Eating Animals

Foer visits Bill and Nicolette Niman, of Niman Ranches, in Bolinas, California. Nicolette is a vegetarian, though she runs a farm that provides meat. In Nicolette’s testimony, she details how factory farming is not sustainable, describing how Niman Ranches follows a more natural method, promoting animal welfare. Bruce Friedrich, who works with PETA and is a friend of Nicolette’s, argues in his testimony that ethical farming is good, but only in comparison to factory farming. He argues that meat eating is not sustainable or necessary, noting that the food used to feed animals could feed starving humans instead. Bruce asserts that no amount of welfare improvement will distinguish farming from slavery.

Bill Niman’s testimony argues that meat eating is natural, noting that slavery is not a fitting analogy. He does not argue that all animal behaviors should be considered natural, but that meat eating is a matter of survival for many carnivorous and omnivorous animals, including humans. His goal is to make farming humane and sustainable, rather than attempting to eliminate meat eating. Foer questions Bill on branding cows with hot iron, and Bill says it’s necessary to avoid theft. However, Foer notes that branding does not prevent real theft, which usually involves slaughtering the animal on the spot.