Showing posts with label Ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethics. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Farm Animals In Canada
The video I posted earlier earned me criticism because there was no hard evidence to prove that the events on the screen were real...
In an e-mail I received:
.. and the reason is because there is nothing credible about that video except explicit (to the point of pornographic) imagery of horror that has no context and no point of reference. We don't know WHERE this happened (it could have been anywhere in the world), how many farms it happened on (it for all we know could have been one evil farmer) and whether the whole thing was staged or not.
Fair enough.
This brings it a little bit closer to home:
http://www.humanefood.ca
It's the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals. It has a lot of facts about the Canadian Farming industry (and you will see that the video was not much of an exaggeration -- there are other videos you can download on the site that specify when and where the footage was taken) with great information as to what to look out for when buying purchasing your meat (check out Food Facts). For example:
• Don’t buy pork produced in factory farms using sow stalls. Choose free-range pork that is Certified Organic or has a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified.
• Don't buy factory-farmed chickens. Choose free-range chickens that are Certified Organic or have a label like BCSPCA Certified. These chickens are produced in higher-welfare systems where they can behave more naturally.
• Don't buy battery eggs. Choose free-range eggs that are Certified Organic or have a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified or BCSPCA Certified. These are produced in higher-welfare systems where hens can behave more naturally (Watch out for misleading labels. Battery eggs are often sold using confusing terms such as "fresh" or “farm fresh” eggs).
• Don’t buy factory-farmed beef. Choose beef that is “grass-finished" or "pasture-raised" (sometimes called "natural" beef) or Winnipeg Humane Society Certified beef. These animals are not sent to feedlots, and spend their entire lives on the range.
• Don’t buy dairy products with ingredients from intensively farmed dairy cows. Choose dairy products that are Certified Organic.
There is a great deal of information you can read without attempting to brainwash or guilt you to death. What is wonderful to know is that you really CAN make a difference by being a little bit more conscious of what you support. If you check out the news section of the site, you will see that some Canadian companies are starting to feel the pressure to change their ways and treat their animals better. Good news!
One recent article states that the University of Guelph has just voted on a new policy to only use free-range eggs on campus beginning next September. It says, "The activist group Guelph Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals began pushing for the policy two years ago after learning about the "horrific" living conditions hens were subjected to on a farm owned by a member of the dean's veterinary advisory council".
You can also read the information directly from the University of Guelph's website by clicking here.
Here you can read more about egg farming in Canada.
I just learned about the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals this evening (by googling "free range eggs" out of curiosity... I get bored like that)... but they seem very knowledgeable and do not come across psycho-fantatical the way PETA does. Their goals seem very honourable to me.
I know this blog has been very food and animal oriented... I guess its been on my mind a lot recently.
.. and the reason is because there is nothing credible about that video except explicit (to the point of pornographic) imagery of horror that has no context and no point of reference. We don't know WHERE this happened (it could have been anywhere in the world), how many farms it happened on (it for all we know could have been one evil farmer) and whether the whole thing was staged or not.
Fair enough.
This brings it a little bit closer to home:
http://www.humanefood.ca
It's the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals. It has a lot of facts about the Canadian Farming industry (and you will see that the video was not much of an exaggeration -- there are other videos you can download on the site that specify when and where the footage was taken) with great information as to what to look out for when buying purchasing your meat (check out Food Facts). For example:
• Don’t buy pork produced in factory farms using sow stalls. Choose free-range pork that is Certified Organic or has a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified.
• Don't buy factory-farmed chickens. Choose free-range chickens that are Certified Organic or have a label like BCSPCA Certified. These chickens are produced in higher-welfare systems where they can behave more naturally.
• Don't buy battery eggs. Choose free-range eggs that are Certified Organic or have a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified or BCSPCA Certified. These are produced in higher-welfare systems where hens can behave more naturally (Watch out for misleading labels. Battery eggs are often sold using confusing terms such as "fresh" or “farm fresh” eggs).
• Don’t buy factory-farmed beef. Choose beef that is “grass-finished" or "pasture-raised" (sometimes called "natural" beef) or Winnipeg Humane Society Certified beef. These animals are not sent to feedlots, and spend their entire lives on the range.
• Don’t buy dairy products with ingredients from intensively farmed dairy cows. Choose dairy products that are Certified Organic.
There is a great deal of information you can read without attempting to brainwash or guilt you to death. What is wonderful to know is that you really CAN make a difference by being a little bit more conscious of what you support. If you check out the news section of the site, you will see that some Canadian companies are starting to feel the pressure to change their ways and treat their animals better. Good news!
One recent article states that the University of Guelph has just voted on a new policy to only use free-range eggs on campus beginning next September. It says, "The activist group Guelph Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals began pushing for the policy two years ago after learning about the "horrific" living conditions hens were subjected to on a farm owned by a member of the dean's veterinary advisory council".
You can also read the information directly from the University of Guelph's website by clicking here.
Here you can read more about egg farming in Canada.
I just learned about the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals this evening (by googling "free range eggs" out of curiosity... I get bored like that)... but they seem very knowledgeable and do not come across psycho-fantatical the way PETA does. Their goals seem very honourable to me.
I know this blog has been very food and animal oriented... I guess its been on my mind a lot recently.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The Video
I have a few things to say about the video I previously posted (which I have now removed).
I was left with a comment that said: "I must say that I find this video to be disgusting (as it's meant to be) but so much so, that I'm afraid that it will turn people off (not meat, but the whole idea of saving animals) solely because the video production is so overtly and obtrusively manipulative and one-sided that it will drive a desire in some to reject all that they are seeing out of spite rather than absorb it out of compassion."
I understand that the video is manipulative -- I didn't meant to offend anyone. I hesitated before posting it for that reason, but I carried through with it because I think, despite the biased commentary, the images speak for themselves. The animals are real, and what occurs in the video really happens. That it was presented in an overly manipulative manner is unfortunate, but I took the risk. I think it is important for people to see what happens, and that animals really do seem to express feeling. Sometimes we need to be hit with something extreme to really understand.
If those watching it choose to reject it all out of "spite", then so be it. I wish they could have more compassion, but I wish almost everyone had more compassion. All I hope for is that in watching this, someone might consider purchasing their meat from a company that slaughters their animals in a more humane fashion, or begins to adopt a diet that is less meat focused. I am suggesting that people begin to investigate exactly what is being put on their plates.
I also received an e-mail saying: "I don't think the problem is lack of awareness. I think many people your age (and mine) are quite aware of the atrocities that take place (you just have to google it and I bet you ten websites will come up with this exact video). I think the problem we are facing in this generation of ours is apathy. They know it's happening. But the world's problems as they stand today are too overwhelming and so we sink into apathy and carry on with the little things that we enjoy (like eating meat) despite the fact we are told it is bad."
I respond to this by asking for patience. I started writing this blog today and presented simply what was on my mind at the time. I hope that through the journey of this blog I will come to address all of these issues and more. I also invite anyone to send me writings that you would like me to consider posting here -- so, Rebecca, if you personally want to address this and not wait for me to do it, I will post it for you. I absolutely agree with you that apathy is a major problem.
This blog is also not about instantly changing the world. I simply wish to present information for people to consider and reflect upon and hopefully be inspired by.
If you wish to view the video, please understand that I want you to see it not because I am fanatical or manipulative. I don't agree with the presentation of the material, I agree it is biased, but I think it is important not to pretend it doesn't exist.
You can view the clip at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4
I was left with a comment that said: "I must say that I find this video to be disgusting (as it's meant to be) but so much so, that I'm afraid that it will turn people off (not meat, but the whole idea of saving animals) solely because the video production is so overtly and obtrusively manipulative and one-sided that it will drive a desire in some to reject all that they are seeing out of spite rather than absorb it out of compassion."
I understand that the video is manipulative -- I didn't meant to offend anyone. I hesitated before posting it for that reason, but I carried through with it because I think, despite the biased commentary, the images speak for themselves. The animals are real, and what occurs in the video really happens. That it was presented in an overly manipulative manner is unfortunate, but I took the risk. I think it is important for people to see what happens, and that animals really do seem to express feeling. Sometimes we need to be hit with something extreme to really understand.
If those watching it choose to reject it all out of "spite", then so be it. I wish they could have more compassion, but I wish almost everyone had more compassion. All I hope for is that in watching this, someone might consider purchasing their meat from a company that slaughters their animals in a more humane fashion, or begins to adopt a diet that is less meat focused. I am suggesting that people begin to investigate exactly what is being put on their plates.
I also received an e-mail saying: "I don't think the problem is lack of awareness. I think many people your age (and mine) are quite aware of the atrocities that take place (you just have to google it and I bet you ten websites will come up with this exact video). I think the problem we are facing in this generation of ours is apathy. They know it's happening. But the world's problems as they stand today are too overwhelming and so we sink into apathy and carry on with the little things that we enjoy (like eating meat) despite the fact we are told it is bad."
I respond to this by asking for patience. I started writing this blog today and presented simply what was on my mind at the time. I hope that through the journey of this blog I will come to address all of these issues and more. I also invite anyone to send me writings that you would like me to consider posting here -- so, Rebecca, if you personally want to address this and not wait for me to do it, I will post it for you. I absolutely agree with you that apathy is a major problem.
This blog is also not about instantly changing the world. I simply wish to present information for people to consider and reflect upon and hopefully be inspired by.
If you wish to view the video, please understand that I want you to see it not because I am fanatical or manipulative. I don't agree with the presentation of the material, I agree it is biased, but I think it is important not to pretend it doesn't exist.
You can view the clip at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4
A Note On Vegetarianism
I have been vegetarian my entire life, so I'm sure its really easy for me to talk about how great I think it is. After all, the number one excuse I hear from my meat-eating friends about why they can never give it up is, "It tastes good!" -- which I, of course, never having tasted it, can't argue. I grew up eating small amounts of fish, but I personally stopped several years ago. My reasons for being vegetarian now are independent of my family and why I was raised so.
While I am passionate about vegetarianism, for reasons that I'm certain will appear throughout this blog as time goes by, I understand how much people love and are used to meat and I have never tried to turn anyone off it (although I've had a couple debates with friends over the years). I know most people wouldn't know where to begin becoming vegetarian -- and I would rather them eat meat and eat a balanced diet than become vegetarian and live off chips and bread because they don't know what else to have. I also know some people need to eat it meat for health reasons (blood type, etc), but overall I think that most of us living in North America eat an unhealthy over-abundance of it. Meat is consumed in gratuitous amounts, and hardly anyone pauses to make the connection as to where it came from. That sort of bothers me the most.
I have a family friend who needs to eat meat because of her blood type. She was vegetarian for years and was ordered to introduce meat back into her diet by her doctor because her iron was so low. She did as the doctor prescribed, but felt so terrible eating the meat that she would cry every time she had to cook it. Eventually she found a flower remedy (www.bachflower.com) to help her cope emotionally, and now she only buys organic kosher meat (that is killed in a more humane fashion). She will eat it when she begins to crave it, a sign to her that her body is asking for it, but never in indulgent amounts. Whenever she eats a piece of meat she gives a quiet thank you to the animal for giving up its life to be eaten by her and has taught her young daughter with the same blood type to treat what is on her plate with the same respect.
I had never heard of anyone doing that before (outside of native practices that I have learned of), but I really admired her for it -- it seemed really thoughtful and it made me think a lot about how few people take the time to connect to what is on their plates.
We live in a culture where we are able to walk into a grocery store and have thousands of items at our fingertips. Before you buy your next food product, whatever it is, try to pause and think about where it came from, what it is made out of, and whether it is something that your body is really asking for. And should you choose to buy or order a piece of meat, consider giving a moment of thought and thanks to the life that was taken in order for you to enjoy it.
I have a family friend who needs to eat meat because of her blood type. She was vegetarian for years and was ordered to introduce meat back into her diet by her doctor because her iron was so low. She did as the doctor prescribed, but felt so terrible eating the meat that she would cry every time she had to cook it. Eventually she found a flower remedy (www.bachflower.com) to help her cope emotionally, and now she only buys organic kosher meat (that is killed in a more humane fashion). She will eat it when she begins to crave it, a sign to her that her body is asking for it, but never in indulgent amounts. Whenever she eats a piece of meat she gives a quiet thank you to the animal for giving up its life to be eaten by her and has taught her young daughter with the same blood type to treat what is on her plate with the same respect.
I had never heard of anyone doing that before (outside of native practices that I have learned of), but I really admired her for it -- it seemed really thoughtful and it made me think a lot about how few people take the time to connect to what is on their plates.
We live in a culture where we are able to walk into a grocery store and have thousands of items at our fingertips. Before you buy your next food product, whatever it is, try to pause and think about where it came from, what it is made out of, and whether it is something that your body is really asking for. And should you choose to buy or order a piece of meat, consider giving a moment of thought and thanks to the life that was taken in order for you to enjoy it.
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