Where does our food come from, Mum?

 

Where does our food come from, Mum? By Lena O’Donoghue Educating children about the realities of factory farming could see a generational shift of how we treat and value animals.

Innocent sentient beings suffer from public ignorance- Photo from Creative Commons.com

Wollongong, August 22, 2014: “Step your mind into a crowded elevator, an elevator so

crowded you cannot turn around without bumping into (and aggravating) your neighbour. The elevator is so crowded you are often held aloft. This is kind of a blessing, as the slanted floor is made of wire, which cuts into your feet. No elevator repairman is coming. The doors will open only once, at the end of your life.” This is the appalling reality of the battery hens in factory farms, described by Jonanthan Safran Foer in his 2009 international bestseller Eating Animals. The book focuses on the moral and environmental effects of caging chickens and factory farms. It delves into the psychology behind man’s cruelty to animals and chickens bred for human consumption. Foer’s work provides a well-researched case for vegetarianism, while empathising with meat eaters. He believes that the large majority of meat consumers are unaware of the severe cruelty and inhumane conditions experienced by factory farmed animals. Freelance journalist Christina Le Beau, in her article Kids and Factory Farming: Yes, Tell Them the Truth says we need to change the way we educate our children.

 

“In an era where kids are inundated with factory-farming propaganda from powerful groups like the dairy industry in schools and agribusiness lobbies at state fairs, our best defence is education,” she said. Foer and Le Beau are not calling for children to be shown activist documentaries that feature graphic footage of chickens cramped in a cage, with no natural lighting or joy. Instead of showing children’s books that portray all farms as happy, beautiful and lush, they say children should read books that explain why we should be kind to animals, and why they deserve to live in habitable and comfortable conditions, just like humans. The authors also cite books such as That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals, and Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken, which educate children from a young age that it is not acceptable to mistreat or cage animals. Birke Baehr, 11, was on a TED talk to educate the public about the cruelty to animals in factory farms. His talk ‘What's wrong with our food system’ has gone viral on YouTube. “I want you to know that I believe that kids will eat fresh vegetables and good food if they know more about it and where it REALLY comes from… That my friends, is how we can make a difference, one kid at a time,” he said.