What are they and why they need to end!
When Temple Grandin, a brilliant zoologist who specializes in farm animals, visited a macro farm, she wrote in her diary “If hell exists, I’m in it”.
Grandin had a remarkable sensitivity towards farm animals and vowed to make their living conditions decent. For this, she visited different farms across the country, witnessing hellish enclosures that had no regard for the animal’s health or wellbeing after all, why did those animals need any comfort if they were born to die?
In Spain, the case of Caparroso’s macro farm came to light because the animal’s faeces were polluting the nearby river to alarming levels. Greenpeace Spain made a protest video not only for the environmental damage the faeces were causing, but also to enlighten the general public about what macro farms are.
Macro farms are big industrial warehouses where animals are kept in cages just a little bit bigger than them and fed artificially made food. There is almost no separation between cages, and don’t allow them to leave unless it’s for breeding or to be sent to the slaughterhouse. Their purpose is to produce as much and as cheap as possible, for that they keep the livestock in inhumane conditions and abuse them to breed and produce endlessly. Not only do they abuse cattle, but also dogs as there are also dog macro farms.
This type of livestock farming cannot be allowed to continue, for the abuse it inflicts on cattle, the damage it does to the environment and the threat it poses to local traditional farmers with its low prices. Every single animal deserves a proper enclosure to live, food that actually nourishes, their basic hygiene needs and the opportunity to interact freely with others. And of course, if they are going to be used for meat or the likes, they deserve a quick, dignified and painless death. Even if they are meant to be food or clothing, livestock still is sentient beings with the ability to feel not only pain but also fear and anguish if they are kept in claustrophobic cages.
What can we, as ordinary people, do?
We can refuse to consume meat products that come from macro farms or non-ethical companies. By Googling “ASPCA brand list” and clicking the “Shop with your heart brand list” we have access to a list of brands that have earned a welfare certification that makes sure animals didn’t suffer for you to have their products. This list is divided into categories not only meat-related but every animal-related product, such as eggs and yoghurt.
We can also hold accountable the companies responsible if they have macro farms and/or force their livestock to live in unacceptable conditions. Try and make an effort to buy fewer products from them and shop at your local butcher.
People have a choice not to partake in other living beings’ suffering, and a duty to make sure this kind of livestock farming is prohibited and replaced with a much more ethical one that allows animals to live their lives happily. I’d like to end this grim topic on a lighter note, by remarking on Grandin’s work, which has given the “Grandin welfare certification” for ethical farms and another of her quotes “I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we’ve got to do it right (…) We owe the animal respect.”
Clinica Veterinaria
Calle Holanda 9
MASA Square
Gran Alacant
T: 966 698 569
