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Blood and bone?

post #1 of 6
2/15/12 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
Does anyone here use it on there garden? Would I be able to use it if I was a vegan? Can I even use it being a Vegetarian? Is it ok as fare as animal welfare reasons go?

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A mother is not born when she gives birth to a child, a mother becomes a mother in the way that she cares for and raises that child.

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post #2 of 6
2/15/12 at 4:50pm
Well, animal blood and bones would be more of a byproduct, but since they do come from dead animals, I don't see how its use could be considered vegetarian. Can you elaborate on why are you thinking they might be considered vegetarian or vegan? I would think there would be the same ethical issues as other byproducts like gelatin, except that you aren't eating it but rather putting it on your garden. I would bet there are alternatives for gardening, although they might not be quite as good. I have heard of people using menstrual blood, but that may or may not be readily available to you..

It's your choice whether or not you want to use it, of course, but I wouldn't expect anyone around here to encourage you. As you know, there are no veggie police, so if you ultimately decide to use animal products on your garden despite alternatives being available, no one is going to keep you from calling yourself a vegetarian.
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post #3 of 6
2/15/12 at 6:00pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, I don’t wont to look like a hypercritic on this matter. And I should not have said vegan to start with because I don’t think I will ever go fully vegan as I am an organic market gardener for one which means I use a lot of other animal byproducts like animal manure, worm wee and honey to name a few and it would be ridicules for me not to use them and I also use as much road kill as I can get which i use in my homemade methane digester which produces large amounts of brown gas for the house and large amounts of organic biomass that goes on the garden like compost. So should I use some animal byproducts but not others? were do I draw the line? How far is too far and how far is not far enough?

A mother is not born when she gives birth to a child, a mother becomes a mother in the way that she cares for and raises that child.

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A mother is not born when she gives birth to a child, a mother becomes a mother in the way that she cares for and raises that child.

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post #4 of 6
2/15/12 at 7:48pm
Hi Vegman,

Animal products being used to grow fruits/vegetables is generally seen as a grey area by vegans. A lot of produce we buy at the store may have been grown with blood/bone/fish meal and it can be virtually impossible to tell sometimes. Vegans avoid animal products as much as is possible and practical so in cases like this most people don't worry about it.

Fertilizers are a byproduct of the meat industry as well rather than a direct product. There's a quote from Vegan Action I like about byproducts and where to draw the line:
Quote:
"The vegan lifestyle is an ongoing progression. Everyone should go at their own pace and remember that all steps towards veganism are positive. It is most important to focus on avoiding the products for which animals are bred and slaughtered. Animal by-products will exist as long as there is a demand for primary meat and dairy products. When it comes to avoiding items that contain small amounts of byproducts, vegans must decide for themselves where to draw the line. Some vegans will adjust their level of abstinence according to the circumstances. For example, as a consumer, you might make sure the bread you buy is not made with whey; but as a dinner guest, you may accept bread without asking to see the ingredients. These types of compromises can actually hasten the spread of veganism, in that they help counter the attitude that it's very hard to be vegan."

There's a lively debate going on about that subject here, maybe some posts can give you some insights: http://www.veggieboards.com/newvb/sh...f-fish-farming

And I'll end by saying that if you're up to it Veganic (vegan organic) gardening is an option. There's some good info on how to go about it here: http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyl...gardening.aspx

Vegans are basically saying, "Hey, animals shouldn't be needlessly harmed." It's amazing how many people that sentiment freaks out. - Vegan.com

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Vegans are basically saying, "Hey, animals shouldn't be needlessly harmed." It's amazing how many people that sentiment freaks out. - Vegan.com

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post #5 of 6
2/15/12 at 7:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegman View Post

So should I use some animal byproducts but not others? were do I draw the line? How far is too far and how far is not far enough?

These are all good questions that you should think seriously about. No one here can make these decisions for you. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about where your various animal products are coming from, how they might impact the animals, and if there are suitable alternatives.

Manure I see almost no issues with as it is something that needs to be removed anyway. Honey is no big deal for me as I don't see insects as sentient beings. Roadkill..well, that's already dead, so no harm done there. I wouldn't consider it "vegan," but it seems perfectly ethical to me to use the body of an animal that is already dead due to an accident.

Blood and bone that came from livestock killed for profit seems fundamentally different. Are you paying for it, or is it something that would be thrown away? If you're paying for it, you are in a small way making the slaughter of those animals more profitable. But, if it's something that is very necessary for your gardening and there are absolutely no alternatives, I could see using it. I would do some more homework though and find out what your alternatives might be.
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post #6 of 6
2/28/12 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
I am not going to use blood and bone meal for my plants, i found a website that offers some good alternative's:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...een.DTL&ao=all

A mother is not born when she gives birth to a child, a mother becomes a mother in the way that she cares for and raises that child.

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A mother is not born when she gives birth to a child, a mother becomes a mother in the way that she cares for and raises that child.

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