We are all familiar with the idea of higher-welfare meat - there have been numerous media articles, tv programmes, magazine features and celebrity-chef campaigns about the reasons we should be eschewing battery-farmed chicken, eggs, dairy and meat, and instead choosing organic and RSPCA higher-welfare approved products. Most of us agree with this, in theory at least if not in practice. Despite this, 95% of all chicken produced in the UK is from factory farming, according to Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals.
We know the reasons why factory farming is bad news - its immensely cruel, and even those who want to eat meat, and believe that eating meat is natural, agree that an animal should at least have the chance of a natural and happy life before it is killed for our dinner plates. There are also wider health and environmental concerns, but fundamentally, we know that its just inhumane to treat animals as mere commodities which can be used and abused, because in the long run, the outcome will be the same. We know this is the wrong way to view things. We believe that things would be better if they were like the old days, where more traditional, more compassionate, less intensive, farming methods were used.
So, for this reason, we should be shocked and angry then, when we read that the first planning applications in 15 years for battery rabbit farms have been lodged with local councils in the UK - and no fewer than 6 of them all at once. There is a very interesting article on the Guardian website here which explains the proposed set-up of one such application and offers some counter-arguments about significant welfare concerns, particularly well summarised by a spokesperson from Compassion in World Farming. If or when one thinks about eating rabbit, one usually thinks of wild rabbit, hunted in much the same way as other game animals. Many people consider this one of the most ethical ways of obtaining animal flesh, since the animal has lived as natural a life as can be prior to the end of its life, even if the method of killing the animal is contentious.
The welfare concerns of battery farming are immense. First of all, there are to be no windows or natural lighting in the building in which they will be housed. Surely there can be nothing so basic to all of us as our need for some daylight, sunshine and views of the outside natural world? A basic right is denied before we even begin. Imagine being shut in a dark barn or cave all your life, and then being expected to produce offspring? Of course, if windows were provided I'd still have a huge problem with these proposals.
I happen to know quite a bit about rabbits. I have links with several rabbit rescues and am part of an online pro-rescue rabbit community. I have 6 rescue rabbits myself, each with a different story, different personality, different physique, different background, different needs. They are as unique as you and me, obviously. They are very inquisitive and intelligent animals, with bags of character and individual mannerisms. Each one interacts with me differently. They have boundless energy, which any owner who gives their bunny space and TLC, will witness when they see their rabbit "binky" or do a "bunny 500". Their cuteness belies all of this, and the myth that they will be content to be in a small hutch because "they do nothing all day", could not be more wrong. This is why the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) set up their "A Hutch Is Not Enough Campaign". A rabbit's permanent accommodation should be large enough to allow the rabbit to do 3 full hops from end to end, which people may underestimate, and may be about 6-7 feet. The RWAF suggests, as a bare minimum, that rabbits should have a 6'x2'x2' hutch, with a separate area for toiletting, eating and sleeping. In addition, a secure run of 8'x4' should be attached.
So how is a cage measuring 110cm x 60cm (3'7" x 1'11") enough for a farmed rabbit? Simple - it isnt. (Bear in mind that we do not know the prososed height of each rabbit cage, which could also be as little as 1 foot high. Rabbits love to periscope - that is, stand on their hind legs to have a good look at the world and assess what's going on, therefore the RWAF recommends a minimum of 2' height in addition to depth to allow rabbits to practice this most natural of behaviours). In addition, the rabbits which are planned to be kept are New Zealand Whites - a large breed, not your standard dwarf or medium pet rabbit - which makes this size of cage even more ghastly and disturbing.
Rabbits are usually housed on solid flooring of some kind, but these rabbits are going to have to live on wire flooring, which will dig painfully in to their feet. Rabbits are at risk of developing sore ulcerated hocks which are intensely painful, and can become inflamed and infected. If infection spreads, it can be fatal. Having no solid base is also likely to be terribly disconcerting to the rabbit.
The breeding does will never be freed from their cages or given any access to a larger space to run around in. What does a rabbit do, if not hop, run and jump? The prospective owner suggests that he will "give away" the breeding does as pets at age 5 (I presume he doesn't mean set free like many other breeding rabbits are each year!). By age 5, 85% of unneutered female rabbits will develop uterine cancer so most will probably die anyway before they ever get a chance to run around anywhere and truly stretch their legs. However of the small few who may, they are likely to have suffered such severe physical damage to their hind quarters, including muscle wastage and deformed legs, that they wouldn't be able to do this even if they wanted to. I have seen the devastating effects of tiny cages on a rabbit's physiology, and subsequently on their well-being and happiness, with my own eyes. It is heartbreaking. It is likely that these rabbits will have permanent behavioral problems and have difficulty adjusting to the freedoms of living as a domestic rabbit, as well as learning to trust and love their owners. So lets be clear - there will not be a happy ending for these rabbits, and not one of them will live any kind of life. Can you imagine being cooped up all your life?
The male rabbits, left unneutered, are likely to be driven insane by their hormones, being cooped up in a tiny space. This does beg the question of the safety of introducing two rabbits to breed, and of course, one in which the female has no choice, but has to bear the consequences, time and time again. How many mums and babies will suffer in this process? Thousands.
Michelle Danan, from Compassion in World Farming, said in the Guardian (online, 29/04/2011) that "a barren environment could lead to rabbits developing abnormal behaviour – such as excessive grooming and in the worst cases, cannibalism. Our information shows that in these intensive systems, rabbits can be so starved of any stimulation, that out of sheer frustration they eat each others' ears – not an image many of us would want to have in our heads when eating a stew or wearing an angora jumper."
I notice that the prospective owner also plans to keep some angora rabbits for fur production, which is also controversial. Although long-haired rabbits do need to be groomed and brushed on a daily basis (and in hot weather they may need to have their fur cut short), industrial levels of fur production inevitably have painful consequences for the rabbits. Their fur may be left to grow for up to 3 months, yes even in the hot summer months, to enable the maximum yield, or else it may be pulled. Pulled?! Good grief! Rabbits are delicate creatures and pain can cause them to go in to shock and/or gut stasis, both of which can be fatal to the rabbit.
I hope that by taking the time to read this entry, you will see for yourself how cruel factory farming is for any animal, but particularly in this case for rabbits. I hope you will agree that it is wrong, and that there are alternatives.
So, what can you do to help?
1) Sign the petition against these factory farms being given the go ahead, here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/say-no-to-rabbit-battery-farming/
2) You can also register your objections to the local councils considering the applications: http://www.nsdc.info/eplanning/default.aspx?sid=1&sindex=1&id=2&refno=11/00386/FUL
3) Choose not to eat rabbit meat. Remember rabbits are intelligent, inquisitve, characterful animals who just want to live their lives like you and I do. However, if you do continue to eat rabbit, please consider carefully where that meat has been sourced from, and choose wild rabbit only.
4) Don't buy angora wool products, including jumpers, cardigans etc. Remember the rabbit that has had to suffer to make it!
5) If you eat meat, perhaps you could consider choosing more ethically produced meat, or even consider reducing the amount of meat you eat - see Meat Free Monday for more: http://www.meatfreemondays.co.uk/. Perhaps you could consider becoming vegetarian, or eating more vegetarian meals. Any step you make towards choosing higher-welfare meat, or reducing your meat intake, will have a beneficial effect on the environment, animal welfare and even possibly your own health.
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Saturday, 9 April 2011
R.I.P Grand National Horses
I'm saddened to learn about the death of two racehorses in today's Grand National race. So sorry you died on this sunny day with people cheering and shouting, and millions of people watching on TV.
I used to think that having a flutter on the gee-gees once a year was a bit of fun, and a way to make a quid or two. I used to be really lucky actually, and always won something every year, whether it was an Each Way bet or on the office sweepstake.
But now I never bet on horse-racing and I never watch it. I am actually opposed to it. Many people see it as a bit of harmless fun, sport from which they stand a chance of making a quid or two. A place they can go for a special occasion and quaff champagne and wear a smart outfit. I've been to the races a few times in the past, on hen do's or point-to-point meets.
Then one day I came across an article about horse-racing - I cant remember what the article was now. But it got me thinking about it. Yes the horses are well looked after, yes they are generally loved and also yes, these are horses that the arverage horse owner could not look after as they are too highly strung. However these animals are bred and kept with the sole goal of horse-racing.
Quite apart from the animals that die and sustain serious and potentially life-threatening injuries through racing (not to mention the whipping), there is also the breeding and destruction and neglect of countless other horses, all in the name of racing.
Animal Aid has an interesting article on its webpage, and I am sure like me, you will find it incredibly sad and tragic.
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/horse/ALL///
I used to think that having a flutter on the gee-gees once a year was a bit of fun, and a way to make a quid or two. I used to be really lucky actually, and always won something every year, whether it was an Each Way bet or on the office sweepstake.
But now I never bet on horse-racing and I never watch it. I am actually opposed to it. Many people see it as a bit of harmless fun, sport from which they stand a chance of making a quid or two. A place they can go for a special occasion and quaff champagne and wear a smart outfit. I've been to the races a few times in the past, on hen do's or point-to-point meets.
Then one day I came across an article about horse-racing - I cant remember what the article was now. But it got me thinking about it. Yes the horses are well looked after, yes they are generally loved and also yes, these are horses that the arverage horse owner could not look after as they are too highly strung. However these animals are bred and kept with the sole goal of horse-racing.
Quite apart from the animals that die and sustain serious and potentially life-threatening injuries through racing (not to mention the whipping), there is also the breeding and destruction and neglect of countless other horses, all in the name of racing.
Animal Aid has an interesting article on its webpage, and I am sure like me, you will find it incredibly sad and tragic.
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/horse/ALL///
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog. I guess its a blog, essentially, about ethics, life, the world, and ourselves.
This blog centres around my passion for animals, the environment, people, health, social functioning and other important issues. I'm not trying to say what's right and what's wrong, but trying to encourage greater consideration of issues that we tend to take for granted. I think generally as people we think "x is the norm, so lets keep doing x". We can think about things differently, we can do things differently - or we can at least just talk about them.
I know that I am not the only person that thinks about stuff from a different perspective, or who reads deeper in to things than what the newspapers and celebrities have to say. It may make me unpopular, it may make me a mockery, but everything needs a balance....and thats where The Wider Context comes in.
I guess I start from this standpoint - I am a vegan, who cares about animal welfare (particularly pet rabbit welfare), who cares about the planet, and who cares about other people. I'm reluctant to use the word political - as politics divides and alienates people so easily, like its not about you and me - but I guess there is a political edge to some of what's important to me.
So anyway the blog will just run and we'll see how it goes. I'll likely end up editing this welcome page as it becomes more obvious throughout its development what really makes me tick.
Thanks for reading, and catch you soon.
This blog centres around my passion for animals, the environment, people, health, social functioning and other important issues. I'm not trying to say what's right and what's wrong, but trying to encourage greater consideration of issues that we tend to take for granted. I think generally as people we think "x is the norm, so lets keep doing x". We can think about things differently, we can do things differently - or we can at least just talk about them.
I know that I am not the only person that thinks about stuff from a different perspective, or who reads deeper in to things than what the newspapers and celebrities have to say. It may make me unpopular, it may make me a mockery, but everything needs a balance....and thats where The Wider Context comes in.
I guess I start from this standpoint - I am a vegan, who cares about animal welfare (particularly pet rabbit welfare), who cares about the planet, and who cares about other people. I'm reluctant to use the word political - as politics divides and alienates people so easily, like its not about you and me - but I guess there is a political edge to some of what's important to me.
So anyway the blog will just run and we'll see how it goes. I'll likely end up editing this welcome page as it becomes more obvious throughout its development what really makes me tick.
Thanks for reading, and catch you soon.
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