Humane or inhuman?

The word "humane" is often used to describe actions or behaviours considered to be kind, compassionate, and considerate of the welfare of others. However, the word "humane" can also be used to describe actions or behaviours done in a way that minimises pain or suffering.

In the context of slaughter, the word "humane" is often used to describe methods designed to minimise pain and suffering in the animal. However, the question of whether or not slaughter can ever be humane is a complex one.

Who benefits?

Some people believe its impossible to slaughter an animal humanely because the act of killing an animal is inherently cruel. They argue, no matter how well the animal is treated before it is killed, the reason and the act of taking its life is a form of exploitation.

Others believe it is possible to slaughter animals humanely, as long as the animal is treated with respect and dignity throughout the process. They argue that it is possible to minimise pain and suffering by stunning and that this is the most humane way to slaughter an animal.

However, it is important to note that slaughtering an animal for capital gain is inherently exploitative. The animal is killed for its flesh, milk, or eggs, and its welfare is secondary to the profit from its death.

(Change the world by eating ice cream? If you insist…)

Why I’m vegan

It is difficult to see how slaughter can ever be considered humane, given these definitions. If you are killing an animal intending to sell its flesh, skin, bones, eggs or as a by-product so you can sell milk or eggs, it is exploitation regardless of how well the animal is treated. This puts dairy at the top of the cruelty charts, with eggs and meat not far behind. 

I’d been vegetarian for 25 years before I become a vegan, thinking all along that I was doing the best thing I could for animals. I had no idea of the goings on in the dairy and egg industry until I did research to find out the cause of the painful fibroids I needed surgery to remove.

Once I realised the link between the women’s health issues I was experiencing and the vast quantity of cheese and dairy I’d been consuming, I was furious. The idea that a cow had been forcibly impregnated over and over again, had their baby taken away and killed or brought up for milking, in order to give us a substance that is killing us through obesity and heart disease whilst making us infertile, shocked me into committing to being vegan.

Be honest, that cheese doesn’t seem quite so appealing now, does it?