I enjoy burgers. I have to have a glass of milk with my cookies. I, whether I approve of it or not, put money into the factory farming industry. The factory farming industry makes it possible for Americans to have easy access to meat that is cheap enough for most people to afford. However, the way the farming industry treats its animals is deplorable and should be changed. These animals need more space, good diets, and better treatment overall. We would all feel better if we knew the meat we were eating was not a product of suffering.
People tend to have a disconnection between what’s on their plates and the animals it comes from. It’s easy to say that animals don’t experience pain the same way humans do, but that may not be true. For example, according to the article “Do Cattle Feel Pain the Same Way We Do?” by Nigel Caulkett, “When a pain stimulus is administered to an animal (for example, you pinch the claw on the hind leg of a calf), it activates pain and pressure receptors in the tissue.” Many animals are in constant pain because of growth hormones and bad diets. The hormones make the animals so large that their legs can’t support their weight. Their improper diets lead to stomach issues that cause them horrible discomfort. Knowing this information, we might need to take a look at animal suffering from a different perspective.
Aside from feeling pain, animals can suffer mentally from the factory farm life. In the article “A Change of Heart About Animals”, the writer, Rifkin, talks about how studies on pigs “have found that they crave affection and are easily depressed if isolated or denied playtime with each other. The lack of mental and physical stimuli can result in deterioration of health.” Farm animals are more intelligent than some people may understand. Just like us, they need mental stimulation. There is no mental stimulation if an animal is trapped in a cage so small that it can’t even stand up.
We should be changing this process a little at a time. An example of a small, yet significant, change is Proposition 12 in California. This proposition would mean that “there would be new minimum requirements on farmers to provide more space for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and calves raised for veal”. This change, while it may not be enough, is a step in the right direction when it comes to treating farm animals ethically.
Some critics of these measures to improve the lives of farm animals like to say that “animals aren’t humans”. Duh. We all know this. But I think that we are given a position of superiority over animals. However, with this power comes a responsibility to treat these animals ethically. We know that animals have the neurological “equipment” to react to pain, but we currently can’t be sure that they feel it. Braithwaite, the writer of “Hooked on a Myth”, thinks that “we should adopt a precautionary ethical approach and assume that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, fish suffer.” Just like fish, farm animals react to pain.
But what about the potential cost of ethical meat and dairy farming? Well, there could potentially be an increase in the cost of meat and eggs if the factory farming industry implements practices that would improve the lives of its animals. There may also be a decrease in tax revenue that California receives from its eggs. My question would be: how can you put a price on suffering? Is it moral for us to let these animals suffer so we can have a cheaper omelette? I would say no.
All of that being said, what can we do? Well, we can vote for regulations, like those in Proposition 12, to give these animals a better life. We can also buy more cage free and grass fed products. There may be a small increase in the cost, but it’s a small price to pay for the outcome. Also, these products taste better because the animals are eating what they are meant to eat, not just things that fatten them up. As my father likes to say, “happy cows make great burgers.” If we ignore this issue, animals will continue to suffer at our cruel hands. As a society, we have two choices when it comes to animals: we can exploit them because we have power over them, or we can give them the basic things they need for a happy life.
Contributing Writer: Saoirse Mulrooney