What is ‘humane treatment’?
Editors, Asheville Global Report,
After prolonged pressure from animal rights activists,
Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest retailer of natural and
organic foods, recently disclosed their plans to become the first major
grocery chain to adopt humane animal treatment standards. CEO John Mackey
announced “we re-examined (activists’) claims and decided
they were basically right. It’s pretty horrible what’s going
on with animals in America. Hopefully, this will put pressure on others
to change their ways.”
A recent Gallup poll revealed that an overwhelming 96% of Americans
say animals deserve “some” protection from harm and exploitation.
So Whole Foods’ announcement may prove to be good business. Earlier
this year, members of the French Broad Food Co-Op overwhelmingly passed
a referendum seeking the implementation of humane standards for the
animal products sold there. Co-Op management has shamefully ignored
their wishes.
Defining “humane treatment” will be problematic. “Broiler”
chickens are killed at seven weeks of age, and egg farms replace (kill)
their hens annually. All are killed in ways that few would consider
to be humane. If the killing methods are improved, is it then humane
to kill babies with a life span of 15 years because it is economically
beneficial? Half of the chickens hatched for the egg industry are male.
They can’t be raised as “broilers” since birds raised
for meat are genetically different. So they are promptly killed, one
common method being grinding them up alive. If they are, instead, killed
on the day they are born in a manner rendering them insensitive to pain,
will this qualify as humane?
In order for humans to steal cow’s milk, babies are immediately
removed from their mothers, and the males (veal calves) are confined
to small crates their entire lives. If they are, instead, killed the
day they are born, is this an acceptable alternative?
Many consider the concept of “humane standards” to be nothing
more than an oxymoron. But I welcome anything that reduces the suffering.
I also believe that as people learn more about how animals are routinely
and systematically tortured, many people will choose compassion over
killing. For more info, go to www.GoVeg.com.
Stewart David
Asheville, North Carolina
