ANIMAL WELFARE
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OVERVIEW
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(Above) Farmer Toby McPartland with his pigs in a pastured-pig farm in Colorado. Photo: Edible Aspen.
Most land animals raised for food—cattle, chickens, pigs, and turkeys—suffer not only from
their living conditions, but also from their genetics. Designed for maximum production, they
suffer from freakish abnormalities: “meat” chickens, for example, can grow so large and
quickly that their skeletons and organs give out, inducing heart failure and broken bones. 7
Scientists have called these birds “extreme organisms” 8 and compared them to 660-pound
infants. 9 Such genetic weaknesses compromise animals’ immune systems and make them
reliant on antibiotics.
Intensive animal rearing is physically dangerous for the animals and to the people around
these factory farms. Factory farms expose workers and adjacent communities to respiratory
diseases from exposure to pollutants 10 and contribute greatly to global climate change. 11
Doing Better
Okay, okay—a pretty bleak picture we’re painting here, we know. But this is the reality and
it’s not talked about most of the time. Understanding how animals in our food system are
treated also exposes the wide gap of opportunities to make it better since we have a long
way to go. And fighting for the humane treatment of animals has so many obvious potential
benefits for animals, but it also improves conditions for workers, nearby communities, and the
environment. (A win-win-win-win?) It’s a no brainer.
So don’t get too discouraged, there are so many ways we can have an impact and make a
shift for better animal welfare practices in our food system. One way to make a difference in
how animals are treated is by supporting businesses who commit to treating animals better.
We can do this as individuals or families, sure—but it has even more impact when large
institutions commit to buying products that promise better conditions for animals. Institutions
that adopt the Good Food Purchasing Program can help animals live better lives and expand
opportunities for farmers and ranchers who use better welfare practices. It’s like anything
else, once more people are asking for these options, more of these options start to exist. By
increasing demand for humanely-raised animal products, we can actually push producers all
across the food chain to change their welfare practices.
GOOD FOOD PURCHASING PROGRAM • GOOD FOOD RISING
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