Tom Laskawy, blogger on food policy for Grist.org and Beyond Green, makes
the valid argument that unless consumers show that they care about the
treatment of farmed animals, their fate is very grim. Laskawy rightly points
out that state and federal regulators have done nothing to prevent the
wide-spread abuse of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses. Moreover,
he highlights that the food produced with the flesh and by-products of
animals that are laden with antibiotics and hormones is diseased and
unhealthy. "I am often struck by the oddity that the sport of baseball is
too pure for the use of performance enhancing substances -- but the food we
eat isn’t," said Laskawy.
Indeed, if consumers don’t care about how their food is produced and how
God’s animals are treated, then it’s evident that we are failing miserably
in our task of being good stewards of our bodies and animals. Supporting the
animal agriculture industry does not accord with Jesus’ teachings of
compassion, mercy and love. There is hope as long as our actions are aligned
with our Faith.