An Ethical View.

There’s a farm in the Shire that I hate walking past. It has an air of misery about it which is almost palpable. The animals there always look sad.

I’ve seen milkers being let out of the milking shed with their udders still ¾ full. The calves destined to be fatteners spend their whole time in a crowded shed, never having the chance to graze a blade of grass. Worst of all, there are veal crates standing outside, exposed to the elements and occupied by small calves which hardly have the space even to turn around. Two of them called out tonight as I walked past. They sounded distressed, and I imagine they wanted to be let out.

It seems that there are good farmers with good farms and bad farmers with bad ones. The beef cows kept by Farmer Stan on the land behind my house always look content and relaxed. They have play fights occasionally, and sometimes they just gallop in a group for the fun of it. It’s the same with the sheep which Sam and Ange keep up the lane. I’ve talked to those farmers, and their attitude is that they want to give their animals as good a life as possible for as long as it lasts. Surely it’s no more than a decent society has a right to expect.