Why do we bother to try and cover up the harm in factory farming?
Have you read this Y!A story?
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/forbes/907/whats-really-in-your-fast-food
I’m not sure how this is "new news". Apparently, nitrogen isotopic signatures were found in meat products which is consistent with environments where animals are raised in extreme confinement, consuming their own waste.
This news story speaks of factory farming, like, it’s some inhumane revelation that has been kept under wraps until now.
In these instances, I always find it funny that either "comment is declined" or responsibility is evaded: generalities are cited about concerns for animal welfare or alternative (false) explanations are offered for findings that function to detract from what is reality.
Why it is that we try and cover up the reality of factory farming? Is this simply a guise for the continuance of greed and its’ ends?
BTW: I’m not a vegan or vegetarian. I put the Q in this section under the assumption that perhaps those who have decided to not eat meat or animal products would be able to offer some informed answers.
Thanx, Shélah :-). What you’ve written about estrogen is interesting. And, I have heard of this, but, as far as I know, today, birth control pills contain *synthetic* estrogen. I’m wondering if you could share any peer-reviewed, empircal evidence that may back up what you say about birth control pills?
Thanx, Tink :-). For me, personally? I object to BC pills on, I guess feminist grounds? LOL. I don’t think the onus of BC should fall on the woman. Where I live, this is, I want to say, an expectation that is held by many men. The reality is, there are heavy side effects that accompany the use of OC’s. Too often, this is minimized; oral contraceptives are seen as a candy to prevent pregnancy. They are, indeed a drug.
Thanx nathan b :-): I very much swing to the "left" on everything. Live and let live, to each their own, yatta, yatta. I don’t judge and think individuality in everything is important, so would never expect anyone to adopt my view. But, it is my observation that some (not all, of course) vegetarian/vegan’s view their food choice as one that should be universal. Having said that, I also know that greed supersedes, at least, "humane treatment" concerns of animals in factory farms.
BTW: any pesky thumbs-down are not from me ;-).
Thanx, mdGreg C: I think factory farming IS what it is. But, when works like this are referenced or stories are fed to the public about reality, responsibility always seems to be evaded and passed off, addressed to someone else and again, to someone else. Facts are typically exaggerated to be less than OR more than what they are. Sensationalism on one end and diminutive efforts on the other. That bugs me. What we don’t own doesn’t define us, type of thing. I guess, regarding our ignorant bliss to do with factory farming, perhaps, it does make us feel better about what we know is disgusting…
…disgusting, but necessary to make more money.
mdGreg C: Yeah. That sums it up :-).
Shélah, thanx so much for your edit! 🙂 :-). Wow. Wasn’t expecting all that!!
Josh O: Good points. I think most (?) people in this forum are from the US. Not me, though.
I think it is easier to pretend to ourselves that the factory processes are humane, that the cellophane wrapped items on the supermarket shelf are not really bits of dead animals.
Killing any animal for food is a difficult thing to do. Even on your own smallholding, with organic animals. Try killing a duck, plucking and gutting it, regularly and you will find that soon you don’t want to have to do it. The smell stays with you for days. You certainly don’t want to eat it on the same day that you have killed, plucked and gutted it. It was much easier to freeze the ducks to get rid of the memory of the kill and the smell.
I am Vegan again, but my husband eats meat. He added the lines about eating the kill on the same day and the freezing. My dad, who had a slaughter man’s license and a butcher’s business after stopping killing and butchering for several years, could not kill, not pluck, nor gut our ducks when we found it too difficult to.
Killing is not pleasant. It is much, much easier to buy sterile packets from the supermarket. That way you don’t have to really think about the dead animal or the process.
Most people know the facts, it is just more comfortable to deny them.
I’m not a vegetarian either – It’s covered up because its disgusting.
You know it – I know it.
Edit: I think Shelah is confusing birth control with Hormone Replacement Therapy for menopause. Where that is derived from is pretty common knowledge – in fact Premarin (the main drug) stands for PREgnant MARe uRINe. In either case, its sad.
And since when did a natural life phase become a disease that had to be medicated, thats what I would like to know?
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any murder is still murder, a cow could live to 90 years old on an open range where the deer and the antelopes play for all i care. it is still wrong and disgusting
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vegetarian
I know, I know. It’s ignorant. But I think if people would take the time to realize what they’re doing the business could close its doors.
In my opinion eating meat is unhealthy and bad for the environment. I don’t see the big deal eating a steak. Never even tried and I’m 32 now lol.
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Dietary vegan wearing leather shoes though.
These kinds of farms produce a lot more meat than regular farms, and most especially organic farms. The economy relies on our consumption of these products, so they want us to be consuming it. Therefore, they cover it up, because they want people to continue consuming it. It’s all a part of capitalism. It’s the same reason that they cover up where the estrogen in oral birth control comes from: they can charge a lot for those pills, so who needs to know about the horses that are being abused?
Hail to the socialists!
EDIT — All I meant by saying that the economy relies on the consumption of animals is that in a capitalist economy, the economy does in deed rely on consumerism – of everything that has be commodified. This includes meat.
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As far as I can see, both synthetic estrogens and estrogen from mare urine are still used (either way, estrogen based contraceptives are bad for the environment). From what I can see from peer reviewed articles, the mare based estrogen is used more for therapeutic purposes, but I assume that this is just because those are more likely uses to be studied. I don’t know where to look for clinical trials on hormonal birth control.
In response to Tink — I am not confusing birth control with hormonal replacement therapy. Both forms of hormone therapy have used estrogen derived from mare urine at some point. Perhaps birth control is purely synthetic now (I can’t find anything scholarly that says this), but it wasn’t always.
Here are a few articles:
Rathbun, S. (2008). Venous thromboembolism in women. In Vascular Medicine.
Booth, E. A., Lucchesi, B. R. (2008). Estrogen-mediated protection in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion Injury. In Cardiovascular Toxicology.
There are quite a few more if you look up: mare urine estrogen contraceptives on GoogleScholar.
Hope this helps.
"The economy relies on our consumption of these products, so they want us to be consuming it."
The economy does not rely on our consumption of animals. The income of some very rich people relies on the consumption of animals though.
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In my opinion, the reason factory farming is covered up is because if the general public knew and saw the horrific things that go on and the deplorable conditions, then many would be led by their consciences not to eat meat/eat eggs/drink milk– especially to not eat meat. It’s like the famous quote "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarians." Many people would simply not be able to ignore it and look the other way anymore. I think that many people have some sort of an idea of what goes on, but won’t let themselves acknowledge it or learn more because they know that if they did, what they found out would force them to take a good, hard look at their food choices. I’ve had several people say to me that they "don’t want to know, because I like meat too much and I don’t want to stop eating it."
So, therefore, factory farming is covered up because widespread knowledge could lead to widespread loss of revenue. We are starting to see consumers get a bit wise, with more interest in free-range, locally-grown, organic and free-range products. People are starting to question where and how their animals products are produced. Some factory farm industries have put out reassuring labels and public statements about animal welfare standards to allay these concerns (like in the article you sited). Unfortunately, I think the public mostly buys it (literally) because it is easier to reassure oneself that a product is humanly produced because it says so, rather than actually learning more and probably not liking what one finds out.
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There is no conspiracy or cover up. Animals in a high-tech confinement housing situation do not consume their own waste. Ask yourself this question…if my livelihood depends on the health of my animals, will I protect their health?
You may hear of people being denied access to these facilities, but it is for bio-security reasons…not political.
It sounds as though many of you think everyone should follow your diet choices. Well, if they did, many people would starve…maybe even you. Just imagine 8 billion people competing for the food which you have chosen to eat. Thanks to animal agriculture, you have plenty of veggies. The world’s population needs protein and B vitamins, and yes, fat. So, eat your way and take vitamins. Don’t ridicule an industry which you know very little about. Without animal agriculture you, yes you, would suffer.
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Common sense, an open mind, and several years as an agriculture educator.
there are definitely many things covered up by the companies that run the farming in this country. they can inject however many hormones they want into things and we don’t really get to know anything about it. most things being done about this are in relation with animal cruelty but that is not the real issue. the issue is what we are putting in our body. nothing is regulated in this country as far as food and everything i made in mass quantities. buy organic. that is the only hope you will have.
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I don’t know that it is a cover up. I have know it for years having been on farms as a kid.
I also have a brother and a niece from another brother who are vegetarians and they both don’t like eating meat as they feel they are eating flesh like themselves. They just don’t have the ‘stomach’ for it.
While I have seen cattle raised in small pens for most of their lives they do reap some rewards in the trade off of say deer in the wild who for their freedom may endure harsh weather, predators, sickness or starvation. example: I don’t see many people in jail wishing for death as opposed to small quarters. Cattle are tangible property. Farmers protect them to the point of value as an investment in time and money. On the humane side I feel animals should be treated well, not abused and killed humanely. While there are some who may practice differently they can easily be weeded out by not buying their products. People are living longer and there is always room for improvement on anything, but lets consider all before judging, and bring on that bird for Thanksgiving. Oh ya, I ate out last night and had steak. yum.
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edit: This topic reminds me of the instructor that brought in a potted plant and proceeded to pull it out from its roots tear it apart and stomp on it. While his behavior was strange no one felt he was abusive until he pulled out a lab mouse from a cage on his desk and proceeded to hurl it to the floor and stomp on it. Then the class reacted. (He switched with a fake mouse but no one knew it at the time.) His point was we identify more with things like us. Both were living things. Everything we eat is or was alive. You eat a salad it’s alive. You just identify better with things that are like you.
I agree that there isn’t a cover up-the information is easily obtainable for anyone who cares. A large percentage of people just like to stay ignorant-if they don’t know about a problem they aren’t obliged to do something about it.
I would like to say to Tink-some women suffer terribly with menopause-do you really feel they should just take it?
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To Allow Ourselves to Feel Better?
EDIT: K, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind".
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I think it is easier to pretend to ourselves that the factory processes are humane, that the cellophane wrapped items on the supermarket shelf are not really bits of dead animals.
Killing any animal for food is a difficult thing to do. Even on your own smallholding, with organic animals. Try killing a duck, plucking and gutting it, regularly and you will find that soon you don’t want to have to do it. The smell stays with you for days. You certainly don’t want to eat it on the same day that you have killed, plucked and gutted it. It was much easier to freeze the ducks to get rid of the memory of the kill and the smell.
I am Vegan again, but my husband eats meat. He added the lines about eating the kill on the same day and the freezing. My dad, who had a slaughter man’s license and a butcher’s business after stopping killing and butchering for several years, could not kill, not pluck, nor gut our ducks when we found it too difficult to.
Killing is not pleasant. It is much, much easier to buy sterile packets from the supermarket. That way you don’t have to really think about the dead animal or the process.
Most people know the facts, it is just more comfortable to deny them.
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I’m going to answer the question in bold.
The same reason ozone therapy is unlawful in the US… because somebody, somewhere makes dime, and that somebody has a politician (or a few) in their pocket. SO we use expensive chemo and radiation instead.
Think corn farming in the US.
Oh… you were!
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It’s really not covered up. People just don’t want to hear it. When I try to explain certain conditions to friends (people who won’t become hostile toward me for even breaching the subject) they don’t want to hear it. Even if you’re trying to explain it from the point of view that they are consuming food that has been at best, tainted by contaminants, and at worst infected with bacteria, they would prefer to remain blissfully ignorant.
I usually don’t like to discuss such things with people who eat meat, because they become extremely hostile. Just look at some of the Qs and As on Y!A, and you’ll see how nasty people can get about "their" meat. I think the non-meat eaters become the displaced target, because to point the finger at the meat industry is having to come to terms with a filthy, inhumane industry.
What it comes down to is that keeping animals in humane, clean, healthy environments, and slaughtering them in the same way, is just not cost-effective.
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