Bestiality vs animal husbandry: a roleplaying game

Alex Macmillan - Northland beef farmer and
artificial insemination technician. Source http://www.teara.govt.nz

Apparently New Zealand farmers would like cows to get pregnant earlier and more easily.

(Warning: this post is not graphic but discusses sensitive topics. In case the title wasn't enough of a clue.)

DairyNZ senior scientist and project leader Dr Chris Burke says “More cows in-calf means more milk in the vat before Christmas, fewer replacements required, more flexibility when making culling decisions to improve herds and better returns overall for dairy farmers.”

But can we ask how rewarding it will be for the cows in this study? Nationwide outrage was generated against animal testing for party pills; sadly animal testing to increase productivity barely raises an eyebrow.

(For extra credit and fun, also ask a New Zealand farmer to say "killing" and "culling" and see if you hear any difference.)

Source: http://pawjustice.co.nz/

Bestiality vs animal husbandry

If I were an animal, what is the difference?

Consent

Bestiality	Animal Husbandry
I did not consent	I did not consent

 



Abuse Risk

Bestiality	Animal Husbandry
High - I might be hurt or killed for fun or by accident	High - I might be hurt or culled (oops, killed) for fun, by accident, or if I am not economically beneficial.

Pregnancy Risk

Bestiality	Animal Husbandry
I won't get pregnant.	High. I am meant to get pregnant (if I can't, I may be killed...erm...culled) The stress of pregnancy and lactation is business as usual for my body, with my babies taken away to be more industrial product. I will be sicker and die earlier.

Motive

Bestiality	Animal Husbandry
I'm used for pleasure.	I'm used for profit.

Legality

Bestiality	Animal Husbandry
It is illegal to do this to me.	It is legal to do this to me, and encouraged and rewarded.

I could be better off as as a victim of bestiality - at least I won't get pregnant and the violator would be stopped and possibly prosecuted.

Legal links and loopholes

Admittedly, bestiality isn't even illegal in a lot of places. You may not want to recognise a link between bestiality and animal husbandry, and New Zealand and Australian law still both sorta take it for granted that farmers and other breeders are just doing their job when they...do the job.

However, bestiality laws being implemented now in many states of the USA (eg Maine) have seen the logical need to exclude animal husbandry's intimate interference with animals' bodies. Similar exemptions are listed for other practices of cruelty to animals.

So it's OK to abuse animals, even sexually, as long as someone is making money out of it, and not just enjoying it.

Because they're just animals. Right?

Go vegan please...