A Response to Skyla AND Jenna

I actually read Jenna's blog entry on animal hunting first and then moved on to Skyla's response to it. However, I think both had some real substance in them that I would like to address.

First, Jenna discusses the issue of animal hunting and animal consumption through the means of the factory farm (CAFO). It appears that she believes that killing an animal through hunting would be more morally justifiable then eating one from the store. This is because hunting is a "clean kill" and the animal is consumed with understanding. Meat bought from a store is the result of years and years of pain and suffering in a factory farm. Not to mention, the inhumane methods of slaughter.

Now, I think she makes very valid points here, however, I think I would agree with her on a different level. I say this because my justifications for being a vegetarian is that I myself could not kill an animal. I do not have the strength or willpower to take another life. Thus, I do not deserve to partake in the flesh. Therefore, I believe that buying meat from the store perpetuates this sort of disconnection from our food sources. And the fact of the matter is that most people who buy and consume this meat probably couldn't kill the animal either. Thus, I believe meat froma store is morally unjustifiable. Hunting for food is.

Skyla seems to take on a sort of similar perspective, though she does assert that killing animals in any capacity is morally wrong. However, it was the question she poised that intrigued me. She asked whether or not there was a real difference between factory farming and local farms. And in addition, she asked if factory farming could possibly be justified in our society.

First, there is a significant difference between factory farming and local farms. I frequently visit Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown, MA, and I have seen firsthand the conditions which these animals are cared for. They roam free in pastures. They have more than enough to eat. They have names and relationships with their owners. And when it comes time to slaughter, it is done so quickly and clean, just as if they were hunted in the wild. There is a respect for their moral status as a person on these farms. Something like this can not, and never will be, found on a factory farm. So yes, there is a huge difference.

And as for justifying the factory farms, I find this question to be most difficult. The way that the food system has built up around these CAFO's has made the system almost interdependent. If you were to take away the farms, then it is likely you would see prices skyrocket, meat become scarce, and maybe even riots start. It would be absolute madness. In addition, we have become so distanced from and contaminated our wild food supplies so much that even eating them would be difficult. Therefore, I am a huge supporter of an incremental approach. I do not justify the factory farms, but I understand them and their unfortunate concrete existence in our society.