Animal Genocide?

Is it possible to commit genocide against a group of non-human animals? It has been brought to my attention that certain species of apes wage a kind of genocidal war against rival groups. Given certain conditions such as food shortages and a growing population one group will attack another, seeking their total destruction and the acquisition of more territory and thus food. Surviving members of the victim group are absorbed into the victors and the pattern of the victim group is destroyed. Does this constitute genocide?

Is it possible for humans to commit genocide on a non-human group? The case of the dodo bird, whose ill-suited acceptance of human presence and apparent stupidity earned it the contempt of sailors and the eventual demise of its species, might shed some light. Our class, scholars, and the U.N. convention all deemed, however, that the annihilation of a group was not necessary to classify an action as genocide. As in the case of aboriginals in Australia, the destruction of a way of life was adequate to legitimately charge genocide. It is in this framework that I would like to draw attention to the status of factory farm animals in contemporary society.

As humans, we are undoubtedly responsible for the destruction of the behavioral patterns of animal groups, through extinction and domestication. In the case of domestication, the new pattern serves the needs of a human group that wishes to build favorable conditions for its growth. 10 billion animals are killed for consumption every year in the U.S. alone. Does this constitute genocide?

Humans have certain attitudes towards animals hardwired into our moral brains, which automatically delimit the animal kingdom from consideration on similar moral grounds to other humans. After all, a chief tactic in making an ongoing genocide morally palatable to the populous of the aggressor group is the use of de-humanizing propaganda, relegating an internal group to the status of animals. But there are limits to what a normal person finds morally acceptable to do to even what they consider an inferior being. The unsavory methods of today’s factory farms undoubtedly fall outside that normal threshold in the minds of most who see them first hand, but I do not want to focus on the specifics of abuse. Instead I’d like to point to the tactics made by aggressor companies to make their actions seem more morally palatable to customers, and draw comparisons to genocidal states.

 As in genocides, euphemistic language is almost always used to refer to animals and the process of their slaughter, dismemberment and packaging. Beef is not called cow and pork is not called pig. Propaganda of a sort, showing cows in green pastures, next to the cornfields on farmer Joe’s land is ubiquitous. We are constantly inundated with inaccurate, anachronistic images about farming. Censorship of information concerning the welfare of factory farm animals: Utah, for instance, has passed a law criminalizing disseminating information about farming practices.

                  (2) A person is guilty of agricultural operation interference if the person, without

      consent from the owner of the operation, or the owner's agent, knowingly or                                                 intentionally records an image of, or sound from, the operation:

Also like many genocides discussed, a chain of diffusion of responsibility exists, from the workers “on the ground” in the slaughterhouse and factory farms, to the customers, who all have limited knowledge of the scope of the farming operations and their place within it. De-being-ization: instead of dehumanizing, I argue that we have begun to systematically and legally de-being-ize factory farm animals. Many large factory-farming companies have altered the natural genetics and life cycles of farm animals beyond recognition through genetic engineering and hormone usage. Farm animals are specifically exempted from coverage under morally concerned legislation about animal welfare, such as the federal Animal Welfare Act, and state domestic abuse and animal cruelty laws.

works cited:

http://le.utah.gov/~2012/bills/hbillint/hb0187.htm

http://awic.nal.usda.gov/farm-animals

http://www.aspca.org/Fight-Animal-Cruelty/Advocacy-Center/state-animal-cruelty-laws.aspx