Letters | If cruelty to whales is bad, what about cruelty to chickens and cows?

Readers discuss why mourning the Sai Kung whale’s death while eating meat is an act of speciesism, the safety of treated Fukushima waste water, and Now TV’s subscription packages

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Cows stand in a milking parlour on a dairy farm in New Vienna, Iowa, on July 24. Before animals are born into the meat, dairy and egg industries, their fates are already sealed. Photo: AP

Published: 11:30am, 17 Aug 2023

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In 2020, Hong Kong was the world’s top per capita consumer of meat, outstripping the United States. This should not be that surprising, considering how most cha chaan teng dishes include some form of meat. But we must question whether our behaviour aligns with our morals.

In Hong Kong, abusing animal companions is illegal and viewed as immoral, period. Now, consider the Yulin dog meat festival on the mainland. Is it moral to consume dog meat there since it is a cultural event? What about consuming dog meat in South Korea?

Most of us would agree that it is immoral because dogs are sentient. Why can’t we say the same of chickens, cattle and pigs, which are also sentient?

Before livestock are bred into existence, their fates are already sealed. Immediately after birth, calves are separated from their mothers and confined in pens. Some are sent to the slaughterhouse within a matter of months, when their natural lifespan is 20 years. Cows are repeatedly impregnated to maximise milk yields. Once their milk production wanes, to the slaughterhouse they go.

About 80 billion land animals are killed for food yearly.