I conducted an online interview with Josh Balk of the Humane Society of The United States. Mr. Balk is the Outreach Coordinator for the Factory Farm Campaign and was happy to answer of my questions about factory farms and his involvement in animal welfare.
What made you want to get involved with animal protection issues?
In high school, I saw a documentary with graphic footage of standard factory farming practices, including scenes of chickens having parts of their beaks sliced off and pigs being castrated without any painkiller. I pledged at that moment to fight against animal cruelty.
What do you do at The Humane Society of the United States?
In The HSUS's Factory Farming Campaign, I work with universities, food service companies, restaurants, and grocery stores to improve farm animal welfare. Unfortunately, most factory farm owners are not going to implement meaningful reform voluntarily, but their major purchasers--such as grocery and restaurant chains--can demand that they improve their conditions if they want to continue doing business with them.
More after the break..
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