One of the more effective tactics of those who oppose modern animal production has been to threaten the global brand of final processors and retailers in order to gain negotiating power in attempts to change production methods. By raising an ethical argument to modern production they have buttressed their assertions against the counter argument from science.
This is a very efficient approach since once their notions are accepted by major retailers like Wal-Mart, forcing change down the chain is greatly facilitated.
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published the results of an experiment conducted by a doctoral student from the University of Western Ontario. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121018735490274425.html)
