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| Yes | 56% | 61 votes | Total: 109 votes | |
| No | 44% | 48 votes |
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Add to FavoritesAren't miniature cows made of meat? If it is ethical to eat regular size cows than how could it not be ethical to eat miniature cows?
Perhaps some people believe that miniature cows must have been intended for pets since they are so small and cute. The reality is that generations of cattle have been carefully selected and bred to create smaller cattle with the full intention for these cattle be used as meat. Although there are 26 recognized breeds of miniature cattle that all have different desired traits, the main goal for them all is to produce quality meat on less acreage. Most miniature cattle breeds were originally intended for small farmers. Dexters, for example, originated in Ireland where many landholders had only small areas to graze. Indonesian farmers had plenty of room but not much grass, which resulted in the miniature zebu breed. Miniature cattle come from many countries but all had the ultimate goal of agriculture, not pets.
Despite the intentions of the creators of these breeds, perhaps some people believe that their acceptable uses must change as society changes. We have hundreds of ranchers in this country raising larger and comparatively less cute cattle. Why don't we just eat them? The fact is that miniature cattle are more popular in America than they have ever been. Some may in fact be pets, but the vast majority will eventually enter the food chain. With so much publicity about hormone implants and questionable handling and sanitation in the commercial food supply, many people are starting to desire to know exactly where their meat comes from. A regular sized cow can easily weigh over a thousand pounds by the time it goes to slaughter. Who can eat all that? It is much more practical for families whose livelihood is not based in agriculture to raise a smaller animal that will eat less and produce a more reasonable amount of meat. Many of these animals are also bred to produce more milk than is needed for their calf, so if they have a calf once a year a family can have all the milk and meat they need.
Although I am sure that a properly reared calf would make an excellent pet, the fact remains that these miniature breeds were intended to be food sources for subsidence farmers. As times become ever more uncertain in this world, I am sure that more and more people will take advantage of these delicious, space saving animals.
Learn more about this author, Joanna Hay.
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No
Why would anyone eat a miniature cow? There are other things to eat. Unfortunately the human species will eat just about anything. People eat not only cows, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys which are the food that is most popular with carnivores, they are now resorting to gobbling down buffalo, llamas, ostrich, etc. Man has no limit. I get it that humans have been eating animals for ever. The necessity was for survival. Today it isn't necessary to make a meal of exotic animals. In the Philippines people eat cats and dogs. I find this to be not only unacceptable but totally disgusting. Puppies are raised for meals. I get it that miniature cows were bread to conserve space. Ah, profit! The almighty dollar above all else. I wonder what the next trend will be? Maybe a certain type of human might be tasty. Are these going to be acceptable? I wonder what the limit on breeding for the purpose of eating will be? I am really not advocating vegetarianism. However, why would anyone want to eat small cows or for that matter why stop at cows. Why not eat miniature horses, miniature dogs, etc. I guess some peoples palates crave exotic meats. I know that cattle farmers raise cows for consumption as well as profit. After all it is a business. I personally do not eat cow, for that matter I eat only foul and fish. This is a personal preference. And yes there is a big difference between red meat and fish or foul. For one thing health. Less fat, calories and lots of protein. Many of my friends and some family members enjoy a good steak or hamburger. Each to his own. Why eat a miniature anything?
I know someone who raised a cow from birth as a family pet. This person, who was also a co-worker has seven children. These children played with the cow. They named her Daisy. One sad day, this woman's husband announced that he was going to slaughter the cow and the whole family can enjoy Daisy. He took a pistol and shot poor Daisy between the eyes and the children watched. This woman told her "Daisy " story to the whole office and expected to get laughs. What she got was a lot of contempt. Her children have been traumatised and will not eat meat as a result. This happened over ten years ago. These children are now adults and still remember how poor Daisy met with her demise. Daisy was not a miniature cow. She was a family pet. She was purchased in order for the family to have fresh milk. How on earth does anyone eat a family pet? As I mentioned previously, some people will eat anything.
Learn more about this author, Eva Kaufman.
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