Extension activities

Ask the students to discuss the ‘values’ they used to rank their farm animals. For example, they could have valued an animal according to:

• how it looks
• how cute they think it is
• how much they enjoy eating products from the animal, such as eggs and dairy products
• whether they use products from the animal, such as leather
• whether the animal is used for the production of medicines/drugs
• how used they are to seeing the animal, for example living in the countryside near their home, or as a family pet
• how valuable the animal is within the economy
• how unusual or rare it is in this country
• whether they see the animal's meat or other products as being important parts of a healthy diet
• whether the animal has featured in a film or book, such as Babe or Watership Down.

Things for students to think about and/or discuss

• Farm animals can be manipulated and selectively bred for the convenience of humans. Ask the students to discuss whether or not this is acceptable, and why. How does this relate to how we value farm animals?
• There has been a change in the way we buy eggs, with more people choosing to buy eggs from hens kept in barn or free-range systems. Do the students think this indicates a change in the way we (society) value hens?
• What might make people decide to go back to buying eggs from hens kept in battery cages instead? What do the students think this indicates about the way society values hens?
• Ask the students to find out about the new ‘enriched’ cages being introduced for laying hens in Europe, and write down how much of a difference they think they will make to hens’ lives. Ask them to explain whether, and how, the introduction of these cages reflects a change in the way we value hens.
• Ask the students to discuss whether it matters if the way in which society values farm animals keeps changing, and why.

Pain-free meat

Ask the students to look at the New Scientist article at this link. What do they think this story says about the way we value farm animals? Would genetic alteration to make them unable to suffer pain show that we value them more, or less, highly than other animals?