Norm Phelps: Science Weighs In At Last: Part Two

Response to Gary Francione’s Comments of March 3, 2011

Last year, two agricultural economists from prominent American universities concluded a study on whether publicity about the suffering of farmed animals affects the demand for meat. Earlier this year, I reported their findings on the European Vegetarian and Animal News Alliance (EVANA) (“Science Weighs in at Last,” February 17)*.

On March 3, 2011, Gary Francione, whom I quoted extensively in the February article, responded with a post on his blog Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach headlined “Science Weighs In: Animal Welfare Reform is Useless.” In this blog post, Professor Francione announced that he was consulting with colleagues who are expert in statistical analysis and that he would post “a more formal reply as things shape up."

In the meantime, he claimed (without further elaborating) that the study “suffers from multiple methodological problems and is poorly designed.”

More than five months have passed without further comment from Professor Francione, I am reluctant to wait any longer for the appearance of his formal reply, and I believe it is important to reply to claims made in his interim response....

Source: Read the complete article at Norm Phelps’ website
Author: Norm Phelps

Link: "The Abolitionist Approach" Is Not Fit For Purpose
Link: Science Weighs In At Last - February 2011 *
Link: Tim Gier - In Defense of ARZone