Are animals in organic farms treated better than animals in conventional farms?

Question

According to vegans, they say that animals in organic farms are treated with the same level of abuse in comparison with conventional animals. Is this true?

Answer 1

I'm not vegan and I've got relatives that run major 'conventional' and 'organic' ranch, dairy, poultry and egg operations. They are in FULL compliance with all regulations and are regularly inspected to assure they are in compliance.

They consider the labels organic and free range jokes!!!

Under the term organic there are NO regulations regarding the treatment of the animals. As for antibiotics and hormones...They are regularly visited by a vet who gets to prescribe 'treatment' for 'sick' animals, that's a mile wide loophole under organic regulations!

Free range? For their poultry all they had to do was add a small fenced area to their buildings to pass the regulations for the birds. They still spend 90%+ of their time indoors. For cattle it only required a larger fenced area and the cattle still spend most of their time in the barns.

The milk they bottle has these terms on the label "free range", "grass fed" and "organic". They *are* legally allowed to use these terms since they're fully in compliance with the laws. The 'free range' is the fenced area outside the 'organic' milking 'shed' (actually a rather large building), the 'grass fed' is achieve by dumping grass into the feed troughs and the 'organic' milk is still obtained by vacuum milking machines that leave udders sore and susceptible to infection (and then the vet comes by).

Quite a different picture than the advertising isn't it.

Answer 2

There is nothing about being certified organic that stipulates anything about the humane treatment of the animals. Nothing. Some organic farms may include better conditions than factory farms, but this is not always the case. Since there is such a high demand for organic products, many companies (like Wal Mart) are jumping on the bandwagon and trying to provide organic foods for a smaller price. Any time there is a cut in costs, the animals are going to suffer.

I think that people who choose organic meats thinking they are more humane are just fooling themselves. If you feel guilty about eating meat, you should either go vegetarian or raise your own animals for food.

Answer 3

Organic generally means that they are fed natural and *not* treaded with penicillian and hormones. While it is not necessarily true that they are treated better as a rule...it is usually true.

The people who farm this way are usually people who are consious of the health reasons that lead consumers to buy organic.

They are aware of the fact that most people who are willing to pay more for organic are also concerned for animals rights.

Most will have websites or state that their chickens are *free range*..and will openly discuss the way they treat their animals on their websites.

Others will usually give you a misleading answer you have to decipher when you them ask directly.

Remember...most vegetarians don't want *anyone* eating animals...

Answer 4

Being organic certainly doesn't mean they aren't mistreated at all... but they are certainly treated better than the animals at traditional commercial farms.

By being organic, the farm cannot use antibiotics. That means they have to keep their cattle healthy. Antibiotics are pumped into regular cattle just so that they can survive in the deplorable conditions they are forced to live in. An "organic" cow couldn't last a week in a place like that.

So yes, they have to be treated BETTER... but better isnt' necessarily good enough.

Answer 5

Animals on organic farms are treated much better then on conventional farms, it's not ideal but it's much better. There is another kind of farm, I forgot what it's called but their animals roam completely free and feed on natural grasses. I think it might be free range, but I'm really not sure, sorry, I'm a vegetarian.

Answer 6

Mostly clever marketing. I am not against Organic, its hard work and I have sold organic produce but I have found that rarely do people want to pay organic prices. They are just as healthy either way. Remember to eat your veggies. I just found locally grown, seasonal veggies taste far better than the picked green stuff that comes off a train from 10 states away.

Answer 7

I have only been to one farm that raises "natural" pork. (Not organic, because our state has really strict regulation on that term that makes it pretty difficult to get...) Our goat lives there, so we are there daily. I don't know if you consider it "abuse" for pigs to be in muck, but its gross. I eat meat, and I don't mind buying from those abusive meat sources...yet seeing how those pigs live makes me not really want to eat pork. Their food is in the mud. They walk in six inches of filth to get their food. They have no life beyond sleeping in a pile together and walking to their food. The pigs are not given those horrible "unnatural" medications in their feed...but I do not see any difference between the way they live and a factory farm. It's maybe even worse, because factory farms have automation equipment and strong chemicals to maintain better sanitation. The pigs don't seem to care. It's not like they look up at you with a "please, set me free!" look on their face. They like to be warm next to each other.

Answer 8

Animals on organic farms are not treated any better than other animals....fact

I live in the farming community and the organic label is a joke. Its designed to make people feel good and charge a higher price.

It has nothing to do with the quality of life for animals.

Believe me, its worse than you could ever imagine

Answer 9

Orgamic is more humane most of the time because its usually that good old country family with lots of land for the animals to rome and feed, the other big companies have their animals stacked together, my uncles and aunts are farmers with their own land in North Dakota the animals have lots of land to eat and run around on

Answer 10

Organic farms treat their animals considerably better than conventional farms, the idea that "free range" is better than organic is wrong also.

To be certified oraganic with regard to meat the farmer not only has to not use pesticides but also has to keep their animals on a diet without gentically modified food, antibiotics and hormones (used on conventional farms to make the animal grow faster and get more meat from the animal) this greatly differs to the last respose because the world health organisation believe that the increased levels of antibiotics in animal feed poses a health risk for us, the natural organic feed given to organic feed certainly poses no risk.

Organically reared animals must be kept outside in spacious fields, to be certified you must be audited on this, good shelter is given for when weather conditions are bad but other than that the animals are truely free range (unlike some free range chickens as the laws on certification can be dubious.)

Calves are allowed to be suckled by the mother for up to nine months unlike unorganic dairy farm practice where the calf is taken immediately.

Poulty again is not allowed to be permenantly housed, they must be kept outside but access is given to the shelter so if the animal wants they can be sheltered. They are given proper pasture to roam on also.

To make a comparison chickens raised for non organic meat are often kept in sheds of up to 40,000 chickens whereas the house for organic chicken's raised for meat has a limit of 1,000 birds per house, 2,000 if theyre laying hens. The birds beaks are not clipped (burnt off with a hot blade to reduce fighting in over packed non organic bird houses) and as with all organic animals have a diet free from antibiotics, hormones and GMO.

The same is said for both pigs and sheep. All organic animals are allowed to express natural behaviour, theyre not restricted other than times of bad weather where it is for their own safty. In a sense organic is like free range but with better living conditions and a lot better diet.

The idea that organic farmers treat their animals the same is non organic farmers is misguided but often assumed by others who refuse to look into it properly. All farms are audited regularly for certification reasons so there is very little room for manipulation of the oraganic standards.

It appears that people don't seem to like this answer, it's probably due to the category i'm in with it being in vegetarian and vegan but im sorry, i may be wrong with to regard of anything outside the United Kingdom, i do not know any oter countries rules and regulations but in this country there ARE stipulations as to how animals are treated in the label organic anybody who says otherwise is simply wrong and needs to actually read the website listed below, again this is only for the united kingdom, and i can say this with confidence as i have been both a vegan for 2 years as well as a butcher.