Picture this. An alien race that is smarter and stronger than us discovers Earth and decides to lock us up, force-feed us, artificially inseminate us, take breast milk from our women, and slaughter us for food. Would this be wrong?

The gruesome analogy above seems like it’s from a horror movie, but that’s exactly what we do to tens of billions of animals every year. Around 85% of animal products are produced from factory farms. The conditions in these farms are incredibly inhumane, where the animals are locked in cages and are unable to move freely. They are bred into existence and spend their whole lives suffering before they are slaughtered.

It is not just the production of meat that is problematic. Dairy and eggs are also produced from factory farms. The only way in which milk is made from a cow is if the cow has had a baby. Due to this, the cow must be artificially inseminated to get milk from the cow. Once born, the cow’s baby will then be taken away from the mother. If the baby cow is male, it will most likely be slaughtered.

The immorality of causing animals to suffer so that we can consume their flesh, milk, or eggs can be reasoned by the following two statements:
-> It is morally wrong to cause animals to suffer unnecessarily
-> It is unnecessary to consume animal flesh

It is morally wrong to cause animals to suffer unnecessarily

“The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” – Jeremy Bentham

Most people would agree with this statement. However, some say that it is fine to harm animals as we are superior to them. But, what makes us superior to animals? Is it our intelligence? If it’s intelligence, there are some humans that have an IQ lower than animals. Would it be fine to torture and murder these humans for our pleasure? There is also a strange standard in society where it is seen as evil to harm dogs and cats but perfectly fine to harm cows, pigs, or chickens. This hardly makes any sense as dogs and cats are equally as intelligent as cows and pigs. Ultimately, however, it does not matter if we are more intelligent than a being. It does not give us a right to inflict so much suffering upon them.

It is unnecessary to consume animal flesh

Do we have to eat meat? Many people claim that we are unable to get a sufficient amount of protein on a vegan diet. However, this is false as there are many vegan bodybuilders. There are some health problems that are prevalent in vegans, such as Vitamin B12 deficiencies. However, you can just take a Vitamin B12 supplement. People tend to say that having supplements is unnatural, so you shouldn’t be on a vegan diet. So what if it’s unnatural? If you are still healthy, why does it matter if you have to take a supplement daily? Does the fact that a vegan diet is unnatural justify torturing and killing animals for their flesh? Even so, many meat eaters are still deficient in vitamin B12.

Another argument often used is a vegan diet’s economic feasibility. Apparently, a vegan diet is expensive. This is most likely true if you consume a lot of processed foods. However, couscous is about £1 per 500g. Lentils and chickpeas are about £1 per 300g. You can eat a vegan diet spending the same amount of money that you would’ve spent on a carnivorous diet. But, even if it were more expensive, why does it matter? If you can still afford a vegan diet, is it morally just to torture and kill animals because it is cheaper than eating some plants?

Ultimately, it is completely unnecessary to consume animal flesh. People use excuses such as the fact that a vegan diet is unhealthy or that a vegan diet is expensive but there is only one reason why people eat animal flesh. It’s because it’s tasty. It’s pleasureful. If someone decided to torture and kill their dog for their own pleasure, would that be acceptable at all?

“What about the plants that you kill on a vegan diet?”

This is strangely an argument that comes up frequently and honestly makes me question the intelligence of our species. There is a massive difference between killing a plant and killing an animal. An animal has conscious experience. It can feel. It can suffer. A plant, however, can not feel. How do we know this? Because it doesn’t have a nervous system.

Sometimes people will point to the fact that to grow these crops, you have to use pesticides and insecticides, which will kill a lot of animals. This is true, but causing an animal to suffer its whole life and then killing it is far worse than killing an animal to protect your crops. The main argument against this, however, is that you still use the crops to feed the animals that are being factory-farmed. In fact, beef consume 7 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef. So by switching to a plant-based diet, you will actually be decreasing the number of plants that are destroyed as well.

Environmental impact of animal farming

If you are a psychopath and don’t care about the suffering of animals, there are other reasons to adopt a plant-based diet. One reason is that it is better for the environment. Plant-based diets lead to a 75% reduction in climate-heating emissions, water pollution, and land use than meat-based diets. As previously discussed, consuming meat requires more land to be used for crop production to feed the animals. This will lead to an increased killing of wildlife and also more deforestation to clear space to grow these crops. Another reason why you should adopt a plant-based diet is that factory farming increases the spread of disease. This could cause future pandemics, which could be disastrous to humans.

Conclusion

There is no justifiable reason for consuming animal products because by purchasing these products, you are encouraging the production of these products. The production of animal flesh, eggs, and dairy causes unimaginable suffering to animals. Not only that, but their production is also bad for the environment and could cause a pandemic. So, by making more sustainable and compassionate food choices, each one of you can help reduce animal suffering, protect the environment, and mitigate the risk of future pandemics.