Vegetarianism

[Tobi]

(10-21-2015, 05:04 AM)Ruth Wrote:

(10-19-2015, 04:45 PM)Catherine Wrote:

Quote:Not sure on prices over there, but here 300g organic unrefined coconut oil is about $13, but I find since I don't use it for all of my cooking (and don't need to use a lot when I do cook/bake with it) it lasts ages.

That is a good price. It might be more expensive here because it has to be imported from farther away. I find if I keep it cool most oils keep for ages.

Quote:I don't see what not eating animals will do for the meat industry. They will still kill animals for food until it is against the law. I sign legislation to try and make it against the law to kill them.

It is not a direct cause and effect situation, but when enough people refuse to eat meat because of the cruelty, then the meat industry will have to change. People are starting to look at where their food comes from and how it is produced. A lot of people do not want to eat meat from animals that lived horrible lives. If we boycott the worst offenders and demand change they will listen. They can see a loss of income if they don't change.
The whole cage egg issue is a good example. Big companies are being pressured about using eggs from caged hens. They are committing to change rather than lose business.

If we make it clear that we can live very well as vegetarians then we have the power to change the system. The meat industry needs us as customers. We don't need to eat their products if we don't like what they are doing.

The meat industry is a huge business and boycotting them won't do anything until the laws are changed. They will keep killing animals and we will just feel awful about it.

I absolutely agree with you Ruth, that the laws need to be changed.
Already gone are the days when people didn't need to think about the welfare of the animals they put on their plates. Nowadays thanks mainly to the internet, and many people asking the right questions, and those who work in any way at all, for conditions to change, people are becoming far more aware of such things, and more willing to try to make changes.

However, Catherine makes a point. If one person boycotts factory farmed meat -or even meat altogether, that will make no difference except to that one person and their ethics. But if a billion people (etc) refuse to support factory farming, or become vegetarian -that will make a tremendous difference to the 'demand' -for which the 'supply' is created. Suppliers will be forced into change because the 'demand' has changed.

I feel it is at least a two-pronged situation. Anyone who feels strongly about the fate of 'food animals' can employ many different tactics to bring about changes.