I’ve been researching cruelty-free milk lately — in an effort to find any where the cows are treated humanely and not slaughtered when they stop producing milk, and I found this interesting article by Rebekah Den in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about “ethical omnivores” — people who won’t eat meat unless it’s humanely raised. You can go read the article in its entirety, or you can read my (fairly long) summary here:
There’s some evidence that more and more people want to buy humanely-raised meat/dairy. First, a recent Gallup poll found a number of people who said they would “support strict laws concerning farm animal treatment.” (Yay! I would definitely advocate for strict laws concerning farm animal treatment.) Second, a professor of economics at Iowa State University, Bruce Babcock, says that he thinks people are becoming more aware of how factory farming methods create meat and dairy products in a way that is not consistent with how they think food ought to be produced. Third, an editor and marketing manager at Puget Consumers Co-op, Trudy Bialic, says that the cruelty-free trend is the “fastest-growing segment in grocery shopping.” (I’m very pleased!) Apparently the Puget Consumers Co-op has long had “cruelty-free standards” for its animal products, (which I also think is great — just think, a grocery store you can go in and not have to choose whether the meat you’re buying has lived a short but happy life, or a painfully miserable one — you know it’s been happy.) Fourth, most national chain grocery stores have taken to offering milk from “happy cows” and eggs from “naturally nested” birds (though I am suspicious that “happy” and “naturally nested” don’t really mean anything about how humane their living standards are — I shall have to look into this). Fifth, more and more restaurants have started serving humanely-raised meats — Agua Verde, a restaurant near the University of Washington, recently switched to organic and cruelty-free meats. (I’ve definitely seen this in the bay area as well — a lot of restaurants serve organic and cruelty-free meats — though most of them tend to offer them off-and-on, when they can buy them inexpensively — there are few restaurants you can go to that only sell cruelty-free meats all the time.) Sixth, even fast-food places have made some cruelty-free concessions — apparently McDonald’s now will not purchase eggs from suppliers who don’t give their hens at least 72 square inches of space. I think this is great — I had no idea McDonalds had even an inkling of lessening animal-cruelty. I guess it just goes to show you that McDonalds is far, far, better than Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Not that I am supporting buying chicken from McDonalds — 72 square inch cages are still about the size of a laptop (8inches wide by 9inches long) — I would only ever advocate buying cage-free eggs — but if I were forced to choose between McDonalds eggs and KFC eggs, I would pick McDonalds because it’s . . . slightly more humane.)
Other excellent news is that organizations are starting to create certifications to help the ethical omnivore crowd. A coalition of animal care organizations recently backed a new national “Humane Farm Animal Care” program that will certify producers who follow “standardized animal welfare guidelines.” These standards include making sure pigs are able to turn around without difficulty at all times (no gestation crates!). Laying hens must have enough room to turn around and stretch their wings without difficulty. Producers are not allowed to starve chickens to induce molting (what a horrible practice), and they must provide a shaded area for dairy cows when daytime temperatures are consistently above 85 degrees (I can’t believe farmers don’t do that already. Isn’t that awful?) (However, the certified humane program will not stop farmers from docking pigs tails or trimming chicken beaks, which many animal rights advocates find appalling, and hope to ban in the future.)
I’m very, very excited about the Humane Farm Animal Care certification thing, and will definitely support it, and I hope other people will too. However, it’s not the gold standard of humane treatment — it’s just halfway to really improving animal living conditions (I can only hope it will be improved in the future). Jack Sparks, a Humane Farm Animal board member, stresses that humane certification is more a situation of taking mistreated, starved, mutilated, abused, and confined animals and making them slightly less mistreated, starved, mutilated, abused, and confined. Humane Farm Animal Care certification will not even bring them up to the Whistling Train Farm standard where “200 chickens can freely roost inside a henhouse or wander outdoors to peck for bugs under the hazelnut trees in a two-acre field,” chickens don’t have their beaks cut off, and pigs don’t have their tails cut off.
Whistling Train Farm is a good example of a humane farm, and is very popular with the ethical omnivores — if you buy meat or eggs from Whistling Train Farm, you can be sure you’re not supporting farmers who cut off chickens’ beaks, cut off pigs’ tails, and lock up animals in tiny cages that are so small they can’t turn around for the whole of their short, miserable lives. (Though Whistling Train Farm chickens are sold for stewing meat as soon as their production drops off, usually around 3 years of age, even though the average chicken lives for 10 years, and Whistling Train Farm adorable week-old piglets are slaughtered when they become adolescents at six months old. While humanely raising animals for slaughter the way Whistling Train Farm does is worlds better than battery-farming them, it’s definitely not as animal-friendly as veganism.)
Lee Pate, meat and seafood merchandiser for Puget Consumers Co-op, like Jack Sparks, thinks that Humane Farm Animal certification is a good step but inadequate, and that it is far better to go to a farm, see how the animals are treated, or shop at a place that is careful about animal-cruelty like Puget Consumers Co-op (this Puget Consumers Co-op place sounds fantastic!) to make sure that the animals are actually raised humanely there. He enjoys taking his meat managers on ranch tours to make sure that the ranches are places he’d like to buy products from. He recommends Umpqua Valley Lamb — he says Umpqua Valley Lamb is a good ranch because the people there work on controlling weeds without pesticides and controlling hillside erosion, have a passion for their work that shows in their healthy lambs and good living conditions, and can look you in the eye and say their animals are raised in humane living conditions.
Overall, I’m really excited by the growing cruelty-free trend in meat/dairy products. I think a rise in “ethical omnivorism” will lead to a decline in farm-animal-cruelty, which is a huge source of animal cruelty in the U.S., and it shows that more and more people are becoming sensitive to animal suffering every day.
Categories : cruelty free, humane farming
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Pearl
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Hi.
I stumbled on your blog today, and up until a few minutes ago, was planning on posting in reply to this post: http://www.livingcrueltyfree.com/2007/06/10/clover-milk-certified-by-the-american-humane-association/ … which is actually the post by which I landed on your site. When I first found your Clover post, I was tempted to reply and say, “it’s actually working, believe it or not”, but was hesitant because I’m not a vegetarian. I was just hopping through your blog, found this, and I seem to actually fit this entry better.
I grew up in a farming area. (You see that Leidy’s brand mentioned in your Clover article? I grew up about ten miles from Leidy’s, and almost fell over when I found them on the Humane Association’s list this morning.) My family itself was not farmers, but we had our own chicken flock, with a coop, a pen, and they were also let out to wander the lawn when someone was home. Next door to us was an old fashioned dairy farm. So although I am not a vegetarian, I have no illusions that meat originates at the supermarket, and I used to *play* with those animals as a child. My first pet ever was one of our chickens.
That area has become more built up now though, and you can’t just go to your farm next door and get your milk, eggs, etc, the way my mother reminisces about. I moved a bit further away, married, and have a family of my own now. I’ve *long* told my husband that I wished it were easier to find famrs that you could just buy from easily. I *hate* the idea of factory farming. I *hate* it. Partly because of all the chemicals (I have a five-year old, and look at her little body wondering what chemicals are building up in there), but in all honesty, primarily because I can’t stand all this crating and caging. It wasn’t like that on the famrs I grew up with. There’s no respect for the animals at all in this ‘factory’ style.
This morning, I saw an ad for Eggland’s Best “new cage-free” eggs (which only a few days got added to the Humane Association’s list … go here …http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nr_news_releases_07egglands ). So I hopped on the web to look up Eggland’s Best (which I’ve discovered is also near where I was raised — I love my hometown), and found that same Humane Association list you spoke of in your Clover farms blog entry. I’m *thrilled* that Leidy’s is on the list … they’re not far away and I can get that product line easily in my local stores. I kept searching on the web, and that’s how I landed on your blog. This afternoon I got my first box of Eggland’s cagefree eggs, double-checked that I can get the Springer Mountain chicken in a store near us too, and called a poultry farm near where I grew up to see if they still did chickens as cage-free, and fed ‘the right way’ — like I remembered. Well dang … they do, and they’ve branched out into beef now. It’s now twelve hours since seeing the Eggland’s commercial this morning, and I’ve realized that I can do it now. I can pull this off, and do waht I’ve wanted to do for years …. what I’ve (five minutes ago) learned is called ‘ethical omnivorism’. The roadblocks all along have just been the logistics of *finding* the stuff, from places I could buy without spending all day driving all over the place.
There actually *are* a lot of people like me, I think, who *hate* the factory farming, and have wanted to skew their purchases away from that kind of blatant cruelty. I tell you, for a lot of us, it’s just been the logistics of it all. I’ve spent all day figuring out what my new system will be, and for once, this will actually *work*.
(I did see McDonald’s in your article though, and had to say, “Doh!” … I avoid McDonald’s anymore becuase they’re notorious for their beef coming from South American cattle. It’s what’s endangering the Hyacinth Macaw, and most of our family pets were parrot rescues.
)
Emily
October 24th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Hi Pearl!
Welcome to my blog! I think your comment could certainly go under my Clover milk post – I don’t think you have to be a vegetarian to appreciate humaneness towards animals!
Anyway, I’m so glad you’re an ethical omnivore! I don’t understand why there aren’t more ethical omnivores out there — how can anyone bear to eat meat or dairy that is the product of mass cruelty and misery?
Wow, your childhoold chicken coop sounds ideal — I wish I had a bunch of chickens I could let out on the lawn when I’m home. So much kinder than modern battery cages. (I’d guess that Dhaval, the commenter on the Clover post who became a vegan because he couldn’t have his own farm with a cow so he could be sure the milk was obtained in a noncruel manner, would agree.) And you lived next door to an old fashioned dairy farm and chicken farms that were cage-free and fed the right way? That sounds so nice.
Well, I’m definitely with you on hating factory farming and wanting to skew my purchases away from that kind of blatant cruelty. I’m so glad you’ve figured out the logistics of refusing to support factory farming! It sounds like it’s been a lot of work. I’ll have to add Eggland’s Best to my list on the American Humane Association approved farms.
(McDonalds is endangering the Hyacinth Macaw? I’m appalled. What is its problem? No respect for the environment whatsoever? I shall definitely boycott McDonalds for that. Not that boycotting McDonalds is anything new for me, really . . . )
Good luck with your struggle to abstain from factory farming! If you have any updates about it, please comment about them here!
Regards,
Emily
Pearl
October 25th, 2007 at 10:01 am
um, sorry for the length on this.
you wrote:
>I don’t understand why there aren’t more ethical omnivores out there — how can anyone bear to eat meat or dairy that is the product of mass cruelty and misery?
I have some thoughts on that. This might get long.
In all honesty, I think there would be more, if the logistics were different.
If you put two glasses of milk or two pieces of meat in front of a person, and said “one was produced with more kindness to the animals”, all other things the same, I’m convinced that most people *would* take the kinder of the two. (Those few that wouldn’t, would be doing it out of rebellion or spite, which comes from fear at the root, which in turn comes from their perception that you’re somehow threatening them. They react with fear, which manifests itself as anger/spite/rebellion.)
But all other things the same, people *would* prefer the kinder of the two choices. I have no doubt of that.
In all honesty, I can see three main factors. I just came back from a shopping trip, and I’m still trying to assimilate most of this in my own head, so I’m sorry if any of this comes out disjointed.
First, there’s availability and labeling.
Ok, in my case, the closest supermarkets are a Weis and a Giant. There are health food stoores nearby too, but the general perception is that they’re more pricey, and ‘don’t taste good’, so for those perceptions alone, most people would gravitate toward a supermarket. Well, Weis carries very little of these ‘kinder’ foods. Giant carries more, but it’s known as a slightly more pricey store *overall* (I mean, even in things like hamburger helper). Then there’s a Wegman’s, which *does* carry an even bigger variety than Giant, *but* it’s even further away. There’s also only one Wegman’s in the overall Lehigh Valley area (where I live), but there are multiple Giants and Weis. See what I’m saying?
At Weis, I can find eggland’s best cagefree eggs
At Giant, I can find that, *plus* Organic Valley milk, Stonyfield milk, and Stonyfield yogurt.
At Wegmans, I can find the entire *line* of Organic Valley products, *and* a bigger variety of Stonyfield yogurts, *and* “Nature’s Yolk” *free-roaming* chicken eggs.
But there’s only one Wegmans, and it’s further away.
(I only learned “Nature’s Yolk” brand name right there at the store … I think they’re based out of New York area? But now I’ll switch to that, and use eggland’s best cagefree as my backup.)
We have no Whole Foods store in the Lehigh Valley area. From reading their website, they seem to be *very* strict on the meats they sell. And if you go back to that cornucopia list on dairy, you’ll see that they’re also the only ‘private label’ milk that not only took the survey, but got four cows out of five as their rating. But unless I want to go into *Philly* (I hate cities, and that’s also over an hour drive just to get to the outer edge of the city), then I only have one Whole Foods store available … one in North Wales. Well luckily for *us*, that’s near the hometown in which I was raised, and we actually *do* go to that area every few weekends to drop our daughter off at my mom’s house while we go to the movies/dinner/etc. So for *me*, I have a good reason to be near a Whole Foods ever few weeks anyway. That’s also the area where the fam is that I mentioned earlier, where I know they do turkey, chicken, and beef, in the kinder, old fashioned, and more organic way. http://home.comcast.net/~torriechristy/history.htm … there’s they’re history if you’re curous.
But honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that I go back to my hometown area regularly, then even a trip to Whole Foods or that farm would be considered an “out of the way” trip. (Which I would still make though, because I also have the convenience of a huge freezer that I can stockpile in.)
Well, today I went to Wegmans. Now, on the way, I also passed one of the *only* Burger Kings in the area. I remembered what you said somewhere in this blog about Burger King switching to cagefree eggs, and I had a coupon, so I figured I’d stop and get a breakfast sandwich. Now, as for the meat, here’s where one of the other factors of money comes in. Yes, I did have a twinge of, ‘but ordering it without meat is wasting money, isn’t it? Paying for meat that I don’t take anyway?’ Yes, I admit it, there’s some human nature. But I did do that … got an egg and cheese croissanwich, and told them I didn’t want the meat. Only *then* did I discover that it was even an option … that they actually *do* charge less. Well if it was on the menu board, it was *not* easily visible. Had I known that, I wouldn’t have even had the ‘money twinge’. So my bet is that a lot of people odn’t even know that you can get it without the meat *and* it would cost less.
And that takes me to the topic of labeling. More than being available, this stuff has to be labeled properly.
Example: I’ve found Stonyfield, Horizon, and Organic Valley organic milks at both Giant and Wegmans in the last two days. They’re all labeled as organic, but unless you’ve actually been to that cornucopia site (which I’m now relying a lot on for dairy purchases), you *wouldn’t* know that Organic Valley has a four cow rating (and treats their animals best), Stonyfield milk has a three cow rating, and Horizon has only one cow. You wouldn’t “know” that the ‘kindest’ choices as far as the cows are concerned, is in that order. And at the same time, they’re *priced* in that order as well. Organic Valley most expensive, then Stonyfield, then Horizon … and that’s true at both stores. So look at it this way … someone goes there to buy organic milk because they don’t want the hormones and chemicals. Their instinct would be to buy the cheapest, but the quesiton is, would they buy the more expensive Organic Valley brand *IF THEY KNEW* that that brand was kindest to the animals? If not, would they pick Stonyfield over Horizon, if they knew that Stonyfield at least beat Horizon in kindness at the cornucopia site? Well I just did, but that’s because I’ve seen the cornucopia list. That’s gonig to require networking — to get data sheets like that available to more people.
And finally, with regard to this availability and labeling issue … it takes a while to figure all this stuff out. I just spent almost two hours standing in wegman’s trying to figure a lot of this out. Add in the time I’ve spent searching on the web, and it’s adding up. I’m also not near done in figuring out my new ’system’. I have that time because I’m a stay at home mother. But a lot of people don’t. That’s where getting the information out, and better labeling, would help.
Then there’s the factor of money.
Organic costs more than regular, and “kinder” (to the animals) organic costs more than normal organic. Just look at my notes on those three kinds of milk, above. Then there’s also the fact that if my case is typical, I have to drive further to get to the “kinder” organic. In my case, we have a big freezer, which will help in cases of stockpiling, thereby reducing number of trips I’d have to make for certain things. But solving that availability problem above … getting it into more stores, would also help reduce driving costs. My hunch, is that it all boils down to information on that particular front. Get the information out there so the market for these things keeps going up, then more stores will carry it because there’ll be a demand, and then people won’t have to pay so much to drive their cars to get there. (And no, public transportation isn’t an option in much of the suburbs.)
As for the prices of the food itself, I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the last few days, and my guess is that it’s going to even out a bit. For example, my daughter loves Italian wedding soup. Just loves it. If I no longer buy pre-made because I don’t want the “non-kind, non-organic” chicken, then I’ll be making my own with the chicken I get from the farm or ‘acceptable’ brands/stores. In the long run, I think the costs will even out.
And finally, the factor of motivation.
People need to know this is an option (and that involves lots of information dissemination), and they have to be convinced that they want to do it for themselves.
The thing is, as of right now, it’s a lot of mental gymnastics to figure this stuff out, and a bigger cost investment to begin with (while you’re still figuring out your system). That’s where some peopel will need to be convinced that it’s in their own personal best interest to do it. See, for me, part of my problem all along has been the factory farming, and that’s because what is now labeled as ‘organic’ farming, was just ‘everyday small town farming’ when I was a kid. I realize now that the reason we didn’t hear about ‘organic’ when I was a kid (note, I’ll be 39 years old in a week), is because the average farms *were* much much more organic as it was. How we raised our family’s chickens wasn’t unusual. The dairy farm next to us, having the cows on pasture all day, wasn’t unusual. Well now that farm is no longer in practice, and a farm nearby, has converted to feedlot style. They still *have* the freakin’ pasture … I see it every time I go down to my hometown. But now the cows are on feedlot and the pasture sits empty. It wasn’t *like* that when I was a kid. (I’ll tell ya who *is* still using pastures though … the old Mennonite farms … and I can’t tell you how much that soothes my mennonite genes.)
But if people don’t see the cruelty issue as enough motivation to overcome the availability/labeling/logistics/money issues, then the trick is to make it about *them*. Make it personally beneficial to them.
One thing I’ve learned over the last week or so, is that as a whole, organic tends to be “less cruel” than “regular” foods. An organic cow on a pasture is probablly healthier and happier than an organic cow on an organic feedlot … but at the same time, an organic cow on an organic feedlot will still be healthier, and probably a “little” happier than a cow on an average farm. So get people to switch to organic by making them do it for their own selfish reasons of health. If organic is at least a “little” less cruel than regular, then that’s already a little less cruelty going on. We need better research as to why organic dairy/meat *is* better for the body. (I myself have no problem believing it because my own background is in physics. I did my entire PhD research on polymers, so I already know how polymers can get into the foods from heated plastic, and I know it’s not a good thing for the human body. And that topic — polymers and plastics on the human body — is only slowly growing now as a topic (especially on the issue of polymers from nonstick cookware). What we *need* is more, similar information on the effects of pesticides, growth hormones, ect.) What we *need* is a whole hell of a lot of biochem research. Get more people to go with organic foods for their own *selfish* reasons of health, and then with that demand can come the availability as well. And for a lot of people, if they can at all swing it, health will trump money, especially if availability helps alleviate the cost issue.
Then there’s the motivation of wanting to be more ‘cruelty-free’, which is another angle that will lead many people in this direction. That’s why I’m doing it, in all honesty. But for that, the information disseminator is going to have to be working with the attitude similar to what you show on your blog. That is, ’something is better than nothing’, and non-confrontational. “Peta” cannot swing this, and that is because of the public image they’ve given themselves among the ‘average’ population over the years. I remember when representatvies would go onto newsmagazines and give interviews. They *were* reaching the average American, but the problem is that the impression they were giving was that everyone *had* to stop eating meat, zoos had to be abolished, and the concept of ‘pets’ ended. Ok, well I know that some people agree with that. But while that minority is agreeing with Peta and applauding Peta, what’s happening is that the majority of the average people is turning spiteful against Peta. The impression they’ve given the average non-vegetarian, is that they tow the hardline, period. And as I said, I’m sure some people will applaud that, but what’s really happened is that the average non-vegetarian now won’t listen to *most* of what Peta says. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and with politeness and reason than hardline rhetoric, and Peta has proven that, in my humble opinion.
*Your* blog, in all honesty, has really struck me because you seem to have the attitude that actually *might* get some changes made in the average non-vegetarian population. And that is, that you’re going to get a lot further if you’re willing to be polite and accept ’some’ progress, than if you’re going to be hardline, overbearing, and demand full progress. An approach like yours, just in your writings in regard to ‘ethical omnivores’, will get *some* cows to be treated more kindly. A hardline, overbearing approach will get almost *no* cows to be treated more kindly, because the average non-vegetarian will not only tune them out, but might even act contrary to what you want out of fear/anger/spite.
I do hope I haven’t angered you by saying that, but my point is just that your approach and attidude, on a grander scale, would get a lot more progress achieved than Peta’s. And by now, the attitude toward Peta is very well ingrained in most, average, non-vegetarians.
Research has to be done to convince people that it’s in their own best personal interest to switch to ‘organics’, then the pitch for ‘buying cruelty-free’ within organics has to be disseminated with an attitude similar to what I perceive as being your own. That would get availability up, and both overcome and alleviate some of the monetary concerns.
Ok. Sorry. End of ramble.
I actually have a vegetarian friend that I’m going to show your blog to. I’ve come to know her for reasons that have nothing to do with food or animals, but I know she’d love this blog too.
Oh yeah, and McDonald’s … they used to get beef *and* soy from farms being improperly (sometimes illegally) cut into certain areas of the South American rain forests. One of those areas is where the Hyacinth Macaw is from. They’re the biggest parrots alive … upper beaks four inches long, but they’re considered the ‘gentle giants’ of the parrot world. There’s been a big effort to help them, and even people who have Hyacinth’s as pets are asked to have them in a breeding program for at least a short time. They *are* recovering, and I’ve gathered that within the last year, McDonald’s has agreed to no longer purchase beef or soy (and soy was the big problem, from what I’ve gathered) from the farms that were destroying the Hyacinth’s endangered areas. But as a someone with pet parrots, I’m still p*ssed.
So I prefer to avoid McDonald’s when at all possible.
Emily
October 27th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Wow Pearl!
That was a tremendous comment! I am going to print it out and use it as a reference for buying animal by-products in stores and send it to my friends as well. Also you definitely have some insights into why more people aren’t ethical omnivores. (Also I’m really impressed you refused to buy meat at Burger King because you know it isn’t humanely raised — that shows your commitment to the cause! I myself have spent a lot of time poring over fast food restaurant menus trying to find something that wasn’t factory farmed.)
Also thanks for the vote of confidence in my inclusive-not-exclusive attitude towards being cruelty-free! I definitely think a some-change-is-better-than-no-change is a better attitude than a hardcore one. I’m glad you think it’s more effective than an overbearing approach as well
Oh wow, and Hyacinth Macaws look so beautiful — I google image searched for them — I can only imagine they’re even more stunningly-hyacinth-colored in real life — I think photographs never really capture how gorgeous birds can be. I’m so glad McDonald’s has agreed to no longer support infringing on Hyacinth Macaws ecosystems. Though I can see how you would still be bitter . . .
Regards,
Emily
Jack
November 27th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
In all your talk about ethical and cruelty free living, do you not find it unethical to use photos, and storylines without giving credit to the copyrighted material that you so blatantly plagerize?
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/134685_mindful13.html
Emily
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I’m insulted you would accuse me of plagiarism — I try very hard to attribute all information I reference in this blog. That is why I made sure to mention the author of the article referenced in this post, as well as the newspaper it came from, and even included a link to it (the link is on the words “I found this interesting article,” in case you missed it). What part of attributing this article to an author, a paper, and link to it would you describe as “not giving credit?”
Did you even read my post in its entirety to check to see if I attributed it before making an accusation against me?
Chris
January 26th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I’m Vegan and I really do believe that is the only way you can treat animals humanely. Meat and dairy and totally inhumane.
Emily
January 27th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Hi Chris!
Um, well, I totally disagree with you about there not being shades of grey and humane dairy is better than inhumane dairy considering 98% of the population isn’t vegan and the billions of animals being tortured in factory farms right now and all, but I just spent yesterday listening to a lot of people who feel factory farmed meat and dairy are the backbone of America, so it’s nice to hear from someone who totally opposes that. Rock on! I fully support your veganness, and if you could go out and convert a bunch of people to veganity, I’d be very, very pleased.
Sarah
March 24th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I am SO happy to have found other like-minded cruelty-free omnivores. I will be checking back soon but have limited time at the moment!
I am a law student and I’m going to an Animal Law Conference this weekend in D.C. This is NOT a movement that is going away any time soon!
Emily
March 30th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Hi Sarah!
Wow — an Animal Law Conference? I’m impressed! I’m SO GLAD you’re interested in ethical omnivorism and defending animals You should start a blog — I’d love to hear your thoughts
beth
April 10th, 2009 at 10:39 am
72 square inches is not the size of a laptop. its 6 feet!
Emily
April 14th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Oh no, you’re thinking of 72 squareD inches — like 72 inches multiplied by 72 inches — that WOULD be six feet, you’re quite right! But 72 square (not squared!) inches is actually 8 inches long x 9 inches wide (8in multiplied by 9in is 72 square inches). It really IS the size of a laptop! And a small one at that.
Peter J. Walker - EmergingChristian.com
May 11th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Quite the controversy on this post, eh?! Kudos for stirring the pot Emily.
I think the whole discussion about referencing other sites or news articles on a blog is an interesting one, and something we’ll all probably be hearing a lot more about in the coming months and years. I’m with you - doing your best to reference other works and not taking credit for content is completely ethical. Unless you’re just reposting someone else’s story with no editorial work, commentary, or reference. Blogging is, by nature, a “wiki” culture that creates personalized content from all sorts of sources.
I sympathize with Chris - being Vegan is a nice “ideal.” But there’s no way the Western world is going to go that route by choice. More power to you, bro, for doing it yourself. I choose vegetarianism with a few humane-omnivore exceptions from time to time, because it’s easier for me to draw a line. But nature models carnivorous behavior, so judging humane meat eating as murder or cruelty seems a little overzealous. Perhaps a tad preachy.
I understand that humans don’t HAVE to eat meat, but I think we should celebrate victories that can be shared by everyone - like putting an end to factory farming and animal cruelty. I know that’s a long way off too, but I think it’s still possible in a society that’s been properly informed and been given “choices” as Pearl discusses, above.
At some point, however, I’d like to see even “choices” taken away, and factory farming outlawed entirely. That’s something vegans like Chris, vegetarians like me, and ethical omnivores like Sara can all celebrate.
Emily
May 14th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Hi Peter!
Sorry — your comment got stuck in the queue for reasons that are unknown to me. But I rescued it! I’m glad you agree with me on referencing stuff! I’m still amazing at being accused to plagiarism — it’s actually one of the tamest things I’ve been accused of on this blog, but still the most surprising.
I really had no idea this would be such a controversial subject when I brought it up — it seems to really resonate with people!
Wow, you’re definitely in the shades-of-grey camp with me! I find the there’s-only-black-and-white preachiness very offputting, myself. But I console myself that the few militant vegan people I’ve met in real life were actually really pleasant and nice — something about online commenting seems to bring out the worst in people.
It sounds like you’ve thought a LOT about humane omnivorism — I’m so glad! I’m definitely with you on the importance of choices, and ESPECIALLY on taking away the choice to factory farm. Though I’m afraid Chris is probably of the make-factory-farming-really-bad so people will stop farming all together crowd . . .
elphillips
January 5th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Hey, I need some help. I am trying to eat food as cruelty-free as I can, but this has proven not only to be very hard on my wallet, but also in my health as well. I’m having a lot of trouble keeping my horse farm afloat in this economy (and keeping from laying off my employees), so I can pretty-much only afford to shop at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, this means I’ve had to choose mainly vegitarian meals to keep cruelty free, and I’m suffering greatly from lack of protein. I am naturally more of a thin person, and I train horses and am a runner. Since I’ve switched to mostly vegitarian food (sometimes I will get cage-free eggs or Talapia), I keep losing weight (including muscle), am very weak, and keep getting sick (I’m now recovering from pneumonia). My doctors have told me that I need to eat more meat. Even my sister, who is completely vegan, has told me to go back to eating more meat because of how it’s affected my health. She lives in the best place in the world to be a healthy vegan: NYC. I live in North Carolina. I really want to be an “ethical omnivore,” but I’m really having trouble doing it. Are there any national brands of chicken, pork, or beef that would be sold at a place like Wal-Mart that are cruelty-free? I’ve been sticking to this diet for about 5 months, and it’s physically wearing me down, but I don’t want to go back to eating factory-farmed meat.
Thanks for any help.
BTW….I absolutely SUCK at cooking, and I’m so busy and tired when I get done with work that I need to do something simple.
Emily
January 24th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Oh my gosh, I wrote this long comment in response to your comment, and then the internet ate it. I’ll get back to you soon about this, perhaps in a Dear Emily column . . .
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