action will never bring about a major reform. Even in
supposedly animal-loving Britain, although the wide
controversy stirred by the publication of Ruth Harrison’s
AnimalMachinesforcedthegovernmenttoappointagroup
ofimpartialexperts(theBrambellcommittee)toinvestigate
the issue of mistreatment of animals and make
recommendations, when the committee reported the
government refused to carry out its recommendations. In
1981 theHouseofCommons AgricultureCommittee made
yetanotherinquiryintointensivefarming, andthis inquiry
alsoledtorecommendationsforeliminatingtheworstabuses.
Once again,nothingwasdone.^2 Ifthis wasthefate ofthe
movement for reform in. Britain, nothing better can be
expectedintheUnitedStates,wheretheagribusinesslobbyis
still more powerful.
This isnot to say thatthenormal channelsof protestand
politicalactionareuselessandshouldbeabandoned.Onthe
contrary,theyareanecessarypartoftheoverallstrugglefor
effective change in the treatment of animals. In Britain,
especially,organizationslikeCompassioninWorldFarming
havekepttheissuebeforethepublic,andevensucceededin
bringingaboutanendtovealcrates.MorerecentlyAmerican
groups have also started to arouse public concern over
intensivefarming.Butinthemselves,thesemethodsarenot
enough.
Thepeoplewhoprofitbyexploitinglargenumbersofanimals
do not need our approval. They need our money. The
purchaseofthecorpsesoftheanimalstheyrearisthemain
supportthefactoryfarmersaskfromthepublic(theother,in
manycountries,isbiggovernmentsubsidies).Theywilluse