Rescued goats at Sasha Farm Sanctuary
The local food movement folks often think they have a very
different philosophy from the compassionate vegan folks. The reality is that our intentions are
very much the same. We want to do
the right thing.
The problem is that everyone I know who claims to just eat
locally, doesn’t. They often buy
non-local products and eat out at restaurants that use non-local
ingredients. I have also found
that most of the people who are trying so hard to eat locally, haven’t done
their homework about the real affects of their choices.
When judging the carbon footprint of a particular food, it
is important to take into account the water and energy required to produce the
product, not just the transportation of the item. It turns out that transportation is a very small part of the
ecological impact of our food. A
study in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology found that
switching just two meals a week from meat and dairy products to vegan choices
reduces more greenhouse gasses than buying all local food.
The local food trend is very popular in the USA. As a part of this local food movement,
many people are buying chickens and goats and plopping them in their backyards
to produce their own meat, eggs and dairy. Most of the people doing this do not have a clue how to
really meet all the needs of the animals they are raising. Craigslist here is full of listings
from people who did not know what they were getting into and now have animals
they will give away free to anyone.
I recently led a compassionate living program at a week-long
camp for teens. I arrived at the
camp just as the program before mine was in full swing. A local woman who has goats in her yard
was letting the campers milk her four goats. I sat in on the session. Many of
the campers would not taste the milk because they saw the source and it grossed
them out. I asked them if they
would drink it if it was in the store in a plastic jug. They all said they probably would. The goat woman was talking about
her spiritual connection with the goats. I asked her if she keeps the goats
pregnant so they will keep producing milk. I wanted the campers to have the
full story of the reality of dairy.
When she shared that she does keep them pregnant, I asked her what
happens if a male kid is born? She
said, “We send them off. We cannot keep them around because they have a strong
smell and it affects the milk.”
When I asked her where she sends them off to, she slid away from the
question. The director of the camp
was also in the session. He said,
“Well, it is all part of the cycle of life, isn’t it? They are learning about the cycle of life..” “Yes,” I replied, “they are learning
about the cycle of life and the cycle of unnecessary premature death.”
Possibly the best part of the local food movement is that
people have a bit more of a connection to where their food comes from. The worst part is that, when animals
are involved, the glossy wholesome image that goes along with it covers up what
it really means for the individual animals and the environment. Mothers and babies torn apart so we can
steal their milk, males sent to slaughter and mothers who are no longer
producing large quantities of milk also sent to slaughter, buying baby chicks
shipped from hatcheries who kill off the males in often barbaric ways, chickens
kept in small boxes in backyards (common in our community), non-local feed
often fed to the animals on farms marketing products as “local”, trucking and
non-local slaughter of many of the animals whose flesh is sold as “local”, and
the use of large quantities of water for each animal (in many areas, water is a
very scarce commodity).
The cost of buying chicks at a hatchery or feed store that gets them from a hatchery-dead and dying male chicks in dumpster behind hatchery.
I know that death is part of life. I also know that we can make choices that support our own
health, the environment and all beings and thrive on compassionate vegan
choices. We cannot live a life
that does no harm, but we can make choices that cause the least harm.
I am all for eating locally and growing our own food
whenever possible. Imagine the
double positive of choosing local and plant-based foods! So, when you are looking at what to do
with that backyard of yours, plant fruits and veggies. Health, compassion and
environmental responsibility can all be part of your local food plan!
