5 Reasons Why Veganism Is NOT More Humane
1) 25 times more sentient beings die in crop production per kilogram of usable protein than in slaughterhouses.
And in much worse ways. As I am about to go into more detail about, all livestock animals are rendered unconscious before any human or machine touches them. They do not suffer. However, in the crop field, the reality is far more gruesome and painful. Mice are crushed alive under large farm machinery. Snakes are speared through the middle with plowing equipment. Small birds are poisoned alive by chemicals. Gophers and prairie dogs have their food source stripped away from them after harvest, and can’t travel the many miles to the neighboring fields on an empty stomach. It’s also important to know that many, many more animals are killed in the protection of crop harvest than in protection of livestock. Public interest groups get up in arms when a shepherd kills a wolf to protect his flock, but don’t bat an eye at the 750,000 feral hogs, 6,000,000 deer, and the uncountable number of wild horses that are shot to protect crop harvests every year.
The typical vegan response to these statistics is that the grain livestock eats contributes to these numbers, but that is not true, either. The majority of livestock grain is seeds and oils (oils that are often the byproduct of food processing, and would otherwise be considered waste, meaning they would be likely to pollute waterways or intoxicate more wildlife in the future). When harvested crops do make their way into livestock feed, they are usually not fit for human consumption.
And in much worse ways. As I am about to go into more detail about, all livestock animals are rendered unconscious before any human or machine touches them. They do not suffer. However, in the crop field, the reality is far more gruesome and painful. Mice are crushed alive under large farm machinery. Snakes are speared through the middle with plowing equipment. Small birds are poisoned alive by chemicals. Gophers and prairie dogs have their food source stripped away from them after harvest, and can’t travel the many miles to the neighboring fields on an empty stomach. It’s also important to know that many, many more animals are killed in the protection of crop harvest than in protection of livestock. Public interest groups get up in arms when a shepherd kills a wolf to protect his flock, but don’t bat an eye at the 750,000 feral hogs, 6,000,000 deer, and the uncountable number of wild horses that are shot to protect crop harvests every year.
The typical vegan response to these statistics is that the grain livestock eats contributes to these numbers, but that is not true, either. The majority of livestock grain is seeds and oils (oils that are often the byproduct of food processing, and would otherwise be considered waste, meaning they would be likely to pollute waterways or intoxicate more wildlife in the future). When harvested crops do make their way into livestock feed, they are usually not fit for human consumption.
Sources:
Archer, Mike. "The Vegetarian Dilemma." UNSW Newsroom. UNSW Sydney, 08 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
Davis, Steven. "The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a Diet Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan
Diet." The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a Diet Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan
Diet. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
Smith, Wesley J. "Veganism Is Murder." Discovery Institute. Discovery Institute, 22 July 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
Van Eenennaam, AL Eenennaam A., and EA Young. "Prevalence and Impacts of Genetically Engineered Feedstuffs on Livestock
Populations." Journal of Animal Science. Journal of Animal Science, 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
Archer, Mike. "The Vegetarian Dilemma." UNSW Newsroom. UNSW Sydney, 08 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
Davis, Steven. "The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a Diet Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan
Diet." The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a Diet Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan
Diet. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
Smith, Wesley J. "Veganism Is Murder." Discovery Institute. Discovery Institute, 22 July 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
Van Eenennaam, AL Eenennaam A., and EA Young. "Prevalence and Impacts of Genetically Engineered Feedstuffs on Livestock
Populations." Journal of Animal Science. Journal of Animal Science, 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
2) Cruel treatment in slaughterhouses results in tougher meat.
Anti-meat activists claim that going plant based keeps animals from having to suffer painful deaths, but the truth is that modern methods make slaughtering an animal completely painless by rendering every animal unconscious before any human or machine touches them. Otherwise, the stress would elevate their adrenaline levels, resulting in meat with a higher pH, darker color, and drier texture. Although it is true that some animals don’t fall unconscious from these efforts, this happens less than .01% of the time. Here are the three most common methods of stunning:
Anti-meat activists claim that going plant based keeps animals from having to suffer painful deaths, but the truth is that modern methods make slaughtering an animal completely painless by rendering every animal unconscious before any human or machine touches them. Otherwise, the stress would elevate their adrenaline levels, resulting in meat with a higher pH, darker color, and drier texture. Although it is true that some animals don’t fall unconscious from these efforts, this happens less than .01% of the time. Here are the three most common methods of stunning:
Sources:
Berg, Charlotte, and Mohan Raj. "A Review of Different Stunning Methods for Poultry—Animal Welfare Aspects (Stunning
Methods for Poultry)." Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI. MDPI, Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
"CHAPTER 7: Slaughter of Livestock." CHAPTER 7: Slaughter of Livestock. Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, n.d. Web. 26
Oct. 2016.
Grandin, Temple. "The Effect of Stress on Livestock and Meat Quality Prior to and During
Slaughter." Animalstudiesrepository.org. Int J Stud Anim Prob, 1980. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Berg, Charlotte, and Mohan Raj. "A Review of Different Stunning Methods for Poultry—Animal Welfare Aspects (Stunning
Methods for Poultry)." Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI. MDPI, Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
"CHAPTER 7: Slaughter of Livestock." CHAPTER 7: Slaughter of Livestock. Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, n.d. Web. 26
Oct. 2016.
Grandin, Temple. "The Effect of Stress on Livestock and Meat Quality Prior to and During
Slaughter." Animalstudiesrepository.org. Int J Stud Anim Prob, 1980. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
3) Ethical treatment on the farm increases livestock productivity.
Just like in humans, chronic stress that would be caused by maltreatment would have very severe health effects on livestock. Some of these effects include decreased feed to gain ratio, delay of puberty, lower semen quality in males, lower calving rates in females (if severe enough, even infertility), lower birth rates, less feed intake, handling issues, lower immune functions, loss of hair (such as wool or mohair), and all around lower yields in meat, eggs, and milk. Here are some specific statistics from a 2011 study:
Just like in humans, chronic stress that would be caused by maltreatment would have very severe health effects on livestock. Some of these effects include decreased feed to gain ratio, delay of puberty, lower semen quality in males, lower calving rates in females (if severe enough, even infertility), lower birth rates, less feed intake, handling issues, lower immune functions, loss of hair (such as wool or mohair), and all around lower yields in meat, eggs, and milk. Here are some specific statistics from a 2011 study:
Sources:
Gebregeziabhear, Eyob, and Negasi Ameha. "The Effects of Stress on Productivity of Animals: A Review." Iiste.org. Haramaya
University, 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Brook, R. J., and J. A. Brook. "Sequential Tree Method Of Examining The Relationship Between Job Stress And Mental Health."
Perceptual and Motor Skills 80.1 (1995): 287-90. Theomnigendifference.com. Phibro, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Shaine Devoe;glenda Dvorak, Dvm, Mph, Dacvpm. Animal Behavior and Restraint: Cattle (n.d.): n. pag. Iastate.edu. Center for
Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, July 2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2016
Gebregeziabhear, Eyob, and Negasi Ameha. "The Effects of Stress on Productivity of Animals: A Review." Iiste.org. Haramaya
University, 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Brook, R. J., and J. A. Brook. "Sequential Tree Method Of Examining The Relationship Between Job Stress And Mental Health."
Perceptual and Motor Skills 80.1 (1995): 287-90. Theomnigendifference.com. Phibro, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Shaine Devoe;glenda Dvorak, Dvm, Mph, Dacvpm. Animal Behavior and Restraint: Cattle (n.d.): n. pag. Iastate.edu. Center for
Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, July 2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2016
4) Going vegan supports cruel public interest groups.
As ironic as it sounds, supporting public interest groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is directly funding animal murder. For more information about the horrors that make up the Humane Society, check out my article, The HSUS Gets Called Out. Every time you view a documentary such as Cowspiracy or Earthlings, or click on an article on the PETA website, you are giving them stock that directly translates into profits. What’s so bad about these organizations?
As ironic as it sounds, supporting public interest groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is directly funding animal murder. For more information about the horrors that make up the Humane Society, check out my article, The HSUS Gets Called Out. Every time you view a documentary such as Cowspiracy or Earthlings, or click on an article on the PETA website, you are giving them stock that directly translates into profits. What’s so bad about these organizations?
Sources:
"HumaneWatch | 13 Things You Didn't Know About HSUS." HumaneWatch. Center for Consumer Freedom, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 31
Oct. 2016.
"HumaneWatch | HSUS Quotes." HumaneWatch. Center for Consumer Freedom, 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"Online Animal Reporting." (n.d.): n. pag. Peta Kills Animals. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2010.
Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
From San Jose To Schenectady, Many Shelters Have, Enacted Policies Requirirrg The Automatic Destruction Of The, Huge Ana
Ever-Growing Number Of ',pits,' They Encounter., and This News Shocks And Outrages The Compasiionate Dog-. "Deadly,
Abused, Doomed." Rilt8nl[ IltttillflRl( (n.d.): n. pag. PETA-online.org. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"HumaneWatch | 13 Things You Didn't Know About HSUS." HumaneWatch. Center for Consumer Freedom, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 31
Oct. 2016.
"HumaneWatch | HSUS Quotes." HumaneWatch. Center for Consumer Freedom, 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"Online Animal Reporting." (n.d.): n. pag. Peta Kills Animals. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2010.
Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
From San Jose To Schenectady, Many Shelters Have, Enacted Policies Requirirrg The Automatic Destruction Of The, Huge Ana
Ever-Growing Number Of ',pits,' They Encounter., and This News Shocks And Outrages The Compasiionate Dog-. "Deadly,
Abused, Doomed." Rilt8nl[ IltttillflRl( (n.d.): n. pag. PETA-online.org. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
5) Getting rid of animal agriculture would mean there’s no more natural fertilizer.
Believe it or not, poop is one of the most important agricultural commodities there is. It can be processed and made into bedding, syphoned through a generator and made into electricity, and, most commonly, transported to local crop fields and dispersed as natural fertilizer. The alternative to this is synthetic fertilizer, which, along with the chemicals required to produce it, kills millions of animals (including people) every year:
Believe it or not, poop is one of the most important agricultural commodities there is. It can be processed and made into bedding, syphoned through a generator and made into electricity, and, most commonly, transported to local crop fields and dispersed as natural fertilizer. The alternative to this is synthetic fertilizer, which, along with the chemicals required to produce it, kills millions of animals (including people) every year:
Sources:
"Chapter 3: Fertilizers as Water Pollutants." Chapter 3: Fertilizers as Water Pollutants. Natural Resources Management and
Environment Department, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Muir, Patricia. "1. EUTROPHICATION." 1. EUTROPHICATION. Oregan State University, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
M, Harada. "Minamata Disease: Methylmercury Poisoning in Japan Caused by Environmental Pollution." National Center for
Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
"Chapter 3: Fertilizers as Water Pollutants." Chapter 3: Fertilizers as Water Pollutants. Natural Resources Management and
Environment Department, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Muir, Patricia. "1. EUTROPHICATION." 1. EUTROPHICATION. Oregan State University, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
M, Harada. "Minamata Disease: Methylmercury Poisoning in Japan Caused by Environmental Pollution." National Center for
Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.