Rock on, Magnum: a vegan loves the feedlot
I was recently pointed toward an article by my buddy, Miles; an article by a vegan nutritionist who visits a cattle feedlot—and gives it kind of a rave review. Ulp.
The author is one Ryan Andrews, a vegan nutritionist and former bodybuilder. He claims to have wanted to get a firsthand feedlot experience for a while, having set up his tour only after months of emails and phone calls. Now, I’m no genius, but isn’t that kind of the first tip-off that something shady is going on? I mean, if feedlots were really so awesome, then why does it take months of badgering phone calls to set up a chaperoned visit? If they’ve got such a great thing going, why aren’t they shouting it from the rooftops? Good old-fashioned farmer-folk modesty?
Apparently, yes. At least, if Andrews’ account is to be believed. Andrews’ writing style is straightforward as he recounts his journey to the feedlot, accompanied by an animal science instructor and a student from Colorado State University. He recalls meeting the owner of the feedlot, a kindly looking older man whose experience with Magnum reads like a Real American Success Story. Andrews talks about what a feedlot is and how most of America’s beef comes from them, and he explains the difference between a family farm and a factory farm. By this point, the tone is becoming a little grating, but whatever.
From there, we learn, from a vegan, how nice feedlots are for cows. I wish I were pulling some kind of vegan police crap and exaggerating (you know how us vegans love to jump down each others’ throats for not putting down animal agriculture enough), but Andrews actually, literally describes the Magnum Feedlot as the “Holiday Inn” for cattle. He talks about how it’s nice that the cows have an animal nutritionist come in and take a look at them sometimes and how there’s a “hospital pen” for the sick cows and how gee golly gosh, those cows get better healthcare than most humans! And don’t forget how good the cows’ food is and how clean it is and how progressive and environmentally responsible the owners of the lot are for composting not only the cow manure but also the dead cows (you know, the ones that die naturally of old age on the feed lot—talk about bad timing!) and, and, and…
Honestly, I’m not sure what to think yet. Maybe Ryan Andrews got paid by some beef advocacy group somewhere to write that article, or he’s not all that critical a thinker (or worse, and I’m sorry, he’s not all that bright). Not every vegan I know is a rocket scientist (and I know I ain’t), but I gotta say, if someone were to blow as much smoke up my ass as the Magnum people apparently blew up Andrews’, I’d be a walking chimney, and I’d like to think I’d notice. Andrews’ piece reads like every bit of pro-agribusiness propaganda I’ve come across. The only difference is that this one was written by a vegan, which, I suppose, means it’s more convincing?
Andrews describes the feedlot as a clean, pleasant place where cows are fed an appropriate diet, kept healthy, and don’t have to stand around in their own shit before being whisked off to the slaughterhouse (which would be something like the bovine Motel 6?). He expresses surprise at how much this feedlot differs from the horror shows filmed by animal rights activists. He thinks the life of the cows on the feedlot looks pretty good. Oh, and he ends the piece with, “rock on, Magnum.” Andrews says his article is only meant as an account of one person’s visit to a feedlot, a place most people never get to see, but—especially given that last sentence—I found it hard to read it as anything but a hearty endorsement. Sure, Andrews does note that he continues to be vegan, and that the way someone lives is a more important indicator of their feelings and whatever else than what they may write on their blog. But still, if you’re vegan and believe that using animals for food is wrong, why take the time to praise feedlots?
Now, I don’t like to play Vegan Police. I generally don’t think calling people out for eating honey or being “welfarists” does any good for either veganism or the animals, but reading this piece, I saw the other side of the vegan spectrum—those vegans who are so live-and-let-live that they’re happy to endorse factory feedlots in the name of being “open-minded.” I mean, if we as vegans can’t all get behind the idea that maybe it’s okay to be at least a teensy bit disapproving of feedlots that process 22,000 cows at a time directly into slaughterhouses, then what could possibly be the point? I do understand the need for open-mindedness in the vegan community, and it’s something I try to do myself (for pragmatism if nothing else), but Andrews has gone past the point of pragmatism and squarely into sell-out territory.
When I was in law school, I got to tour an animal research facility. My animal law class was presented with the opportunity to tour the animal research and testing lab at the school, and I decided to go. Unlike Andrews, who makes a point of joking about being careful not to wear his “have you hugged a vegetarian today” shirt, I wore my “legalize animal rights” shirt (for which I got snarked at by the tour leader). I walked through the lab and saw thousands and thousands of rats and mice who were being used in clinical trials and research. The lab was clean. The lab techs were reasonably kind to the animal subjects. The rats and mice received good food and medical attention. But at the end of the line for these animals, like the cows in the feedlot, was wholesale death. Sure, no one was beating the rats and mice. Rat feces wasn’t smeared on the walls. The place smelled vaguely antiseptic. The people who worked there seemed nice enough. I suppose it could have been worse for the thousands and thousands of animals being tested on at that facility, but oh boy could it ever have been better.
Does an animal business really have to be as bad as the PETA horror videos before we will speak out against it? Do the animals have to be unbearably tortured every minute of their lives before we’ll take a stand for them? Is animal agriculture acceptable if the factory/family feedlot is operated by a homey-looking old guy in a plaid shirt? Maybe it makes me a closed-minded vegan dogmatic, but I would say no.
Also check out these other great responses to Andrews’ piece by The Vegan Dietitian and Erik Marcus at Vegan.com.
