Author: Derek

Posted on

Why I Don’t Eat Animals

I finally finished the first edition of my booklet, “Why I Don’t Eat Animals”. I started it in 2011, and due to new research, changes in my own thinking, and work demands, it has taken me four years to complete.

I wrote it because I noted that many people either did not know about or did not understand all of the facets of the animal consumption issue, and whenever I came across literature on the subject, it invariably focused on one aspect and not the others. So there were essays and books dealing with the ethical argument that did not engage with the environmental issue or the question of socio-economics.

This is my attempt at presenting a comprehensive explanation for why I believe there is a rational case for reducing or ceasing the consumption of animals. I also wanted to keep it concise because I recognised that many people have an aversion to reading lengthy tomes. At 24 pages, it is an hour’s investment and hopefully it will keep you engaged. One can always follow the many links, should there be a need to read more detail.

This is not a book for academics, who may find the philosophical presence incomplete. It’s a book for laymen and pragmatists, written in language that everyone can understand. It’s a book that can be read by those wishing to understand more about the place of non-human animals in our world, those who have some sense of environmental responsibility or conservation, or even by those who are opposed to consideration for animals.

Download it here: Why_I_Dont_Eat_Animals

My sincere hope is that those who read it will apply their minds to the arguments contained, consider the ramifications of their thinking and action, and, should they see the need, make the necessary changes.

Derek du Toit

Save

Save

Posted on

Meat: the Hunger Connection

A common myth about hunger is that it is caused by ‘scarcity’ and this perception very much depends on what you mean by the term. The idea that there is not enough food for everyone is not one supported by the facts:

“Hunger is caused by poverty and inequality, not scarcity. For the past two decades the rate of global food production has increased faster than the rate of global population growth. The world already produces more than 1 ½ times enough food to feed everyone on the planet. That’s enough to feed 10 billion people, the population peak we expect by 2050. But the people making less than $2 a day – most of whom are resource-poor farmers Continue reading “Meat: the Hunger Connection”

Posted on

Food Choice and Global Depletion

There is an ‘Elephant in the Room’ that nobody in conservation or climate change is talking about, and it’s strange, bordering on insane…

“What are all of the conservation groups doing about the problem of global warming and destruction of our environment? Surely they must know of the global depletion/food choice connection and are doing something about it, right? No. The answer is they are not. All of these groups are concerned with climate change, however, they are focusing on the wrong issues- refusing to make any statements about the profound effects eating animals has on the environment – despite the fact that it does, and despite the fact that we entrust them to preserve and protect our planet.” ~ Dr Richard Oppenlander, author of ‘Comfortably Unaware’

If you are not aware of the effects of the meat industry on global depletion of resources such as land, water, soil and its effect on species loss, poverty of course global warming, not to mention the overfishing of the seas, then it’s possible that the conservation groups you trust have either misled you, or simply don’t know, which in itself is alarming.

Look at this page to see the facts: http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/#

(If you want to see the movie, email me at derekdut@companions.org.za )

The fact is, climate change is very real; it’s occurring now and worsening, and the situation is urgent. Human activities producing GHG emissions significantly affect climate change. Raising animals is one of the largest contributors to anthropogenic GHG emissions and, therefore, human-induced climate change. Meat production produces more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation with direct emissions from meat production accounting for some 18% of world’s total. Continue reading “Food Choice and Global Depletion”

Posted on

Welfare vs Rights – A counterproductive false dichotomy

A false dilemma (also called false dichotomy, false binary, black-and-white thinking, bifurcation, denying a conjunct, the either-or fallacy, fallacy of exhaustive hypotheses, the -fallacy of false choice, the fallacy of the false alternative, or the fallacy of the excluded middle) is a type of informal fallacy that involves a situation in which only limited alternatives are considered, when in fact there is at least one additional option. (Wiki)

In 2008, while conducting an online campaign to stop the Onderstepoort Biological Products horses from going to slaughter after the organisation was finished with them, I founded an organisation called ARC (Animal Rights Coalition) with a view to having an official platform from which to direct the campaign.

I was immediately taken to task by various animal rights activists for using the term ‘animal rights’ and was told that the organisation was really a ‘welfarist’ organisation and that our approach was not consistent with the animal rights movement. It seemingly did not matter that we were campaigning for the right we believed these horses had to life, and none of these activists assisted in any manner to the campaign; it seemed that the use of the right term was more important. That we were also focused on companion animals and what we perceived to be fundamental rights they should have was also of less importance than that we conformed to their terms and ideology. Continue reading “Welfare vs Rights – A counterproductive false dichotomy”

Posted on

Hunting – Conservation or Disorder?

From the website http://obsessivehuntingdisorder.com/:

ob•ses•sive hunt•ing dis•or•der (uhb-ses-iv huhn-ting dis-awr-der) noun

A psychoneurotic disorder in which the person’s thoughts or feelings are dominated by persistent ideas or images of wild animals and the desire to pursue them for the purpose of catching or killing. These thoughts or actions interfere with normal functioning and cannot be voluntarily prevented or controlled; abbreviation OHD.

I wasn’t sure whether the owners of this site were serious upon arriving at the site, but it appears that they are – deadly serious. I’m not sure that OHD is part of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) but I wonder why it shouldn’t be… Continue reading “Hunting – Conservation or Disorder?”

Posted on

The BS in BSL…

Breed-Specific Legislation is problematic for the simple reason that the notion of ‘breed’ is itself questionable, and if the very essence of the idea has no legitimacy, then any legislation based on it must be hopelessly flawed.

Breed-Specific Legislation has no basis, either in a scientific or social context. It is rooted in preconception  and ignorance concerning the relationship between breed and behaviour, and since ‘breed’ is not a scientific classification, we only have the opinions of a relatively ignorant majority to refer to.

“Politicians, prosecutors, attorneys, newspaper reporters, TV and radio station personalities, breeders, trainers, animal control officers, veterinarians, shelter workers, dog fighters, street thugs, and just about anyone able to speak has an opinion or personal theory about the strength and temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier. These opinions and theories are based on a dizzying mixture of personal experience, media-induced images, rumours, myths, speculation, fear mongering, and personal or political agendas.” ~ Karen Delise, Pit Bull Placebo

This is partly due to a lack of understanding of ethology (the scientific study of animal behaviour), statistics and their validity, integrity and reliability of media reporting, ability of the public to identify breeds or to recognise signals given by aggressive dogs, and the contribution of human factors to animal attacks on humans.

In combination, these elements all add up to such a significant misinterpretation of the events and the decisions made Continue reading “The BS in BSL…”

Posted on

Companion Animal Welfare’s Trolley Problem

Those engaged in companion animal welfare in South Africa face an ethical dilemma, which can be expressed as a Trolley Problem. If you don’t know what that is, read here:

http://www.trolleydilemma.com/

The short version is that the driver of a trolley on a railway track sees that there are five men working on the rail. He tries to stop but the brakes do not work, and he then has to make a choice, since he sees that he can switch to another track, where there is only one man working. Does he switch or remain on his current track?

Everyone who commits their time, energy or money to our companion animals has a choice as to how they will apply those resources to the animal welfare crisis. When we examine those choices, we see that they are not easy and that in each case we give up something; there is an outcome we trade off against the outcome we have invested in.

Triage situation

Triage, n:
1. the process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine priority of medical treatment, with highest priority usu. given to those having the greatest likelihood of survival.
2. the determination of priorities for action in an emergency.

For those who are unaware, we have a crisis in companion animal welfare in South Africa. An optimistic estimate Continue reading “Companion Animal Welfare’s Trolley Problem”