Home Encyclopedia About/Contact Links |
Laboratory Animals See here for Laboratory Animals. Lawrence, John (1753 - 1839) One of the earliest writers in modern times on animal rights and welfare. His book published in 1796, A Philosophical and Practical Treatise on Horses and the Moral Duties of Man Towards Brute Creation (T N Longman, London) is a detailed account on horsemanship and the horse. It is remarkable for its day for a chapter entitled On the Right of Beasts, in which Lawrence implores us to treat animals kindly and with consideration because they are rational, sensible and have souls. Lawrence argued that animals have rights, a basic right of care, which should be endorse by the state. He recounts wanton cruelty he saw around him - horses thrashed with whips, cattle with tongues cut out and sheep with feet cut off (all alive) - and says, I therefore propose, that the Rights of Beasts be formally acknowledged by the state, and that a law be framed upon that principle, to guard and protect them from acts of flagrant and wanton cruelty, whether committed by their owners or others. (Volume 1, chapter 3, page 123.)Lawrence also says the state should enact laws to protect livestock during transportation and slaughter - anticipating Martin's Act, passed by Parliament in 1822 and the first law by a state to give a measure of protection to domesticated animals. Lawrence declared that wilful cruelty, as well as vivisection, should be outlawed and opposed animal baiting. Yet he favoured killing animals for sport, as long as they were subsequently eaten. He also supported fox hunting, believing that foxes are vermin, and as predators deserve to be hunted and killed in turn (see Predation for more on this attitude to predators). His acquisition of a small farm and his interest in poultry might have influenced his attitude to hunting. Very little is know about his life but he was born in England where he lived and was descended from a line of brewers. For more about Lawrence see Lawrence, John, by Sebastian Mitchell, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press. Legalism Philosophical theory that says your right moral action is what the law says you should do. The law may be the law of your country or the rule or code of your society or group. An example is that according to the law of your country you must not cause animals unnecessary suffering. But Legalism could also hold that according to the law of your gang you should follow your leader and if he tortures animals then you should too. Criticism
Life Or Death Fallacy Making the answer to a question depend on life or death (or on some other highly emotional position). This type of question is deceptive and misleading because it is loaded in favour of the questioner. You are likely to make biased, confused or faulty judgements if you are uncertain about whether you will live or die depending on your answer. A sensible question asked fairly does not put you in a position of risk but allows you to give an objective and dispassionate reply. Objective and dispassionate thinking stand the best chance of being good and right. Supporters of experimenting on animals often use the life or death fallacy to justify animal experimentation. "You'd support experimentation on animals, wouldn't you, if you were dying and it would save your life?" Falling into this trap, any normal (non-suicidal) person would answer that if there is a possibility that it would save his life then he might support it, even if he looked down on animal experimentation. The fallacy can work for any argument: "If X is likely to kill you and Y is likely to save you, you'd favour Y, would you?" If put like this, it is clear which choice any reasonable person would make. However, a questioner should not make your response to his question dependent on your life or death or on some other highly emotional personal involvement. Judges and jurors in law courts are not permitted to take part in trials of their friends, relatives or loved ones; surgeons do not operate on their family members; police are taken off cases in which they may be personally involved. Why? Because they are unlikely to perform well or make good decisions because of emotional complications. The right way to tackle a biased question is to rephrase it so that it does not endanger your life or put you in some highly charged position. Another way of tackling such a biased question is to reply, "Biased questions get biased answers. Do you want a biased answer?" Then ask the questioner to rephrase the question honestly. For & Against: argue your case
Linzey, Andrew (1952 - ) British Anglican priest, theologian, academic and a champion for animal rights within Christianity. He says his vocation is to change Christian attitudes toward animals for the better and he advances the more recent thinking in Christian religious tradition. In Linzey's view: "Anglicans, like most Christians, haven't really woken up to the moral issue of our exploitation of animals." And "All the stuff about animals not having language, not having rational souls, not having culture, not being persons - all of these are human constructions." And, "In God's eyes, all creatures have value whether we find them cuddly, affectionate, beautiful or otherwise." Linzey says: "Animals make a special moral claim upon us because, interalia, they are morally innocent, unable to give or withhold their consent, or vocalise their needs, and because they are wholly vulnerable to human exploitation. These considerations make the infliction of suffering upon them not easier - but harder to justify."Linzey is distinguished for his accomplishments relating to theology and animals. He held the world's first fellowship in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare, at Oxford University, the first university position to unite ethics, religion and animals. In 2001 the Archbishop of Canterbury presented him with the highest distinction he can make to a theologian, an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. It was granted with particular reference to Linzey's work on the rights and welfare of 'God's sentient creatures', the first time it has been conferred for work embracing Christianity and animals. Linzey's books include Christianity and the Rights of Animals (1987), Animal Theology (1994), Animal Gospel: The Christian Defence of Animals (1998), and Animal Gospel: Christian Faith as If Animals Mattered (1999). First quotes from Rynn Berry interview with Andrew Linzey (1996): Christianity and Animals at www.satyamag.com. Second quote from Andrew Linzey (2002): The Ethical Case Against Fur Farming. Livestock Numbers Worldwide Summary According to official statistics the number of livestock worldwide include well over:
See foot of page for sources and notes. Sheep Numbers Worldwide There are a billion domestic sheep worldwide. Over half the world's domestic sheep (54 percent) live in these ten countries and quarter of the world's domestic sheep (24 percent) live in two countries: China and Australia.
See foot of page for sources and notes. Pig Numbers Worldwide There are nearly one billion domestic pigs worldwide. Three quarters of the world's domestic pigs (73 percent) live in these ten countries and half the world's domestic pigs live in China.
See foot of page for sources and notes. Chicken Numbers Worldwide There are at least sixteen billion chickens worldwide. Over half the world's chickens (60 percent) live in these ten countries and nearly half of the world's chickens (45 percent) live in three countries: China, the United States and Indonesia. However, statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture suggest there may be as many as 70 billion chickens worldwide (see Table 2, Chickens.).
See foot of page for sources and notes. Turkey Numbers Worldwide There are over well over three quarters of a billion turkeys worldwide. The US alone has nearly a third of the world total of turkeys and over half the world's turkeys (69 percent) live in five countries: the US, France, Italy, Chile and Brazil.
See foot of page for sources and notes. Sources & Notes These tables are based on online data from Earth Trends, the World Resources Institute, from their Agriculture and Food section dealing with livestock. Earth Trends obtain their data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), FAOSTAT on-line statistical service (FAO: Rome, 2005). According to FAO: Cattle mean "all cattle in the country, regardless of place or purpose of their breeding" and include "the common ox (Bos taurus), zebu, humped ox (Bos indicus), Asiatic ox (subgenus Bibos) and Tibetan yak (Poephagus grunniens)." Sheep mean "all sheep in the country, regardless of place or purpose of their breeding." The sheep belong to the Ovis species and include Uriel, Argali, Bighorn, Karakul, and Astrakhan. Pigs include "...all swine in the country, regardless of place or purpose of their breeding. These include domestic pig (Sus domestica) and domesticated wild boar (Sus scrofa). Non-domesticated wild boars are excluded." Chickens include "all chicken in the country, regardless of place or purpose of their breeding" and include the fowl (Gallus domesticus) and Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). Turkeys include "all turkeys in the country, regardless of place or purpose of their breeding" and turkey data include Meleagris gallopavo. NA = not available. Figures are rounded to the nearest million to avoid spurious accuracy, as counting the world's livestock cannot be precise. China and Taiwan data are pooled. Also see: Livestock Slaughter Numbers Meat Consumption Worldwide Chickens Hens & Eggs Livestock Slaughter Numbers Humans eat vast amounts of meat. Global figures for the actual numbers of livestock slaughtered for human meat consumption may be non-existent. But data from the United States and Britain are available and give an idea of the scale of animal slaughter for human food. The tables below show that the United States (human population 300 million) includes in its annual livestock slaughter:
See foot of page for source and notes.
See foot of page for source and notes. Conclusion The animal slaughter figures for the US and Britain are massive and when scaled up worldwide figures become gigantic. The US alone slaughters two million pigs a week for human consumption - at least three pigs per second year round. This makes animal farming one of the biggest human killers of animals (see Animal Holocaust. Animal farming also indirectly destroys additional animals by keeping land clear for livestock forage and living space that wildlife would have used and by killing predators of livestock, such as coyotes, foxes and eagles. What About Fish? This entry deals only with selected livestock (including poultry). Fish add a further 130 million tonnes of animal food for the human market. For wild caught fish and farmed fish see the tables in Fishing - Deep Sea and Fishing - Farming. Sources and Notes Table 1. Statistics of Cattle, Hogs and Sheep and Poultry Slaughter. Annual Summaries. National Agricultural Statistics Service, United States Department of Agriculture. 'Cattle', 'sheep' and 'pigs' means all ages and sex classes (cattle comprise bulls, dairy cows, other cows, steers, heifers and calves; sheep comprise mature sheep, yearlings and lambs; pigs comprise barrows and gilts, sows, stags and boars). 'Chickens' include male and female chickens from breeder and egg flocks, grown broilers-fryers and other young immature birds such as roasters and capons. 'Turkeys' include fully matured birds for egg production and turkeys for market including fryer roasters. 'Ducks' include all ducks regardless of age and weight. Table 2. DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs), Office for National Statistics. 'Cattle' include adult bulls and cows, young bulls, steers, heifers and calves. 'Sheep' include ewes and rams, other sheep and lambs. 'Pigs' include sows, boars and other pigs. 'Chickens' include broilers, spent broiler breeders and spent egg-layers and include imported birds. Also see: Meat Consumption Worldwide Livestock Numbers Worldwide. © 2004 Roger Panaman All rights reserved |