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Do plant crops kill more animals than grazing cows?
My notes from some great articles on this subject (cited at end)
The original argument came from a 2003 paper (Steven Davis) that claimed mechanized harvesting kills more field animals than grazing cattle..
1/n
My notes from some great articles on this subject (cited at end)
The original argument came from a 2003 paper (Steven Davis) that claimed mechanized harvesting kills more field animals than grazing cattle..
1/n
This fit some people's agenda and they have been citing it ever since. But it has some gross flaws.
1. Questionable methods. Davis used older studies that looked at drops in the numbers of field animals counted before and after harvest. He cherry picked the studies that..
1. Questionable methods. Davis used older studies that looked at drops in the numbers of field animals counted before and after harvest. He cherry picked the studies that..
had the numbers he was looking for. Also there was no evidence that the difference in count was due to animal deaths. Other field studies show that field animals just get out of the way of the harvesters. https://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Vegan-Mythbusting-1-Are-wild-animals-killed-when-grain-is-harvested-for-vegans
2. Davis's conclusion is based on an incorrect assumption. This was pointed out the same year by Gaverick Matheny (2003).
Davis says 15 animals die per hectare per year for harvested croplands. This vs 7.5 animals per hectare that die in ruminant-pasture.
Davis says 15 animals die per hectare per year for harvested croplands. This vs 7.5 animals per hectare that die in ruminant-pasture.
Based on these numbers, he then concludes ruminant-pasture saves lives based on same amount of land used. The problem is, pastured animals require WAY more land to feed given number of people. For example, per equivalent protein grazing cattle require 10x more land than soy.
So taking into account amount of actual land required to feed a given population, and even using Davis’ questionable numbers, a plant-based diet will save lives
https://fewd.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/inst_ethik_wiss_dialog/Matheny__G._2003_Defense_of_Veg__in_J._Agric_Ethics.pdf
https://fewd.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/inst_ethik_wiss_dialog/Matheny__G._2003_Defense_of_Veg__in_J._Agric_Ethics.pdf
On top of this, a few millions of wild animals are routinely poisoned or shot every year to protect grazing cattle. Wolves, bears, bobcats, coyotes, prairie dogs, and more. 2,713,570 animals by the Wildlife Services own numbers. https://freefromharm.org/common-justifications-for-eating-animals/why-plant-crops-dont-kill-more-wildlife-than-pasture-raised-animals/
So basically, Davis' 2003 study was refuted the same year it came out, and many times since, but people continue to use its conclusion as a 'gotcha,' without really looking into how misleading and frankly wrong this argument was.
Citations (which themselves reference more primary sources)
https://fewd.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/inst_ethik_wiss_dialog/Matheny__G._2003_Defense_of_Veg__in_J._Agric_Ethics.pdf
https://anupamkatkar.com/2015/10/08/debunking-cultivating-crops-for-vegans-kills-more-animals-than-pasture-grazing-livestock/
https://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Vegan-Mythbusting-1-Are-wild-animals-killed-when-grain-is-harvested-for-vegans
https://fewd.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/inst_ethik_wiss_dialog/Matheny__G._2003_Defense_of_Veg__in_J._Agric_Ethics.pdf
https://anupamkatkar.com/2015/10/08/debunking-cultivating-crops-for-vegans-kills-more-animals-than-pasture-grazing-livestock/
https://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Vegan-Mythbusting-1-Are-wild-animals-killed-when-grain-is-harvested-for-vegans
