Dehorning

These days we remove the horns from almost all cattle when they are a few days old. But the traditional milk cow needed to be able to look after herself, and was familiar with the family and so generally docile enough to be safe.

This gal, "Bessy", has a truly impressive set of horns! But everyone obviously feels quite safe around her.

FDA starts to reign in anti-microbial feeds

The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics probably has diverse causes.  Certainly the over-prescribing and improper disposal of human medications plays a role.  however I, personally, also feel that the use f antibiotics in livestock feed is also playing a part.

So I think that the FDA is taking a step in the right direction.  they are requesting that companies not allow antibiotics important in human medicine also be used in livestock feed

Links

• Phasing Out Certain Antibiotic Use in Farm Animals
• FDA to crack down on antibiotics in animals reared for meat

Guardian Op-Ed: My beef isn't with beef: why I stopped being a vegetarian

"Every meal you eat that supports a sustainable farm changes the agricultural world. I cannot possibly stress this enough. Your fork is your ballot, and when you vote to eat a steak or leg of lamb purchased from a small farmer you are showing the industrial system you are actively opting out. You are showing them you are willing to sacrifice more of your paycheck to dine with dignity."

[Jenna Woginrich/Guardian]

Labelling

Labelling alerts consumers to qualities of the food that are not apparent from its intrinsic appearance.  these qualities are referred to variously as imperceptible, intrinsic or unobservable--and may include statuses such as 'organic' or 'genetically modified'. Concern about these qualities is termed "ethical preference". In the absence of labelling or other information that informs ethical choices, consumer are likely to feel less trust in the product. (Michalopoulos et al, 2008).

Understandably, makers of products that many consumers have an ethical aversion (e.g. GM salmon) to tend to resist providing or allowing others to provide labelling relating to the underlying imperceptible quality.

Michalopoulos, T., Korthals, M., & Hogeveen, H. (2007). Trading “Ethical Preferences” in the Market: Outline of a Politically Liberal Framework for the Ethical Characterization of Foods Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 21 (1), 3-27 DOI: 10.1007/s10806-007-9059-4

Beef Fat Clogs Waterway

"Some 15,000 gallons of animal fat poured into the channel through a storm drain on Tuesday after an onshore storage tank owned by agricultural company Jacob Sterns and Sons leaked 250,000 gallons of the greasy substance...." [HuffPo]

Cloned Animals

A cloned animal is one that is born with the full genotype of an already living animal.

There are serious ethical issues associated with abnormalities that cause fetal or neonatal death and other abnormalities.  Clone may also demonstrated accelerated aging.

However a cloned animal, if born without defect, is no different from a naturally conceived animal in its general conformation and behavior (Archer et al, 2003).

References:

• Archer, G.S. et al (2003). behavioral variation among cloned pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 81, 321-331.