Q&A: Animal Suffering
Animal Suffering
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In the animal-food industry (meat, fish, eggs, and milk), as is well known, nowadays there is a great deal of animal suffering. The method of raising animals is different today, and is designed to extract the maximum financial profit from them.
From a halakhic standpoint, it is known that exploiting animals for human benefit is not forbidden, and as long as a person is not abusing them “for no reason,” there is no transgression.
My question is: from a halakhic standpoint, can one set limits and say that there is a certain measure of reasonable suffering, while suffering that is disproportionate would be forbidden even when it serves a purpose? If so, it would be possible to prohibit, halakhically, the form this industry takes nowadays.
I am asking only for halakhically grounded arguments, not moral arguments (though if there is a discussion of that elsewhere, I would be happy if you could point me to it).
Thank you very much, and good night.
Answer
I don’t know of any arguments beyond common sense (proportionality). Even if I bring you sources and precedents, they will be based on common sense. So I don’t understand what you are expecting. Quite a number of halakhic decisors have written such principles (for example regarding force-feeding geese), but as I said, I don’t see what novelty there is in their words beyond my own reasoning.
I just remembered something. In Bava Metzia 85a, it says that 13 years of suffering were decreed upon Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi because he did not show mercy to a calf that was destined for slaughter. It is strained to explain that this was decreed upon him only because he did not feel compassion in his heart. The simple reading is that it was decreed because he did not refrain from slaughtering it.
Discussion on Answer
In any case, I would be happy for as many sources as possible.
More generally, regarding force-feeding geese: is there written material about animal suffering itself, or only about the claim that the force-feeding causes injury to the esophagus and renders the animal non-kosher? Could you give me some information on that?
I assume you can search just as I can.
Regarding force-feeding geese, you can certainly find in publications of animal-welfare organizations (Animals, for example) sources from halakhic decisors as well. Rabbi Ariel wrote that the kashrut is not of the highest standard because of animal suffering and much else. There is a book by Asa Keisar (you can find it online), and here is the full “Do not place a stumbling block” book: https://asakeisar.com/%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8/
If I may add: in Shevet HaLevi he also writes regarding starving laying hens for 10 days so that they will produce more eggs, that this is great and disproportionate suffering for the sake of greed, and that it is forbidden. Now, to the best of my knowledge, all regular eggs that are marketed use this practice (maybe free-range eggs don’t? I don’t know enough about the reality of the matter). What is strange is that it is so widespread and nobody talks about it. It has kashrut certification because apparently kashrut is not connected to animal suffering? And even if it isn’t connected, it still isn’t right, and it’s strange that no one protests about it. People protest that there shouldn’t be cartoon characters on snack packaging, but about animal suffering they don’t.
“And you shall do what is right and good” [Deuteronomy 6:18].