Horror on the Farm

With the spot «Old MacDonald,» PETA shows the bloody everyday reality for animals in the food industry from a child's perspective. The video platform YouTube and the social network Facebook have now banned the video due to its explicit imagery.

Appearances are deceiving: A girl discovers a small farm in the middle of nature. Cows graze peacefully. Children's voices sing the familiar melody «Old MacDonald Had a Farm.» Suddenly, shots ring out. Images of slashed and mutilated animals shatter the «idyll.» «Stop the horror!» reads the new PETA spot, created in cooperation with the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg.

The illusion of the happy animal

“The idea of free-roaming and carefree animals in agriculture is pure utopia,” says Christian Coslar, Head of the Creative Department at PETA. “Behind every product containing animal ingredients lies the suffering of defenseless living beings.”

Every year, nearly 800 million land animals are killed in Germany alone, with billions of sea creatures in addition. In the food industry, animals endure a short and agonizing existence in severely confined spaces. The consumption of animal products is also linked to many diseases.

So-called agricultural livestock farming is always associated with animal suffering — systemic abuses are inherent to the system. Ongoing legal violations are found in all operations, whether small or large facilities. With the free Veganstart program offered by the animal rights organization, switching to a purely plant-based diet is made easy. More on animal rights.