I recently watched one of those unbearably graphic animal rights documentaries. It was called Earthlings, and was somewhat different from others I have seen. (It is very good, but very difficult to watch, so be warned. Unfortunately, like most efforts on the topic, it doesn’t present counter arguments which makes it imbalanced and therefore easier for people to dismiss.)

Whereas some similar videos attempt only to appeal to your emotions, this one (also) makes a concentrated effort to appeal to your ethics. The first portion of the film is pleasingly devoid of gruesome footage, instead setting up the moral framework for what you are about to see. Essentially, it makes the argument that ignoring the rights of animals is an “ism” as heinous as racism, sexism, etc. Speciesism is not a new idea, but their argument was better than most.

I’m not going to go any further into the animal ethics debate. I studied it at university with Dr. Michael Allen Fox, and have been considering changing my lifestyle. While I’m not going to knee-jerk into a vegetarian, the idea of not contributing to the unnecessary torture of animals is something that appeals to me. The problem, as I see it, is there is no real alternative - either you eat meat and support the suffering or you never touch it again.

We all realize the issues involved in the disassociation between the products we use and the animals exploited during the production. From leather and fur to meat to cosmetics, animals are a huge part of our consumer culture. By successfully ignoring the suffering that occurs to feed and clothe us - yet all the while knowing it happens - we are creating a societal hypocrisy that is alarming.

I understand that it is very, very difficult for people to watch the footage captured by these filmmakers. We’ve all heard someone say “I can’t watch those things because if I did I’d never eat meat again.” They aren’t saying this because they have a weak stomach (though that’s part of it), they’re saying it because they know their ethics wouldn’t allow them to participate in such terrible acts. They wouldn’t see the meat at the deli the same way.

The solution, then, is for the government to step in.

I’m not proposing beating people over the head, forcing them watch the films. I’m not talking about banning meat or fur or leather or animal testing. I’m talking about setting up a program of regulation and education, similar to the ones that force food producers to list the nutritional information on the packaging.

Here are a few ideas that wouldn’t infringe on people’s individual right to make their own decisions:

  • Start doing a better job of visiting farms and slaughterhouses to make sure they meet some minimum standard of care (and raise the standard, please).
  • Force companies to list their farming standards on the packaging. Just like the ground beef says lean or extra lean, it can say no branding, no dehorning, and so forth. Farms and slaughterhouses can make decisions on how they’ll treat the animals, maintained by inspection, and the packaging will reflect the treatment.
  • Eggs and other animal products can be the same - have markings like no debeaking, free range and whatever else. Cheese can list the hours in a day a cow spends chained to it’s mechanical milking machine. This gives consumers the awareness they need and want without restricting people’s behaviour.

Running these operations will cost the government money and probably also raise the cost of the product (the cost would rise with the more ethical treatment). Perhaps a tax on animal products would raise the cash to fund the inspection and standardization program. I really don’t see a huge negative from raising the cost of meat, as we’d all be healthier if we ate less.A cow.

The genius of my plan is that we balance ethics with individuality. People like me who want animals to be treated better but still think people can consume meat ethically have more options than the black or white of full on vegetarianism. I can go to the supermarket and pick up the cheese and chicken breasts without knowing that animals suffered terribly to make it for me.

I really believe that governments can be effective instruments in helping people live better lives. It’s important for us not to lose our individuality, but industry should be forced to let us know what is going into the products they are trying to sell us.

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