Ethics of Factory Farms
Purposeful Dairy Practices Draw Public Criticism
March 31, 2010 - 3:53am
By Katerina Athanasiou
Cornell Sun
From Food, Inc. to Michael Pollan’s novels, in recent years, the public at large has criticized agriculture. Often, the public portrays farmers as villains. Busy farmers frequently remain unheard in the media. Recently, ABC ran a special with the headline, “Got Milk? Got Ethics? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry.”
This upset students from farming backgrounds, like Kelly Lee ’13 from Mill Wheel Farm in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin. She said, “I was really upset that was the portrayal of the dairy industry. That was one farm in one instance, where things weren’t up to standard. Most arms in the US use healthy and responsible management practices.”
Prof. Michael Van Amburgh, animal science, is advisor of the Cornell University Dairy Science Club (CUDS). He suggested that many of the negative perceptions of dairy farmers emerge due to public opinion of animal welfare.
He believes that public view of animal treatment is caused by “anthropomorphism,” or the allocation of human qualities to animals. For example, animal images infiltrate popular culture through the personification of animals in books and cartoons. From these sources, the public generates the notion that animals have needs that parallel those of humans. Read More
When people use emotion to come to a conclusion on an issue they normally don’t come up with the best one. When it comes to raising livestock with modern production techniques, many people falsely think that how it was done several generations ago was the best way. The advancements that have been made were for the benefit of the livestock as well as the people they feed. It’s a great example of why it’s so important for all farmers and ranchers to introduce themselves to the consumer and explain to them what they do and why they do it.
Showing posts with label anthropomorphism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anthropomorphism. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Giving Animals Human Qualities
Animals just want to have fun, survey finds
From tickling to playing catch, animals do some things simply for enjoyment
By Jennifer Viegas
Mon., May 11, 2009
From tickling to playing catch, animals engage in certain behaviors just for fun, even enjoying sensations that are unknown to humans, concludes an extensive new survey on pleasure in the animal kingdom.
The findings, published in the latest Applied Animal Behavior Science, hold moral significance, argues author Jonathan Balcombe. He believes scientists, conservationists and other animal rights activists should not overlook animal joy.
"The capacity for pleasure means that an animal's life has intrinsic value, that is, value to the individual independent of his or her value to anyone else, including humans," Balcombe, a senior research scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, explained to Discovery News. Read More
Whenever any type of research is published, I always think it’s important to look at the source of the information. In this case, a researcher from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) wrote this newly published research. The other source used to write this article was the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). These two groups represent two of the three wealthiest animal rights, anti-animal agriculture groups in the country. They continue trying to portray livestock and other animals as having human like qualities in order to push their vegan agenda. The bottom line is still this, we need to utilize livestock as a food source or the human race will have people starving.
From tickling to playing catch, animals do some things simply for enjoyment
By Jennifer Viegas
Mon., May 11, 2009
From tickling to playing catch, animals engage in certain behaviors just for fun, even enjoying sensations that are unknown to humans, concludes an extensive new survey on pleasure in the animal kingdom.
The findings, published in the latest Applied Animal Behavior Science, hold moral significance, argues author Jonathan Balcombe. He believes scientists, conservationists and other animal rights activists should not overlook animal joy.
"The capacity for pleasure means that an animal's life has intrinsic value, that is, value to the individual independent of his or her value to anyone else, including humans," Balcombe, a senior research scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, explained to Discovery News. Read More
Whenever any type of research is published, I always think it’s important to look at the source of the information. In this case, a researcher from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) wrote this newly published research. The other source used to write this article was the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). These two groups represent two of the three wealthiest animal rights, anti-animal agriculture groups in the country. They continue trying to portray livestock and other animals as having human like qualities in order to push their vegan agenda. The bottom line is still this, we need to utilize livestock as a food source or the human race will have people starving.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Making Animals Human
Don't have a cow!
Famous animal lover Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, the author of "The Face on Your Plate," talks about why you should consider giving up the burgers -- and the fromage.
By Katharine Mieszkowski
Apr. 18, 2009
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, 68, is a former psychoanalyst, known for his popular books about the emotional lives not of humans, but of animals. As scientists continue to debate which species have feelings, Masson has written bestsellers celebrating their emotions, such as "Dogs Never Lie About Love" and "When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals," which he co-authored with frequent Salon contributor Susan McCarthy.
In his new book (which is his 24th), "The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food," Masson brings his heartfelt take on the feathered and four-legged to the dinner table. Five years ago, the prolific author, who was already a vegetarian, went vegan, giving up not just animal meat but also animal products, such as dairy, eggs and even honey. To be precise, Masson describes himself as "veganish," since he occasionally slips up when he's not at home and accidentally eats, say, a cookie prepared with milk; this vegan's not the sort of purist who would make a scene in public by spitting out an offending morsel.
Masson changed his diet because he's an animal lover, and he wants to tempt readers to do the same, whether we're motivated by environmental, health or animal-welfare rationales. As a polemicist, he marshals an impressive litany of mainstream sources to make his case that eating less flesh is a worthy goal, from the Meatless Mondays campaign, advocated by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, to the 2006 United Nations report on the environmental impacts of raising meat called "Livestock's Long Shadow."
I spoke with Masson at Salon's offices in San Francisco, where he enthused about the new White House vegetable garden, and challenged Michael Pollan, the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," to a friendly public debate.
How did you become vegan?
I was raised, actually, vegetarian, but when I went off to college, I just didn't know how to eat as a vegetarian, and pretty soon I was eating meat.
I didn't give it all that much thought, to be honest, until I started doing the research for "When Elephants Weep," and I realized that animals felt things as deeply as did humans. It occurred to me: How can I go on eating animals, when I feel that they're capable of love and gratitude and boredom and loneliness, and can experience traumas, very much like a human? Read More
There is an incredible effort to not only give rights to animals, but to also convince people that animals have the same intellectual and emotional depth as humans. These people are quite scary because with this mindset, you are just as likely to sacrifice a human as an animal if a decision has to be made. Imagine one of these people seeing a dog biting a child, would they do anything? It’s hard to say since they are granting each species equal consideration.
Famous animal lover Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, the author of "The Face on Your Plate," talks about why you should consider giving up the burgers -- and the fromage.
By Katharine Mieszkowski
Apr. 18, 2009
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, 68, is a former psychoanalyst, known for his popular books about the emotional lives not of humans, but of animals. As scientists continue to debate which species have feelings, Masson has written bestsellers celebrating their emotions, such as "Dogs Never Lie About Love" and "When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals," which he co-authored with frequent Salon contributor Susan McCarthy.
In his new book (which is his 24th), "The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food," Masson brings his heartfelt take on the feathered and four-legged to the dinner table. Five years ago, the prolific author, who was already a vegetarian, went vegan, giving up not just animal meat but also animal products, such as dairy, eggs and even honey. To be precise, Masson describes himself as "veganish," since he occasionally slips up when he's not at home and accidentally eats, say, a cookie prepared with milk; this vegan's not the sort of purist who would make a scene in public by spitting out an offending morsel.
Masson changed his diet because he's an animal lover, and he wants to tempt readers to do the same, whether we're motivated by environmental, health or animal-welfare rationales. As a polemicist, he marshals an impressive litany of mainstream sources to make his case that eating less flesh is a worthy goal, from the Meatless Mondays campaign, advocated by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, to the 2006 United Nations report on the environmental impacts of raising meat called "Livestock's Long Shadow."
I spoke with Masson at Salon's offices in San Francisco, where he enthused about the new White House vegetable garden, and challenged Michael Pollan, the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," to a friendly public debate.
How did you become vegan?
I was raised, actually, vegetarian, but when I went off to college, I just didn't know how to eat as a vegetarian, and pretty soon I was eating meat.
I didn't give it all that much thought, to be honest, until I started doing the research for "When Elephants Weep," and I realized that animals felt things as deeply as did humans. It occurred to me: How can I go on eating animals, when I feel that they're capable of love and gratitude and boredom and loneliness, and can experience traumas, very much like a human? Read More
There is an incredible effort to not only give rights to animals, but to also convince people that animals have the same intellectual and emotional depth as humans. These people are quite scary because with this mindset, you are just as likely to sacrifice a human as an animal if a decision has to be made. Imagine one of these people seeing a dog biting a child, would they do anything? It’s hard to say since they are granting each species equal consideration.
Monday, March 30, 2009
HSUS in School
Teaching children to respect animals
The Times-Standard
Posted: 03/29/2009 01:30:28 AM PDT
EUREKA -- The Robert M. Lochtie Memorial Fund, a fund of the Humboldt Area Foundation, recently awarded $543 to the Sequoia Humane Society for the purchase of coloring books promoting respect for animals.
”We're very excited to be able to purchase this interactive tool to help teach our youth how to identify animal cruelty and encourage them to take action to prevent it,” said Cynthia Ryan, Sequoia Humane Society executive director.
The coloring book, titled, “What is Animal Cruelty and What Can You Do About It?” is published by the Humane Society of the United States and introduces readers to many of the ways and reasons that animals might be treated inhumanely while empowering children to respect and help animals by reporting abuse to adults. The book concludes with the message, “Animals deserve kindness. They deserve understanding and respect. ... Everyone does.” Read More
Basically what will be taught to these children is that animals and humans are equals. They will also try to convince these kids to practice anthropomorphism. HSUS and PETA have been very effective in reaching kids with their versions of the cycle of life. Schools have become the political battleground and it’s a place where we need to be telling our story as well.
The Times-Standard
Posted: 03/29/2009 01:30:28 AM PDT
EUREKA -- The Robert M. Lochtie Memorial Fund, a fund of the Humboldt Area Foundation, recently awarded $543 to the Sequoia Humane Society for the purchase of coloring books promoting respect for animals.
”We're very excited to be able to purchase this interactive tool to help teach our youth how to identify animal cruelty and encourage them to take action to prevent it,” said Cynthia Ryan, Sequoia Humane Society executive director.
The coloring book, titled, “What is Animal Cruelty and What Can You Do About It?” is published by the Humane Society of the United States and introduces readers to many of the ways and reasons that animals might be treated inhumanely while empowering children to respect and help animals by reporting abuse to adults. The book concludes with the message, “Animals deserve kindness. They deserve understanding and respect. ... Everyone does.” Read More
Basically what will be taught to these children is that animals and humans are equals. They will also try to convince these kids to practice anthropomorphism. HSUS and PETA have been very effective in reaching kids with their versions of the cycle of life. Schools have become the political battleground and it’s a place where we need to be telling our story as well.
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