Madison Jaffe
Cruelty is often defined independently due to its close relation with what is morally right and wrong. Different cultures have certain perceptions on what is deemed cruel during an animal's life. Students in south-east Asian countries have a higher tolerance for what is considered ‘pain’ in pigs and chickens since those two animals are commonly used for study within that specific region (Phillips 23). The perceptions of what is considered to be cruel pain are often accredited to the schooling the students had received. As provided in Tanner’s study, many researchers have clarified that the concept of cruelty is the act of intentionally causing unnecessary pain and/or suffering (818-819). This definition of cruelty is prominent within the meat industry. “Drugs and technology make it possible to cause animals a great deal of pain and/or suffering without harming farmers’ interests” (Tanner 824-825). The pain and suffering the livestock animals endure throughout their lifetime is because of the company's desire to gain more revenue, an unnecessary reason. The fact that there are now non-meat substitutes available for the public also reinstates the morality that the animals’ suffering is unjustifiable.
The livestock industry has been around for several hundred
years. Within recent years, the meat industry has flourished,
causing the contained animals to suffer and be used solely for
the purpose of food. With the population growing exponentially,
the demand for food is sldo growing rapidly. The so-called
solution for this increasing demand for food is to contain large
amounts of animals within small confined spaces, inject them
with veterinary drugs to promote weight gain, and then kill the
animals strictly for the purpose of consumption. This
demoralizing logic had gone widespread; many other countries had also joined in on the movement. However, the difference is that the other countries have acknowledged that the living conditions were starting to become too extreme and started reverting back, meanwhile, the United States continued to not only allow, but promoted the low sanitary living conditions for many years past.
Livestock animals are typically pumped up with injections which will allow them to grow fatter at a quicker rate, resulting in a larger meat supply. The animals are also kept in small, confined spaces which allow little to no movement for the duration of their life. The confined animals are fed with indigestible grains causing many stomach issues along with rapid weight gain. Farming methods have changed drastically within the recent years.
Modern methods of farming animals are now a cruel process, unlike more traditional, natural methods. Science has caused some malpractice due to the new inventions of combatting diseases. “Animals are [now] kept alive by steroids, antibiotics, vaccines, and other drugs (which are used to combat overcrowding and disease)” (Tanner 824).
Most of the United States gets a large percentage of its daily protein from animal sources; however, this is leading towards an infectious and obese society. In a study by Boseley, “16,000 university graduates were tracked from 1999 for 10 years, by which time 584 were obese, according to findings presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal.”. After the ten years, the students who ate the least amount or no meat at all were 43% less likely to become obese compared
to the students who consumed the most animal products. Veterinary drugs are being traced back from human bodies to meats. These leftover drugs can lead to harmful effects within the body. The veterinary drugs are distributed to the animals through the feedstock or water. The drugs primarily cause an increase in protein deposition, causing a decrease in fat content in the carcass and increases meat leanness (Shankar 241). However, the residues of the veterinary drugs after processing are beginning to create health problems within the consumers. These toxic residues are raising awareness within many countries, such as the European Food Safety Authority, who has found evidence that the residues may be the cause of “some forms of hormone-dependent cancers” (Shankar 242). Recently, July 22, 2017, a recall
on hot dogs and sausages was issued. The recall was issued in relation to many consumers finding bone fragments within their meat. “The recall is classified by the USDA as Class 1, or ‘a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.’” (Kretzer). These two articles exemplify the diseases that the consumers are willingly putting into their body.
The current practices and conditions are not only affecting our health, but research has shown that the practices and conditions have negative effects on the animals, pigs in particular. Pigs surrounded in low sanitary conditions would often show more signs of ear biting than pigs in a high sanitary condition. Low protein diets would also cause pigs to
restlessly look for the missing nutrients by causing harm
to their pen mates. This illustrates that poor living
conditions and insufficient diets can cause more harm
between the pigs themselves. The lack of amino acids in
low protein diets may not be the sole cause of extreme
pig behavior, but combined with the unsanitary
conditions, pigs biting one another increases, causing
more wounds and the possibility for diseases to spread. Animal welfare is not only caused by how the humans treat the animals directly, but also indirectly. By not supplying the necessary nutrients, the pigs are acting out on one another. ”The impact of [low sanitary conditions] on both damaging behaviors and the lesions and wounds they induce suggests a causal relationship between poor health and the occurrence of behavioral problems” (Meer 15). This reiterates the poor farming practices and the way modern farming techniques are corrupting the industry.
Even though the United States is lagging behind, within the past ten years, there have been initiatives to make improvements towards better living conditions for the farm animals. The up rise of research and education is paving the farm animal industry towards a more prominent concern in today’s society. The United States has also lagged behind Europe in the past years in reference to the specific teaching of animal welfare, since specific animal welfare courses are not required for veterinary degree (Mench 303-304). Many companies and states have agreed to make movements towards promoting better farm animal well-being. Cage-free eggs have become more and more popular within the past decade. Sodexo, the company that manages FSU, has also committed to switching all of its shell eggs to cage-free eggs. However, this process of switching over to cage-free eggs takes approximately 5-10 years from when the company actually pledged to make the change (Shields 20-22). Due to the process of having more humane treatments, there is the possible threat that a price increase may occur. This is a relative concern since the average person in the United States consumes 273 pounds of meat annually (Steinfeld 269). An increase in the price for livestock meat would be detrimental to many Americans and may reroute them to a more vegetarian based diet.
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There are many different variables that come into play
when talking about animal welfare/cruelty. Religion and
political views are the two main factors; however the
location where someone is raised, their cultural
background, also has an effect on their viewpoints. The
stronger someone's religious beliefs, the less likely they
are to show concern towards livestock animals (Deemer 192). Viewpoints from a political outlook commonly align human welfare with farm-animal welfare. This alignment is portrayed in the platform the Republicans took in the 2017 election. A decrease in taxes for the wealthiest Americans and cutting benefits for the middle class exemplifies the relations between the animals and the humans (Ehrenfreund). Someone's political stance keeps their own benefits in mind, not favoring a class, or in this case an action, they do not encounter on a daily basis. “Many wealthy people only interact with animals when they are on their plate” (Hennings 65). Therefore, many wealthy people do not view the current farming conditions as an important social concern that needs to be altered.
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The world population has been living off of a meat diet since the hunter-gatherers, dating back to around 80,000 years ago; however, with the new medical practices coming into play, a meat diet may not be the best option anymore. A vegetarian diet gives the opportunity for a healthier all around lifestyle. The horrible conditions which were previously researched and discussed would be avoided for the most part if more people ate a vegetarian diet. “A vegetarian diet takes pressure off the ecosystem by the simple expedient of permitting humans to eat lower down on the food chain” (Fox 72). Eating the food directly from the source rather than having it processed through the livestock animals and mixed with antibiotics promotes more efficiency. A source of energy lower on the food chain would contribute to the deduction of many unnecessary methods of processing within the food we eat.
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The meat industry, as a whole, is not what the general population would expect. The corporations are linked up with the government in a capitalistic type of ‘business.’ The damaging process is negatively affecting both the animals and the consumers. The animals are living their full life locked up in small, confined spaces, covered in infectious bacteria, staying alive by the drugs that are being injected into them. The consumers are receiving the repercussions of the foul treatments directed at the animals. The repercussions, such as obesity and diseases, are not something to be taken lightly and should be avoided as much as possible. The meat industry is the cause of many negative impacts within the general population’s day to day life and should not be trusted
Works Cited
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Boseley, Sarah. "'Pro-vegetarian' Diet Could Halve Chance of Obesity." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, (2017): Web.
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Deemer, Danielle R., and Linda M. Lobao. "Public Concern with Farm-Animal Welfare: Religion, Politics, and Human Disadvantage in the Food Sector." Rural Sociology 76.2 (2011): 167-96. Print.
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Ehrenfreund, Max. "Analysis | The Massive Tax Cuts for the Rich inside the GOP Health-care Plan." The Washington Post. WP Company, 07 Mar. 2017. Web.
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Fox, Michael Allen. "The Contribution of Vegetarianism to Ecosystem Health." Ecosystem Health 5.2 (1999): 70-4. Print.
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Henning, Brian. "Standing in Livestock's ''Long Shadow'': The Ethics of Eating Meat on a Small Planet." Ethics & the Environment 16.2 (2011): 63-93. Print.
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"Hormones." Grace Communications Foundation, n.d. Web.
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"Hunter-gatherer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2017. Web. 22 July 2017.
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Kretzer, Michelle. "7 Million Pound Hot Dog and Sausage Recall After People Find Bones." PETA. PETA, 20 July 2017. Web. 22 July 2017.
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Meer, Yvonne van der, et al. "A Link between Damaging Behaviour in Pigs, Sanitary Conditions, and Dietary Protein and Amino Acid Supply." PLoS ONE 12.5 (2017): 1-21. Print.
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Mench, Joy A. “Farm Animal Welfare in the U.S.A.: Farming Practices, Research, Education, Regulation, and Assurance Programs.” 113 Vol. , 2008. Web.
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Phillips, C. J. C., and S. McCulloch. "Student Attitudes on Animal Sentience and use of Animals in Society." Journal of Biological Education (Society of Biology) 40.1 (2005): 17-24. Print.
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Shankar, B. P., et al. "Rapid Methods for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Meat." Veterinary World 3.5 (2010): 241-6. Print.
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Shields, Sara, Paul Shapiro, and Andrew Rowan. "A Decade of Progress Toward Ending the Intensive Confinement of Farm Animals in the United States." Animals (2076-2615) 7.5 (2017): 1-28. Print.
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Steinfeld, Henning, et al. 2006. Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
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Tanner, Julia. "Clarifying the Concept of Cruelty: What Makes Cruelty to Animals Cruel." Heythrop Journal 56.5 (2015): 818-35. Print.
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"US Food Industry Forecast to Grow through 2022." South African Food Review (2016): 2. Print.
Weiss, Edward S. "Stop the Beef Eaters, Save the World." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 182.6 (2010): 636. Print.
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Trust within the Meat Industry
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The meat industry is a huge problem within today’s society and continues to raise concerns worldwide. In previous years, the United States was not following alongside many other countries in the effort to resolve the problems involved with animal welfare. There are many different factors that come into play in relation to lagging behind the other countries. Religion, culture, and political views are all deciding factors when determining how ‘cruel’ the conditions for livestock animals really are. The United States is well known for having a melting pot type of ideal. With this melting pot ideal in mind, it can relieve the United States of some criticism, but the true morals of helping the animals are still in the back of everyone’s head.