Humane Food

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

“Old MacDonald had a farm, ei, ei, o …”

When we think of farm animals today we assume they have carefree lives on an updated version of Old MacDonald’s Farm. Science and technology may have advanced but we suppose that cows and sheep still munch on lush grass, pigs continue to wallow in the mud and, as always, chickens scratch around in picture-perfect barn yards. This ideal is reinforced by marketing and our own fleeting experiences. We are reassured by the rustic, rural images and “farm fresh” slogans on our food packaging, and the occasional drive through the countryside where contented animals dot the hillsides.

Animal Factories

The uncomfortable truth is: most animals are raised in draconian factories and not on idyllic farms. It’s true that beef cattle and sheep mainly inhabit Australia’s wide open spaces but the majority of our chickens and pigs live in barbaric, oppressive conditions. They are confined in crowded, barren sheds that relentlessly thwart all of their instinctive desires and natural behaviours. Acute and unrelieved boredom, frustration and stress are the inevitable consequence of this abnormal environment. The distress of individual pigs and chickens is multiplied into a vast system of institutionalised cruelty where farm animals are treated more like agricultural machinery than living, feeling beings.

The RSPCA has reputable information and a moderate perspective on these issues at www.rspca.org.au . Click on Campaigns and choose a topic.

What’s the Difference Between a Dog and a Pig?

This situation is an affront to basic decency and you don’t have to be a radical animal rights activist to see the whole structure is inhumane and uncivilised. Our attitude to pets reveals the broad, self-evident definition we apply to animal suffering. We pity a dog, for example, if it’s in physical pain because of hunger or injury but we also feel sorry for it when more intangible needs, like adequate space, attention, exercise or comfort, are not met. This holistic view of suffering we apply to pets is also valid for farm animals. Simple desires or a lower level of intelligence are never an excuse for subjecting a pet or any other creature to a profoundly anguished way of life. Economic arguments about efficiency and productivity should not override this bedrock ethic.

The Hidden Cost of Cheap Food

Cheap chicken, eggs and bacon are only possible because of production methods that are indifferent to animal welfare. The disturbing truth is that low prices are subsidised by animal suffering. Eggs for $2.50 a dozen and chicken breast for $8.99 a kilo are feasible because no monetary or moral value is placed on the distress of factory farmed animals. Treacherous conditions have become “normal” for chickens and pigs and we have been unwittingly caught up in this gigantic animal cruelty racket. Whenever we buy ordinary eggs, chicken and pig meat we are unintentionally approving of their abysmal living conditions. Although you would never deliberately harm a dog or a cat, there is a direct, personal connection between your food choices and the ruthless treatment of farm animals. Bacon and eggs on Sunday morning can be brutality on a plate.

Is Giving up Meat the Answer?

Vegetarianism and veganism are often put forward as the definitive challenge to the animal factory system. Even the most ambitious in-house estimates, however, project this proportion of the population will only reach 5-10% over the next couple of decades. This will barely dent the demand for animal products and the suffering on intensive farms will just continue unabated. In addition, a vegetarian lifestyle can seem too jolting and alien for many people. If it comes down to an all-or-nothing choice between this and business as usual, then most of us will just default to the status quo and animal misery will remain entrenched in the structure of our culture. A more inclusive approach that mobilises both vegetarians and the sympathetic majority of meat eaters in defense of the animals is needed.

The Conscientious Omnivore

Being more mindful about eating animal products instead of abandoning them altogether is a viable alternative. Redefining yourself as a “conscientious omnivore” is a crucial beginning because it makes your values explicit, is a front-of-the-mind principle to guide your actions and makes you accountable to yourself. A conscientious omnivore is someone who eats meat, poultry and eggs and is staunchly committed to the caring, humane and respectful treatment of animals. They recognise intensive, Dickensian factory farms as the #1 cause of animal suffering and redirect their dollars to support kinder, alternative methods of production. This is achieved by thoughtful decisions at the shops rather than heroic acts of deprivation, sacrifice and crusading. What start out as hesitant choices requiring some deliberation soon become automatic shopping habits that can permanently protect the well-being of farm animals.

Do The Maths

Most of us eat three meals a day – that’s over 1000 food choices every year! Over the course of a lifetime that equates to tens of thousands of opportunities to make a statement about the humane treatment of animals. Few other causes have as many chances to take a stand. The cumulative effect of these purchasing decisions can make a decisive contribution to the demise of the factory farm system and flourishing of production methods that make animal welfare a fundamental priority.