Factory Farming: Moral Theology

[blackforest]

Not coincidentally, free range food both tastes better and is healthier. At a price…

My hope is that local and free-range options will increase as demand grows. Those of us with limited means, (i.e. 99% of us), can also look to urban homesteading, food swap events, and bartering, (my tomatoes for your eggs).

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

The local humane society collects stray cats and dogs. They hold them for a few weeks and if no one wants them, they will “put them down”, i.e., kill them. Should Catholics protest that or just accept it as being OK ?

We may kill animals according to our prudential judgement.
Presumably your shelter is giving them shots, not torture them to death.
I was with my kitty when she was put down.
One shot to render unconscious, one shot to trigger a heart attack. (I think the second one was that)

 

[Shakuhachi]

Thank you for raising the question. So many of us do not care where our food comes from or how it is procured.

 

[graciew]

Local food is more affordable, (especially if you grow it!), and often marked as “local” at our supermarkets.

I was going to ask this and you answered it.
Though I am a foreigner , this stands true here also. Local grass fed, farm eggs( those with that wonderful deep yellow yolk ) and whatever local is much cheaper than what we can buy in the city. And the grass fed and feed lot meat taste differently ( I have a dog in this fight to be honest but I really notice the difference)
So yes… buy local works for us here too.
Thanks! Just curious about that

 

[Edmundus1581]

blackforest:

Local food is more affordable, (especially if you grow it!), and often marked as “local” at our supermarkets.

I was going to ask this and you answered it.
Though I am a foreigner , this stands true here also. Local grass fed, farm eggs( those with that wonderful deep yellow yolk ) and whatever local is much cheaper than what we can buy in the city. And the grass fed and feed lot meat taste differently ( I have a dog in this fight to be honest but I really notice the difference)
So yes… buy local works for us here too.
Thanks! Just curious about that

But watch out for scams.

Shops, even in rural areas, are aware of the consumer value of “local”, and sometimes:

• Put “local” (or similar) on food which is brought in from outside,
• Put a price markup on local food, taking advantage of people’s perception that it is cheaper.

It’s happens so often that it’s almost “normal”. Check the veracity of “local” for any product you buy regularly.

 

[FaithRuir]

I was about to post something like this. This especially applies to suburban/urban residents, where the closest farmlands are hours away, where “local” could just mean its in a state. There’s no real legal backdrop to what “local” is supposed to mean, much like how “free range” eggs without certification just mean the chickens were not in cages, not necessarily having a pasture life on clover fields and frolicking freely.

That being said, there are farmers markets everywhere in those areas! They’re local and small business, they seem to be worth checking out, maybe not just for meat but for quality produce that doesn’t always go into the pockets of big business.

 

[graciew]

Thank you!
Only that “local “for us here comes from also being familiar with the people who sell and live in our little towns. Or the closest to our farms or ranches.
You may find it hilarious, but you may find a chair sometimes in the shops for the elderly to sit down as they wait, and it isn t unusual that we allow the following customer to go before us just because we stay in conversation with another neighbor who we meet there.
May be picturesque but you get the gist and the atmosphere that surrounds those of us who spend most of the time or live away from the cities. We are as local as what is sold, we “ look and sound and feel” local . No need for labels on the food!. It is like we are not going to dupe one another there in so small places.
There is a daily relationship with the earth and what we grow and the animals and the weather. Indo not know how to explain it, but the connection with everything is closer.
Maybe it is the same there in the rural areas. Probably so.

 

[midori]

A lot of farmers’ markets have a restriction on who’s allowed to join in. One of the ones I noticed was that you have to have grown your produce within (100? 150? miles) of the market.

When I shop at the farmers’ markets, I also notice that my produce spoils much faster than produce I buy at the grocery store. It’s annoying— but it’s also a sign that what I get at the grocery store has been treated in some way to stand up to shipping/sitting on a shelf/getting home to my fridge. So-- I just try not to buy too far in advance for when I plan to use it.

Although I live in a rural area myself, most of the farmers around here are more into cotton/ranching/wheat, rather than your dairy and your nice little market gardens. But up near Virginia/New Jersey/Maryland in places that actually get good rainfall— they have awesome farmers’ markets! (I remember one place I bought non-homogenized/low-temp pasteurized milk. I stuck it on the floorboards, drove a mile, and by the time I got back to where I was staying, the cream had turned to butter. It was awesome. Here, if I want non-homogenized milk for making cheese, I need to go to a dairy about 200 miles away…)

 

[graciew]

I also notice that my produce spoils much faster than produce I buy at the grocery store. It’s annoying— but it’s also a sign that what I get at the grocery store has been treated in some way to stand up to shipping/sitting on a shelf/getting home to my fridge.

Sometimes fruit and vegetables look too perfect, even sized, don t they? What we buy in our small town looks more imperfect but it is more tasty.
I know that we need the certification of our national entity so food has to follow due process though.
Same goes for meat, one cannot slaughter, cut and sell without its certification.
Yet, I guess there must be levels of quality maybe related to export. But I do not know… will ask my husband.
Anyway, our eyes adapt to that which isn t that perfect when we look at it. .The fruit we pick and eat directly from the tree isn t perfect and even sized but how tasty!
It is interesting…

 

[FaithRuir]

I know this thread is phased out mostly but I wanted to post this:

It’s a good consensus that factory farming is not good, it’s bad for animals, bad for the environment (methane from cows contributing to climate change, unsanitary conditions, etc), and to some extent even bad for people, despite the drastically lower price, these animals are often treated with antibiotics which have contributed to the rise of superbugs like MRSA, and as the Catechism says, it is against human dignity to treat animals poorly.

I don’t know if we’re under any obligation per se to boycott factory farms, but I do think its better we do.

1. Buy ethical meat/dairy products, heck buy locally if you can, it supports small family business and is better for God’s creatures. Some companies are seeing value in this.
2. I know it’s not the more affordable meat, but due to the fact bison have to be under less stressful conditions in order to protect them and people from harm, the meat tends to be more humane than let’s say chicken.
3. Speaking of chicken: Eggs currently, but not for much longer, often involve chick culling, the act of killing male chicks. I have concerns over that, but luckily 95% of American egg farmers have agreed in 2016 to stop the practice by 2020 in favor of sexing the eggs and getting rid of them before they hatch, donating them to causes like pet food or vaccines. However, caged eggs dont seem to be leaving very soon (unless you live in/get your eggs from California, where they will be banned in 2022). There are several brands you can find that are more humane

 

[Divine3]

I no longer eat meat for religious reasons (except for fish.) But wish Americans cared more about having more land instead of buying gigantic houses with a family of only two children . Maybe now we have our dogs and cats in our homes instead of children.
If we took the time to work in Gods creation we might learn more about God, ourselves, work and even sharing with our neighbors. But now we have sick laws that no longer allow you to have chickens on your property etc. O but we have laws about having cloths lines, fences, or roofs…ha land of the free…we have more regulations and rules that make us far from free. All kinds of zoning laws too. Then we have our sick, gigantic pet stores where you can bring your dressed up Fee Fee with you as you look for the best food for your darling. While people die of starvation in other nations. Artificial birth control and abortion have made us a morally sick nation. There was a time when pet stores were small and had just what you needed. I hate to see animals all packed next to each other …for slaughter or their milk. We have destroyed our farmers in many ways …crazy to plant corn and spray it with poison and growth hormones …I could go on and on.
I find it amazing and great to see some folks trying to live off the grid. We shouldn’t have to pay big dollars for things organic or natural. On and on and on…sorry

 

[Greenfields]

Edmundus1581:

Not coincidentally, free range food both tastes better and is healthier. At a price…

My hope is that local and free-range options will increase as demand grows. Those of us with limited means, (i.e. 99% of us), can also look to urban homesteading, food swap events, and bartering, (my tomatoes for your eggs).

I do a fair bit of bartering,home grown produce …fruit ,vegetables and meat…sometimes in exchange for some work .Its extreamly satisfying ,and I know where my food has come from .It also gives the opportunity to interact with likeminded people and keep fit and healthy .

 

[Greenfields]

I have worked on dairy farms and enjoy seeing cows kick up their heels and playfight as we bring them in ,or sit contentedly in open paddocks chewing cud and staring off into space.They look forward to their treat of pellets and grain at milking time and relief from big udders.In Australia i have only ever seen cattle that are happily pasture raised all year round .I hear of feed lots,but haven’t seen any yet .

 

[FaithRuir]

About time I came back to this

I was actually researching the topic a bit more, even rereading the article I linked above, and one point the author made was equating the consumption of “cruelty” meat to buying stolen goods.
And it’s actually a really good one if you think about it.
Cruelty is a step in creating factory meat (most/some times?)
Stealing is a step in getting the goods in question

The only difference in cooperation I could really think of was
A. We need food, however it has been said numerous times we don’t NEED meat and dairy as much as we currently eat it
B. You are obligated to return stolen goods, but you cannot return cruelty if you catch where I’m going here

Really has me thinking

 

[Shakuhachi]

we don’t NEED meat and dairy as much as we currently eat it

Are you then thinking that it is the high demand that necessitates factory farming?

 

[FaithRuir]

To be frank, I don’t even know if factory farming is really necessary, but such high demands for meat and dairy are big reasons for its rise and perpetuation

 

[graciew]

Don’t you have state laws and regulations ?
From the outside…it sounds to me that you must have them, they might need to be enforced in particular cases (particular farms) and the same goes for transport( particular cases of poor transportation practices) that are a danger for those in the road btw.
The article presents it ,imo, as an overall chaotic and aggressive issue,
In my experience abroad… transport has regulations. Cattle and pigs and horses aren’t one on top of the other to say it somehow , and neither do they travel as if “ by car”.
But it is regulated.
Same with farms. I saw hens at a farm once which was soon closed which was an unbearable sight. And I mean so many in a cage ( hundred of cages)that they had to take dead ones every morning for so overcrowded. Disgusting. But it was soon closed.
And then I remember another one with quite a reasonable big production, taken care of respecting quality standards.
Now…I have also read questionable articles where people expect that owners know each one by name. That is more of a hobby farm or more pet like places,but we cannot expect that in average productive farms.
So… if there is an issue there where you live,and knowing the care there is in general for production in US, there must be norms and regulations, and so then more than doing away with farm animals, what has to be enforced or improved( if necessary…) are those.
The article sounds a bit extreme for me…
But I can understand your concern for cruelty.
Hope somebody who knows more can help you out. Maybe @Ridgerunner can chime in?

 

[Ebastill]

I think we could all be eating less meat. Apart from the animal cruelty aspect, factory farming is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Going meatless for several days a week is better for the environment and the animals.

Some day I hope to get all of my meat from ethical sources, but it is prohibitively expensive…

 

[graciew]

I found this web page.
Here you can pick a state and you may read some of the state laws related to agriculture.
You may investigate, there may be others

https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act

We own a ranch and have cattle , grasslands . Not factory farming.
As for the consumption of meat, it is very much in our culture ( I am Argentinian)and it may also be perceived as conflict of interests as for what I may say( as if I had a “ cow” in this fight )so Nutricionists, Doctors, may give a more informed opinion.
Anyway, here is some of the laws for you to see if cruelty concerns are covered …
Vets can help out as well.
As for Church teaching, there is the Cathecism and I will see if I can find something else for you tomorrow or Monday.Maybe someone else can…
It is important to have in mind that no matter how much we may love or appreciate animals, they are animals and we are human beings…and God willed to make us stewards of Creation .

Edited: I found a better web peg and changed it. See if you can agree it is a reliable and objective source in US