| An increasing awareness of the cruel treatment of farmed animals on factory farms and the negative environmental impacts of factory farming has led many people in the sustainability movement to seek an alternative to industrial agriculture. One celebrated alternative is the use of farmed animals within sustainable agriculture. Proponents of this alternative argue that by embracing the sustainable and "humane" use of farmed animals in agriculture, we can both eliminate negative environmental impacts and foster an environment that allows farmed animals to be "happy." However, these claims are contested by those who seek to end the oppression of farmed animals, because within sustainable agriculture, farmed animals are still considered to be property and commodities, and are ultimately slaughtered for human interests.;In this thesis, I review literature in support of and objection to the use of farmed animals in sustainable agriculture. Through my research I answer the question: How do people understand the role of farmed animals in "sustainable" agriculture? I investigate this question by analyzing Facebook comments that were posted in response to Green Mountain College's statement about their decision to slaughter two oxen who worked for ten years on their farm, Bill and Lou, after Lou sustained a non-life threatening injury. I utilize animal standpoint theory to interpret the significance of my findings. My findings support other theories in the field and indicate that acknowledging the farmed animal standpoint in sustainable agriculture is important to justice for farmed animals. |
