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Inside the Republican effort to force millions of farm animals back into cages (www.vox.com)

submitted 2 years ago by usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml to c/usa@lemmy.ml

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[–] usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml 25 points 2 years ago (23 children)

The fact is, most animals in our food system live under dismal conditions, and the pitifully low bar for their treatment was set in directives from the same industry’s leaders who today are so upset about being vilified. “Forget the pig is an animal—treat him just like a machine in a factory,” recommended Hog Farm Managementin 1976. Two years later, National Hog Farmer advised: “The breeding sow should be thought of, and treated as, a valuable piece of machinery whose function is to pump out baby pigs like a sausage machine.”

And farmers, eager to squeeze every dollar from their crops, complied. Today, nearly 5 million of these smart, social animals (representing over 80 percent of all sows in pork production) are confined to tiny gestation crates—cages so narrow the animals can’t even turn around. They spend their lives lined up like cars in a parking lot, barely able to move an inch and driven insane from the extreme deprivation

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[–] QuincyPeck@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (22 children)

I went vegetarian this year (vegan when it’s possible) mostly because of the horrors of factory farming. I could not continue to participate in such a horrific system anymore.

We don’t eat cats or dogs, so why is it okay to eat other animals? They all have thoughts and feelings.

[–] TheButtonJustSpins 2 points 2 years ago (12 children)

Ideally, pasture-raised and kosher or halal meats would be more (at all) prevalent. That's what ethical meat consumption looks like.

Alternately, lab grown.

[–] Vegoon@feddit.de 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Why is it ideal or even ethical to kill others "kosher or halal" when we don't have to kill in any way? How does this relate to them living in cages before?

[–] TheButtonJustSpins 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Both kosher and halal require you to kill the animal quickly and painlessly. I'd say the pasture raised is more important, since that's every other day of the animal's life, but I'd like the last day to also not suck.

[–] Vegoon@feddit.de 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Is the act of killing someone who does not want to die and does not need to die ethical if painless?

Have you seen non human animals that want to die for humans to be consumed by them? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmIqdlomtuSsJEoFi_L_pfEAPIxDRo4DB

[–] TheButtonJustSpins 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I mean, if you're coming at it from the point of "there is no ethical meat consumption," then you're right, none of this means anything. It's a simple "don't ever eat meat."

In which case, kosher and halal are irrelevant. Pasture raised is still relevant because we need to discuss what ethical production of things like eggs and milk looks like.

[–] Vegoon@feddit.de 2 points 2 years ago

I come from the point that if we don't have to kill or abuse others we should not. That is the case for most of us. You can't ethical impregnate a cow, steal the baby and drink their milk. Raising chicken breeds which can't stand on their own feet or get infections and tumors and just live to be exploited is not justifiable with taste.

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