THE ROLE OF THE COW HERD ON A BIODYNAMIC FARM

摘要

Our farm animals are under numerous "attacks" these days. From a purely physical aspect, we do not respect their integrity: we dehorn (dairy cattle), debeak (poultry), and dock (tails of pigs and dairy cattle). Adding insult to injury, we then confinethese beings in massive industrial units, where they are unable to express many of their natural instincts and behaviors. Here, as a final blow, we are placing the animals (especially ruminants) in the maligned role of our direct food competitors through their consumption. Then there is ongoing--mostly justified--controversy around abattoirs (i.e. meat slaughtering facilities).