Yesterday, October 2nd, was World Day for Farmed Animals. Even though yesterday was the "official" day, I like to think that any day (or every day, even) could be World Day for Farmed Animals. This information needs to be shared, every chance we have.
I wrote about this day last year too (check that out here) and I wanted to talk a little more around language. Specifically, the use of "farmed' animals instead of "farm" animals. I think this slight change is incredibly important. For some reason, here in the U.S., when people hear the word farm they imagine idyllic, rolling pastures with happy animals running and playing, and they don't consider the that farms don't necessarily look like that and they never, ever, consider the "end." So, "farm" is place, one we can fantasize about and create the vision we want to see, instead of what it really is.
"Farmed" is different. Being farmed is an action, it's something that happens. It directly speaks to creating/raising/growing something for use. When we say "Farmed Animals" instead of "Farm Animals" we immediately understand that those caught up in this system are considered a commodity, not individuals who have an interest in living life. A life that we don't need to understand to see the value, to see why it matters that we stop considering other-than human animals as objects for our use and convenience. We don't need to want to roll in the mud or sleep in a pile of hay to understand that this is a fulfilling way to live a pig's best life. You don't need to want to sniff the ground or a nearby butt to understand why these things support your dog in living his best dog life.
We know that animals have the capacity to experience emotions, to feel pain, to suffer, we also know that we have other options when it comes to what we eat and what we use. You might be compelled to share an example of an area where food isn't so readily available and choices aren't as vast or you may want to point out that vegan food is expensive. In upcoming blogs, I'll touch on food apartheid and will direct you to some great resources. I'll also demonstrate countless ways to make incredible vegan meals without overspending. I'll point you to resources to help you make other vegan choices in your life. It's important to remember, while what a vegan eats is a significant piece of the puzzle, it's not the only piece.
If you're reading this and are wondering "didn't god make animals for us to consume?" I would like to direct you to 3 different podcasts from people who can answer this question a lot better than I could. Check out Episode 36: Veganism through the Jesus filter with The Vegan Heretic, Steven Lee August , Episode 42: 6 Reasons to go Vegan with Richard Schwartz, Director Emeritus JewishVeg , and yesterday's episode with Victoria Moran, she talks about food in Eden and how it changed after the fall.
Tell me in the comments below, what are you thinking? What are your questions? How can you make step towards creating a world where we don't need a World Day for Farmed Animals at all?
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I'm going out on a limb here, if we don't use farmed animals for meat which is what they have been known for after centuries, what will become of all of them? Do farmers stop breeding them and when what's here now is gone, so are the animals? What about fish, do we stop fishing and hunting wild animals too? On a positive note, I love vegetables and since my gallbladder surgery I've been living mostly on vegetables! Lia and I have even added a few vegan cookie recipes for her bake sales.
I'm not vegan, but do try to eat vegan at least part of the time. I appreciate you talking about veganism and animal rights, I do think resources like yours make it easier for people to make different choices.
Thank you for the clarification of a "farmed animal". It is a subtle change of the word "farm animal", but it has a big impact on how we think about these animals. I think it's important to challenge the anthropocentric view that only human lives are valuable. All animals have a right to live free from suffering and to fulfill their natural potential. Appreciate your post.