Peter Singer

You might get 20,000 birds in a single shed. And if you look at a photo of it, it just looks like a white carpet across the floor of the shed. You can't see the floor. There's so many birds there. And they've been bred to grow extremely fast, so they put on weight.

You might get 20,000 birds in a single shed. And if you look at a photo of it, it just looks like a white carpet across the floor of the shed. You can't see the floor. There's so many birds there. And they've been bred to grow extremely fast, so they put on weight.

The chickens sold in supermarkets are about six weeks old, but they're as large as birds that in the past might have been twice as old as that or more. So the problem there is that their immature leg bones can hardly bear their weight. And experts who've studied the chickens say that they're in pain as they gain weight.

The chickens sold in supermarkets are about six weeks old, but they're as large as birds that in the past might have been twice as old as that or more. So the problem there is that their immature leg bones can hardly bear their weight. And experts who've studied the chickens say that they're in pain as they gain weight.

They start to be in pain just because of the weight of their body pressing down on their legs and feet, which have not matured enough to support that weight.

They start to be in pain just because of the weight of their body pressing down on their legs and feet, which have not matured enough to support that weight.

There is demand for breast meat and chickens have been bred to grow fast and to have large breasts. In fact, that's even worse for turkeys because people particularly want the breast of the turkey. And so the standard breed, the dominant breed that's sold in American soup markets is actually called the broad-breasted white.

There is demand for breast meat and chickens have been bred to grow fast and to have large breasts. In fact, that's even worse for turkeys because people particularly want the breast of the turkey. And so the standard breed, the dominant breed that's sold in American soup markets is actually called the broad-breasted white.

The bird has such a broad breast that the male actually cannot physically mate, cannot reproduce with a female unaided. So every one of these turkeys, all the turkeys that people are eating at Thanksgiving or other times, is the result of artificial insemination, which particularly the females appear to hate, just they're kind of flipped upside down. They're forced open.

The bird has such a broad breast that the male actually cannot physically mate, cannot reproduce with a female unaided. So every one of these turkeys, all the turkeys that people are eating at Thanksgiving or other times, is the result of artificial insemination, which particularly the females appear to hate, just they're kind of flipped upside down. They're forced open.

Female turkeys in the wild are very selective about who they'll allow to mate with them. But of course, they're just compelled to have this male turkey semen injected into them. They squawk, they fight against it, but they have no ability to resist in the end.

Female turkeys in the wild are very selective about who they'll allow to mate with them. But of course, they're just compelled to have this male turkey semen injected into them. They squawk, they fight against it, but they have no ability to resist in the end.

Well, I think the first ethical problem we should think about is that animals are sentient beings, that they have interests in living a decent life, not suffering pain. And we violate that interest all the time. Every one of these factories found chickens and pigs and dairy cows and laying hens. And maybe to a somewhat lesser extent, the beef cows, their lives are really bad.

Well, I think the first ethical problem we should think about is that animals are sentient beings, that they have interests in living a decent life, not suffering pain. And we violate that interest all the time. Every one of these factories found chickens and pigs and dairy cows and laying hens. And maybe to a somewhat lesser extent, the beef cows, their lives are really bad.

We are inflicting suffering on them. And we don't need to because, as I said, this is a waste of food. It's not nutritionally necessary for us to eat these products. I think the ethics of it is just that we should not be causing this harm and pain to sentient beings unless it were necessary for our survival. And it's clearly not.

We are inflicting suffering on them. And we don't need to because, as I said, this is a waste of food. It's not nutritionally necessary for us to eat these products. I think the ethics of it is just that we should not be causing this harm and pain to sentient beings unless it were necessary for our survival. And it's clearly not.

There are two things that we can do. The first one is we can stop giving our support to these methods of industrial farming. And of course, whenever we buy the products, we are giving our support to them because that's all the incentive they need to continue to produce them and to make profits, which mean that they become a very powerful lobby.

There are two things that we can do. The first one is we can stop giving our support to these methods of industrial farming. And of course, whenever we buy the products, we are giving our support to them because that's all the incentive they need to continue to produce them and to make profits, which mean that they become a very powerful lobby.

And that's why the United States has no federal legislation at all governing the welfare of animals on farms. So for a lot of these industrial farms, people are basically free to do whatever they like that will be profitable, irrespective of how much suffering it causes the animals.

And that's why the United States has no federal legislation at all governing the welfare of animals on farms. So for a lot of these industrial farms, people are basically free to do whatever they like that will be profitable, irrespective of how much suffering it causes the animals.