In general, those who farm animals for food are only concerned about the welfare of the animals on a macro level - as it affects their bottom line. No one who has the slightest compassion for an individual hen as a sentient, feeling, inquisitive creature could leave it crammed in a battery cage, in a shed, standing on wire for its entire artificially shortened life.

And let's kill this ridiculous idea of humane killing of farmed animals. If an animal is suffering, humane killing may be an option if all else fails. But a (relatively) healthy farmed animal is a sentient being who wants to live. Given a choice, it will hang on to its life - it will run from danger or fight a predator. To take that life - even with minimal pain - is simply inhumane.

*And let's kill this ridiculous idea of humane killing of farmed animals. -To take that life - even with minimal pain - is simply inhumane.*

I have news for you MOS. Farm animals have sex, as humans do, because
they enjoy it and its natural for them. Now herbivores pop em out
fairly regularly. If humans did nothing, ate none, they would die
miserable and cruel deaths of starvation and overpopulation.

That is inhumane!

Come on, Yabby. Very few farmed animals have sex – even fewer get to do it because they choose to. Many, such as sows, are raped under the supervision of humans. Many are artificially inseminated – by humans. Farmed animals are born and bred to be used by humans. If humans reduce their demand, fewer animals will be produced in response. In a vegan world, very few animals currently farmed for food or fibre, will exist.

"Very few farmed animals have sex – even fewer get to do it because they choose to"
Ever been on a beef cattle station or on a sheep station MOS. A lot of consensual sex going on there (and I don't mean in the homestead).

May I suggest a simple solution, that is that those who are deeply oppossed to the current practices simply 'pay extra' for the 'free range' or the 'organic' eggs, which in turn will mean that for every one of you, that's one less egg needed per day which means one less chicken kept in a cage. This way, you can 'do your bit' and leave the rest of the population to go on with their business of buying 'affordable foods' for their familes.

Now on the other hand, if you simply want the rest of us to pay extra for our eggs, even though we are not overly concerned with the way they are laid,(they are food after all) then may I suggest that you take a collection and subsidise the cost of 'free range' and 'organic' eggs and we will gladly change.

Now get this right and we can visit other food production areas. But I think the 'eggs' will be the best one to start with.

I like animals, some are pets and some are food, that's the way it is.

I don't want cruelty of course, no one does.

I also want to be able to eat meat whenever I want, and good meat too.

I love animal products, hams, eggs, tongue, salami, steak - these are all wonderful things.

If we stopped eating meat, we would not be carnivores any more, that would not be good, because, we are carnivores.

If we stopped eating meat, we'd need a lot more of the earth's surface to grow food. That probably wouldn't work.

Animal groups like this are quaint little hobbies.