Thank you UPC for another great conference! Thanks for all the hard work putting it together. We loved the speakers, new information, meeting like-minded people, and learning more about the plight of farm animals today. It was very inspiring! Thanks, Hope and Karen! – Jennie Richards

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Dear Karen, Wonderful Staff, and all the sweet chickens,

Thank you for the fabulous conference in Berkeley. As always, it was very informative. And I’m so glad that Hope works for you. She did a perfect job organizing it. I look forward to next year’s conference. – Pat Huey

On April 4 United Poultry Concerns hosted our Fourth Annual Conscious Eating Conference in Berkeley, California. Cohosted by Animal Place and Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy, our conference attracted nearly 200 attendees – our best year ever!

Animal Legal Defense Fund’s TJ Tumasse spoke gut-wrenchingly about his undercover investigations at dairy cow and egg-laying hen operations. Fish Feel founder Mary Finelli evoked the scientifically documented consciousness of fish and the brutality of fishing. UPC president Karen Davis described how she became a chicken-rights advocate, and analyzed the difference between so-called single-issue campaigns and focused campaigns on behalf of farmed animals. Main Street Vegan director Victoria Moran told why she became vegan and extolled the liberating power of compassionate vegan advocacy. Animal Place director Kim Sturla introduced Animal Place’s Food For Thought campaign video aimed at getting animal shelters to adopt an animal-friendly meal policy instead of serving dead animals at their dog & cat fundraisers.

Direct Action Everywhere activist Brian Burns explained the basis of DxE’s activism in restaurants and supermarkets in which people are made to confront the fact that animal-based foods are the products of violence, cruelty, and terror. Aaron Paul of the Factory Farm Awareness Coalition argued that outreach in the form of leafleting, tabling and giving presentations at schools and other venues is important to introduce people to the issues and draw them in by taking a positive approach.

UPC projects manager Hope Bohanec debuted our new video Humane Hoax, and UPC correspondent Ronnie Steinau introduced Truth or Drought, a brochure on animal agriculture’s devastating effects on California’s water supply. UPC vice president Liqin Cao staffed our exhibit table with unflagging energy during the entire day.

A delicious luncheon of vegan mac & cheese was topped off by two surprise birthday cakes celebrating United Poultry Concerns’ 25th anniversary! A wonderful day in every way!

We thank Kamal S. Prasad for filming our conference and for making it available online and on DVD.

You can watch the conference presentations on our Website at www.upc-online.org/forums/2015/videos.html. You can also purchase the conference as a DVD, which includes the bonus feature of our new video Humane Hoax: The Deception Behind “Humane” Food Labels. All for just $10. Order Now!