Monday, March 21, 2011

An interesting argument...

The following link will take you to... a page that is written by the manager of communications for an entity which calls itself the Animal Agricultural Alliance.


http://www.animalagalliance.org/images/ag_insert/manurematters_may03_page18.pdf


SPOILER ALERT: It defends factory farming.


In case you were too lazy to read it, it has a few... ahem... interesting quotes. Here are a few:


"Too far removed from the reality of how our 
food is produced, consumers have bought into the 
factory farming myth, believing the family farm has 
disappeared. The fact is that of the over two million 
farms and ranches in the U.S. today, 99% are still 
owned and operated by families. "

The same could be said of the Mafia. Regardless of who is owning them, the difference between the modern factory farm and the idyllic family farm of days past is simple: treatment of animals. Of course, they would be killed eventually, but they were not meant to suffer as extraordinarily as they are today.

"One of the reoccurring themes in the campaign to 
end intensive poultry and livestock production is the 
issue of waste management on “factory farms”. With 
hugely exaggerated, inflammatory, and graphic lan- 
guage, activists have tied current on-farm practices to 
the ultimate destruction of the global environment."

Regardless of the environment (which factory farming certainly isn't helping), the article seems to portray industry as 'the victim' here, practically stating that it is being viciously attacked by loud groups of hippies determined to smash American commerce forever. The whole time, however, the article fails to address the fact that the animals are no longer treated even somewhat humanely. Until industry puts morals above money (or, as I stated in a previous post, consumers demonstrate that they care about animal welfare), the food industry can not pretend to be 'the victim' in any circumstance.

Factory animals, however, can.

-Conor

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