I genuinely never understand why so-called conservatives express so little interest in animal welfare. It’s bizarre. Animal welfare isn’t just about the health and happiness of the animals, although that is hugely important, it’s about the quality of the nutrition food provides, stewardship of the countryside, ensuring the food supply is in the hands of real farmers—local people who care about their communities—rather than mega corporations that don’t give a rat’s ass and just want to make as much money as possible.
Factory farms are profoundly anti-traditional, and conservatives should stand firmly against them.
They are a modern monstrosity, an industrial system that has torn the soul out of food production, leaving something wretched and unnatural in its place.
Until recently, animal farming was an honorable way of life, rooted in a long and meaningful tradition. Pasture farming connected people to the land and to their animals, fostering a bond grounded in respect and stewardship.
Today, opposition to factory farming among conservatives is far lower than it should be. This is partly because such opposition is often conflated with left-wing ideas about vegetarianism and veganism. But this is a mistake. The conservative alternative to industrialized agriculture is not vegetarianism. It is the restoration of traditional pasture farming.