This is great news for our bovine friends.Remember Veal is NOT a good Deal!Mother pigs will be finally free from painful captivity.Let's end seal slaughter in Canada.As custodians of the earth, let us our voices,pledges and support be heard to our lawmakers and politicians.

Posted by: roseann | May 14, 2009 06:08 PM

Yay Maine! We rock!

Posted by: Matthew Ripley | May 14, 2009 06:26 PM

Maine's Republican Senator, Susan Collins, has an excellent voting record in reference to animal welfare issues. She's a rare compassionate conservative/moderate.

Posted by: Brien Comerford | May 14, 2009 08:15 PM

As an American living in England, I am pleased that Maine is heading in the right direction. America needs more people like Susan Collins who is animal aware.

Posted by: Jan | May 15, 2009 02:05 PM

I never understood the attraction of eating of eating meat from a diseased, underfed calf, or a fatty liver from a diseased duck or goose, or fish eggs, or anything else that is supposed to be gourmet...

Posted by: Rev. Meg Schramm | May 15, 2009 02:22 PM

Well done Maine, we can only hope the rest of our politicians across the globe will follow Susan's lead. I think she should receive the equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize for Animal Welfare. I would be very proud if I were from Maine.

Posted by: Tanya | May 16, 2009 05:53 PM

I've always liked Maine...

Posted by: Jessie | May 17, 2009 01:40 AM

Are any of you farmers? No. Well FYI, mother pigs will KILL their babies without gestation crates. But then again, I guess mother murder is better than farmers trying to help little pigs get real nurturing.

Posted by: Kara | May 18, 2009 10:42 AM

Kara, have you ever had to be in bed in the same position for a long time, such as in a long hospital stay, not permitted to move unless a nurses aide moved you? I have. Now, I know a bed is not the same as a gestration crate but after a week I can assure you the claustraphobic feeling of confinement is the same. The only difference is that I was eventually allowed to sit up and go for short walks, while mother pigs are confined for God only knows how long. Pigs have been proven to be intellegent creatures (yes, I have worked with pigs) and as such I believe they can experience mind numbing boredom and depression. Did you know that depression can overtake a person to the point where they just give up and do not move? I believe pigs are able to experience that level of depression. Simply because a human is not crying does not mean he/she is not suffering. Simply because a pig is not squealing does not mean he/she is not suffering.

Posted by: Rev. Meg Schramm | May 18, 2009 01:19 PM

Well said, Rev!

Posted by: lynda downie | May 18, 2009 11:36 PM

Rev,
Have you been around a pig farm where they've kept pigs in gestation crates? I'm guessing not because at my farm, and other farms I have been on, and around, we let the mother pig out of the crates at least two times a day to "do their own thing". And yes, I have been laid up before..and it is hard, no doubt! But if I was a mother pig and I knew that if "my owner" didn't keep me in a crate and I was at a HIGH chance of killing my own babies, I would suck it up so that I could do my best to make sure my babies lived to see a good life. Ever think of that? Let's not be so closed minded.

Posted by: Kara | May 20, 2009 11:11 PM

Also with you all being so close minded: Have you ever thought about what you're doing to the Agricultural Industry in this country? It's one of the oldest and strongest industries to contribute to this countries economy..and with it not doing so well these days, did it ever occur to any of you the trouble you're causing these farmers?? 98% of the farmers in this country care for their animals as if they were their own children..you all see the dirty footage from OVERSEAS or in OTHER COUNTRIES..or from sick people. None of you see the good the farmers do with their animals..but you don't care to; you don't care about the hardships they go through or the strain you put on them with this BS! Do the farmers in this country attack all of you with how you perform your jobs? The ones who are fighting to keep murders out of jail, or keep drug dealers on the streets or the ones who are money hungry and "play dirty" to get to the top and do only God knows what to PEOPLE? NO! They're not making life harder for you..so maybe you should stick to going after the CRUEL people..the ones who STARVE their Animals!! PETA has gotten away from it's original values..it's getting to be ridiculious. The world is going to have different views on things, you can't make everything to be how you want it, so you need to OPEN your minds a little bit and see both sides before making judgements.

Posted by: Kara | May 20, 2009 11:22 PM

Kara, with such a brilliant mind as yours, this is going to be a SUPRISE, We are trying to END the animal agriculture industry in this country because it is EVIL and WRONG.

So go back to your pig farm and suck it up.

The love of money is the root of all evil. And the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

God is your judge. And God is going to judge this unrighteous, bloodthirsty animal agriculture with they same merciless tactics that you employ to bring this greed and gluttony to the TABLE OF SATAN.

Shame on you, you got no right to kill pigs and you got no right to put them in those crates so you can continually impregnate them. You got no right to do that and one of these days GOD ALMIGHTY is gonna tell it to your face.

Posted by: Saucy | May 24, 2009 09:18 AM