LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
END SPECIESISM: FOR THE ANIMALS, PLANET, AND HUMAN
HEALTH
If there are any lessons the recent Covid-19
pandemic has taught us, it is that deforestation, the exploitation and
consumption of wildlife, and intensive animal agriculture all increase the risk
of zoonotic diseases and threaten human health and well-being.
Human society is aware of this link between animal
exploitation and disease outbreaks, which is the reason why China announced a
ban on wildlife trade in an effort to contain the Covid-19 outbreak. In the US
and elsewhere, the sales of plant-based meat alternatives increased by over
200% during the coronavirus lockdown (Sources: US Food Navigator, the Financial
Times, Bloomberg). In the Netherlands, the mink fur industry went into an early
shutdown after minks were found to have contracted coronavirus and transmitted
the virus back to humans, and there are now calls to shut down mink farms in
Spain and the USA as well.
It would be premature to celebrate these as
victories. Humans have short memories, and human desires and appetites are
often alarmingly disconnected from what the human intellect knows to be
beneficial to human health, social justice, and animal and environmental
well-being.
Humans in general rarely question their
relationship with non-human animals and the natural world, and this is
attributable to speciesism, that is, the assumption of human superiority and an
inherent ‘right’ to use, exploit, and consume animals. In spite of the fact
that scientific evidence and historical data strongly indicate that 6 out of 10
known infections and 3 out 4 emerging infectious diseases originate from
animals, there is still widespread resistance against ending animal agriculture
and the breeding of animals for the pet, sport hunting, entertainment, and fur
industries, with supporters of these industries arguing that it would put too
many people out of work and cause economic loss. We know from the study of
human history and civilisations that human society is resilient and adaptable,
and that industries and occupations that become obsolete have died out in the
past without causing significant or lasting damage.
Racism is what makes Western society believe that
China ought to be pilloried for its wildlife trade and live animal wet markets,
but that it is perfectly alright to confine calves in small solitary enclosures
and induce iron deficiency to produce veal, and to confine and force-feed ducks
and geese and induce liver disease to produce foie gras. Speciesism is what
makes human society understand that animal agriculture puts a huge strain on
the Planet’s resources, that animals in farms and laboratories suffer in ways
that is never considered acceptable for even the worst of humans to suffer, and
that humans can live healthy and productive lives without eating or exploiting
animals, and yet still choose to eat meat and maintain the status quo. Speciesism
is also the reason why people throw birthday parties for their dogs and cats
and raise funds for tapirs and pandas, but think nothing of paying someone else
to deplete our oceans and commit deforestation so that one can eat fish and
steak, because the lives of certain species are valued over that of others.
Humans know that in order to prevent pandemics and environmental disasters, we
need to stop exploiting and interfering with animals and the natural world, yet
our speciesist bias means that we are unwilling to give up the pleasure that
comes with eating and confining animals, destroying wildlife habitats, and
using animals for clothing, entertainment, and sport. Humans’ sense of dominion
and desire to maintain the appearance of being the “master species” means that we
continue to normalise violence and cruelty to animals and trivialise their pain
and suffering.
To move forward into a cleaner, healthier, greener,
and kinder future, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions about our
relationship with other species. For too long, we have relied on the
appeal-to-tradition fallacy that “humans have always eaten meat” as a
justification to continue doing so. Just because something has always been done
does not make it moral. We can agree that no amount of normalisation can make
slavery, domestic violence, or human trafficking moral acts, so we are also
capable of making the connection that just because we have always eaten and
exploited animals, it does not make these acts moral, justifiable, or even
essential to human health and survival. Further, it is true that humans have
always eaten meat, but it is also true that pandemics in the past have also
been linked to the consumption and exploitation of animals. The 1918 Spanish
Flu arose from the farming and consumption of pigs. Rabies in South America was
transmitted by vampire bats to cattle who then transmitted it to humans. The
Nipah Virus became an outbreak because virus-infected fruit bats transmitted
their virus to farmed pigs. Scientists believe that HIV has its origins in the
hunting of primates in central African forests, while Ebola has been associated
with hunting in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. Where there is the consumption
of meat and the destruction of the natural world, there will be disease
outbreaks.
We need to question not only animal agriculture and
meat consumption, but also the frequency and volume of meat consumption. As
incomes and standards of living rise in Malaysia, our meat consumption also
rises. Between 1981 and 2015, consumption of beef in Malaysia rose from 23,000 metric
tons to 250,000 metric tons. Between 1996 and 2015, consumption of
poultry rose from 666,000 metric tons to 1.59 million metric tons. Even if meat
consumption was not a moral issue for people who lived 2-3 generations ago, it
is imperative for us to ask ourselves now if it is necessary, appropriate,
moral, and harmless for us to continue to consume so much resources and inflict
so much suffering, pain, and death. The more meat we eat, the more intensive
and cruel the animal agriculture industry has to become in order to be
efficient and profitable.
The technology already exists for us to consume
meat that does not cause animal suffering or harm our health or the
environment. ‘Clean meat’, grown from harvested stem cells, is now reaching the
scale of production in which it will soon be as affordable as animal-based
meat. Producing meat in laboratories would require less water, land, and grains
than livestock farming, and would significantly reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Plant-based meat alternatives have already been in the Malaysian
market for many years, and most of these products have obtained halal
certification and can be safely enjoyed by everyone. Further, thanks to
advances in technology, much of the world including Malaysia has access to a wide
variety of fruits, grains, and vegetables, which can meet human dietary needs
inexpensively. Considering that we can get all the dietary nutrients and
calories that we need from non-animal sources, what’s stopping us from making
the transition?
There is a growing population of vegans and animal
rights advocates who hold the strong moral view that there can be no
justification for harming animals. But even holding the moderate view that we
should kill fewer animals for food, and choose products and services that do
not harm or exploit animals, will reduce the number of animals who suffer great
pain and misery and who are killed to satisfy human appetites.
Evolution has equipped all of us – humans and
non-human animals alike – with an instinct to survive, thrive, procreate, and
avoid pain and misery. This provides us with a scientific foundation to argue
that reducing the pain, suffering, and misery of others – not only humans – is
the moral, appropriate, rational, and prosocial thing to do. If we can live
happy, healthy, and productive lives without harming others, why wouldn’t we?
August 29 is observed as the World Day for the End
of Speciesism. It is a day for us to reflect on, and challenge, our long-held
beliefs about the superiority of humans and how to relate to and regard
non-human species. SPCA Selangor, which has long been seen as an organisation
working to protect and improve the welfare of companion animals such as cats
and dogs, have since expanded its work to include advocating for improvements
to farm animal welfare and for a plant-based lifestyle and ethics. On this day
of observance, we would like to encourage everyone to change how we view and
treat other species, take measures to reduce the suffering of other species,
reduce the consumption of meat and animal products even if one cannot make the
full transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet, support higher welfare standards
for farm animals that remain in the animal agriculture system until the system
can be reformed or abolished, question traditions and practices that exploit or
harm animals, and choose products, services, and practices that cause the least
harm to others possible.
WONG EE LYNN
FARM ANIMAL WELFARE PROGRAMME MANAGER
SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS,
SELANGOR
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