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Updated Wednesday, August 25, 2010 10:35 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Farmers, activists are learning to work together

One of the elements that have strengthened the position of animal rights activists in the United States is an evolution in awareness among American consumers. Animal-protection activist groups have become increasingly popular with the American public and tax records indicate a growing number of Americans are donating money to such groups.

But perhaps the most interesting modern development is the reaction from the other side. A story in The New York Times from earlier this month detailed a compromise between animal rights groups led by the respected Humane Society of United States (the world's largest animal advocacy organization with membership of over 10 million) and farmers in Ohio. The deal will phase out the tight caging of female pigs within 15 years and by the year 2017 veal calves will also no longer be interred in tiny cages.

Chickens will also be getting a better deal. Ohio — one of America's top egg producing states — is banning new egg farms from packing hens into small cages. Hailed as a “truce” between activists and farmers, the new rules adopted in Ohio signal that a long-running battle is coming to an end.

While unpleasant, conflict often leads to progress and all sides have learned lessons in this fight. Farmers have had to accept that as people's understanding of morality changes, certain practices that are perhaps the most cost efficient have to be abandoned. Many in the animal rights movement have learned to seek gradual reformation rather than violent revolution.

The general level of awareness related to factory farming or animal rights is not as high in Taiwan as it is elsewhere. Many people simply don't give much thought to where the meat on their plate comes from. But as awareness levels inevitably rise, so too will demands from Taiwan's public for more transparency.

Taiwan's fledgling animal rights movement would do well to learn from the lessons of the past by trying to find ways to educate without insulting, while at the same time recognizing that fundamental changes require a slow evolution.

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Comments

September 14, 2010 daniel.frankal@

Thank you for the nice article! I hope that Taiwan continues to move in a positive path towards animal rights, and I believe the new food labeling system introduced last year (?) helps a lot. Though, increasing the level of suffering the animals have to incur does little to change the fact that the animal's only value in life is the value of its body parts. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for most people to challenge their long time beliefs as it's not a pleasant feeling at first, but I believe people can be happier in the end if they open their eyes to the reality of the world we live in.