Is Vegetarianism the Answer?

This blog post is for you if you are considering becoming vegetarian because of a perception that the meat industry is cruel.  People become vegetarian for lots of reasons. Here I just want to address one, which is that people feel they want no part of a cruel industry. This is understandable.  But having visited some of the biggest and best-run meat plants in Brazil in recent days, I thought I would address some issues on cruelty in the animal production industry. 

The abattoirs that I have visited this month were all stainless steel and white tiles, by which I mean very clean. They are run to standards set by Government rules.  Did you know that meat for export is handled differently compared to that intended for the domestic Brazilian market?

This issue is perfect for bringing together my two favourite academic áreas: veterinary medicine and conservation biology.  In vets' school we learn about the stress hormone, cortisol. We also learn about the importance of not anthropomorphising, that is, projecting human thoughts, feelings and values on to animals without knowing if they possess such attributes. Well, we can measure the amount of stress animals are under by measuring their blood cortisol levels. And we surmise that they are under stress by their vocalisations.  But modern slaughter house staff are trained to herd animals in such a way as to minimize stress as they drive the food animals towards the stunning box. And in the case of cattle, the work of animal scientist Temple Grandin has gone a long way towards revolutionising they way holding corrals are designed so as to mimic the animals' behavior and to miniise stress. These stress levels, as I have said, can be measured using sérum cortisol levels, and modern methods minimize these.

Livestock farms ensure there is countryside otherwise the rural zone would be converted to other forms of land use. Some people may say that intensive farming methods prevent animals having a right to roam and still mean that the countryside is built upon. Certainly confined farming goes on, bu it is a result of domestic and internation market forces, and where it goes on it is heavily regulated. And those stock need to be fed, and so food crops are grown in open fields.

For people who wonder about going vegetarian because of animal cruelty, there is a better way to do your part for animals.  Preventing cats from killing wild birds would be a smart move for nature conservation, and if you are a cat owner, or know somebody who is, give some thought as to its care and where it goes roaming. Does it wear a bell?  If not, consider getting one.  The local songbird population will directly benefit.