Last week I received an email message from the HSUS telling me that one of their officers would be speaking at Amherst College tonight. “Okay,” I thought, “it’s nearby and in the evening; I’ll go.” So shortly before 6:30 pm, I made my way to Merrill Science Center Lecture Hall 2, to join about 25 others, for the lecture Building Bridges to Fix Our Food System, sponsored by the Amherst student group Partners for Animal Welfare.
As we enjoyed some vegan treats prepared by the College Dining Services, Alexis Fox, Mass State Director for the Humane Society of the United States, announced that the Amherst College student-initiated campaign to serve only eggs laid by cage-free hens was successful! Ms Fox then introduced the speaker, Joe Maxwell, Vice-President for Outreach and Engagement for the HSUS. Mr Maxwell is a fourth-generation farmer and at one point in his life also served as lieutenant governor of Missouri.
Mr Maxwell began by introducing the HSUS and its core principles: we have the power to dominate other animal species, but we also have a responsibility for the welfare of all animals. Whereas the general public might think of the HSUS in terms of care for household pets, the organization is also concerned with wild animals in their natural environments, and with farmed animals, the subject of the talk tonight.
The HSUS, Mr Maxwell, declared, is a “big tent” group. In other words, HSUS does not exclude supporters who eat meat, or eggs or dairy. Instead, they focus on the 3 Rs: Reduce, Refine, Replace. For example, they are vocal advocates of the Meatless Mondays campaign, which aims to promote vegetarian meals one day a week. The HSUS states very clearly that “We seek to ensure that animal production systems are humane, sustainable, and environmentally sensitive.”
Using Powerpoint slides, Mr Maxwell displayed the numbers which indicate that Big Ag is indeed big: the four largest companies in the US control 83% of beef production, 66% of pork production, and 58% of chicken production. This type of consolidation leads to the confinement of 290 million chickens in spaces as small as a sheet of paper, as well as to CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) which are both inhumane to animals and a threat to human health. Big Ag, in fact, often leads to economic stagnation rather than development, as evidenced by studies carried out on dairy operations in two New York counties. In summary, “Industrialized agriculture destroys local economies, puts family farmers off the land, threatens public health and torments the animals caught inside this unsustainable cycle.”
In conclusion, Mr Maxwell stated that the goal is to focus on promoting family farms and end factory farming by 2050. If we all, particularly we consumers, work together, we can do this. This message is one that I should take to heart: although I’ve been a vegetarian for well over 15 years, I’m not a vegan, and I know I ought to act more decisively in this regard. At home, I only purchase eggs from cage-free producers, but I’m not as conscientious with respect to the dairy products I consume. In addition, when I eat out, I ought to inquire as to the restaurant’s supply chain. Restaurant owners will not make changes unless they know that consumers are concerned about where their food comes from.
Additional Note: Blog readers in the Pioneer Valley may be interested in attending a showing of the recently remastered 1973 film by Rawn Fulton, Root Hog or Die, at the Academy of Music in Northampton, from 4 to 6 pm on Sunday, November 3. The film documents the lives of local farmers from 40 years ago, in their own voices. After the screening, present-day farmers will discuss local agriculture with the audience.
