All Animals Are Equal But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others

All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. Just ask Whole Foods Market (WFM) who, in partnership with Global Animal Partnership (GAP), is now rating store meat from 1 to 5 based on the animal welfare practices of the farm that produced it. The more standards met by the farm, the higher the rating.

I have a funny feeling that Napoleon is behind this campaign. For those who’ve not read Animal Farm (spoiler alert), Napoleon was a pig who led his fellow beasts in rebellion against the humans, while aspiring to become more human himself. The pigs of the novel impose more control over others, while reserving privileges for themselves.

So sure, the rating only goes to step 5 now, but give it a year or two and it’ll max out at Step 23. Pigs will have convinced us that they must, ostensibly for their health, have double portions of food, sleep in human beds, drink whiskey, play poker, walk on hind legs……

I feel like the laboring class in the book -- being convinced through psychological conditioning that farm animal welfare is more weighty a crusade than it is. My question is, where do you draw the line on the runaway consciences of activists? WFM already had in place strict company policies requiring all meat sold in stores to “be raised on a vegetarian diet without being administered antibiotics or added growth hormones.” And it’s already in a farmer’s best interests to treat animals well to get a high quality product. Is the rating really necessary?

.....Que nostalgia for simpler times before the burden of choice was thrust on me. WFM says their new system “gives shoppers a way to make more informed choices at the meat counter." Soooo you’re giving me the option to feel like a shitty person for buying cheaper step 1 meat? Color-coded signs and stickers will assault my conscience at every turn, imploring my wallet to pay more for a “happy” animal carcass. Sorry, ignorance is bliss.

With all due respect, leave your animal activist complications out of my grocery list. If you're so keen to find a well-treated animal to eat? Cook your pet.