In today’s technological society, where negative pictures of agriculture can go viral in a matter of minutes, programs such as Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) can be both a benefit and a detriment to the meat industry. Producers use groups such as G.A.P. to help combat the negative publicity of inhumane treatment to the American food supply, but also battle the pressure from these groups to take things a step farther. I will examine the pros and cons of animal activist groups and how they impact the American meat industry, but first, let’s get a further understanding of some of these animal right groups.
Global Animal Partnership is a nonprofit charitable organization whose purpose is to promote continuous improvement for the welfare of animals raised for food. This organization was created after Whole Foods Market had worked for several years to establish even higher welfare standards for its own company. The G.A.P. recognizes producers for their practices, encourages innovation to move to even higher welfare farming, better informs consumers about the ways that animals are raised for food, and affords grocers and restaurants a wider range of products to offer.
There are several advantages to organizations such as the Global Animal Partnership. The first is the improvement to the animal welfare. Because of a system of checks and audits carried out by the G.A.P., producers are honor bound to care for their livestock to be compliant with the standards set forth by the organization. Producers who meet the standards will receive a premium check.
The second advantage to the program is the outlook of the public toward the meat industry. The organization will provide educational programs and a more positive media presence. The con...
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...e, there are both pros and cons to the establishment of animal activist groups such as the Global Animal Partnership. I feel that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages; however, there is always a better alternative that just hasn’t been discovered yet. Being a member of the meat producing industry, I feel that the little bit of effort given toward these organizations in order to help our public image is worth it. Without a great report from the American consumer, the meat industry will struggle and animal husbandry will fail. As former United States President Thomas Jefferson once said “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” As American meat producers, we must do all we can to prove right by the words of President Jefferson and do everything we can to help our industry flourish.
The argumentative article “More Pros than Cons in a Meat-Free Life” authored by Marjorie Lee Garretson was published in the student newspaper of the University of Mississippi in April 2010. In Garretson’s article, she said that a vegetarian lifestyle is the healthy life choice and how many people don’t know how the environment is affected by their eating habits. She argues how the animal factory farms mistreat the animals in an inhumane way in order to be sources of food. Although, she did not really achieve the aim she wants it for this article, she did not do a good job in trying to convince most of the readers to become vegetarian because of her writing style and the lack of information of vegetarian
Every year worldwide, over seventy billion animals are killed for food in factories without the inclusion aquatic animals (“Factory Farms Overview¨). The animal rights movement began in Europe during the nineteenth century to protect horses, dogs and cats (Recarte 1). However, now modern animal rights groups have switched their focus to factory farms, test animals and the removal of ag-gag laws. The fight to create less painful and stressful environments in factories and the altogether removal of animal testing and ag-gag laws has been taken on by animal rights groups like ASPCA (“Factory Farms”). The biggest issue currently facing animals is factory farming.
American consumers think of voting as something to be done in a booth when election season comes around. In fact, voting happens with every swipe of a credit card in a supermarket, and with every drive-through window order. Every bite taken in the United States has repercussions that are socially, politically, economically, and morally based. How food is produced and where it comes from is so much more complicated than the picture of the pastured cow on the packaging seen when placing a vote. So what happens when parents are forced to make a vote for their children each and every meal? This is the dilemma that Jonathan Safran Foer is faced with, and what prompted his novel, Eating Animals. Perhaps one of the core issues explored is the American factory farm. Although it is said that factory farms are the best way to produce a large amount of food at an affordable price, I agree with Foer that government subsidized factory farms use taxpayer dollars to exploit animals to feed citizens meat produced in a way that is unsustainable, unhealthy, immoral, and wasteful. Foer also argues for vegetarianism and decreased meat consumption overall, however based on the facts it seems more logical to take baby steps such as encouraging people to buy locally grown or at least family farmed meat, rather than from the big dogs. This will encourage the government to reevaluate the way meat is produced. People eat animals, but they should do so responsibly for their own benefit.
There are plenty controversial issues about bully breeds and whether they are acceptable or safe dogs to own. In July a woman was mauled in her yard and killed by a dog in Montreal. Due to this unfortunate incident the mayor Denis Coderre created a bill called BSL (Breed-Specific Legislation) which was approved by the legislation. This bill states that determined by their breed or pitbull features “American Pitbull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, American Bulldogs or any dog with strains of these breeds” will be unadoptable; they must wear a muzzle in public as well as a leash that’s 4 feet long and in most cases they will be euthanized due to their breed. BSL should be reversed because the real problem is irresponsible dog owners, the irresponsible owners will just switch breeds and any dog has the potential to hurt someone.
Greenhouse, Steven. "US: Meat Packing Industry Criticized on Human Rights Grounds." New York Times. N.p., 25 Jan. 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
The campaign against Whole Foods and Chipotle for allowing factory farm to continue that killing of animals is what ‘Direct Action Everywhere’ is fighting against to inform the general population that there is an issue with “humanely” killing animals for consumption. Direct Action Everywhere’s is an organization whose “mission is to empower activists to take strong and confident action wherever animas are being denigrated, enslaved, or killed, and create a world where animals liberation is a reality.”
There are people do who do not like the Agriculture industry;some of these people are PETA, and there is tension between the two groups and I will be discussing the tension. So before you read this essay you may be thinking “ Who is PETA?” Well I will provide a little background information on who PETA is, PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals) is a animal rights activist group who zone in on certain groups of people. One example of one of those groups would be the 4-H and the Agriculture world. So now that you know some basic background information, let’s go into some topic that have caused problems between the two sides.
Throughout the last century the concern of animals being treated as just a product has become a growing argument. Some believe that animals are equal to the human and should be treated with the same respect. There are many though that laugh at that thought, and continue to put the perfectly roasted turkey on the table each year. Gary Steiner is the author of the article “Animal, Vegetable, Miserable”, that was published in the New York Times right before Thanksgiving in 2009. He believes the use of animals as a benefit to human beings is inhumane and murderous. Gary Steiner’s argument for these animal’s rights is very compelling and convincing to a great extent.
In today's world, one could split our country into two groups. One is those who are for animal rights in every aspect, and the other is those who are not. Those who are for animals' rights are commonly labeled "Vegans" by people of the opposing viewpoint, and sometimes even by their own. These people may belong to certain organizations such as PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or ALF, the Animal Liberation Front. These people commonly believe that animals should have every right that a human has. Animal Rights Activists generally think that people don't have the right to eat, own, hunt, or use animals in any way, or for any reason. This would mean people who eat meat on a daily basis would just be out of luck. This would mean no person would be allowed to own any animal for work on ranches or farms, for companionship, or for any other reason. This would mean all guides and hunters would have no business. This would mean no person could use any animal part for clothing. This would also mean that more than half of the medicines and medical advances that we enjoy and live as a result of today would never have been discovered, and we would not be making progress on what we are in the medical field. The other people, those who are not, believe that animals should be handled with care and taken care of, but don't believe animals should have every right that humans do.
The animals should be provided with adequate housing, disease prevention, and be handled in a humane way. Animal welfare believers believe that animals should be used for human purposes such as food, clothing, recreation and research, if these guidelines are followed. Temple Grandin is one of many supporters of animal welfare, and her voice has changed the way beef production plants treat their cattle. In another one of Grandin’s essays, “Animal Welfare and Humane Slaughter”, she discusses how many corporations such as McDonald’s and Wendy's, have taken action to improve animal handling and stunning due to a previous essay she had written with Gary Smith in 1999. Because Grandin brought the world’s attention to what Animal welfare is, and how easy it is to implement new ways of production to protect the animals, she has shaped the way the world views how animals are treated in
Like many other industries, the farming industry has evolved into big business, “Animals on factory farms are regarded as commodities to be exploited for profit.” In each industry from clothing to instruments, the bosses want to make a profit. The more they can supply with the least amount of waste, the more profit they make. The same goes for factory farming. However instead of humans being the ones directly affected by big bosses, the animals are. They don’t have a voice, and can’t stand up for what is right or wrong. These animals are manipulated in every way to make a better profit. Factory farms mass produce animals for ...
...ghts, preventing suffering, and looking to other successful countries. People must take care to treat animals as living creatures instead of property or their next meal. Efforts need to be made to lower animal suffering and encourage people to eat less meat. It doesn't matter if we are a human, dolphin, or dog, we are all sentient creatures with the same desire for a painless, happy life.
...e Animals and Satisfy Meat Eaters?” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 21.6 (2008): 580-96. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
21 Sept. 2011. Freeman, Carrie. The Packwood. " Framing Animal Rights in the "Go Veg" Campaigns of U.S. Animal Rights Organizations.
Having animals available in zoos, researchers have easier access to these animals.