Marxist Animalism

April 2024 Forums General discussion Marxist Animalism

Viewing 15 posts - 841 through 855 (of 974 total)
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  • #206647
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Somewhere on this  extremely long thread you will find me suggesting that pet ownership is animal abuse, much like circus and zoo animals. I also said it was ecologically unsustainable, wastefully using up resources.

    Needless to say this report on pet dog prices indicates that capitalism will still be promoting puppy farms

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54115646

    The price of puppies has more than doubled during lockdown with dogs costing almost £1,900 on average. Popular breeds have seen even sharper price increases, and puppies are often selling for £3,000 or more. Cocker spaniels saw the highest year-on-year inflation (184%) followed by Jack Russells (180%), cockapoos (168%) and border collies (163%).

    Having been the owner of a cocker spaniel, it is on my top list of the most stupidest dog-breeds…or should that read one of the most stubborn.

    #206650
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster
    #206652
    Bijou Drains
    Participant

    Given your heritage Alan, I would have put you down as a Border Collie man, also widely regarded as the most intelligent breed of dog in the world (although I don’t know how they measure dog intelligence)

    #206653
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    In all the dog intelligence tests the border collie in the top three. The other two are the Standard Poodle and the German Shepherd.

    Most border collies i have come across have been rather nervous jittery animals.

    Given my heritage,  i’m more a mongrel person. The cocker spaniel was unwanted that i gave a home to.

    #206830
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Cows, pigs and other farm livestock in Europe are producing more greenhouse gases every year than all of the bloc’s cars and vans put together, when the impact of their feed is taken into account, according to a new analysis by Greenpeace.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/22/eu-farm-animals-produce-more-emissions-than-cars-and-vans-combined-greenpeace

    The increase in meat and dairy production in Europe over the past decade has made farming a much greater source of emissions, but while governments have targeted renewable energy and transport in their climate policies, initiatives to reduce the impact of food and farming on the climate have lagged behind.

    Marco Contiero, agriculture policy director for Greenpeace, said policymakers must get a grip on livestock emissions, or face missing carbon reduction targets. “European leaders have danced around the climate impact of animal farming for too long,” he said. “Science is clear, the numbers as well: we can’t avoid the worst of climate breakdown if politicians keep defending the industrial production of meat and dairy. Farm animals won’t stop farting and burping – the only way to cut emissions at the levels needed is to cut their numbers.”

    #206849
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Beyond KFC

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/22/ive-not-eaten-kfc-since-the-80s-its-plant-based-chicken-nuggets-will-change-that

    KFC has announced plans to launch plant-based fried chicken (which is made of legumes) in southern California and real chicken grown directly from cells in Russia.

    KFC’s chief marketing officer effused: “Despite many imitations, the flavor of Kentucky Fried Chicken is one that has never been replicated – until Beyond Fried Chicken.”

    Of course KFC is expanding its menu for profit. The company knows that consumers want more options, and they have seen the resounding success of the Impossible Whopper at Burger King, Impossible Sliders at White Castle, Beyond Meat products at Carl’s Jr and Dunkin’ Donuts, and more. Plant-based and cultivated meat will not reach their full potential until the food industry recognizes the massive revenues that will come with this transition. Profitability is a feature, not a bug. And really, it’s the most important feature.

    #206854
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    500 whales stranded in Tasmania.

    500!

    Maybe increased use of military sonar ?

    #206986
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    https://independentmediainstitute.org/our-food-system-is-broken-and-inhumane-but-it-can-be-fixed-take-action-tuesday-earthfoodlife/

    “The facts are clear and they are shocking: Factory farming is unhealthy for consumers, dangerous for workers, and devastating for the environment, and it is the largest cause of animal cruelty in the history of mankind.”

    #206989
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    https://www.motherjones.com/food/2020/09/trump-poultry-meatpacking-slaughter-lines-speed-covid/

     “Trump’s proposed rule would allow the poultry industry to ramp up kill lines from a maximum of 140 birds per minutes to 175 birds per minute. For the industry—dominated by Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue, Sanderson Farms—a faster line means lower cost and thus more profit.  Back in 2012, the Obama US Department of Agriculture estimated that raising the speed limit to 175 birds per minute would lower costs by 3 cents per bird, resulting in an annual boost to the industry’s bottom line worth “at least” $258.9 million.”

    #207317
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Tesco will commit to boosting sales of meat alternatives by 300% within five years, by 2025. Over the past year, demand for chilled meat-free foods – the most popular line including burger, sausage and mince substitutes – has increased by almost 50%, the retailer said. As a result, it is expanding into more categories and creating larger “centrepiece” dishes for two people as well as family-sized portions.

    The trend reflects people  increasingly adopting “flexitarian” diets – cutting down on meat and dairy while eating more plant-based foods.

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/29/tesco-sets-300-per-cent-sales-target-for-plant-based-alternatives-to-meat

    #207338
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Fur farming to be banned.  Poland would then join Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and the UK, which have all banned fur farming. France now plans to follow suit

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/29/film-showing-cannibalism-prompts-probable-ban-on-fur-farms-in-poland

    Minks are by far the biggest group of animals on Polish fur farms. There are more than six million minks on farms countrywide,

    #207821
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    The UK’s first large-scale farm breeding insects for animal feed and pet food has moved a step closer after the government backed the project with a £10m funding…this has a smaller environmental footprint than traditional ingredients for animal feed such as meat, soy and fishmeal.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/06/insect-farm-supply-sustainable-animal-feed-wins-10m-london

    #207830
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    In July, the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service rubber stamped a demand by Tyson Foods and other multibillion-dollar meat conglomerates to deregulate chicken processing rules so they can sell chickens diseased with Avian Leukosis for human consumption. That’s chicken infected with a virus that produces cancerous tumors and lesions on the poor birds.

    https://scheerpost.com/2020/09/07/trumps-usda-is-serving-up-cancerous-chicken/

    #208121
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Pork and poultry with “unacceptable” levels of salmonella and E coli are reaching supermarket shelves in the US.
    A five year study being carried out at George Washington University by Prof Lance Price, which tested meat from US shops and found that about 14% of the poultry samples and 13% of the pork had traces of salmonella.
    Testing also revealed that more than 60% of the pork products had E coli on them, as did around 70% of the beef products, 80% of the chicken products, and more than 90% of the turkey products.
    “It’s an unacceptable rate given that it is controllable, but the industry has been very successful in fighting any kind of regulations there.”

    Since several poultry plants were given government permission to increase the speeds of their production lines, the amount of chicken meat being condemned and discarded owing to suspected contamination fell 10% from the same period in 2019.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/10/unacceptable-bacteria-levels-found-on-us-meat-may-fuel-fears-over-uk-trade-deal

    #208204
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/14/grubs-up-why-maggot-meals-are-a-hit-on-one-uk-chicken-farm

    Feeding chickens live insects has also been found to have a positive effect on the birds’ immune systems – the Mears haven’t used antibiotics on their farm this year – offering the potential to reduce antibiotic use, which continues to rise in the poultry sector.

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