"Stages of Meat" Protest at USDA

October, 2, 2007 – This World Farm Animals Day, FARM held a powerful demonstration in Washington, DC. FARM staff and nearly two dozen local activists congregated in front of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make an unforgettable statement to the public. The graphic multi-pronged event featured educational displays enacting “The Stages of Meat,” revealing the atrocities animals are forced to endure simply to please palates.

The event was held in honor of World Farm Animals Day and Gandhi’s birthday to expose and memorialize the tragic suffering and death of the 50 billion sentient animals brutalized in the world's factory farms and slaughterhouses every year.

Three stages provided a visual representation of cruel confinement, brutal slaughter, and packaged "food." Rather than animals, people (or human forms) sat inside cages, hung from a slaughter line, and became transformed into a package of meat. The displays were combined with large signs explaining the reality of meat production and providing images of factory farmed animals, WFAD banners, and a video playing PETA's “Meet Your Meat.” Volunteers held signs and passed out Vegan Starter Kits to passersby.

STAGE 1 displayed people confined inside a cage. Packed inside a small area with minimal space to move, were three FARM staffers: Executive Director Dawn Moncrief, Program Director Jen Riley, and Media Coordinator Shemirah Brachah.

STAGE 2 exposed the gore and terror of the slaughterhouse with “blood-covered” mannequins hanging from a pulley cord. The helpless victims moved back and forth across the line as the bloody butcher, FARM’s Office Manager Adam Ortberg, made his kill.

STAGE 3 featured people packed as meat. Live humans remained motionless for two hours in large cellophane-wrapped packages. FARM’s President and Founder, Alex Hershaft, participated in this display, lying inside the bloody package. Dedicated volunteer Harmony Qura also took part in this crucial, attention-grabbing exhibit.

On the other side of the cameras, FARM's Membership Coordinator William Sidman and Graphic Designer Robert LeMar provided invaluable onsite assistance by taking photos and ensuring a smooth operation and unforgettable event.

In sum, the event was a huge success! Pedestrians stopped to gawk and take literature, while automobile drivers slowed down to catch a glimpse of the activities and view the large signs. Volunteers held display signs along the sidewalk and distributed hundreds of Vegan Starter Kits and WFAD handouts. A table display attracted interested individuals to sign up for additional information about WFAD and take stickers to commemorate the observance. Click here to see more photos.

We also attracted media attention, including Reuters, which provides stories and photos for media throughout the US -- check out a few of their photos here.

FARM would like to give special thanks to the wonderful volunteers who came out to show support, including animal rights group members. Among the groups represented were the Baltimore Animal Rights Coalition (BARC) and Compassion Over Killing. BARC's contribution of video equipment for the showing of PETA's “Meet Your Meat" proved to be invaluable.

National WFAD co-sponsors include: