Farmed Animals

Consumers are largely isolated from the moral implications of their choices by numerous mechanisms that allow them to dissociate their use of animals from the suffering of animals. The literature review portion of this thesis examines the psychological and cultural constructs that present unique challenges to animal rights as a social movement. From that contextual backdrop, this thesis then evaluates consumer response to three major campaigns conducted by HSUS and PETA between 1980 and the present. The campaigns are vegetarianism and factory farming, the anti-fur movement, and the campaign against cosmetics testing on animals. While consumer response has been mixed, there are other outcomes from those campaigns that signal broader cultural changes. [Excepted from report]

A trend in food labeling is to make claims related to agricultural management, and this is occurring with dairy labels. A survey study was conducted to compare retail milk for quality (antibiotics and bacterial counts), nutritional value (fat, protein, and solids-not-fat), and hormonal composition (somatotropin, insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], estradiol, and progesterone) as affected by three label claims related to dairy-cow management: conventional, recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST)- free (processor-certified not from cows supplemented with rbST), or organic (follows US Department of Agriculture organic practices). [Excerpted from article]

According to Mike Hutjens, dairy extension specialist at the University of Illinois, there are no nutritional differences in content, quality, or wholesomeness in milk from cows treated or not treated with rbST, or organic sourced milk.

A preview of the study "Health & Wellness 2008: The Purpose-Driven Consumer" showed that healthy convenience items are a high-growth food category. Additionally, consumer ideas of "freshness" are changing, and more people relate "local," "farm raised," and other "humane" terms to the concept.

According to research conducted by the University of Georgia, the use of controlled atmosphere stunning for so-called spent hens (those no longer laying enough eggs to be considered profitable) will decrease the number of rejects and improve hen welfare.

An Ohio State University study of pigs raised in antibiotic-free and conventional settings revealed that pigs raised outdoors without antibiotics had higher rates of three foodborne pathogens compared with pigs raised on conventional farms, which remain indoors and receive preventive doses of antimicrobial drugs.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) adopted a definition of animal welfare at its meeting in Paris, France, stating that "animal welfare means how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives."

Research studies have shown that stress exhibited by pigs prior to being slaughtered can have a significant impact on the end product quality ("without even considering humane or ethical aspects of animal handling"). Major stress factors include poor handling, transport, and housing.