'POWERFORCE' cleaning brand has some great antibacterial cleaners and bleaches that ARE NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS! Also i recommend ZAFLORA, It's a great cleaning product that is widely available and is not tested on animals that kills a range of bacteria and viruses and is effective against salmonella, e coli, MRSA, flu, kennel cough in dogs, strangles in horses, flu in cats and more it is a handy cleaner to use, especially for pet owners just let everything dry before reintroducing the animal to the cleaned area ...

2. LESS MEAT FOR EVERYBODY ~ 

OK, so if everybody could go vegan every day for the rest of their lives then the world would be a much less cruel place and millions of animals lives could be spared but unfortunately it is just a fact that isn't going to happen , There are too many people stuck in their ways but we can all make more informed choices.

 Many people are vegetarian in the belief it is 'less cruel' than eating meat but sadly dairy farms are often a nasty place and many cows have horrible lives. To keep producing milk, they have to keep having babies every year, then the babies are separated from the mother at birth, some calf's are shot dead by the farmer to this day, others grow to become dairy or meat cows themselves, and the life of a dairy cow is not very long the milk 'drys up' at around the age of 5 and so many many dairy cows end up at the slaughter house for meat once they are no longer needed. Yes that's right next time you pay £30 for a posh sirloin steak would you feel the same knowing you where eating the back end of an old dairy cow? But sadly this is fact .. if you type into google ARE DAIRY FARMS CRUEL? the response it gives you is yes! There are a few company's in the UK that have started to treat their cows better, some keep them after retirement so they can live out their last days at the farm, others allow the calves to grow up with their moms and actually drink their moms milk. For example a company in London does this, but there is a massive waiting list for the products. More needs to be done to get the big company's to follow in their footsteps, PLEASE, IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN THE DAIRY FARM INDUSTRY ... YOUR COWS DON'T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE SHIT! After-all you can taste happiness cant you. so i bet the quality of the milk is amazing for starts. If everybody stopped eating meat and everybody was vegetarian then the amount of cows living horrible lives at dairy farms would increase as the demand would increase as people subside their meat with cheese and milk options but no animals actually have to die to eat dairy, and animal welfare can be worked on so that we all can enjoy our dairy knowing the cows are having nice lives and being treated properly but that is not the case at present and it would take alot of hard work to get the major company's to join on board with this idea ... If you can find a company that treats their cows in a better way to the norm and you are willing to buy your dairy products from them then please do, If you can substitute your normal chocolate bar for a vegan option then please do, if you can eat a piece of fruit for a snack a few times a week instead of a yogurt then please do and if you are vegetarian in the belief it is cruelty free , then please don't! .. 

I believe that if everybody THOUGHT about what they where buying every time we do our food shopping then a difference could be made. First of all, Buy Veg. Fruit, and all your vegan options this should be the main load of your products ... Secondly Your vegetarian options should be the next section of your shopping and lastly your meat , This should always be bought in caution. If you actually care about where the food you are eating has come from then research your supplier. Buy from a store that has animal welfare standards such as a RSPCA assured scheme or similar. ALDI and MORRISONS to name a few have these but it depends on the meat you are buying always look on the front of the packaging if it doesn't have any signing then DONT BUY IT ( I dont care how nice that peice of lamb looks) and always buy organic or free range when it comes to eggs never buy caged eggs, again this is on the front of the box ... Write a list for when you shop so you know what you really need and don't just buy meat products for the sake of it because at the end of the day a life has to be given for that peice of meat to be on your plate. At the very minimum you should aim to go vegetarian atleast one day a week (and Vegan once a week if you can), everybody, even if you are usually the biggest meat eater please, if you do this, we really can make a difference.  Meat eaters can still have their meat but less of it, you don't have to go without the foods you enjoy it just means having them less often, there will be less demand for animals this way. 

The treatment of animals in slaughter houses is despicable. Animals get punched, kicked, pulled. thrown about, manhandled and killed in the most INHUMANE ways possible.. STUNS go wrong, the stun guns get put into the wrong positions causing agonizing pain and prolonged torture, Birds get electric shocked in baths that caused insufferable torment, the stun doesn't often work and many end up on the chopping line AWAKE , Pigs get dropped into scolding hot water baths to soften their hard skin after they are stunned either buy gun or gas room and again the procedure sometimes mean they don't get stunned properly or wake up before the scolding bath and end up being boiled ALIVE , yes and even the gas chambers that are meant to be the humane way to put the pigs to sleep has been shown to cause indescribable distress to them. All Kosher and some Halal killings will be carried out with no stun at all so the animals throat is slit while it is conscious with a blade and they are left to bleed to death either in pens or by being hung upside down, when they are hung upside down they choke on their own blood instead of bleeding out naturally. absolute sickening. Not all halal is non ~ stun if you buy it from Marks and Spencer and some other supermarkets they stun their halal meats but KOSHER is strictly non stun. I have signed many petitions at change.org and also some of the campaigns at the RSPCA website calling for a ban on all non stun slaughter in the UK yes i know the stun doesn't always work and it isn't painless but surely its got to be better for the animal to be unconscious during slaughter hasn't it? especially when many stun mistakes are often down to the workers not the device itself ~ new educated workers that care for animals springs to mind here and also calling for CCTV in all slaughter houses .. PLEASE IF YOU HAVE A SPARE TEN MINUTES SEE WHAT PETITIONS THERE ARE THAT YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO SIGN 

I personally do my main shop at ALDI due to the fact most of the meat products have a RSPCA assured scheme which means basic welfare standards would have to be met for the animals while they are at their farms, As a family we have vegetarian days every week and always aiming to make these more, including vegan days... I often tell my 9 year old about the importance of making informed choices and having everything in moderation. I also buy cruelty free cleaning products and make sure that my family all do the same. I will not preach something i cannot do myself but these are changes every last one of us can do... 

3. SHARE THE WORD

PLEASE do all of the above as often as you can, research animal welfare topics, care and take notice of where the food you eat comes from, buy the veggy dippers for the kids next time they have a happy meal instead of nuggets, Have tomatoes with your toast instead of bacon whenever you can, sign every campaign you can about the topics you care about, i regularly check out the RSPCA and change.org to see what petitions i can get involved in please do the same, give to local charity this doesn't have to be money, can you spare an old blanket or food for the local re-homing center? be kinder and always think before you do it, check your labels before you buy, its easy to make those few changes to make this world a better place, use your recycling bags it helps keeps rubbish out of the oceans for our wildlife and helps keep our planet clean and the best part it only takes you a few seconds to put it into your recycling bag instead of your bin!!  And don't only do it your self, inform your friends and family of little changes they can do also and please share this blog with others ...

Watch the bbc documentary...  ~ MEAT a threat to our planet? ~