When Katrina Fox’s eating habits come up in conversation the reaction is often the same.
“I don’t eat a lot of meat, I promise.”
Katrina, 52, is proudly vegan, and she thinks the reason she gets the above response from meat eaters is because deep down, they feel a bit guilty.
She also thinks that every now and then we need a bold action against animal cruelty – like the vegan protests staged on Monday across Australia.
Here is the trailer to Dominion, which is the documentary that sparked the protests this week. It was its one year anniversary. Post continues after video.
When Katrina and the protesters that stormed into those abattoirs and chained themselves to machinery see a piece of meat, they don’t see a juicy piece of steak.
They see a cow that’s been strung upside down and had its neck cut. They see torture, murder, and fear.
“That’s what we see when we see that steak. It’s not a product, it’s a someone and it’s upsetting,” Katrina told Mamamia.
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If reducing one's environmental and animal impact is the goal, then the best plan requires more nuance than the simple mantra "eat no meat" allows. While veganism is certainly a step forward in this regard compared to a meat-based, agriculturally produced diet, it does fail in two respects.
To start, veganism assumes that anything plant is environmentally friendly--hence the misconception of the "cruelty-free" meal. In fact, every plant-based food requires land to grow--land that should sustain wild plant and animal communities. But the first step in establishing ag fields is to plow under and eliminate every species capable of competing with or consuming the crops to be grown. In this manner, entire ecosystems are destroyed. Contributing to the damage is the efforts by farmers to keep their produce safe from the appetites of marauding pests, with the result that even the animals in surrounding wild lands (if any remain) are eliminated as necessary to achieve that goal. Consider the millions of acres of forest, grassland and wetland converted to exotic mono-culture serving only man; the billions of pounds of chemicals dumped into our air, water and soil, and the trillions of gallons of fresh water diverted from sensitive aquatic systems--all for agricultural purpose. It is no wonder that agriculture has become the foremost cause of extinction, world-wide, as well as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions destined to alter our environment for millennia.
Certainly, much of this impact can be reduced--hence the justification for reducing the amount of beef in one's diet. But this effort should not ignore the damage inflicted by plant-based foods. Growing almonds and cashews requires more water than growing chicken, for example. Many of the items on our vegan "favorites" list are, like beef, very destructive relative to our more responsible options. Yet, in its haste to eliminate animal-based foods, veganism completely ignores (or even attempts to conceal) this double standard. It is not only the omnivore who inflicts unnecessary harm in order to please his palate.
A second point of failure lies in the rejection of wild fish and game, taken in a sustainable manner from undisturbed lands. A deer taken from the field, for example, is immediately replaced by another of the next generation that would die if not for the resources freed by the removal of the first. Nature always breeds more animals than habitat can support and the rest perish of disease or starvation whether we consume them or not. To consume the excess in wild populations before they die of other causes inflicts no harm on these populations and, more importantly, leaves habitat intact to support future generations of game and non-game species. Agriculture, which destroys every single individual, of every species on the landscape, can make no such claim.
Certainly, wild fish and game cannot support the entire human population, but, to the extent that it remains available to rural communities, it should be used in a sustainable, well-regulated manner to ensure that our reliance on more destructive, agricultural practices are minimized.
For now, veganism and environmentalism are not exactly on the same page. Happily, many consumers are aware of this distinction and are choosing environmentally friendly foods, both plant and animal.
I was looking at vegan friendly clothes and shoes yesterday (after being on this thread), and one of the recommended best sellers on the website was a pair of shoes made out of microplastic, they actually have it in the description as if it's good thing!??
Okay, so I did it. I watched Dominion last night. I'm not going to lie, I was horrified, it is extremely difficult to watch. And I'm the first to admit, I didn't realise a lot of what happens on farms, with animals that are the wrong sex etc. I thought if it said "free range" then it was.
Having said all that, it is still not enough to convince me to become a vegan. I have however been reseaching humane and ethical farms here and will be buying from them. It is far more expensive, but that will mean we'll have to cut down on meat and dairy, which is probably not a bad thing. I will have my chickens who can live with us until they die naturally and will grow as much food as I can.
Good on you, Beebs, for taking the time to watch it, and to Felicity, there is plenty of evidence of such animal abuse - even in Australia and even in so-called ethical slaughterhouses. Do your own research until you find evidence you feel you yourself can trust - there is plenty.
As far as reporting the abuse, have you not seen news reports over the last couple of years - it is precisely undercover camera work that had been sent as evidence to regulatory bodies that had led to public outcry. Of course groups like Animals Australia report the abuse they are documenting, unfortunately regulatory bodies like the RSPCA are woefully underfunded and can investigate only a small percentage of the abuse that is reported to it (not only by activists but by anyone).
Anyhow, as I said, good on you Beebs for taking the time - I know plenty of vegans who have been unable to watch Dominion because they are plenty traumatised by watching the countless hours of abuse that has been filmed by others.
And even if it has not convinced you to become totally meat and dairy free, it is encouraging to hear of people engaging with these issues!
Also, Beebs, i wonder if, after watching such footage, you also have more appreciation for why some educated, reasonable people were motivated to protest on Monday even if many people have disagreed with their actions ...
Good question Alan, I've always said I understand why they did it. I think I would have preferred them not get in the way of emergency services, at least if the ambos had warning they could hve planned to drive another way. I actually don't have a problem with protesting in general (been on many myself).
I have to say this to you. How can it ever be considered humane or ethical when you exploit another living being for your own benefit and then murder that living being who wants to live? Wants to live just like you do. There is no humane way to kill someone who wants to live.