Veggie Buddhists & Eggs

MindGate

Would vegetarian Buddhists, or vegetarians in general, eat eggs? I mean, the eggs are unfertilized (I've been told) and haven't turned into an embryo yet. They aren't "meat" per se, in my opinion. So, would they eat eggs?

Jeffrey

Maybe. A hen suffers much less than being killed, but the egg laying places they have to live are not very comfortable. I like to buy 'free range' eggs when I have the chance. And 'free trade' coffee.

taiyaki

The fact that we allow a system to have organic, free range, etc products blows my mind.

Jeffrey

What do you mean taiyaki?

zombiegirl

Would vegetarian Buddhists, or vegetarians in general, eat eggs? I mean, the eggs are unfertilized (I've been told) and haven't turned into an embryo yet. They aren't "meat" per se, in my opinion. So, would they eat eggs?

let me break down the veggi titles for you:

vegan: consumes no meat and no animal byproducts of any kind
lacto-ovo vegetarian: consumes no meat but does consume eggs and dairy
lacto vegetarian: consumes no meat but does consume dairy
ovo vegetarian: consumes no meat but does consume eggs

most vegetarians that don't use the "lacto" and/or "ovo" titles consume both eggs and dairy.

i am a lacto-ovo vegetarian myself. my personal beliefs are that it is better to buy free range and organic, of course. veganism would be the best imo, but i do what i can. i think everyone should simply do what they feel that they can.

[DeletedUser]

According to law of nature, any meals that do not cause the life and suffering of other living beings, has no negative karmic consequences

MindGate

According to law of nature, any meals that do not cause the life and suffering of other living beings, has no negative karmic consequences

Thats where the debate it. Was the egg life? Does potential life count?

Its like the abortion debate, but with chickens.

Inji-gyo

Even free-range hens don't live a good life. Look into what it takes to call an egg a free range egg. sometimes it's just not being in a cage living on concrete floors. At times hens may have less than 3 square feet for their lives. Take a look at the book "The Ethics of What We Eat"

formermonkJohn

the conditions for egg laying chickens are tortuous, in tiny cages they can't even turn around in etc., so if the goal is to alleviate suffering, stick to free range chicken eggs, the conditions for cows producing milk and cheese are not half as bad, so i don't see as big a problem there from a suffering standpoint. ps i didn't see inji's comment, good point.

federica

When you eat an egg, the chicken has contributed. When you eat chicken, the chicken has committed.

One is a "choice" the other is pretty much up against it....

As with alcohol (all our adverts for alcohol on tv carry the slogan),

"eat responsibly".

Spock

There's no right or wrong here.
I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy eggs from a local farm that I pass regularly.

Cows eat far more grain , take up loads of land, produce large amounts of co2. Yet, I use dairy products, albeit organic. Maybe I should give up dairy

seeker242

When they come from a place where the birds are treated like this: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/maine-eggs/

No way.

Jeffrey

Thats horrible seeker. I sent it to a bunch of people in emails. Hope that people become aware of this.

Glow

Here's an article on how to find eggs that don't come from places like that: How to Buy Organic, Pastured Eggs.

federica

Could we also point out that while I am as appalled by those images as anyone could be - I think I can speak honestly when I tell you such things are far more inspected and scrutinised in the UK, and it's rare - very rare - to know of such things happening here.
The RSPCA is extremely active in this country, and animal welfare associations are both vocal and effective in their work.

I think things like this happen regularly in the USA because it's such a vast country, every state seems to have its own laws, and policing such establishments is almost impossible on a regular basis.

Glow

In the case of caged egg production, such practices were actually banned in Austria in 2009, and will be illegal in the EU come 2012. I'm not quite sure about the UK specifically, but note how recent these shifts are. Unless you're buying eggs direct from the farmer or have your own laying hens, in the developed world, it's not all that uncommon. Also note that "banned" does not mean "eliminated." Apparently, many European farmers will actually be unable to meet even the 2012 date: EU cage eggs threaten UK market after 2012 deadline.

As for the U.S., the reasons for such practices is not so much the decentralization of regulation, but the influence of industry lobbyists and a general apathy with regard to industrialized farming practices. The name of the game in this country is quantity over quality -- so long as you can buy your 99 cent carton of a dozen eggs, people give little thought as to where it comes from. People are used to the convenience of the present model and are reluctant to do the footwork and pay the price required for sustaining more "humane" food animal practices. The climate is very different in Europe where they tend to have more cautious food regulation.

,

SherabDorje

USA TODAY: Egg recall renews questions on battling salmonella

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-08-19-salmonella19_ST_N.htm

Deformed

I am semi-vegetarian, as I only eat fish, and only eat eggs that are free range.

I would much rather have a populus that eats meat organically and ethically than a populus of a few vegans and vegetarians and a whole lot of people eating fast food/unethically grown food.

Joel Salatin, the organic farmer, made a good point in an interview in Food Inc:

"A culture that just uses a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure, to be manipulated by whatever creative design the human can foist on that critter, will probably view individuals within its community, and other cultures in the community of nations, with the same type of disdain and disrespect and controlling type mentalities."

That's all about mindfulness, and I think he is largely spot on here.

Ada_B

Here in UK, the tide has turned so much against battery caged eggs that even Mr Kipling's cakes are advertised as containing free-range eggs. That's ordinary, supermarket, cheap comfort-food type cakes, not posh, bakers ones.

Tagua

If there is no rooster present with the hens, then there is no way that the eggs the hens lay are fertilized and contain life.

Jeffrey

Nice quote, deformed, I think its inciteful and alarming.

Inji-gyo

watch out for that Joel Salatin. His poultry treatment was rated poor-fair at best (The Ethics of Food: Peter Singer)