When discussing the animal rights, animal welfare and animal liberation movements, it is common to draw from many schools of thought. As producers, staying informed as to what the buzzwords of the animal rights movement are, and understanding the threat to animal agriculture that exists within the discussion of animals and ethics, is vital. There has been concern over the Study of Animal Rights program at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., developed by two $1 million grants given by Bob Barker.
“Animals and Ethics” is the title of the required book for the animal ethics curriculum at Drury.
Dr. Scott Vernon, professor of agriculture communications at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Cali., said this of the additional reading options for the program. "In the fourth week of the course, the articles (that were listed on Drury's website as part of the curriculum on Oct. 29, 2009, but were no longer listed at press time), by Tom Regan, Peter Singer and Carol J. Adams; those authors, their agenda is veganism and vegetarianism. Peter Singer is certainly a radical (in the animal rights movement.) Jan Narveson does say animals don’t have the same rights. But the leaning is to the left in this class for sure.”
Animal Rights
According to “Animal care and use: an issue now and in the future,” from the Journal of Animal Science, written by A.F. Kertz, “Animal rights proponents equate human and animal rights or that the capacity to suffer pain is given equal moral consideration. Animal welfare is a philosophy that centers on animal well-being, a stewardship role that producers view as affecting profitability but the general public may view as having additional components. The agenda of some animal rights proponents may be positioned under the guise of animal welfare to gain acceptability for portions of their work.”
Speciesism
Speciesism was coined by Richard Ryder in 1970. The word refers to the widely held belief that the human species is inherently superior to other species and so has rights or privileges that are denied to other (living) animals. Speciesism can be equated to racism, sexism and feminism. All are equal? In our society we believe racism is wrong. Many animal activists hope speciesism will someday be considered undoubtedly wrong, too.
Vivisection
According to "The Oxford American Dictionaries," vivisection is “the practice of performing operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research (used only by people who are opposed to such work).”
Non-human animals
The biological definition of the word animal refers to all members of the Kingdom Animalia including humans. So essentially, using the term non-human animals is saying we’re all animals, there are just the human and non-human animals.
Animal Welfare
Travis Justice, Executive Director of the Arkansas Beef Council and Director of the Beef Cattle Division for Arkansas Farm Bureau, said he sees the Drury program as suspect for bias. “We suspect they’re biased toward animal welfare, and will be promoting concepts that are contrary to the effective practices of modern agriculture. Without sitting through the courses, it’s hard to know exactly how information will be presented. We would hope, at least, they’ll present a balanced viewpoint. Some of the beliefs and statements being made about agriculture that we’ve heard are certainly unfair.”
Will the fact that most ag producers approach their jobs from an economically, scientifically and logically sound philosophy be presented? Or will only the negative points, the horror stories, only be shown, Justice asked.
“There are certain production practices that may be debatable, but we hope a fair and just presentation of those ideas will be presented in an educational format (at Drury),” he added.
Justice says he has seen initiatives rise in many states across the U.S. equating animal agriculture and companion animals. “It’s not only here, there’s a general trend across the country, from Proposition 2 in California, where they took the issue to public vote of citizens to outlaw certain ag production practices. Those campaigns become political, and they’re based on emotions. Questions are presented to the public such as “do you think animals ought to be confined like this?” And most of the public is not informed to that degree, to know what’s humane or not.” Justice explained these campaigns, these types of thoughts are projected onto production agriculture. “It’s unfair, it’s mixing concepts,” he said. “Ninety-nine point nine percent of people who have farm animals do it right. Unless we take care of them properly, they won’t meet that standard, and we can’t stay in this business.”
Livestock producers becoming involved with their livestock’s state associations, especially groups with lobbying power, is key to having a voice when laws are revisited, groups challenge animal agriculture and more.
We Asked, And Drury Chose Not To Answer:
We asked to interview Mr. Todd Parnell, Drury's president, and we were denied. We emailed the director of media relations for Drury the following questions. Here's his response: "Drury University responded to the editorial in the last issue of Ozarks Farm & Neighbor and Drury stands by that statement." You can review their letter on page 7 of this issue.
1. Millions of animal producers across this country spend their last dime to keep their animals well fed and cared for. Are there intentions of including evaluation of the positives of animal husbandry in this animal rights course? Will fifty percent of this course be positive toward animal agriculture?
2. In my dictionary, the Oxford American Dictionary, the definition of vivisection is “the practice of performing operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research," and then in parenthesis it says, "(used only by people who are opposed to such work)." How does the use of such language not imply your course will be slanted in favor of those who are opposed to such work?
3. Are you concerned that animal livestock producers in the Ozarks are mistreating their animals?
4. When your students go to investigate area animal facilities, will you include visits to area stockyards? What if students’ projects want to evaluate the treatment of animals at said stockyards? How will you respond to area livestock producers, worried your program is targeting them?
5. A response from Dr. Charles Taylor in a Letter to the Editor said, “As a university, we are not in the propaganda business, nor do we have an interest in controlling the lives, or dietary habits of our students.” Do you think Bob Barker does?
For a list of references from this article, and links to Drury’s Animal Rights curriculum, visit www.ozarksfn.com.
