individualsmayhavebeeninpointofunnecessarycruelty,
practisedinthis business;that,whetherthegeneral stateof
subordinationhere,whichisanecessaryconsequenceoftheir
removal,beagreeabletothelawofnature,canbynomeans
longer remain a question.^18
Now it is difficult to compare two sets of conditions as
diverseasthoseinthewildandthoseonafactoryfarm(or
thoseoffreeAfricansandslavesonaplantation);butifthe
comparisonhastobemadesurelythelifeoffreedomistobe
preferred. Factory farm animals cannot walk, run, stretch
freely,orbepartofafamilyorherd.True,manywildanimals
diefrom adverseconditionsorarekilled bypredators;but
animalskeptinfarmsdonotliveformorethanafractionof
theirnormallifespaneither.Thesteadysupplyoffoodona
farmisnotanunmitigatedblessing,sinceitdeprivesanimals
oftheirmostbasicnaturalactivity,thesearchforfood.The
resultisalifeofutterboredom,withnothingatalltodobut
lie in a stall and eat.
Inanycase,thecomparisonbetweenfactoryfarmconditions
andnaturalconditionsisreallyirrelevanttothejustifiability
offactory farms,sincethis isnot thechoice thatwe face.
Abolishing factory farms would not mean returning the
animals insidethem to thewild. Animalsin factoryfarms
todaywerebredbyhumanbeingstoberaisedinthesefarms
and sold for food. If the boycottof factory farm produce
advocatedinthisbookiseffective,itwillreducetheamount
offactoryfarmproductsthatarebought.Thisdoesnotmean
thatovernightwewillgofromthepresentsituationtoonein
which no one buysthese products. (I amoptimistic about
Animal Liberation,but not totallydeluded.) Thereduction
willbegradual.It willmakeanimalraisinglessprofitable.