I'm wondering if in fact GM foods are the way ahead, because then we might bypass the need for animal manure and pesticides, eventually. What do you think? (If you have time to answer, on or off list as you choose).
Regarding vegans and factory farming, the manure in Europe is bought from large farms, and these are invariably factory farms. In the UK, we have very few non-factory farms, or non-intensive as they're now called - animals are kept indoors all the time, have wretched lives, are pumped full of antibiotics as a precaution, as well as hormones for growth, and they eat badly - and as you know until a decade or so ago, they were eating each other, thanks to our insane animal feed producers, which led to mad cow disease. So in buying produce grown using manure, the organic food consumer is unwittingly contributing financially to the upkeep of the factory farmer, as well as perhaps exposing themselves to health risks (e-coli for example). For that reason, many vegans eat conventionally produced vegetables and fruit, but very reluctantly, and the debate is always going back and forth - about which is the lesser of two evils.
Sarah
At 10:46 AM -0800 02/03/2003, Jenny Goodspeed wrote:
Yes, if you're vegan, and do not want animals involved
in any part of the growing process, I can see that as
a problem. OG would be the lesser of two evils though
- both conventional and OG farmers use animal
products, and conventional farmers do so on a larger
scale.
If you're a strict vegan and don't live near a vegan
organic grower (and there are very few), what on earth
would you do?
Jenny
