This document introduces the author, Caroline Grindrod, and begins to discuss the topic of whether it is morally right to kill animals for food. Caroline discusses growing up on a farm and being involved in farming from a young age, which has given her significant experience handling and observing the behaviors of livestock. She notes that animals have cognitive abilities and emotions, but that these vary between species and are generally less developed than in humans, with animals being more driven by instincts and hormones. Caroline uses various examples from her experience with farm animals to argue that their behaviors are motivated by instincts rather than more complex emotions.

1. IS IT MORALLY
RIGHT TO KILL
ANIMALS FOR FOOD?
L E S S O N 1 : I N T R O D U C T I O N

2. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
ME…
Hi, I’m Caroline. I specialise in ancestral health with a
particular interest in nourishing animal foods. I started
my career in environmental conservation as a National
Park ranger and then studied sustainable farming
practices whilst co-managing a diversified 600-acre hill
farm in the Lake District.
I am now a Savory Institute Professional Educator in
Holistic management and I work with farmers and food
businesses to help them adopt a more regenerative
approach. I specialise in ancestral health and primal
living. I am looking forward to guiding you through
this course and assisting you on your journey to
deciding is it morally right to kill animals for food?Caroline Grindrod
Wilderculture expert.

3. LET’S GET
STARTED

4. INTRODUCTION I get predatory and intimidating
threats from people who are
passionately against killing
animals; it just goes with the
territory; I run a meat business.
I have thought about the morals
of killing animals for food much
more than the average person,
and I’d like to share some
insights with you…

5. MY EXPERIENCE OF FARMING
Killing animals is not something I take lightly; it takes
either a heartless person or someone who has completely
squared the process with their conscious, to run a meat
business – I still can’t watch Watership down without
crying!
I was brought up in nature and from an early age was
involved in farming. On a livestock farm the reason you
keep animals is to produce food; mostly – apart from
dairy – livestock must die for the food to be yielded. Not
only do you regularly load animals for slaughter or
intervene to end the suffering of a sick animal, but as the
custodian of several hundred animals you will see animals
that have simply died of ‘natural causes.’
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

6. ANIMALS HAVE COGNITIVE
ABILITIES
I watched animal cartoons and cried
the same as every other child, but I
was never under any illusion that
animals thought or acted as humans
do. When you handle animals daily
you get a sense of their level of
consciousness and understanding of
the world they occupy. Animals vary
between species but are wired and
driven by hormones and instincts
more, and cognitive ability less, than
humans.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

7. DO ANIMALS HAVE EMOTIONS?
The sheep that bleat after the lambs are weaned are not
necessarily doing so because they are imagining the
dreadful fate of their loved children; their powerful inbuilt
mothering instincts are on overdrive because they’ve
misplaced the youngster they are wired to rear. Many
sheep don’t even notice when one of their two lambs is
missing; most sheep don’t count!
When animals lose a companion, I doubt they’re
depressed because they are imagining a lonely future of
chewing the cut solo; they know something has changed
and they don’t like it, their herd has disappeared and they
feel vulnerable. Ruminant animals are herd creatures and
their protection comes from being part of a mob.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

8. AMBULANCE CHASERS
We used to get occasional ewes we called
‘ambulance chasers’ on the Farm. These
feisty ladies would pinch other ewes’ lambs
and frantically run after the trailer as every
new family was taken to the next field. These
ewes have strong instincts and made great
Mothers when they eventually had their own
lambs, but they didn’t fully understand what
they were doing, their actions were driven by
a flush of hormones and the instinct to
protect something that wasn’t yet born.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

9. DOGS AND EMOTIONS
I have owned and bred dozens of different breeds and
characters of dogs; some pets, some working; they all
act differently. Some dogs will pine the loss of their
puppy’s for a while, but most are back to normal after
a day. When my dog goes back to the Farm and meets
his Mum and Sister he certainly doesn’t give them a
hug and kiss – they have the bite wounds to
demonstrate that they have no idea they’re related.
When my Jack Russel sniffed the body of his lifelong
companion (our beloved Collie who sadly died
recently), he was vaguely curious for a moment but
then immediately went back to the task of reminding
me it was time for a walk, we, on the other hand, were
in pieces!
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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