(WWTI) – Cows, chickens, goats, pigs, sheep… show some appreciation to some farm animals. Today is World Farm Animals Day.

Today’s holiday was founded as a part of an international Farm Animal Rights Movement campaign in 1983, the day raises awareness regarding the suffering that the farm animals have been subjected to. For many people who observe this day, the main goal is to encourage others to work on creating a world where animals are not treated as mere products but living creatures.

Don’t be depressed though, the lives of farm animals are improving. In the 1980’s, scientist and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, invented a conveyor-restrainer system to make large beef slaughtering plants humane. A farming scheme approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — R.S.P.C.A. — was created and implemented in 1996. It is an excellent solution for farmers who strive for higher animal welfare standards and for shoppers who want to support good farming practices.

Show a little love today and appreciate farm animals and their contributions to humanity’s continued survival. Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H clubs highlight the importance of farms animals and how to care for them here in the North Country, to learn more or sign up, visit their websites for Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence Counties.

Happy World Farm Animals Day!