CATTLE FARMING
A television programme on industrial cattle farming in the EU countries was the subject of
heated debate in the shop and at the post office where people meet in Reine. People were
particularly indignant about the long transportation times to the abattoirs, and about how
animals were treated.
"When we kept cattle, we always slaughtered them at home. We only had a few animals, and we felt we got to know each one of them individually," says 84 year-old Leif Bendiksen.
PRINCIPAL CONSIDERATIONS
Efficiency and the advantages of large-scale enterprise are the key words in EU farming.
In many cases, prices mean more to the consumer than consideration for the animals'
quality of life. Any farmer, for instance, who on his own initiative takes measures to
provide each individual animal with more room, may soon fall victim to competition.
Gene manipulation and growth hormones are put to use for increased efficiency, despite
the fact that there is a mountain of stored meat for which there is no market.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
The only relevant environmental question concerning minke whaling, is whether or not the
size of the catch is within the reproductive capabilities of the stock. If it is, then it is OK.
The actual harvesting activity itself has only insignificant effects on the ecosystem.
Meat production in industrial farming is extremely energy-intensive. Fossil fuel is used to power machines and tractors, in the production of artificial fertilizers and concentrated cattle fodder, and in transportation, etc. Far more energy is put into the production process than is achieved in the end product, the meat.
In comparison, the minke whale harvest is extremely energy-efficient. Producing a kilogramme of beef requires 30 times as much energy as the production of a kilogramme of minke whale meat. (These figures are from Japanese coastal whaling, but are also relevant for the Norwegian minke whale harvest.) The reason for this is that whaling is purely a harvest. The whale looks after itself and finds sustenance in a natural and self-adjusting ecosystem. Farming requires operations that can cause environmental problems. The use of open fields causes danger of erosion, i.e. the humus disappears. Spraying fields with insecticides can constitute a threat to bird and animal life. Fertilizers can drain into ground water, rivers and coastal waters. The cultivation of new land is carried out at the expense of woodland.