Barbaric, Feral, or Moral? Stereotypical Dairy Farmer and Vegan Discourses on the Business of Animal Consumption

Barbaric, Feral, or Moral? Stereotypical Dairy Farmer and Vegan Discourses on the Business of Animal Consumption

The business of meat eating and other forms of animal consumption has been globally institutionalized, with most governments such as those in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, providing large subsidies to ensure their continued viability. This transfer of public funds continues in spite of extensive evidence of animal agricultures environmental impact with justifications on the protection of rural and regional jobs—especially for traditional, non-Indigenous men. This reflects how animal farming is still etched in the dominant masculine representations of ‘true’ ‘Kiwi’ and ‘Aussie’ national identities. Carnism, or the assumed naturalness of meat eating, and associated practices of animal consumption are, however, being challenged. Worldwide there has been a notable rise in veganism, especially by women, who have long been part of animal welfare and rights movements. These competing discourses about the ethics and morality of using animals for food, clothing, entertainment, and testing have been enlivened by social media, where discussions can become intensely emotive, if not hostile. The chapter explores the competing discourses about animal consumption promoted by dairy farmers and vegans respectively based on analysis of The Dairy Farmers’ Wellbeing Project (2017–19) and the Vegan Wellbeing Project (2019–20). From this data, the tendency for dairy farmers to portray vegans as feral and vegans to portray dairy farmers as barbaric are explored. And as the chapter shows, this struggle over morality is not only gendered and very active in public life but there is a significant impact on markets, jobs, and future industry directions.

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