''A Cow at My Table'' is a 1998

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

examining Western attitudes towards farm animals and meat. It covers the conflict between

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

advocates and the

meat industry The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry is ...

, and their respective attempts to influence consumers. It was directed, shot, and edited by Jennifer Abbott, who spent five years travelling across Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand to interview representatives on all sides. The film intercuts these interviews with images of farm animals and industrial farming operations. It explores what is sometimes popularly called

factory farming Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming and macro-farms, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while ...

. The filming of ''A Cow at My Table'' drew early criticism from the Canadian meat industry, with both the Ontario Chicken Marketing Board and the

Dairy Farmers of Ontario Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO), is the marketing organization and regulatory body representing over 4,000 dairy farmers in Ontario, Canada. DFO was formerly known as the Ontario Milk Marketing Board (OMMB), which was established as result of th ...

publishing articles warning of Abbott's actions. Music for the film was performed by

Oh Susanna "Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all ti ...

References

External links

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A Cow at My Table
' on Google Video 1998 films Canadian documentary films Films about cattle Documentary films about agriculture Documentary films about animal rights Intensive farming 1998 documentary films Films directed by Jennifer Abbott 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films {{1990s-Canada-documentary-film-stub

See also

References

External links