One of the objections to the abolition of meat is that it, leading to a reduction of jobs, would constitute a threat to employment. Still, market fluctuations and the technology of agricultural labor are increasing already because of layoffs and closures.
For example, in early April 800 people protested in Pontivy in Brittany against the closure of a slaughter of turkeys: 238 people are in danger of losing their jobs due to a change of ownership that led to the closure the establishment, for which you have not found a buyer.
According to the general census of agriculture 5th completed in late 2000 by ISTAT:
"As of October 22, 2000, the Italian farmers engaged in the rearing of livestock are to be 675,835, 26.1% of the total. It is a figure of 35.2% lower than that observed in 1990, indicating the abandonment of farming practices on the part of a large number of companies. The analysis by the total area shows, however, that the contraction has affected a much more significant small and medium businesses (up to 10 hectares) and to a lesser extent large companies (more than 10 hectares). "(The main results )
In other words, small businesses close, probably because of competition from large and small farmers lose their activity because of restructuring of industry. He could accept the data as positive in the direction of extinction farming, except that the decrease in the number of farms not matched by a proportionate reduction of livestock . In fact, the same document states that:
"The downsizing of the livestock sector is also evident in terms of size of farms, although reductions in livestock numbers have been generally less marked than those of companies that raise them. [...] As a result of the dynamics on the number of breeders and companies to the number of cattle reared the average size being significantly greater in 2000 than in 1990 . The average number of cattle keepers and 35.2 per head, while it was 24.1 at the time of the previous Census. etc.. "(Ibid. )
The decline of small farms thus leads to a higher concentration of animals in large companies, or to an intensification of factory farming, the criteria, as is known, is to produce the greatest amount possibile con i costi più bassi possibile.
Va sa sé che tali criteri mal si conciliano con la tutela dell'occupazione. Paradossalmente, proprio quelle riforme dell'allevamento che gli animalisti chiedono per migliorare la qualità della vita degli animali implicherebbero probabilmente l'effetto secondario di far aumentare la disponibilità di posti di lavoro: ma tali riforme procedono così a rilento da far pensare che l'incremento di occupazione nel settore zootecnico non occupi un posto di rilievo nell'agenda delle istituzioni europee e nazionali, non più del benessere degli animali allevati...
Di conseguenza, abolire la carne non implicherebbe probabilmente una catastrofe occupazionale, ma accentuerebbe una crisis that is already underway for strictly economic reasons.
On the other hand, if the protection of the military is not a compelling reason to tolerate wars, it is not clear why the animal husbandry, which is obvious and direct cause of endless suffering to nonhuman animals, should enjoy a considered more benign.
