From: hal@finney.org
Date: Thu Feb 15 2001 - 17:10:33 MST
Terry Donaghe, <Terry@Donaghe.com>, writes:
> I took a trip to PETA's website (which is pretty and very nicely done) but
> couldn't find a single instance of an alternative use of the lives of
> domesticated animals. Should we let them go free? I seem to remember a
> story about a group of eco-terrorists in France who released a whole bunch
> of minks (or similar critter) from a fur farm. The poor things promptly ran
> away right into traffic where a bunch were killed. Can you imagine what
> would happen if we set pigs free to roam the forrests?
This isn't the real problem. Even if people do decide to stop eating
animals, it won't happen overnight. Herds will gradually decrease over a
period of years as farmers breed less due to decreased demand. We won't
have to decide what to do with millions of unwanted cows and hogs.
The issue, rather, is that a bunch of "potential" animals, who would
have been born, raised, slaughtered and eaten, won't be born at all.
The total number of cow-minutes of life will be greatly reduced, and
likewise for other food animals.
Whether you see this as good or bad might depend on how you view the
quality of life of farm animals today.
Hal
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