Treated Like Animals

Alick Simmons

Description

You don’t have to be an animal rights activist to take an interest in how we treat other creatures. All of us, with few exceptions, use animals in some way: for food, research, recreation and companionship. In Britain we eat around a billion chickens every year, while 60% of all mammals on Earth, by biomass, are now livestock. In 2020, approximately 2.88 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain.

Because all this happens in our name, as consumers and citizens we have a duty to understand, to care and to exert some influence over how animals are used. But because such use is ingrained in our daily lives and largely happens behind closed doors, we are barely aware of it. The animals deserve better. Understanding the inconsistencies in our attitudes, in the law and in what is deemed acceptable practice is an important first step.

This timely and incisive book makes compelling reading for anyone who has an interest in animals, whether wild or domestic, free-living or captive, people intrigued about how their food is produced, and those keen to make informed and intelligent decisions.

Preface

1 The Exploitation of Animals

2 Why Aren’t All Animals Treated the Same Way?

3 The Welfare of Farmed Animals: an Overview

4 Grazing Animals: the Best, and Some of the Worst

5 Pigs, Poultry and the Rest

6 Snares, Guns and Poison: the ‘Management’ of Wildlife

7 Conservation: Exploitation with Clear Limits?

8 Recreation, Sport and a Little Food

9 Pets: Exploitation Begins at Home

10 Animals Used in Research

11 A Personal Ethical Framework

12 Making Sense of It All

Notes

Glossary and Abbreviations

Further Reading

Acknowledgements

Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Éthique et morale
• Agronomie
• Agronomy for Sustainable Development
• Ethique et morale
• Agriculture
• General
• Animals
• Animal Rights
• Ethics
• General officer
• Sustainable agriculture
• Natural Resources
• Philosophy
• Philosophie et théologie
• Moral Philosophy

Informations

• Publié par: Pelagic Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781784273422
• Langue: English

Extrait

‘This fascinating and engaging book challenges us all to make better lives for animals.’
Chris Packham, broadcaster and author of Back to Nature
‘Marvellous: clear-headed, clear-sighted, rigorously unsentimental but compassionate, impeccably informed and researched, and downright wise. A companionable guide through complex and controversial territory. It deserves to be a canonical text in the welfare debate.’
Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild and Being a Beast
‘A thoughtful, well-informed contribution to the animal-welfare and conservation debate.’
Jane Dalton, The Independent
‘Animals are sentient beings, with capacity to experience both suffering and joy. Alick Simmons takes this as his starting point and brings his huge veterinary experience to this book, along with his honesty and desire for reform. The result makes for a highly informative and thought-provoking read.’
Joyce D’Silva, Compassion in World Farming
‘Thoughtful, informative and firm, Simmons skilfully leads us through the complex maze of animal welfare issues and brings us to a stark realisation - for all that we have done, we must do better.’
Professor Adam Hart, biologist, broadcaster and author of Unfit for Purpose
‘Refreshingly, Alick Simmons neither castigates nor judges, but rather leads the reader through these contentious issues with gentle, considered and well-reasoned views that are hard to ignore.’
Ruth Tingay, conservationist and co-director of Wild Justice
‘He writes with expertise and knowledge, posing questions rather than passing judgement.’
James Chubb, farmer and conservationist
‘Simmons’ approach pulls no punches, but it is thoughtful and broad-ranging – and ultimately hopeful: rather than pressing a particular conclusion, he encourages his readers to develop their own ethical framework for considering the consequences of their actions.’
Rosie Woodroffe, Biologist, Zoological Society of London
‘An extremely informative and thought-provoking book that everyone with an interest in animal welfare should read.’
Dr Steve Carver, @LandEthics, Director of Wildland Research Institute
‘This book shines an expert and unflinching light on the uncountable harms that we inflict on other animals. It could easily leave the reader mired in despair but, with great skill, and by recounting his own personal journey, mistakes and recent decisions, Simmons illuminates a path towards redemption. A book to convince us all that we can, and should, do better by our fellow creatures.’
Christine Nicol, Professor of Animal Welfare, Royal Veterinary College, University of London
‘Alick Simmons has written an engrossing and hugely important book taking us into the moral maze surrounding the human exploitation of animals.’
Dominic Dyer, animal welfare campaigner and writer
‘This important, readable, thoughtful, clear book forces us to confront head on the results of our relationships with animals, whether in farming, conservation, medical research, sport or pet ownership . . . I found myself mulling over the facts and the polemic and felt enriched by the obvious care and kindness the author feels for all life.’
Mary Colwell, author of Beak, Tooth and Claw
‘A thought-provoking and fascinating read which should appeal to scientists and the public alike.’
Amy Dickman, Director of WildCRU, University of Oxford
‘A must-read for anyone with an interest in our relationship with animals and will challenge many to think again about animal welfare issues we currently ignore or avoid.’
Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy, Born Free Foundation
‘A thought-provoking analysis of the inconsistencies in the way we treat both wild and domesticated creatures, told with passion, fascinating detail and a huge depth of knowledge and experience.’
Stephen Moss, author and naturalist
‘A brave and fearless book, asking us to explore our own relationship with the animals we exploit, from food, to pet ownership to animals used for sports.’
Gill Lewis, vet and children’s author
‘Wide-ranging and extensively researched, cogently argued while impressively modest, Alick Simmons’ debut is an accomplished, thought-provoking work that asks all the right questions of our relationship with animals while supporting us to provide our own answers.’
James Lowen, author of Much Ado About Mothing
‘A rigorous, balanced and highly readable examination of the various ways we exploit the animals we live alongside. Full of good story-telling and the distilled wisdom from a distinguished career in the field.’
Ian Carter, author of Rhythms of Nature and Human, Nature
‘This is a lucid, persuasive and deeply thought-provoking contribution on our relationship with animals. In what can be a highly polarised and contested debate Alick Simmons’ view is characterised by clarity, honesty, conscience – and above all carefully argued positions across a wide range of circumstances.’
Steve Ormerod, Professor of Ecology, Cardiff University
‘Stimulating, challenging, and important.’
Hugh Warwick, ecologist and author of Linescapes
‘This is an important and challenging book about how humans treat animals . . . Instead of advocating for a single correct viewpoint, Simmons promotes the importance of developing a rational and coherent personal ethical framework, and applying this evidence-based framework consistently across different animal species and societal contexts.’
Rob Thomas, Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Ecology and Data Analysis at Cardiff University School of Biosciences
Treated Like Animals
Treated Like Animals
Improving the Lives of the Creatures We Own, Eat and Use
Alick Simmons
Pelagic Publishing
Published in 2023 by Pelagic Publishing 20–22 Wenlock Road London N1 7GU, UK
www.pelagicpublishing.com
Treated Like Animals: Improving the Lives of the Creatures We Own, Eat and Use
Copyright © 2023 Alick Simmons
The moral rights of the author have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Apart from short excerpts for use in research or for reviews, no part of this document may be printed or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, now known or hereafter invented or otherwise without prior permission from the publisher.
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78427-341-5 Pbk
ISBN 978-1-78427-342-2 ePub
ISBN 978-1-78427-343-9 ePDF
ISBN 978-1-78427-420-7 Audio
https://doi.org/10.53061/OHKX6488
Cover design: Edward Bettison
Author photo: Fran Stockwell
Typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
To Mrs Mouse
Contents
Preface
1 The Exploitation of Animals
2 Why Aren’t All Animals Treated the Same Way?
3 The Welfare of Farmed Animals: an Overview
4 Grazing Animals: the Best, and Some of the Worst
5 Pigs, Poultry and the Rest
6 Snares, Guns and Poison: the ‘Management’ of Wildlife
7 Conservation: Exploitation with Clear Limits?
8 Recreation, Sport and a Little Food
9 Pets: Exploitation Begins at Home
10 Animals Used in Research
11 A Personal Ethical Framework
12 Making Sense of It All

Notes
Glossary and Abbreviations
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index
About the Author
Preface
If thinking, agonising and prevaricating about a particular subject counts as research, then this book might have had one of the longest periods of research of any book, ever. The exploitation of animals, good or bad, has played on my mind for decades, even before I became a veterinarian in the late 1970s.
I concluded many years ago that, when it comes to our interactions with animals, much of what we do, much of what we tolerate and much of what we enjoy is inhumane. And yet I gained a qualification and have had decades of gainful employment where I have actively facilitated exploitative interactions.
To be a veterinarian is an odd calling. Young, often idealistic, people become undergraduate veterinary students for a number of reasons, but studies show that it stems mainly from a ‘love’ of animals and a desire to relieve suffering. And why not? However, although the undergraduate courses and employee support have improved over the years, nothing can prepare new graduates for the rude awakening that awaits them in their first few months of practice: the profession is demanding, relentless and often lonely.
It is clear that isolation and lack of support can have a profound effect on an individual’s mental health. I was lucky, and although I found the first few months hellish, I coped – somehow. But others are less fortunate: suicide rates among veterinarians are some of the highest of any type of employment. 1 Two of my contemporaries killed themselves within five years of qualifying. Thankfully, there is help available; an excellent organisation now exists to support vets – run by vets, and staffed by trained volunteers ( www.vetlife.org.uk ).
Perhaps poor mental health and the high suicide risk in veterinarians is linked to a disconnect between the expectation of young graduates and what society expects of them. For decades, the veterinary profession and the society it serves have deluded themselves into thinking that the veterinarian exists solely to minister to sick and injured animals. Sure, a lot of what vets do either prevents or relieves suffering. But this is only a small part of the job. Most vets spend most of their time facilitating society’s exploitation of animals. This includes ensuring they grow well so we can eat them, ensuring they recover from going lame so we can ride them, and ensuring they aren’t diseased so they don’t poison us. The rest involves straightening out the inherited and acquired defects brought about by irresponsible breeding and incompetent care. These are the veterinary services we don’t like to talk about.
It was into this profession I was thrust a little over 40 years ago.