The shocking animal cruelty revealed this week at a Fraser Valley dairy farm is another example of the morally bankrupt system of industrialized animal agriculture that should shame our so-called civilized society.

The dairy industry will claim the horrific scenes of animal torture revealed by the undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals Canada are isolated incidents perpetrated by a few bad apples.

But modern intensive farming appears to be one big barrel of bad apples. MFA Canada has conducted investigations over the last 19 months into the production of Canadian pork, eggs, turkeys, chicken and veal, with each case exposing unconscionable abuse of animals. All this has been duly reported by national media and shown in graphic detail across Canada’s television screens.

In the United States, similar undercover investigations by animal-rights groups have been taking place for years, all revealing the horrors of factory farming. Finding examples of such cruelty was relatively easy, as the investigators simply foundf jobs on randomly selected farms and started videoing what they found.

The broadcast of the material on U.S. news networks has been widespread and so damaging to the industry that it lobbied state legislators to pass anti-whistleblower “ag-gag” laws that criminalize the recording of undercover videos on factory farms. Five states have passed such laws, with several more introducing similar bills. Now, some politicians in Australia, faced with their industry lobbying, are calling for ag-gag laws there. It is probably only a matter of time before such calls emerge in Canada.

If animal cruelty on industrialized farms amounts to just a few isolated incidents, why is it being uncovered so easily and so often, and why does the industry want to use legislation to hide its operations? If cruelty rarely happens then what is there to hide?

Farm animal cruelty revelations are not new or surprising to animal advocates who have campaigned against factory farming for years. An exposé of an Ontario egg farm by the Vancouver Humane Society in 2005 revealed appalling conditions for laying hens, which were found crammed into cages, virtually featherless and covered in their own excrement.

Even when the cruelty on factory farms is not systematic (i.e. the denial of natural behaviours from confinement in cages or crates) and is due to the action of individuals, the industry is still responsible. Recruitment, training, and oversight of factory farm workers are industry responsibilities that must be taken seriously, although even this may not address the inhumanity at the core of factory farming. This is dehumanizing work, in which low-paid staff are often surrounded by animal suffering and death for long periods. Perhaps it is impossible to remain compassionate, sensitive or civilized under such conditions.

As government is unlikely to address the moral shortcomings of factory farming (animal welfare has never been an election issue), it is only consumers who can force change in animal agriculture. Put starkly, their choices in the supermarket dictate how many animals will suffer and die on factory farms.

Many people say they could never become vegetarian or vegan (although it has never been easier, thanks to the many alternatives to animal-based protein), but everyone can cut down on meat, eggs and dairy products. Lower demand means less need for intensive systems. Every meatless meal makes a difference. Every veggie burger counts.

For those who continue to purchase animal products, there are less inhumane choices, such as meat, dairy and eggs from producers using traditional husbandry that at least allows animals some natural behaviours and a better life. Paying a few pennies more for these products is not much of a sacrifice to help save millions of animals from unnecessary suffering.

If more consumers took these simple actions we might not need to look into the frightened eyes of innocent animals when they stare out at us from our television screens in another revelation of the hell of factory farms.

Peter Fricker is projects and communications director at the Vancouver Humane Society