Copenhagen – a threat to farm animals?
Compassion in World Farming is, and always has been, about stopping cruelty to farm animals. We know that factory farming is cruel. The current debate over climate and the environment gives us an opportunity to point out how stupid it is too.
Almost 200 of the world’s nations are meeting in December 2009 in Copenhagen to negotiate a new deal on climate change. The summit is the 15th annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This group is perhaps best known for facilitating the 1987 Kyoto protocol.
Tackling climate change = more animal cruelty?
Regardless of the outcomes of Copenhagen, it is fair to say that the majority of nations around the world recognise the perils of allowing our planet to heat up in the years ahead. What is less commonly reported is that many within the powerful agribusiness lobby are arguing that further intensification of livestock farming could help combat climate change.
Until recently few realised that run-away factory farming and its consequent addictive diet of "cheap" meat has resulted in livestock production accounting for almost 20% of human greenhouse gas emissions.
Their argument is simple: the world's growing population will need more "efficient" meat production to satisfy growing demand – so the answer to them seems obvious… more intensive farming with maximum yields achieved from each animal. In other words, the spectre of climate change could lead policy makers to sleepwalk us into more, not less, factory farming in the years ahead.
We know that this would be a disaster on an unimaginable scale; for animals as well as people. It would cause even greater suffering and make our food system even further removed from environmental sustainability, bringing further serious consequences.
Alerting our policy-makers to the folly of factory farming on all fronts - animal cruelty, climate and social costs – will be vital if we are to overcome the huge vested interests that are behind the industrial agricultural model.
An opportunity to re-think?
If you tunnel to the very core, the 'essence', of Compassion in World Farming, you'll find a belief that farm animals should not, and need not, suffer. We want to end factory farming. Why? Because keeping animals caged, crammed and confined causes huge suffering to the animals involved.
Compassion's focus is animal welfare, we’re not an environmental organisation. However, we see the consequences of factory farming on our climate, our environment and our ability to feed the world's people. There is a great onus on us to engage in the big debates of our time. It is essential to contribute to discussions on food, farming and the environment to help steer the world toward a better future, toward humane and sustainable farming. And therein lies great opportunity.
The climate change debate is a powerful example of where our message of compassion and respect for farm animals is both timely and relevant. Global deliberations on climate change (such as the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen), present us with an opportunity to stop and re-think our relationship with food and farming.
Most experts agree that success in the battle against climate change will require a seismic re-appraisal of the way we do things on our planet – and this represents a golden chance to promote our vision. Not simply to combat the intensive agribusiness lobby and avoid further intensification but to re-assess the very way in which humanity treats the tens of billions of animals produced each year.
Humane + sustainable = the future
Today, factory farming is the biggest cause of animal suffering in the world. Globally we rear around 60 billion animals a year, mostly in factory farms. In order to mobilise maximum energy against factory farming, Compassion is working hard to bring to the world's attention some of the other, less known impacts of factory farming as well as pointing the way to feeding our planet without such cruelty. Our 2009 report, Eating the Planet, outlines the ultimate win-win scenario: feeding the world’s population in 2050 without intensive agriculture is not only good for animal welfare but also provides environmental benefits such as promoting biodiversity and reducing pollution.
For more detail
Further information from Compassion in World Farming on animal agriculture, climate change and sustainability:
Download Beyond Factory Farming - sustainable solutions for animals, people and the planet and other publications here >>
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