I am writing in response to “California wants to ban our bacon? Not on my watch” from April 21. Fortunately, there are certainly ways that farming conditions, and even the types of farms, can be transformed without removing the long-term livelihood and economic success of current meat farmers.

I am an International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law student and a year-round volunteer and leader in various animal welfare organizations, all of which has included extensive time spent with farmed animal species, including pigs, cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and more. I have completed several long-term research projects on these topics as well.

If the hog farming industry continues to operate as it is, then pigs – who have intelligence capacities comparable with dogs – will suffer physically, emotionally, and socially in all completely avoidable ways. Contrary to what was suggested in the article, there is an incomprehensibly large number of people in the United States and across the world who do and will continue to fight for the welfare standards these hogs deserve. Equally important, farms that once produced meat have even successfully transitioned to producing plant products and there are countless people who are ready and willing to help farms either improve animal welfare standards or transition to another area of farming. Because, ultimately, it is absolutely not the goal to let hardworking individuals lose their livelihood along the way. This would be for the benefit of humans and non-human animals alike.

I am completely open to discussing further as I very much believe in the power of people with opposing opinions having a healthy discussion. You are more than welcome to follow up with me. I would also encourage you to explore either social media or scientific and peer-reviewed content about hogs and other farmed animals to gauge how much they are truly like our beloved canine counterparts…and even much like us.

I hope and believe that we can collaborate to find a step forward that benefits all because the very justified national and global movement to improve the lives of hogs (an extremely sentient species) will only continue and I’m ready to be a part of the effort in which people from various backgrounds find common ground. Thank you so much for receiving my message. I hope we can touch base and I hope you find something that connects with you from the resources I suggested.