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Effective Tactics for Agriculture - Sun. 1:30pm
Tactics for ending abuse of animals raised for food

Presenters: H. Brown, Davis, Hershaft, Schwartz

Harold Brown
Farm Sanctuary , www.farmkind.org

Having spent over half of my life in animal agriculture I have a little bit of a different take on the core reasons why animals are commodities and how we may need to proceed to free them from their bondage. I propose that free market capitalism and our various free trade agreements are a couple of core drivers for animal subjugation. Market forces that surround “the system”, i.e. the PR industry, marketing and so on, manufacture public perceptions of the roles of animals in society. There are questions that need to be asked.

• Is collaborating with the animal user industry the best course of action?
• Are animal husbandry reforms “pushing the ball forward” towards rights?
• Do we really understand the breadth and depth of the animal user industry?
• Are any tactics or strategies, in relation to the animal user industry, worth pursing to create a social justice movement for farm animals?

Perhaps there are no tactics to take against animal agriculture, but rather working for a shift in the societal perception of animals as sentient being…as one of us.

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Alex Hershaft, PhD
Farm Animal Rights Movement, www.farmusa.org

Click here for a formatted version of Alex's outline.

The strategy we adopt for farmed animals affects 98% of all animal suffering and death. Yet, some organizations have sacrificed effective strategies for farmed animal liberation to dramatic “victories” that bring glory and funds.

A. At the Crossroads For Farmed Animals

• The three stages of social change – currently in the advanced discussion stage
• Three approaches to farmed animal liberation: welfare reforms, incremental abolition, self-indulgence
• Nature of each approach – dismiss self-indulgence

B. Welfare Reforms

• Misleads public into thinking “humane” = acceptable
• Shifts the action from grassroots to nationals
• Dealing with Congress, government agencies, meat industry – revolving door
• No significant long-term solution: producers locked in, red herrings; been there with FARM
• Like hot-air balloon: regulate in one state – move to another; stop molting – breed more hens
• Winnable issues: cage space, forced molting, saw stalls, veal crates, foie gras, downers, humane slaughter
• “Victories” bring glory and contributions, but do little or nothing for the animals
• Some educational value in exposes and legislative/administrative lobbying

C. Incremental Abolition

• More effective because alone provide long-term solution
• Shifts the action from nationals to grassroots
• Dealing with consumers, consumer advocates, educators, and media
• Been there with health (chickens, statins, surgery) and environment (bottles, swimming)
• Most effective tactic is promoting sale of ready-to-eat processed meat and dairy analogs
• Key criteria: availability, taste, convenience, cost, and health
• Can do through participation in Meatout and other dietary campaigns
• Second priority is introducing plant-based choices and nutrition education in schools
• Third is bearing personal and institutional witness (Gandhi): T-shirts, demand vegan meals
• Fourth is co-opting mainstream public interest organizations (CHOICE, One A Day, AHA)

D. Global Issues

• Expansionism of western meat agribusiness and consequences for developing countries
• Policy-level intervention (through World Food Summit and related fora)
• Grassroots intervention (through Sabina Fund)

E. Victory Reality Check

• The victories in the abolition strategy are not very dramatic – require reality check
• People will not be joining vegetarian societies en masse - they will just eat more fake meat and dairy products, and they are.
• Mainstream health institutions will not be replaced by vegetarian societies - they will just promote plant-based eating, and they are.
• Supermarkets will not be replaced by vegetarian health food stores - they will just carry more meat and dairy analogs, and they are.
• McDonald’s and other fast food chains will not go out of business - they will just push veggie burgers and humane reforms, and some are.
• Slaughterhouses will not be reduced to smoldering ruins - they will just produce meatless foods, and some are.
• Our adversaries are not evil - just insensitive, misguided, and our future partners

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Richard Schwartz
Jewish Vegetarians of North America, www.JewishVeg.com

We should point out the immorality and insanity of 'livestock' agriculture at a time when the world is heading toward an unprecedented catastrophe from global warming and other environmental threats, when there are increasing shortages of energy, food, water and other resources, when species are disappearing at an unprecedented rate, etc.

We should point out that:

• A 2006 UN Food and Agricultural Organization report “Livestock's Long Shadow.” Indicated that animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other means of transportation worldwide combined (18 percent vs. 13.5 percent).
  
  
• Making the situation even more serious, the consumption of animal products is projected to double in 50 years. If this happens, it will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to reduce greenhouse emissions enough to avoid very severe effects from global climate change.
  
  
• At a time when food prices are skyrocketing, food riots are occurring in many areas and an estimated 20 million people are dying annually worldwide from hunger and its effects, over 70 percent of the grain produced in the United States and over 40 percent produced worldwide are fed to farmed animals.
  
  
• In an increasingly thirsty and energy-dependent world, animal-based diets require up to 14 times as much water and 10 times as much energy as vegan (all plants) diets.
  
• Sharply reducing or preferably eliminating factory farming is so essential to environmental sustainability that we should do everything possible to make this a major societal imperative.