The Domestication Justification

Looking at the animal diseases and animal cruelty found at cattle farms and farm factories, the question needs to be asked, was the domestication of animals a positive or negative advancement for human kind?  Is there a way to ensure that everyone will have access to food without putting their lives or the animals’ lives at risk?

The domestication of animals dates back to the Neolithic age.  The idea was formed to raise cattle rather than to have to periodically hunt for food.  These animals produced meat and dairy and kept reproducing on the farm, so there were always domesticated animals to provide food.  The domestication of animals saves humans time and effort because rather than having to look for food, they already have it on their property.  Raising domesticated cattle and other animals in large herds was seen as helpful for feeding growing populations. As populations grew, and more people needed to eat, more food needed to be produced.  Domesticating animals was a way to make sure animals reproduced and provided enough food to be eaten. 

However, domesticating these animals also had huge consequences. Domesticated animals brought diseases with them such as mad cow disease.  According to archaeological findings, "there appeared a huge drop off in population in the time period right after the domestication of animals."  In other words, a massive amount of people "throughout the world caught animal-based diseases and died."  These diseases spread through civilizations and even trading routs.

In addition, the demand for more food increased, leading to a greater quantity of animals being farmed. With a greater amount of animals, the size of land that each animal had to live on shrank.  This lead to unhealthy living conditions for the animals, and more disease spread throughout the animals themselves.  Unfortunately, many of these diseases were then spread to humans through consumption of meat and continue to be dangerous to this day.  

In present times, farmers need to find a way to feed the growing population of farmed animals. They resort to feeding their cattle corn instead of letting their cows graze in open fields. Corn is cheaper and more plentiful than having to find and buy land for cows to eat grass on.  Eating corn has a unhealthy impact on the animals and also poses risks to human consumers.

The pros and cons of domesticating of animals can be looked at through three different perspectives: that of the animal rights workers (and animals), from that of basic meat consumers, and from that of the owners of meat packaging companies.  From the animals' perspectives, the domestication is unfair and cruel.  Animal rights workers believe that mass domestication is unfair, and animals should have the same right to live their lives in the open as humans have.  To many meat consumers, the justice of domesticating animals is irrelevant; as long as people can buy get as much safe meat as they want. In reality though, eating meat is always a risk when raised through factory farming. From the perspective of a meat packaging business, domestication is great!  They can make millions without feeling guilt by selling meat from animals that are treated poorly, because their goal is primarily to make money.  Well, that doesn't really seem fair.

My solution to this problem is to maintain the domestication of animals, but to improve how they are treated.  Huge meat production companies should not be allowed to keep their cattle in unhealthy living conditions.  Allowing cattle to roam in open spaces ensures safer meat for the carnivorous population.