A Buddhist Response to Animal Agriculture Animal agriculture is a process that takes place in factory farming. These processes rely on large industrial operations that have been considered an ethical and environmental concern in regards to the animals involved and the environment. The process of factory farming involves the raising of large quantities of farm animals for food. In fact, over 99% of farm animals in the United States are raised in a factory farm in order to accumulate profit and mass production regardless of the environment (peta.org). I am strongly opposed to intensive animal farming in terms of the present environmental concerns such as the emission of greenhouse gases, waste production and land use. The teachings and …show more content…
All of these concepts stem from compassions for living things and the environment that we live in. Compassion is one of the central roots of Buddhism, which is applied towards all beings regardless of species discrimination. Animal farming is concerned solely about the business aspect and is not viewing these animals as sentient beings. This is why compassion can become easily ignored due to the easiness of conversing about it versus actually practicing it. Compassion easily becomes neglected in today’s society due to cravings of greed. The teachings of Buddhism describe how actions motivated by greed bring suffering and this precept relates back to the treatment of the animals and environmental concerns. Wisdom in Buddhism is concerned about right view and right intention. Having the right view on animal farming is seeing the truth of interdependent arising and seeing in accordance to what is actually happening. The environmental concerns I have raised have been conversed by individuals who are having the right view and seeing what is actually coming about from animal agriculture. Having the right intention involves acting upon the right view and acting upon good will and harmlessness. The right intention ties into the treatment of the animals and cultivating compassion instead of greed. Animal agriculture is in …show more content…
It can be argued that eliminating the current operations of animal agriculture would raise prices of meat and make it difficult for meat to stay as cheap and affordable as it has been. At first this objection seems logical and true considering the size of the industry and the dependence we have on the meat production. However, I can argue against this by stating that this objection could only stay valid if certain conditions hold true. One of these conditions relates to not ignoring other ways of reducing costs within the industry. If other ways of reducing costs are ignored then savings secured in animal agriculture become an excuse to overlook other processes in the industry. Another condition that must be true is if the cost savings in the increased animal agriculture are actually being passed onto the consumers buying the meat. Also, it must hold true that cost savings from other efficient operations in the industry are passed onto the consumers of meat. The market of animal agriculture has only been artificially cheap and has only evidentially reduced the cost of meat to the meat industry selling the meat to consumers. In the past decade there has been no strong evidence that consumers are saving on meat due to cost savings from the industry being passed on to them. The only evidence that has been available for this objection is the evidence of
In the early twentieth century American ranchers tried to break up the Beef Trust. In 1917 there were four main companies that controlled the entire industry. While this trust was effectively busted, allowing ranchers to sell their cattle at competitive prices for a few decades, the Reagan administration allowed the top four meatpacking companies to combine. In 1970 they slaughtered 21% of the nation’s cattle today the slaughter 84%. This is causing many ranchers to sell their cattle and quit.
This means that if it is working so well for such a long time why not just continue Industrial food chain. Research also shows that “Fifty years ago, before the coming of giants, this country’s cows, pigs and poultry were mostly raised outdoors and sold, for whatever the spot market bore, at livestock auctions for cash”. this show meat is still being sold for cheap prices like it was 50 years ago. This also show why the industrial food chain is still going on now because of the price and the amount of restaurant and store that still use the industrial food
Is eating meat a detrimental threat to the environment? This debate over meat’s involvement in the global warming crisis was what inspired Nicolette Hahn Niman to write, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma.” Niman hoped writing, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma,” would cause her audience to understand that eating meat, raised on traditional farms, was a superior alternative to vegetarianism. Niman supported her claim by explaining how industrialized farms and vegetarians produce more of the three greenhouse gases that caused global warming, than that produced by traditional farms. Niman’s article fell short of being effective due to flaws in her supporting evidence and conclusion.
The animals in large scale organic farming are cared for, but most are not living in a “peaceful and open” place that many organic companies claim to be on their
Animal rights and livestock farming Many of us, nowadays, eat and enjoy eating meat but many would agree that this is actually not an ethical action. Michael Pollan, in his persuasive style article “An Animal's Place" published in The New Work Times Magazine, on November 10, 2002 intends to persuade his audience that humans should respect animals and as long as they are treated well in farms and give them a more peaceful life and death it will be fine to eat them. According to Pollan, in today's huge industrial farms, cruel and unbearable things happen that are against animals rights. There is a high possibility that in the future these actions will stop as already some protest for animal rights have begun, because animals have feelings and farms take advantage of them thinking that they are mere machines, making them suffer. The solution to this conflict according to the author who supports friendly farms that respect and give a fun and secure life for animals.
Throughout history, there appears to be a correlation between population growth and technological advances as it relates to the acquisition of the meat for consumption. Currently, convenience and ease
When I first read Chapter Ten of “After the Fact”, by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle, I was shocked at the methods meat factories use in preparing their products. I was especially shocked seeing as now; we have so many food regulations that most people don’t think twice about the food that is going in their bodies. I am now thinking, do these things still appear in our lives today? It was nice to know that Theodore Roosevelt took action in an attempt to fix these major problems. He became aware of the poor conditions of the meat industry through the book “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair.
Thesis There is a growing consent that factory farming of animals or concentrated animal feeding operations is morally
The consumption of red meat has increased significantly in recent years. The link between red meat consumption and climate change is greatly evident. Therefore, this issue may be considered positive for various stakeholders, while also having a negative impact on others. Not only is the consumption of meat a major contributor to climate change, but the production of the meat consumed influences the climate as well. Livestock produces a considerable amount of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, which accounts for more than 18% of greenhouse gas emissions.
He presents a compelling argument for why we have to recall lowering or casting off our intake of animal products, the use of evidence and records to guide his claims. for example, Foer cites the fact that animal agriculture is chargeable for more greenhouse gas emissions than all kinds of transportation combined. via presenting this statistic in a clean and concise manner, Foer makes a robust case for the environmental blessings of lowering our meat consumption. Foer additionally appeals to our sense of morality and values. He emphasizes the significance of compassion and duty in our food choices, encouraging readers to remember the ethical implications of consuming meat.
To begin, when talking about animals it can be a very sensitive subject mainly because the way animals are treated on farms, and how no one feels the need to question these actions. This is because many people feel this issue doesn’t concern them. In this essay Matthew Scully discusses the issue on how animals are treated and how they should be given more respect, and attention. Matthew Scully argues that animals in these factory farms are wrongfully treated, he uses biblical references and addresses the morals of humans to get conservatives to act on this matter.
The real meat industry will always be a large threat to the plant-based meat industry due to the fact that they offer all of the same products at only one third of the price. The price disparity between these two offers a big advantage to the real meat industry. If production falls or the economy sees any form of disparity then consumers will just return to buying real meat. The drawbacks of a shortage of pea protein and completion within the market diminish the profitability of opening these new 18
In today’s world, there is a division among the people in the world regarding whether or not it is ethical to eat meat. After researching about eating meat and vegetarianism, I have come to the conclusion that it is indeed ethical to eat meat in today’s society. Sure, eating meat might have its drawbacks, but I have found that the benefits of eating meat far outweigh the negatives of eating it. Eating meat not only helps improve people’s health, but it also helps strengthen our economy and it has little difference in the environmental impact that involves in the farming of vegetables. Eating too much of anything usually results in a negative outcome.
There are markets available that have accessories for cows, chickens etc. Animals have a right to kind treatment and equal rights. There are other ways to give animals respect, factory farming is not the only solution to produce a large amount of meat. If people cared about animal welfare they would visit small farms and local butchers or raise meat themselves. In the olden days, people raised animals and had cheese, milk, and meat.
“We risk the creation of resistant strains of bacteria in factory farm animals” (Animal Freedom). Public Health is an important key to living a healthy lifestyle. We must ensure that we keep our environment as clean as can be for the sake of our own health and for the sake of future generations. “People are increasingly suffering from chronic diseases that are connected with eating too much of the wrong sorts of food or from diseases transmitted from animals to humans” (Green Times). Because these animals are held is such close quarters, many diseases spread quickly among them, ending up in the food that we eat.