Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals

Animal lovers who feed meat to other animals face a paradox: stopping feeding them may harm fewer animals. To address environmental crises, health threats, and harm to animals, we must change our food systems and practices. Just Fodder examines ethical and political questions about animals as eaters, considering practical dilemmas about feeding pets and animal companions, relationships with more distant animals, and generating a novel theory of animal rights. It asks what we can, should, and must do for them, laying out a fuller range of our ethical obligations to other animals.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 19 July 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

Animal lovers who feed meat to other animals face a paradoxical situation. While they may believe that their actions are harming fewer animals, the reality is that animal diets have far-reaching consequences that impact not only individuals but also the environment, health, and well-being of animals. To address these pressing issues, it is essential to transform our food systems and practices. Animals, too, play a significant role in these systems as eaters.

Just Fodder: Thinking about Animals as Eaters delves into ethical and political questions that arise when we consider animals as eaters. Author Josh Milburn begins by exploring practical dilemmas related to feeding the animals closest to us, such as our pets or animal companions. As he delves deeper, he raises more complex questions about our relationships with animals at different distances, including garden birds, farmland animals that could threaten our crops, and wild animals.

Milburn's approach is unique as he evaluates the nature and circumstances of our relationships with animals to develop a novel theory of animal rights. He challenges the notion that we can or cannot do certain things to other beings and instead asks what we can, should, and must do for them. By laying out a broader range of our ethical obligations to other animals, Just Fodder provides a more comprehensive understanding of our responsibilities towards them.

Through his thoughtful and engaging writing, Milburn encourages readers to reevaluate their relationships with animals and to consider the impact of their dietary choices on the well-being of all creatures. He advocates for a more compassionate and ethical approach to animal care, one that recognizes the intrinsic value of all living beings and seeks to minimize harm and suffering.

In conclusion, Just Fodder: Thinking about Animals as Eaters is a thought-provoking and important book that challenges our assumptions about animals and their place in our world. By exploring the ethical and political dimensions of animal consumption, Milburn provides a roadmap for a more compassionate and sustainable future. Whether you are an animal lover, a concerned citizen, or a professional in the field of animal welfare, this book offers valuable insights and perspectives that will help you contribute to the betterment of all animals.

Weight: 368g
Dimension: 229 x 153 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228011514