The End of Factory Farming by Josef Graf Earth Vision/Insight21

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The End of Factory Farming
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Submitted Saturday, September 20, 2008
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If those who consume mass meat products could witness either a) the

conditions 95% of the animals in the factory farm industry have to endure, or

b) the loss that is accruing in humanity's inner life due to this animal

abuse - then the industry would grind to a halt overnight. Surely the human

race cannot be as diabolical as its relationship with the animal kingdom

suggests.

- the Earth Vision project, 2008

Recently, although an omnivore in my own diet, and given to eating some meat (

organically and humanely raised), I was ready to give up on humanity, a

species that was continuing to allow acute brutality and suffering to visit

animals (could this be the same humanity that initiated the SPCA? Or was

that a mere ruse toward humane treatment of non-human species?).

However, I was not aware, at the time, of certain developments that gave

cause for hope. For example, some European countries are slated to ban the

harshest aspects of factory farming. And speculation suggests that the

entire European Union will go on board in the (hopefully) near future. This

development, in turn, will generate pressure upon North America to eventually

follow suit.

And on this continent, the state of California has recently put forward a

proposition to oppose the worst aspects of factory farming.

The real picture

The crowded conditions of factory farming require the use of increasing

dosages of antibiotics and pesticides to maintain operations.

These chemical applications (through which the pharmaceutical industry is

reaping obscene profits), it turns out, amount to the cultivation of

superbugs that will almost certainly assail humanity in devastating ways.

The degradation of cattle is linked to the rise in Alzheimer's disease, as

the human brain gives way to a spongiform condition. Contrary to popular

opinion, cows are still being forced to be cannibalistic, as they are fed

blood, bone meal, and other miscellaneous aspects of other cows (no brain

matter, but most everything else). And testing for Mad Cow currently

involves only a tiny fraction of overall herds. Further, because Mad Cow can

take ten years to manifest, it is estimated that thousands of infected cows

per year are likely entering the system. If you are still eating beef, run

like hell the other way!

(And see The Return of Bison and Wolf for an alternative.)

Environmentally, manure and wastes from combined animal operations account

for three times as much waste as humans produce, wastes that commonly go

untreated. This waste is contributing to emissions that are rapidly warming

the planet and creating water pollution and "dead zones" nationwide.

The factory farm industry, and the wealthy and powerful agricultural and

pharmaceutical lobbies, are at this moment fighting laws that would mandate

the provision of information on toxic emissions.

Many North Americans and Europeans cite the cost of food as a reason to both

avoid choosing organic food and to continue the barbarism against animals.

In fact, the cost of food in North America is extremely low. Consider how in

many Third world countries vast numbers of people are working all day just to

feed themselves. That is truly expensive provision! In the developed

countries, food - even if buying all organic and humanely raised food - is

very inexpensive.

(Further, in defense of the organic option, one can eat well, and cheaper

than most non-organic food-consumers - simply by avoiding processed food.

Also, smaller quantities are needed when buying organic, as the nutritional

value is higher. North American society, in particular, has a high incidence

of people who are stuffing themselves into obesity, yet still coming away

hungry - because they can't feed themselves enough nutrients. They eat and

eat, and are still hungry. . .)

From Wikipedia:

"The UN and OIE estimate that in coming decades there will be billions of

additional consumers in developing countries eating meat factory farmed in

developing countries, but currently only about 40 out of the around 200

countries in the world have the capacity to adequately respond to a health

crisis originating from animal disease (such as avian flu, West Nile virus,

bluetongue, and foot and mouth disease). Widespread use of antibiotics

increases the chance of a pandemic resistant to known measures, which is

exacerbated by a globally distributed food system. Decreased genetic

diversity increases the chance of a food crisis."

The factory farm issue is not at all a question of affordability. Rather,

and quite remarkably, when we consider the economic impacts of environmental

damage, human health impact (already big, but only the tip of the iceberg),

socioeconomic impact, not to mention the weighty load of nasty karma diners-

on-suffering-flesh are surely accruing. . . it's becoming clear now that we

cannot afford to continue factory farming.

Some of the ingredients in animal factory feed translate, ultimately, into

what they are feeding you: excessive grain (not a natural diet for cattle -

leads to liver and digestive imbalances and illnesses); shredded bits of

plastic(!) in lieu of natural roughage; meat from the same species (

cannibalizing effect, leads to BSE, avian bird flu, lots more to come);

animal by-products (so-called "animal protein products" - rendered feathers,

hair, skin, hooves, internal organs, beaks, bones; drugs and chemicals (

needed due to over-crowding).

Numerous forms of abuse

Foie gras, in fact diseased liver, is produced by force-feeding ducks and

geese an unnatural amount and type of food until their livers become diseased

and enlarge up to ten times their normal, healthy size. More than a dozen

countries, California, and the city of Chicago, have all legislated against

foie gras production on animal welfare grounds.

Routine mutilations, usually without anesthesia, include castration, de-

beaking, de-toeing, tail docking, and others.

From the Humane Society of the U.S.: "Most eggs produced in the United

States come from industrialized factory farms confining hundreds of thousands-

if not millions-of laying hens in overcrowded battery cages. Arguably the

most abused animals in all agribusiness, nearly 280 million laying hens in

the United States are confined in barren, wire battery cages so restrictive

the birds can't even spread their wings. With no opportunity to engage in

many of their natural behaviors, including nesting, dust bathing, perching,

and foraging, these birds endure lives wrought with suffering."

The reader is invited to view the youtube presentations on factory farming at

the end of this article. In addition to the foregoing information,

witnessing the conditions of deprivation these animals are experiencing

provides a taste of the real story behind our "modern" food industry.

Implications - the spiritual ecology behind the nature-human relationship

If you are experiencing any of the following emotions in your life, emotions

that run parallel to those of factory farmed animals - anxiety, stress, fear,

existential oblivion, or despair - then, because these feelings become

incorporated in the animal's flesh and blood, you can eliminate a source of

darkness in your life by stopping consumption of non-organic and inhumanely-

raised beef, pork, chicken, meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as farmed

fish.

Physically, an "interior" experience of the mass meat holocaust occurs when

the pollution of factory farms that taints the water, soil, and air of the

external environment finds its way into our bodies as chemical pollutants (

antibiotics, pharmaceuticals in the meat and our drinking water, etc.)

On the psychological level, accepting lower quality food is reflective of an

undervaluing of the self.

Tied up in the metaphysical weaving of this issue is the notion of "contact."

The more an individual feels separate from elements of nature, the more he/

she feels compelled to assert some form of contact. The psychopathic extreme

of this phenomena manifests as torture to animals (thus, the factory farms

find ready recruits to staff its regime.)

Alternatively, the more an individual opens to the enduring inter-weave

between the soul and nature, the more he/she discovers true contact.

All things considered, how could it come to pass that our relationship with

animals could sink to such abysmal depths?

Just what is happening within ourselves, that we have arrived at a state in

which we are willing to brutalize the very essence of our own being (as

reflected by the animal counterparts within us that embody our soul qualities)

?

On a very real level of our being an alarming betrayal is taking place.

Because the dynamics of the mass meat industry are a direct reflection of

human self-abuse, to the extent that an individual partakes of the animal

holocaust, that individual visits suffering upon his/her own psyche. Factory

farming, it turns out, is a regime of self-hate.

As a final aspect of exploration on this issue, let us use the domestic

chicken as a point of departure, in order to explore the difference between,

on the one hand, the abused and obliterated non-entity that factory farming

creates, versus the dynamic being that became a close companion to humanity

several thousand years ago:

Jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), ornate, exotic, adorned in fiery, multi-hued

plumage, prefers forest edges. Originating in the foothills of the Himalayas,

the jungle fowl is equally at home where it can retreat into the protection

of a dim thicket, or emerge to explore opportunities in open spaces. When

kept as pets, chickens are known to exhibit intelligent behavior. The rooster

of the species displays remarkable nerve, often fearlessly confronting a

being 20 times its size. Dubbed the Herald of Dawn, in more ways than one it

delivers a wake up call. In the human cultural context, its call is said to

mean "liberation from darkness."

The time has come to do just that, on behalf of all domesticated species.

Picture the highest form of existence - for cattle, pigs, chickens, all the

beings we have domesticated - free-ranging, healthy, able to fulfill their

lives. And, rather than being abused in a process of obliviation, imagine

enabling our animal companions to evolve further, to a higher state of being,

that which is their true destiny.

Picture humanity freeing itself, as well, evolving the qualities and

resources of the inner tapestry that weaves in tandem with its companion

animals. The two are inseparable.

Co-evolution is calling.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way

its animals are treated."

- Mahatma Gandhi

This article was prepared by nature author, Josef Graf, coordinator of the

Earth Vision project - nature in the light of spiritual ecology, at www.

evsite.net.

For further links and resources on this issue visit the Earth Vision site,

http://www.evsite.net Earth Vision - presenting

answers for the 21st Century.

Click on: The End of Factory Farming

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