The Butchers Shop

By Rose, aged 14 from James Allens Girls School

The butcher’s shop
 
I made this piece, ‘The butcher’s shop’ based on the theme, ‘Why do animals matter?’ to explore the ethics and impacts of slaughtering and eating animals. I chose this theme as veganism and vegetarianism are controversial topics in modern society, and I was intrigued by the contrasting beliefs in many major religions surrounding diets and meat. The butcher stands, faceless, a representation of the millions complicit in suffering, refusing accountability, soiled and holding a bloody cleaver. Just behind him, a sea of corpses hangs, showing the greed and indulgence of intensive farming. 
As an atheist, I was intrigued by how many religious people are passive in their consumption of animals. I questioned how so many could claim to value God’s creations and then remain uncaring as proof of animal cruelty and suffering is presented to them. Multiple religious texts preach the importance of caring for animals. For example, in the Bible, it is explained that ‘the righteous care for the needs of their animals’ (Proverbs 12:10). In the Qur’an, it is emphasised that animals worship Allah too, and the Prophet Muhammad’s love for animals is mentioned multiple times. In the Torah, the psalms indicate God’s concern for animals, emphasising tender mercies and provision for all living creatures. All of these texts, while not banning eating meat, clearly state that animals should be treated respectfully and not abused. 
However, 85% of farmed animals are confined to factory farms here in the UK. This intensive method of farming is the single biggest cause of animal cruelty on the planet, and yet in the latest data, the number of intensive farms is on the rise, not decline. In intensive farms animals are kept indoors in large, unregulated quantities and with no space to move, with low-quality feed and most animals never seeing natural light. Intensive farming means serious and prolonged suffering for the animals trapped in the system.  
To represent this, I utilised the juxtaposition of such a bloody sight with the golden religious symbol hanging from the butcher’s neck. The piece aims to question the faithful’s complicity in the suffering of animals with harsh and bloody subject matter and contrasting imagery.  
However, in some religions, such as Buddhism, a vegetarian diet is the norm. The follows the first precept, ‘to abstain from taking life’ recognising that all beings want to live free of suffering, building the compassion that is central to the religion. The Sutta Nipata states, ‘Whether they be creatures of the land or air, whoever harms here any living thing, who has no compassion for all that live, let such a one be known as depraved.”. I would argue that such a cruelty free, compassion based diet is a better option for those who claim to value their creators works.