Veganism:AJewishImperative

ElisaGalgut

Veganismisamoralimperativeforallhumans,andespecially,weargue,forourselvesasJews,whoholdourselvesitselftoahighethicalstandard.Humans’treatmentofanimalsisgovernedbytheprincipleof“tza’arba’aleichayim”(“thesufferingoflivingcreatures”),whichprohibitsthe“causingofsorrow”toanylivingcreature.ExamplesofcompassiontowardsanimalsinJudaismincludetheinjunctionthatanimalsmaynotworkontheSabbath,andweareforbiddentomuzzleanoxtopreventitfromeatingwhileitisworkinginthefield.Althoughanimalsarenotmorallyequivalenttohumanbeings,Judaismrecognizesthatanimalsaresentientbeings,withintereststhatmustbeprotected.Anotherwayofsayingthisisthat,inJudaism,animalshavemoralstatus.Ifso,thishasimportantethicalimplicationsforhowwemaytreatthem.InJewishlaw,eventhoughanimalsmaybeusedforhumanbenefit,theinflictionofunnecessaryharmsisprohibited.ThephilosopherDaviddeGraziaarguesthattheprincipleofnonmaleficenceiscentraltoallmoralsystems:“Asystemofthoughtthatdidnotembracenonmaleficencewouldhardlyberecognizableasamoralsystem”,hewrites.Theprincipleofnonmaleficencerequiresthat,“otherthingsequal,weshouldnotharmothers;putanotherway,weshouldnotharmthemunnecessarily”(deGrazia).Ifinflictingpainanddeathonanimalsforthemerepleasureofhumansisnotunnecessary,itisnotclearwhatwouldcountas“unnecessary”.Andsincemodernagribusinessinflictsenormousharmsandsufferingonanimalsintheproductionofanimalproducts,veganism,weargue,isaJewishimperative.TherearemanyreasonsforJewstobecomevegan:animalagribusinessiscomplicitinmanyillsthatbefalloursociety,fromimpactingmassivelyonglobalwarming,landdegradation,waterusageandpollution.Animalagricultureisthesinglelargestcontributortoglobalwarming;accordingtotheWorldwatchInsitute,livestockandtheirby-productsactuallyaccountforatmorethanhalfofannualworldwidehumancausedgreenhousegasemissions.ThebeefindustryisthesingleleadingcauseofdeforestationintheAmazon,asforestsareclearedtogrowcropsforanimalfeed.Themeatanddairyindustriesarealsowater-intensive--eachyear,“wellinexcessof50billionlitresofbloodywatergoesdownthedrainatabattoirsaroundSouthAfrica”-“AsmallabattoirliketheoneatGrabouw,outsideCapeTown,whichslaughters1500sheepand180cattleaweek,usesaround5.37millionlitresoffreshwatertodoso”-that’s21/3fullsizeOlympicswimmingpools.Turningonechickenintomeatattheabattoirtakesanestimated14litresofwater.Channellinggrainthroughanimalsinsteadoffeedingitdirectlytohumansisanextremelyinefficientwaytofeedthepoor.Animalagriculturealsotakesfoodoutofthe

mouthsofthepoor-inSouthAfrica,520000tonsofgrainisgrownforhumanconsumption,butabout10timesmorethanthat-5.25milliontonsisgrownforanimalfeed.Animalagricultureisalsodepletingouroceans-in2014,300000tonsofanchovywerehauledoutofSAwatertobecomefishmealforchickens,pigsandcowsinfactoryfarms.ManyscientistsblamethefishmealindustryforpushingtheAfricanPenguintothebrinkofextinction.AccordingtotheUNFoodandAgricultureOrganisation,“approximately75%oftheworld’sfisheriesareeitherexploitedordepletedduetofishing,whichwilllikelyleadtothecompletedepletionofcurrentlyfishedfishstocksby2048.”Buttheseillsarelargelyextrinsic–evenifwerethecasethatanimalagribusinessdidnotcontributetotheseproblems,theethicalarguesforveganismwouldstillsufficetomandateustoadoptit.SouthAfricanseatmoremeatthananyothercountryinAfrica–almostdoubletheamountofthe#2country.Themeat,dairyandpoultryindustriesinSouthAfricainflictthemosthorrendousharmsonsentientanimals.EveryyearinSouthAfrica,wellinexcessofabillionanimalsarekilledforfoodafterhavingledlivesofmiseryandtorment.Thenumbersarestaggering:2.8millionyoungpigs,2.9millioncattleandcalves,over6millionsheep,lambsandgoats,and1billionbroilerchickens.EverymonthinSAweslaughterthenumericalequivalent(84.3million)of1.5timestheentirehumanpopulationofSouthAfrica–andthisnumberexcludesaquaticanimals,animalsintheinformalsectors,andanimalsconsidered‘by-products’oftheindustry.Notonlyarethenumbersofanimalskilledbythemeat,poultry,dairyandfishingindustriesimmense,butsoisthesuffering.Mostoftheanimalsweslaughterarecomplexemotional,intelligentbeings.Chickensarenormallyhighlysociablebeings-theyformcomplexsocialhierarchiesandrememberthefacesandranksofmorethan100otherbirds.Motherhensclucktotheirchickswhilesittingonhereggs–andtheychirpbacktoherfrominsidetheirshells.InSA,thereare24millionsegg-layinghensinSouthAfricaatanygiventime.Theyarede-beakedandde-clawed,withoutanaesthetic,beforebeingcrammedintocagessotightlythattheyareunabletospreadtheirwings.Theylivetheirshort,wretchedlivesinanareasmallerthanthesizeofanA4pieceofpaper.End-of-layhensarediscardedbythepoultryindustry–featherlessandbroken,theyaresoldtoinformaltraders.Afurther24millionchicks–themales,whichareregardedaswasteful“by-products”–arekilled,usuallybybeinggroundupaliveorgassed.Over600000dairycowsproduce3billionlitresofmilkannuallyinSA.Impregnatedinordertolactate,theysufferenormouspsychologicaldistressatthelossoftheircalves,whichareremovedbeforetheyareweaned.Acowwillbellowforhercalffordaysafteritistakenawayfromher.Calvesraisedwithinthedairyindustryarede-hornedwithoutpainrelief;

thoseconsidered‘by-products’–themalecalves,whichareuselesstothedairyindustry-arekilledatbirthorsoldintoimpoverishedsettlements,where,deprivedoftheirmothers’colostrum,mostdieininfancy.Thedairyindustry’sownestimatesputthesefiguresatabout200000malecalvesperannum.MostofthemeatinSAcomesfromanimalskilledinthefoodindustryintheirinfancy–theseyounganimalsareslaughteredataverysmallportionoftheirnaturallifespan.MostoftheabovepracticesareinfactillegalunderSAlaw,butbecausetheyarewidespreadandentrenched,itisconsidered‘businessasusual’.So-calledfreerangeororganicanimalsfrequentlyfarenobetter;foronething,theterms‘organic’and‘freerange’havenolegaldefinitioninSA–‘freerange’chickensmaystillbede-beaked,forexample,and‘organically-raised’calveshavetheirsmallhornschemicallyorsurgicallyremovedwithnopainrelief.Andso-called‘freerange’animalsslaughteredfortheirmeatmuststillendurethehorrorsoftheabattoir–itispracticallyimpossibletoslaughteranimalsforconsumptiononalargescalehumanely.Moreover,thereislittle,ifany,welfarerelatedinspectionbyindependentauditors-althoughtherearesupposedtobeveterinariansateveryabattoir,atleastonapart-timebasis,tooverseeanimalwelfare,covertinvestigationshaveshownthatatrocitiesregularlyoccur. Thetreatmentandslaughterofanimalsraisedforconsumptiondemeansusashumanbeingsbyviolatingeverysinglemoralprinciplethatweholddear.Therearesomanytastymanyplant-basedfoodoptionsavailablethatarenottheproductoftorment,productandkilling.Goingveganhelpstobattleclimatechange,deforestation,landdegradation,waterscarcity,worldhungerandanimalsuffering.Therearemanyreasonstogovegan,andnogoodreasonsnotto.Giventheenormousharmsthatarecausedbyanimalagribusiness,goingveganistheclearmoralchoice.AsJews,wemustnotonlypreventsuffering,butalsoensurethattheearthissustainedforfuturegenerations.Bysupportinganimalagribusiness,wearediggingthegravesofourgrandchildrenwithourknivesandourforks.

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Veganism:AJewishImpera7ve

PresentedatLimmudCapeTown,August2017,byElisaGalgutandDawnMacfarlane

Deforesta7on

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1in4SouthAfricansgotobedhungry

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Overfishing

BaQeryChickens

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Male chicks thrown in trash

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Egg layers (free range)

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Thereisnodifferencebetweenthepainofhumansandthepainofotherlivingbeings,sincetheloveandtendernessofthemotherfortheyoungarenotproducedbyreasoning,butbyfeeling,andthisfacultyexistsnotonlyinhumansbutinmostlivingbeings.(Maimonides,GuideforthePerplexed)

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VealCalf

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“Lovingkindnessisgreaterthanlaws…”(Talmud)

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•  WiththankstoCompassioninWorldFarmingSAforinforma7onandimages.