Introduction

Abstract

It is broadly accepted that animal husbandry is morally sound, provided that the animals are treated well. But can this position be morally justified? A common justification for animal-friendly animal husbandry is that the animals are granted pleasant lives, usually in connection with the claim that they would not exist at all if it were not for the purpose of our consumption. By consuming and farming animals, we are actually enabling their existence and granting them a pleasant life, which seems better than not existing at all. The objective of this book is an examination of this and other arguments in favour of animal-friendly animal husbandry. I claim that one cannot coherently accept these arguments without committing to other positions, which most of us would not be willing to accept.