10 th March 2024
talking about animals
THIS WEEK’S DISCUSSION:
“Eating pigs & chickens, but not horses &dogs”
Suggested by Gerry Boland, founder of and spokesperson for Animals Behind Closed Doors, advocating for appropriate rights for animals and for a vegan lifestyle (087-6397557)
RATIONALE
WE EAT PIGS AND CHICKENS for a multitude of reasons:
they are tasty and, when pumped full of additives, flavourings and salt, pretty addictive;
eating meat is an integral part of our culture and is embedded into family life;
nobody (apart from vegans) says we shouldn’t.
WE FARM PIGS AND CHICKENS because they are easy to farm in very large numbers and, because of the economy-of-scale production systems, they are a very cheap source of food.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT PIGS AND CHICKENS are there to be farmed and not to be kept as pets; dogs and cats satisfy that particular need in us.
WE REGARD PIGS AND CHICKENS AS ECONOMIC COMMODITIES, animals who have one purpose and one purpose only on this earth; to be bred, raised, slaughtered, processed and sold for human consumption.
WE DON’T EAT HORSES here in Ireland, yet horsemeat is a popular
food in many other countries and cultures. Here in Ireland, we are happy
to race them, and to trade them back and forth at horse fairs, and to semi-
abandon them in fields right across the country. But most Irish people
would probably be horrified if they thought their burger came from a
horse.
WE DON’T EAT DOGS because we love them and they love us back.
We take them for walks. They sleep at the end of our beds. They are our
non-judgemental, ever-loyal companions, offering unconditional love
which, let’s face it, is pretty irresistible. Dogs are embedded in our lives
and treated as part of the family. We don’t farm them because it would be
a little like farming our friends, and we don’t farm our friends. The very
thought of chopping up a dog and frying its body parts in a pan is
abhorrent. Unless you live in Korea.
PIGS & CHICKENS &OPTIMAL ANIMAL WELFARE SOLUTIONS
We can continue to farm pigs, provided the animals are raised in smaller
groups, on solid floors with straw or other material for bedding and
rooting, with permanent access to an extensive outdoor environment, with
straw-filled huts for shelter, and sow stalls and farrowing crates a thing of
the dark and shameful past. Sows must be able to enjoy a better quality of
life – building nests, rooting, wallowing in mud, foraging – all important
components of what a pig needs.
Chickens, too, must be able to enjoy a better quality of life. Raised in
much smaller groups, with permanent access to fresh air and green
spaces, with tree and shrub cover, where they can practice natural
behaviours (pecking, scratching, foraging). Because they will grow
slower and can exercise, they will not suffer as much from brittle bone
syndrome, and they will be healthier animals, living a little longer,
usually up to about 8 weeks.
The consumer will pay a premium price, now that they’re
being raised outdoors and in much smaller numbers, but that’s
how it should be: the welfare of the animal is a priority and
that comes at a cost to the consumer.
PIGS & CHICKENS & ANIMAL RIGHTS
The animal rights position is simple: allow pigs and chickens to live as
their wild ancestors lived, outdoors, in small social groupings. Let them
have their dignity, and their lives. We have no right to breed them. We
have no right of ownership. And we do not have the right to end their
lives for no other reason than that it suits our selfish and greedy needs to
do so.
SOME MORE DISCUSSION POINTS ANIMAL WELFARE IS NOTHING MORE
than a legalistic excuse and a practical device to allow us to exploit animals and not feel guilty about it. Mostly, animal welfare is, to put it bluntly, a travesty.
By any ethical yardstick, it is not fit for purpose.
THE TIRESOME MANTRA of the typical Irish farmer – ‘We love our
animals’ – rings hollow when looked at from the animals’ point of view.
PIGS ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT and can outsmart dogs in
cognitive ability tests. They make nests to sleep in and they dig out
wallows in the mud when they need to cool down (pigs can’t sweat).
They will eat small animals if they can catch them, but mostly they will
forage for leaves, grass, roots, fruits and flowers. They prefer to be clean,
and avoid defecating close to where they eat or sleep. Researchers have
identified twenty different grunts and oinks that pigs use for different
situations to communicate.
* SOUTH KOREA’S PARLIAMENT has passed a bill that will make
it illegal to breed, slaughter and sell dogs for human consumption. Under
the bill, a ban on trading dog meat will be enforced starting in 2027. After
that, slaughtering dogs for consumption could lead to penalties of up to
three years in prison or 30 million South Korean won in fines (about
$22,000). Breeding and selling dogs for human consumption could be
punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of 20 million won (about
$15,200).
99% OF IRELAND’S PIGS are bred and reared in indoor, non-straw bedded, slatted or solid floor systems, often in units of over 1,000 pigs, with over 40% of the pig population living in units of over 10,000 animals.
I am happy to discuss this issue on air, also more than willing to debate with an industry representative.
Gerry Boland