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| Mercy, mercy |
Readers may wish to know that the group behind the chicken house expose aired on W5 this week is dedicated to Veganism. As such, it is entirely opposed to the eating of eggs regardless of how they are produced. This fact was overlooked by the CTV documentary that aired on W5. In this day of pretentious “full dislcosure” it seems like an odd thing to miss. The video showed chickens in conditions which a variety of agricultural authorities have said are not acceptable. Monday morning, based on information from the U.S.-based Mercy for Animals, the Globe and Mail ran a story suggesting that the Alberta farms in question supplied eggs to McDonalds. McDonalds has categorically denied this. The difficulty for ordinary consumers who would hope for humane conditions on farms is that the motivation of organizations like the melodramatically-named Mercy for Animals seems to extend well beyond animal care. It is reasonable to think, based on their beliefs and conduct, that they are in favor of the consumption of no eggs, no milk, no cheese and most certainly no meat of any kind. It is a view held by a minuscule percentage of the population and is a very poor starting point for independent journalism.
