Eating Animals

The following photos are from Sugar Hill Farms near Battersea. I took them for a Kingston This Week article.

I am one of the few people from my generation who had regular access to an old fashioned family farm as a child. (Not this farm, but one like it.)

My dad grew up on a farm, and I'd like to think that in a way I did too, considering I spent a good deal of time at my Nan's house growing up, and, by association, my Uncle Grenville's farm next door. (Nan moved in beside us I was 11, but the farm is still maintained by members of my family.) 

I went back to the farm today for the first time in about 15 years. In a way it was a timely trip, although entirely unrelated to the crisis of conscience I've been experiencing for more than a year now.

On my Uncle Grenville's farm, the animals were always treated with a reasonable amount of respect. The cows had ample room to graze, and were certainly never beaten or abused. The chickens' beaks were not chopped off; the birds were free to wander outdoors at their own will, and engage in behaviour natural to the species. Etc.

I guess being exposed to this relatively idyllic picture of agriculture in early childhood led me to assume that all animal products are produced in like conditions. I had heard of the term "factory farm," but never really thought too much about it. I guess I always pictured something that resembled a really, really big version of my uncle's farm, and assumed there were regulations in place to make sure that the animals were not tortured, and that the products that came out of the farms were healthy and safe for human consumption. Books like Eating Animals, The Face on Your Plate, and The Omnivore's Dilemma suggest that this is not the case. 

In a nut shell, reading such literature has led me to question whether or not I should be eating conventionally produced meat - let alone any animal products at all. This led to a whole other set of questions, related to the notion of whether it is ethical to kill animals for food in the first place, even if they are given a good life.

Working for several local papers gave me the opportunity to meet many farmers who, like my uncle, make an effort to put out quality, sustainable products. Talking to them further strengthened my opinion that something needs to be done about the way we as a society view food. 

Yet these experiences also raised further questions: Maybe it IS ok to eat meat, if it is only viewed as a 'treat' for special occasions -(as it was a hundred years ago)? If everyone did so, maybe the demand for animal products and the amount that can sustainably be produced would even out a little. 

Furthermore, all these publications deal exclusively with American factory farms - is it really that bad in Canada? I've certainly never heard of any such farms in Southern Ontario. Are people just really good at covering up up the fact that they are here, or are we really that much better?

And what about traditions and social situations? Nearly every major form of social interaction involves food in some way. To what extent would permanently adopting a vegan diet damage my relationships with those I love - or would it at all? Why am I so scared to approach this subject directly with my friends and family? (As opposed to doing so indirectly here, I suppose.)

This is a very important issue to me, but I won't ramble on too much longer because I know I'm not going to come to any real conclusions this evening. If you have read this far already, I applaud you. Maybe I can make a difference simply by reducing the amount of animal products I consume. Then again, maybe my supporting this system in any capacity is hypocritical given how I know I feel deep down.