I think Innovate Animal Ag is doing great work on the humane tech angle, especially with in-ovo sexing tech. And then groups like Animal Equality and The Humane League are doing important work holding companies accountable for their animal welfare pledges.
I’m wondering how best to contribute here as a science communicator on video platforms.
I’m planning to make long form videos on the hopeful future of using humane tech to improve animal welfare, starting with in-ovo sexing. Is there a place I can go to see a comprehensive list of similar innovations, current or proposed?
That's great you're looking to do that! I'd actually just ask one of the LLMs about this, especially Claude -- they've got a really good handle on the possibilities here
This sounds like a cool idea. I only heard about semen sexing in cows recently, I suspect many people are not aware of these issues. I guess I used to vaguely think that make chickens or calves just get eaten, but these are different breeds
Lewis is unique! And the problems he reveals as solvable provides a wonderful benefit from animals. Who, after all, can say "I am for cruelty?" Very few (alas, not zero). We need more Lewis Bollards on earth!
I second everything in your article, except for one sentence: "Controlled atmospheric stunning can eliminate the shackling and hoisting of chickens at slaughter." Joey Carbstrong made a documentary about the effects of CO2 "stunning" on pigs (see the movie Pignorant), and it is not pretty. The available evidence seems to show that it induces fear and even panic in both humans and animals: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3138667/ It would be better to advocate for something else instead of this.
Thanks for flagging that. My understanding is that birds and mammals have quite different reactions to CO2 stunning. (I agree it shouldn't be used on pigs.) I think stunning with inert gases, such as argon or nitrogen, would be preferable, but is very hard to get industry to adopt. So my sense is multi-phase CO2 stunning of poultry is the most humane option that we have any real shot at getting industry to adopt at scale.
Thank you for your reply. In your article, you also pointed that even factory farmers don’t like being servants to the financial system. In my understanding, the margins in the meat and dairy industry are often very thin, and many producers rely on state subsidies to stay afloat. Would it be possible to convince/help factory farms to switch to plant-based alternatives? For instance, by providing financing or grants to those who do? I know that even giant companies are exploring plant-based alternatives. For instance, the Brazilian company JBS invested heavily in this sector. Moreover, would it be possible to explain to the banking sector that their risk modeling is wrong? After all, since meat is responsible for a large part of global emissions and pollution, the associated risks and insurance premiums should rise across the board due to this particular industry, increasing systemic pressure on the financial system too. Wouldn’t banks intuitively want to avoid this consequence?
As always Lewis, thoughtful and powerful... bravo!
Thanks Charles!
A great article Lewis.
I just don't understand why this is not a bigger issue in minds of us all.
Thanks for writing this. What are some of the best NPOs to donate to in light of this?
I think Innovate Animal Ag is doing great work on the humane tech angle, especially with in-ovo sexing tech. And then groups like Animal Equality and The Humane League are doing important work holding companies accountable for their animal welfare pledges.
I’m wondering how best to contribute here as a science communicator on video platforms.
I’m planning to make long form videos on the hopeful future of using humane tech to improve animal welfare, starting with in-ovo sexing. Is there a place I can go to see a comprehensive list of similar innovations, current or proposed?
That's great you're looking to do that! I'd actually just ask one of the LLMs about this, especially Claude -- they've got a really good handle on the possibilities here
This sounds like a cool idea. I only heard about semen sexing in cows recently, I suspect many people are not aware of these issues. I guess I used to vaguely think that make chickens or calves just get eaten, but these are different breeds
great piece. suppremely important, this coordination issue.
Could we ever install some equivalent of the Montreal Protocol, that regulated ozone-depleting substances worldwide?
I think it's a great long-term aspiration / vision
Lewis is unique! And the problems he reveals as solvable provides a wonderful benefit from animals. Who, after all, can say "I am for cruelty?" Very few (alas, not zero). We need more Lewis Bollards on earth!
Thanks for your very kind words Jeffrey -- and for all you've done to help animals!
We can start by ending tax payer SUBSIDIES that go to these animal cruelty industries
I second everything in your article, except for one sentence: "Controlled atmospheric stunning can eliminate the shackling and hoisting of chickens at slaughter." Joey Carbstrong made a documentary about the effects of CO2 "stunning" on pigs (see the movie Pignorant), and it is not pretty. The available evidence seems to show that it induces fear and even panic in both humans and animals: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3138667/ It would be better to advocate for something else instead of this.
Thanks for flagging that. My understanding is that birds and mammals have quite different reactions to CO2 stunning. (I agree it shouldn't be used on pigs.) I think stunning with inert gases, such as argon or nitrogen, would be preferable, but is very hard to get industry to adopt. So my sense is multi-phase CO2 stunning of poultry is the most humane option that we have any real shot at getting industry to adopt at scale.
Thank you for your reply. In your article, you also pointed that even factory farmers don’t like being servants to the financial system. In my understanding, the margins in the meat and dairy industry are often very thin, and many producers rely on state subsidies to stay afloat. Would it be possible to convince/help factory farms to switch to plant-based alternatives? For instance, by providing financing or grants to those who do? I know that even giant companies are exploring plant-based alternatives. For instance, the Brazilian company JBS invested heavily in this sector. Moreover, would it be possible to explain to the banking sector that their risk modeling is wrong? After all, since meat is responsible for a large part of global emissions and pollution, the associated risks and insurance premiums should rise across the board due to this particular industry, increasing systemic pressure on the financial system too. Wouldn’t banks intuitively want to avoid this consequence?