"You Don't Know What You're Talking About; You've Never Worked on a Farm"

by Stephanie Ernst

categories: Animal Emotions, Farm Animals, Sanctuaries

Published September 04, 2009 @ 06:38AM PT

Photo, taken at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, by Deb Durant of Invisible Voices

In a recent comment thread here at Change.org, site member and animal advocate Gary Loewenthal responded to a version of the sentiment expressed in the title of this post, some varieties of which argue that animal advocates are all urbanites with not a clue about rural farming culture or that animal advocates really know nothing about farmed animals in general or that they have no concept of what really goes on in animal ag. With permission, I share Gary's thoughtful response to some aspects of this argument below.

But before I do, I will also say (as I have before, I know) that this kind of dismissal from proponents and defenders of animal ag also ignores that some of the animal rights movement's most compelling and passionate advocates are and have been former farmers (small- and large-scale alike), former hunters, former slaughterhouse workers; many others of us are originally from farming communities or families. The undercover investigators who see, time and time again, what "really" happens on farms would also disagree that they don't know what they're talking about. And then, finally, there are these excellent points from Gary (who is too humble about his knowledge of animal issues; I am consistently impressed by his knowledge and ability to articulate it thoughtfully):

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Many animal advocates, such as me, volunteer at farmed animal sanctuaries. At those wonderful places (which I recommend everyone visit), I submit that we are able to see animals in ways that farmers virtually never experience.

A) We never look at the animals in terms of what they can produce, or as disposable business assets. I think that way of looking at individuals blocks your ability to truly appreciate their uniqueness, their moods, and their nuances. We see the sanctuary animals as unique individuals, sometimes as friends, and to varying degrees we sense and share in their joy and sadness.

B) We see and get to know animals who, for all practical purposes, don't exist on farms: geriatric animals, blind calves, lame turkeys, hens with terminal ovarian cancer (caused in part by being engineered to lay so many eggs).

C) We experience aspects of the animals that are unlikely to be seen on farms. We witness the formation and endurance of long-term friendships between animals. We see the resilience and recovery of animals who were lucky enough to escape slaughter at the last moment.

To be an animal advocate practically requires that you gain some expertise in animal agriculture, cooking, nutrition, and other disciplines because you are asked about those things week after week, year after year.

Like many other animal advocates, I've done considerable research to maintain credibility when doing outreach and to give informed answers and opinions. I've talked to farmers and ex-farmers, ex-slaughterhouse workers, ex-USDA slaughterhouse inspectors, ex-animal lab inspectors, current USDA and animal lab employees, people who rescue hens from battery cages, circus employees, breeders, egg producers, vegan dieticians and chefs, and a host of other people involved in animal-related pursuits. I've also read quite a bit on the history of animal agriculture, the food industry, nutrition, animal cognition, and other topics. (I also live with a rabbit who is similar to those used by the fur, meat, and vivisection industries.)

I don't mention this to toot my own horn. In a room of animal activists, this sort of continuing education is very common. Many activists know far more than I do; they put me to shame. The public is deeply vested in eating meat, dairy, and eggs. The average person, IMHO, is afraid of dropping those items from his or her diet. People get very defensive about their meat-eating in particular. Very often, they're looking for ways to dismiss our views, or to deem us uncredible, as a superficial excuse to continue their habits. So we find out very quickly that we have to be prepared, knowledgeable, and credible in order to have any impact.

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The photo included at top was originally featured in Deb's post "Curiosity of Cows" and then borrowed for a post here titled "Curious Cows, Calendars, and Sanctuaries."