animal's rights

[bertie21]

Who decides what animals we should eat and what ones we shouldn't? (excluding the endangered species argument) Who decides what animal over another has a right to live?

[Headtime]

I don't think any one person decides what animals we should or shouldn't eat.

It's argued that the reason we (in Britain) eat a relatively few different types animals is that Cows, Sheep, Pigs and Chickens were some of the first animals early man managed to domesticate and farm. And we haven't really got that adventurous in our tastes.

Indeed many people recoil at the idea of eating meats other cultures consume. e.g whale meat, dogs, cats, snakes insects etc. But I feel there is nothing that strange in eating a snake compared to a chicken really.

And because we farm most of the meat we eat, it's unlikely to endanger a particular species. It's different in the case of fish and seafood, where overfishing is threatening (or has threatened) many species like cod, tuna and whales.

Although it should be also be remembered that intensive beef farming is the reason that much of the South American rainforests have disappeared. Destroyed to create pasture to rear beef that we in the West consume in all manner of Junk Food.

[b_soucek]

there is no ONE answer to this question. It's a question of ethics... of which most people differ in opinion.

I am a vegetarian. I have chosen to not eat any meats of any kind, or products derived from animals. I respect another person's choice to eat meat, but i think it is important that people who chose to eat meat, will eat animals that have been bred in a non-intensive way.

Battery cage chickens are bred so intensively to meet the demand.. that the breeders feed them all sorts of hormones and drugs to speed up their growth. not only is this detrimental to the health of the animal, but also to the person who consumes that animal. The chickens are shoved in cages with not even enough room to turn around in. they live in their own excrement, the urine literally burns their feet and legs. this is why intensively farmed chickens have burnt/scabbed legs. take a look next time you pop into the supermarket. The chickens are living in such stressful conditions they turn to cannibalism, so the breeders often cut off their beaks to prevent them from pecking eachother to death. The result? Many of them starve to death because it's so painful they can't eat. And the breeders who go into these warehouses full of chickens to monitor them, actually have to wear facemasks because the ammonia levels produced from the excrement is SO high that they can't breath properly. So how do you think the chickens are feeling?

I Suggest you read Peter Singer's 'animal liberation'. Thoroughly interesting read. Most of what i mentioned above i read in there.

[SupaAbzyBall]

Well cultural factors play a role. I read in my medical geography book that in fact dogs meat is most nutrious of any animal, but as dogs are seen as 'mans best friend' in the UK, it is frowned upon to eat them. Similarly, the pig would be great for breeding in the middle east and reduce thier imports of foodstuffs. However, pigs cannot be made halal thus cannot be eaten.  

[mummykins]

In my opinion, in this country, we only eat animals that are not meat eaters themselves.  Once upon a time, horses (the only one we don't eat) were too useful to eat and we kept them for other reasons.