On Domestication: In Dr. Kachhara's most recent essay, he acknowledges that the domestication and use of nonhuman animals involves himsa and he agrees that unnecessary domestication cannot be justified, but he argues that animal use is required for farming in developing countries.
A more equitable distribution of the world's wealth would obviate the need to have animal farming anywhere. Developing nations are poor because wealthy nations have historically exploited them and continue to do so, and because resources are not more fairly distributed as a result of international monetary policies. There is no reason--other than historic and economic injustice--why any farmer of crops has to use animals.
Dr. Kachhara also asks whether traditional farming methods, which he admits involves himsa to the animals used, involve less himsa than modern farming methods, in which harm occurs indirectly from irrigation, pesticide use, etc.
We should, of course, seek always to minimize all himsa, including the himsa that results unintentionally and indirectly from our raising crops for human consumption. We should not use chemical pesticides and we should always take care that our raising of crops otherwise involves as little himsa as possible. But the fact that I cannot avoid all himsa in growing vegetables in my garden does not mean that it may be acceptable for me to eat meat or other animal products because there is unintentional or indirect harm caused in the raising of my vegetables. I do not believe that such trade-offs are acceptable in Jainism particularly in light of the very clear prohibition on the infliction by all Jains (including householders) of intentional himsa on mobile, multi-sensed beings.
Finally, it must be remembered that in the developing countries to which Dr. Kachhara refers, farmers are often raising crops that will be fed to animals so that humans can have meat and dairy products. It requires an enormous amount of plant protein to raise animals for meat and dairy. If humans stopped eating all animal products, the amount of crop farming required for human consumption would be a fraction of what is presently required, so any himsa in crop farming would necessarily be reduced if we adopted a strict vegetarian (vegan) diet.
Our General Agreement: Despite some differences, Dr. Kachhara and I are in general agreement about basic points. Dr. Kachhara agrees that all unnecessary domestication cannot be justified and he seems to agree that domestication is only necessary in developing countries for farming purposes. Dr. Kachhara agrees that Jains should avoid all animal products and embrace a vegan way of life if the dairy products to which they have access are produced using intensive, mechanized methods.
As a practical matter, that means that virtually all Jains should stop using dairy and go vegan.
The Jains who live in the U.S., U.K., and all other western countries have access only to dairy products produced through the methods of himsa that Dr. Kachhara agrees are unacceptable. Although there are "organic" and "free-range" farms, these are nothing more than marketing tricks in that ALL dairy products in industrial countries are produced through the mechanized means that Dr. Kachhara agrees is morally unacceptable and inconsistent with Ahimsa.
The Jains who live in India but who live in or near large cities are in a similar situation. As Pravin Shah, Chair of the JAINA Education Committee, and Pramoda Chitrabhanu ji have documented, dairy farms in India are every bit as mechanized as those in the U.S. and involve terrible amounts of himsa.
There may be some Jains who live in or near small villages and who have access to dairy products produced under the idyllic conditions that Dr. Kachhara describes. I have my doubts about whether these conditions are as idyllic as Dr. Kachhara believes them to be, and I do not think that we can justify domestication in any event, but the fact remains that the overwhelming number of Jains in India do not have access to these dairy products in any case.
An invitation to Dr. Kachhara: Based on our this area of agreement, I ask Dr. Kachhara to join with me in a call for Jains who do not have access to dairy products produced under the conditions that Dr. Kachhara describes to consider that all other dairy products, which comprise virtually all of the dairy products to which we have access as a practical matter, involve intentional himsa against mobile, multi-sensed beings and to not purchase or consume such products.
I want to close by expressing my deep gratitude to Dr. Kachhara for engaging this issue and if I have offended him or anyone in expressing my views, Micchami Dukkadam.
Gary L. Francione
Professor, Rutgers University
New Jersey, U.S.A.