We keep 10,000 chickens in a single huge building whose floor is literally layers of their old shit, give them just enough room to stand there and not move around, and leave it there without any environmental controls through the hottest days of the year. What do you mean disease is prevalent?
Don't forget that we also feed the cows the chicken shit to cut costs!
You'd think the disease couldn't handle these conditions.
Then, when you try to legislate any kind of standard for humane livestock treatment, the farmers throw a hissy fit and block all the roads with their tractors.
Also featuring angry people because of a possible increase in price for meat/dairy.
Was that due to animal welfare regulations? Thought it had to do with regulations favoring mega farms and forcing small farms to stop.
It's because of all kinds of things in different places
As a meat eater, it's shit like this which is why I've been buying more vegetarian shit. Every week there's a new food recall. People are getting real sick and dying.
Same here. I tried out blackbean burgers, plant-based hot dogs, tofu and almond milk in my last couple of grocery runs, just to see what's up. Turns out I really like tofu as a substitute for ground beef, and the veggie dogs tasted just like all beef franks to me. And none of these things were any more expensive than meat, so that's also a big plus.
Which veggie dog worked for you? I can't find one that grills correctly.
If you can find some TVP in the shape of a steak, that stuff is also insane to me.
Like, I'm kind of not qualified to actually compare it to a steak, but my body instantly gave me that vegetarian gag reflex when I first had it, because it has that same chewiness.
And yeah, it's really cheap. You can just have it in your cupboard for an eternity. And to prepare it, you just boil it in salt water / stock for a few minutes, press out the water and throw it into a hot pan to sear it like a steak.
The Maillard reaction does its thing and somehow this chunk of goddamn defatted soy beans does not taste healthy anymore.
As an ex meat eater, this is what made me eventually go vegan
Same. Me too. When i buy meat, then it's only organic and the best ethical treatment I can find. And also waaaaaay less in general. It just became bad in every sense of way and plant-based stuff has gotten so much better over the last 3 decades.
Only thing that pisses me off is that the food my food eats is even more expensive for no apparent reason (edit: yes ofc i know the socio-economic reasons. As a consumer i just don't care. That's what i meant)
Meat and dairy are heavily subsidized by the government (at least in US). Government subsidies for animal agriculture allow them to sell for cheaper because they can sell for less than what it actually costs to make.
There's nothing ethical about exploiting and slaughtering an innocent living creature.
I'm not implying anything about your diet, just requesting you break free from the 'muh local farm humane' propaganda and stop deluding yourself.
also "meat eaters: 😲"
But but there is no ethical consumption under capitalism so that means I shouldn't even try
Perhaps the ethical consumption is that of the rich /s
Meat eaters: 😲🍗🤤😫💦
Yeah, okay buddy. I suppose next you're gonna tell me climate change is real, huh?
This should read as:
Regulators: allows the meat industry to put creatures in the filthiest conditions possible
disease starts spreading and affecting the industry
Regulators: 😧
More like:
Meat industry: lobbies regulators and focuses on profits above all else despite every warning against it
disease starts spreading and affecting the industry
Meat industry: 😮
This is spot on. The meat industry for years has been trusted because of regulation. The moment you take away regulation you take away trust and start a race to the bottom. Ask any of these other deregulated industries:
-News and Television -Deregulated in the 90s
-Boeing and commercial aircraft - Merged unchallenged in the 90s and the FAA allowed "self reporting"
-Banks - Deregulated in the 90s.
You mean to tell me that industries sacrifice long term consequences for short term profit?!
shockes Pikachu face
It is in part a consumer issue. Consumers want things as cheaply as possible, and companies that produce as cheaply as possible sell more product. We've seen the same issue with apparel; America wants cheap clothing, and so the mills in the US have largely closed, and most production has been moved overseas in order to make the final products cheap enough.
And while it's partly a consumer issue, the fact that wages haven't kept up with productivity--that is, more and more money is being skimmed out of the system by investors and executives rather than going to the workers--has been the driver towards making consumer goods more and more cheaply, simply because people have less purchasing power.
Consumers have limited visibility into the conditions under which their products are made, and consumer behavior does not always result in the most desirable outcome for the public. Which makes it a regulation problem. That's why regulation exists.
Consumers have limited visibility into the conditions under which their products are made
This is by design.
Limited visibility, limited comprehension, limited attention, and limited risk aversion.
Just because something is expensive doesn't always mean that the standard of living of those making the product is any better. Nike sweat shops for example.
Consumers dont have a lot of transparent choices here. Governments have roles in regulating and making the true cost of products more transparent. I'd say businesses have that responsibility, but clearly that doesn't work, otherwise we wouldn't be here etc. Businesses dont want people feeling guilty when they buy their product, so why would they tell people.
For a business to be competitive in a harm free supply chain, then the playing field needs to be levelled. Transparent supply chains everywhere, make everyone feel guilty all the time, maybe something would change.
These problems are not all the fault of either the producers or consumers, we're both part of a fucked up cycle within an exploitative economic system and influence each other.
It doesn't make any more sense for the consumer to wash their hands of all blame and consume without concern and push all the blame on the producer than it does to say it's all about our "carbon footprint".
Consumers: only buy the cheapest regardless of how it's produced, ensuring a race to the bottom
Producers: lower standards to increase production so they can sell meat for the lowest cost
Consumers when they find out what that entails: shocked pikachu face
I highly doubt that chain of causation to be true. Had people paid more, the producers would still lower their cost base as much as possible, in order to maximize profits.
Something something late-stage capitalism.
Corporations: Under pay employees for decades
Consumers: only buy the cheapest regardless of how it’s produced, ensuring a race to the bottom
Producers: lower standards to increase production so they can sell meat for the lowest cost
Consumers when they find out what that entails: shocked pikachu face
FTFY
As always, nobody could have seen this coming. Of course.