$17.5 million is a lot of money. That was the size of the operating
budget last year for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Dr. John Church, animal welfare specialist with Alberta Agriculture,
brought that statistic to his presentation to the Farm Animal Council
of Saskatchewan meeting two weeks ago. Most of PETA’s money goes to
spreading its message of animal rights, he said, with a relatively
small portion used for animal rescue and other expenses.
Now PETA is taking on the livestock industry in North America.
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Witness the recent anti-milk campaign aimed at schoolchildren and
various anti-beef campaigns.
Church sees five points on the scale of human philosophies toward
animals. Abolitionists are on one end, believing animals have the same
rights as people and should not be used for any purpose.
There aren’t many abolitionists.
At the other end are dominionists, who believe people can do whatever
they want with animals because humans are the only species with rights.
There aren’t many dominionists either.
Most people fall into the central categories: animal rightists and
animal welfarists. As Church defines it, animal rightists believe
humans should not make use of animals except when it benefits the
animal or is mutually beneficial to animal and human.
Animal welfarists believe people can use animals, but they have a
responsibility for animals’ well being and to provide for their basic
needs.
Church says there are signs that sentiment is shifting toward the
animal rightist side and away from the welfarist segment occupied by
livestock producers.
Small wonder, when people are further removed from farms and food
sources, and when kids are raised on movies like Babe and Chicken Run
that essentially denounce the meat industry.
When we extol the virtues of animal welfare in this newspaper, we are
preaching to the converted. Livestock producers know there’s no
percentage – financially or morally – in mistreating animals.
Yet with PETA and like organizations spending millions on their
message, it becomes ever more crucial that livestock producers police
themselves and examine their operations carefully.
Farm animal councils are an excellent way to research animal welfare
issues and provide that information to producers.
There has never been a better time to get involved.
