This past Thursday, Mr. DeVries wrote an op-ed espousing the view that humans had a moral obligation to be vegan. I believe Mr. DeVries overlooked a critical issue while on his self-righteous moral campaign: The hundreds of millions of animals killed during crop production and harvest.
Steven Davis, a professor of animal science at Oregon State, presented research to the European Society of Agriculture and Food Ethics suggesting that harvest machinery eviscerates scores of rabbits, mice and other field animals. Davis estimates that if the United States were to adopt a diet heavy in beef and dairy products as opposed to a vegan diet, 300 million fewer small animals would be violently killed each year.
Unless Mr. DeVries is either subsisting solely on a small garden he plants outside of his apartment or herbs grown from a Chia Pet, he is as guilty as any meat eater in causing the death of animals. Of course, it is also possible that he only cares about big, cute animals, and his views are both impractical and morally inconsistent.
I'd also like to address accusations Mr. DeVries made about the pork and chicken industries. Chickens have their beaks clipped because they are naturally aggressive animals and would injure or kill other chickens in close contact. Pigs are only caged right before slaughter for logistical reasons or in certain situations; mother pigs are caged for a short period to prevent them from rolling over and crushing their young. Mistreated and diseased animals do not produce quality meat that people want to buy. The American meat industry is heavily invested in the animals they raise, and systematically mistreating animals is not good business. I suggest you actually visit a slaughtering facility and get your facts straight - or do you not have the stomach for that, either?
For the record, the College Republicans only take one position regarding meat: That roasted pig on the quad is yummy.
Rich Myslinski Executive Director, College Republicans Junior, School of Public Affairs
