Update: The bank claimed ownership of the bankrupt couple's property and wanted to sell the cows to slaughter. But the original whistleblower stepped in and saved the cows' lives, this time tenaciously pursuing a deal with the bank to allow her to assume all responsibility for the animals' care. Now the cows will live out their days in peace and safety, never to be harmed for milk or meat. The cows' original owners still face cruelty-to-animals charges. 

Originally posted on March 6th:

Many people are still laboring under the illusion that animals are somehow treated better on farms that label their products "organic," but a recent cruelty case that PETA was involved with shows that animals on organic farms often fare no better than those on non-organic farms.

A whistleblower alerted PETA to a dairy farm where hundreds of cows were starving and two or three were dying every week. The whistleblower had tried to get the owners of the farm to feed the cows, but the owners were bankrupt, and with no money to feed the animals, they had simply left them to die.

This cow was too weak to stand.

We contacted local law-enforcement officials and, with the help of the district attorney, got state veterinarians to go out to the farm. The vets confirmed that this was indeed a case of cruelty and neglect, and police arrested the owners and charged them with cruelty to animals. The owners were later released on the grounds that they had to do whatever it took to care for the cows or they would face felony charges. Some people in the community have donated food, and the owners are juggling their finances to make food for the cows a priority. PETA has confirmed that the cows' health is improving.

While these animals are doing better, across the country, cows are still suffering on organic dairy farms. Often crowded into cramped sheds or onto mud-filled lots, cows are repeatedly impregnated and have their babies taken away so that people can drink the milk that nature intended for calves. Don't let your friends and family be fooled—"organic" does not mean "humane."

Kiley Stinson may or may not have been raised in a sow stall.

Kiley Stinson, an intern for an agriculture site, recently blogged about picking up a vegetarian/vegan starter kit from one of PETA's stands in D.C. Here's her confounding attempt to defend factory farms:

Here's a glimpse of animals in their "playpens."

If that's the best argument factory-farm advocates have, no wonder we're winning!

Written by Joel Bartlett

There's no need to wait until March 17—now's the time to dig out your funny green hat and celebrate.

That's because Ireland has just become the latest European country to ban fur farms! The ban will take effect in three years and will save thousands of animals from the horrors of fur factory farms.

pgc.state.pa.us / CC

On fur farms, animals who would roam hundreds of miles in the wild are crammed into wire cages only big enough for the animals to take a few steps in any direction. Hundreds of animals at a time may be kept inside sheds or subjected to stifling heat and numbing cold outdoors. While diseases and injuries are common, most animals on fur farms are denied even basic vet care.

Not surprisingly, the boredom and frustration of captivity drive many animals insane; they spin in circles endlessly, bash themselves against their cage bars, and sometimes gnaw their own tails off.

The ban means that the Emerald Isle will become even greener, too: There will be no more tons of waste produced by fur farms that can pollute waterways and release ammonia into the air.

Ireland's ban on fur farms is a true pot o' gold for animals. Meanwhile, U.S. legislators have yet to enact any federal protections for animals on fur farms—tell them it's time to take a cue from the Irish and put an end to fur-farm cruelty.

Written by Heather Drennan

In case you thought we were just kidding when we wrote to Al Gore urging him to go vegetarian to help stop global warming, maybe this ad will clarify our position for you.

The evidence is in, and though it may be a little inconvenient for Mr. Gore to hear, the facts don’t lie. This U.N. report shows that animals raised for food generate more greenhouse gases than all cars and trucks combined, and goes on to say that meat is "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global," including land degradation, air pollution, water shortage and pollution, loss of biodiversity, and of course climate change. And according to a recent University of Chicago study, switching to a vegan diet is more effective in countering global warming than switching from a standard American car to a Prius. We even went so far as to offer to cook him faux “fried chicken” as an intro to vegetarian meals, since, no matter how many of those cool little energy saving light bulbs you put in, the reality is that there just isn’t such a thing as a meat-eating environmentalist.

This story about the whole issue ran in The New York Times today, but Gore declined to comment. Mr. Gore, you’ve done so much good by putting yourself out there as the face of the anti-global warming movement, and you’re so right on so much of it, but come on, it really is high time to put some substance behind it by leading by example and doing the single most effective thing you can do to address the issue: simply going vegetarian.

If you’re into food at all then you’ve probably heard of Mark Bittman, author of the New York Times’ “Minimalist” column. But even if you don’t know Bittman by name, I’m sure you’ve heard of his book, How to Cook Everything. It’s been wildly successful because of its relaxed, accessible and realistic approach to everyday cooking. Well, that’s all well and good but it ain’t a vegetarian cookbook, you say. Well, Bittman is just about to release a new book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and it looks pretty darn good to me.

HamiltonSpectator/Creative Commons

Here’s an interview from Publishers Weekly that explains why Bittman decided to write a vegetarian cookbook.

If you didn’t happen to catch Year of the Dog in theatres, don’t fret, it’s coming out on DVD today. Written and directed by Mike White—of School of Rock, The Good Girl and Nacho Libre fame—and starring Molly Shannon, Peter Sarsgaard, John C. Reilly, Regina King and Laura Dern, this is a sure thing date night rental. I’ve already added it to my Netflix list, so hopefully it comes soon, though I’ll probably wind up watching it with Joel and Princess Cuteyface. And in the meantime, I’ll just have to fill the time making these amazingly cute e-cards from our feature on the movie here.