Focus on Improving Farm Animal Treatment Undermines Shift to Vegetarianism

Dismantlement Movement Best Approach

Erik Marcus, Editor-Vegan.com, 2005, Meat Market: animals, ethics and money, p. 77

While these three movements provide an excellent and much-needed defense of farmed animals, not one of these movements delivers much in the way of an offense. I believe we urgently need an all-new movement expressly designed to identify and strip away the primary assets of animal agriculture. The surest way to eliminate animal agriculture’s cruelties is to seek to eliminate animal agriculture itself. To accomplish this, we need a new movement expressly designed to go on the offensive, with the purpose of ushering animal agriculture out of existence. As we’ll see in the next chapter, it’s within our power to build such a movement. While animal agriculture surely can’t be abolished overnight, we need to begin taking the first steps down that road.

A movement that strives to weaken and one day topple animal agriculture will perfectly complement the work already being done by the vegetarian, rights, and welfare movements. For the first time, the animal protection movement will have an offense as powerful as its defense. Now, let’s look at how such a movement can be constructed.
DISMANTLEMENT MOVEMENT SETS ELIMINATION OF ANIMAL AGRICULTURE AS ITS GOAL

Erik Marcus, Editor-Vegan.com, 2005, Meat Market: animals, ethics and money, p. 79

In the previous chapter, I argued that an all-new movement is necessary, one that is specifically designed to weaken and ultimately eliminate animal agriculture.

I call this new movement the dismantlement movement, and it is built upon an audacious premise—that activists are capable of banding together to undercut and ultimately eliminate the industry of animal agriculture. Even the most radical elements of the animal protection movement have never set an explicit goal to eliminate animal agriculture. I think activists have kept quiet about this matter because nobody wants to appear out of touch with reality. But until we begin working toward the goal of ending animal agriculture, the fate of America’s farmed animals will remain sealed. The ten billion farmed animals who die each year need us to be brave enough to begin a grand task – one that will likely take several generations to complete.

Erik Marcus, Editor-Vegan.com, 2005, Meat Market: animals, ethics and money, p. 81

These differences are reflected in the names given to each movement. As its name suggests, the abolition movement was all about convincing a third party – the federal government – to intervene and abolish slavery. Abolitionists could reasonably expect to win help from the federal government. People seeking to overcome animal agriculture, by contrast, should have no similar hopes. Animal agriculture is one of the most politically powerful business interests in America, and there’s no possibility that lawmakers will rush to outlaw this industry. In consequence, we can’t expect the government to take a leadership role in stamping out animal agriculture. So dismantlement relies, not on government, but on individuals and organizations to take action against animal agriculture.

In contrast to abolitionists, who often lacked means to strike at the roots of slavery, animal protectionists can accomplish a great deal without help from the government. There are dozens of legal and effective actions that anyone can take on behalf of farmed animals, and anybody who joins the struggle against animal agriculture can create enormous change. In the years ahead, the dismantlement movement will doubtless undercut many of animal agriculturalist’s strengths. With enough organized efforts on the part of activists, animal agriculture will lose its grip on government decision-makers. At that point, the industry and its thousand cruelties can at least be toppled.