Former Farmer: Turning Vegan Changed My World

I was born and raised in Prince Edward County, which is an island on the north part of Lake Ontario just south of Belleville, Ontario. 

It was, at the time, a large farming community with many large families. My mother is one of ten and my father is one of sixteen, so if you didn’t farm or work on one, you probably worked at a local store. Otherwise, you travelled across the bridge to work in the cities. Farming was the industry here. I spent most my life there and only left after separating from my first wife when I was thirty. I spent over twenty years in the farming industry (mainly dairy), I was born and raised in it. I also was raised a trapper and an avid hunter.

In 2005 I met a beautiful woman who was vegetarian. We had a beautiful baby girl (we named Willow) and we married in 2008. My wife never forced her views on me, just gave insight every now and then on health and how the animals are treated. I did what most did and made excuses about why we farm and why we need to hunt and eat meat, but soon that all changed.
A few years ago I saw a picture on Facebook of pigs being hauled out of Toronto, Ontario and people (activists) were giving them water trough the holes in the trailer at the Toronto livestock exchange. That was the picture that started it all for me.
I am a heavy construction worker and I mainly work on highway 401 (longest highway in Ontario). The same day the picture was taken; there was a bad accident just up from our job site. It was -34c and the traffic was getting backed up to our job site. I was running a machine that day, had the heat cranked and was still bundled up. The traffic had come to a complete stop.

I looked beside me on the highway and there was a tractor trailer hauling pigs to Quebec. That was the day I made the connection. I looked these poor animals in the eyes and I knew they were being sent to their deaths. It was now -36 and they were freezing! Their skin was red and you could see ice on some of their faces. My heart sank. I felt so bad for them and I told myself that was it! I will never cause harm to another creature again! I never looked back.
I never once thought if it would be hard to give up all the meats and cheeses. I love to cook and I try to inspire and show people that vegan food is delicious and beautiful. My wife, daughter and I are vegan for life! We also have three dogs as well and, yes, they consume a plant-based diet as well.

You truly don’t know what life has in store for you, you can wish and pray all you want but, one small thing as simple as looking into the eyes of an animal at the right moment in your life, can change your world forever!

Written by Chris Mills

Connect with Chris through facebook here.