ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book seeks to lift the lid on cruelty in contemporary animal farming. Lucille Claire Thibodeau and Patricia McEachern both focus on the cruel practices that have now become commonplace in the biggest meat-eating country in the world. Jeanette Thelander begins by highlighting the dichotomy that meat eating poses in human culture. On one hand, empathy for animals abounds and yet, on the other, we routinely hurt and kill billions of animals. Rebecca Jenkins drives home the human cost of industrialized killing. Slaughterhouses are known, of course, for their killing of animals, but what is not always grasped is the appalling working conditions for slaughterers themselves. Tobias Thornes demonstrates the detrimental impact of animal agriculture in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. His conclusion is that the widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet provides the best solution to this urgent problem.
