September 3rd, 2010
The surge in meat prices has gained media attention today, as have fears of food inflation:
“Meat price surge raises fear of food inflation” – The Independent
“Fears grow over global food supply” – The Financial Times
“Hunger drives rioters on to streets as food prices soar” – The Times
As meat prices surge, not only due to the wheat crisis but also to the soaring demand for meat from China, Brazil and other rapidly developing countries, the spotlight is thrown on why such a high proportion of global cereals are grown specifically for animal feed.
Much of our meat sadly comes from factory farms which causes unimaginable suffering to the animals and inevitably affects the quality of the final food product. What’s little known is that by feeding precious grain resources to factory farmed animals, we effectively put people and farm animals in competition for limited food stocks, thereby adding to price pressures.
For the sake of our own well-being as well as animal welfare, it is time for us to consider moving away from factory farming to better quality meat from animals reared in more humane and natural conditions.
August 26th, 2010
In my last article, I mentioned the dangers of us perpetually reinventing new models of the unsustainable and inhumane system that we know as factory farming. Sadly, no sooner had I written than we heard of fresh proposals to do just that. Regular readers will be familiar with Compassion’s dedicated opposition to the proposal to establish a mega-dairy farm in Lincolnshire, with 8,000 cows kept intensively indoors. Now, we learn of another alarming proposal – a plan for a 1,000 head ‘super dairy’ in Powys, Wales.
With ‘only’ 1,000 cattle this is clearly not on the scale of the proposed Nocton Dairy in the East of England. It is, however, ten times the size of the current average size dairy farm in Britain. And it gives further evidence to our fear that once mass factory farming gains a planning foothold anywhere in Britain the floodgates could well be open for other proposals. As in Nocton, residents in Powys are rightly up in arms about the proposed factory farm’s impact on the environment, as well as the animal welfare implications.
Compassion’s message is quite clear – whether it’s for 8,000 or 1,000 cattle, a system as intrinsically flawed as industrial scale factory farming is never going to be able to put animal welfare first. There is only one way forward, and that is for factory farming to be consigned to the history books.
August 25th, 2010
Sadly, we lost Hazy, one of our three adopted hens, recently despite urgent veterinary treatment for illness. As I sat with the other two hens, Hetty and Hope, I paused to reflect on life and its values. I watched as the two hens busily pecked the ground, seeking out herbs and grubs to eat. I thought about how, as sentient creatures, they not only have the capacity to sense pain and suffer, but also to experience positive emotions and well being. What happens to them matters to them, and that is why it also matters to me. Our chickens are the lucky ones. Sadly, there are many more whose individuality isn’t appreciated. Their intrinsic value isn’t respected, only their financial worth. Their individual needs don’t matter because they have no individual economic value. Their worth is seen in terms of their value as a crop to be harvested, just like potatoes. As Compassion’s co-founder, Peter Roberts, once said to me, “Factory farming begins where the individuality of an animal ends”.
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August 23rd, 2010
Half a billion eggs are being recalled in the USA as part of an investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella. Two farms in the State of Iowa are reportedly involved in the recall after tests proved positive for the food poisoning bug. The US Egg Safety Center has issued information on which eggs US consumers should avoid. Although reports are not clear about the exact farming method, battery cage farms dominate US egg production.
Unlike the European Union, US egg producers are not compelled to declare on the packaging how the eggs were produced. US consumers therefore often don’t have information available to make an informed choice and avoid eggs from caged hens. This lack of transparency has clear animal welfare implications. It enables battery eggs to masquerade under labels that may not give an accurate picture of the way factory farmed birds are forced to live. The significance of poor labelling goes further. Hens kept in battery cages are often at greater risk of contamination with Salmonella.
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August 18th, 2010
The primary focus of our campaign to end factory farming in the UK are those animals who we traditionally think of as farmed animals. They are egg-laying hens, broiler chickens for their meat, dairy cows, beef cattle, pigs, deer, ducks, geese and turkeys. There’s also fish that are often factory farmed in cages and pens.
It is estimated that more than 60 billion land animals are farmed for food globally each year, with two-thirds in factory farms.
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