Abstract
This slim, thought-provoking paperback on the “future of animal farming” represents an alternative vision of agriculture in the age of the factory farm. That the forward was written by the radical animal rights philosopher Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, will put off many readers, including myself, before they even crack the cover. However, the tone of the book is not dogmatic, and its goal is not to eliminate animal farming but to make it more humane in its scale and methods. It is not about animal rights but animal welfare, and balancing ethical concerns with the appetite of billions of humans for meat and milk with environmental sustainability in the face of climate change and economic realities. The 16 contributors include a variety of other philosophers, such as Bernie Rollin, focused on the animal-human relationship and furious with industrialized agriculture. They also include the highly objective assessments of Temple Grandin, the animal behaviorist famous for her work designing less stressful animal handling facilities, including slaughter houses. Co-editor Marion Stamp Dawkins also brings an animal behaviorist perspective while Ruth Layton, a veterinarian, discusses her experiments with alternative farming methods. Michelle Waterman, an agricultural manager for a large food retailer, and Keith Kenny, who holds a similar job with McDonalds in Europe, bring a business and consumer perspective. Colin Spedding discusses the role of assurance schemes and public pressure—how to deal with the growing demand for food produced in ways that make us feel good about ourselves.
The book has value to a general readership of citizens concerned about factory farms and concerned with how we might develop methods more humane and sustainable. For veterinary pathologists, there is additional contextual value to understanding the new influences on animal agriculture. Changes in modern animal farming methods have led to both predictable and unforeseen changes in the diseases we encounter. We can be certain that the further evolution of agriculture will also have consequences, good and bad.