A Question for Vegans?

Question

I have been having a recent crisis of conscience regarding my eating of meat, and I'm seriously considering giving it up. I don't like the way animals are treated in the process of producing food. But my question is this:

If all humankind gave up eating meat, what would become of these animals? Surely pigs and cows and chickens couldn't be released into the wild, and without being a source of profit, no farm could afford to keep them.

I want to thank everybody for their support. Lest we all jump the gun, I'm far from being a vegan at the present time. I guess my journey toward that goal has been some time in coming, kind of like for Isaac Bashevis Singer. And it will be a tough process for me. I can easily go without red meat, and haven't eaten much of it in the last five years, but I've always been a bit of a chicken-oholic, so that will be tough. But I've managed to lose weight and keep it off for almost four years without outside instruction, so I can definitely make adjustments. However, dairy products are part of my daily routine and will be very hard to wean off of, so I'll probably spend some time in the stage of vegetarianism. It's just the right thing to do.

Answer 1

They are bred to exist, and have a relatively short lifespan. If pigs and cows were not bred and raised for consumption, they wouldn't exist in the numbers they do now. If hypothetically, the world stopped consuming meat, it would probably be a gradual process to convert individual cooking methods and beliefs throughout the world. The numbers would reduce by the economic principal of supply and demand.

Answer 2

That's the thing: these poor animals are BRED to be KILLED. If everyone in the world stopped eating meat, they wouldn't be bred anymore, which means there would be a normal number of happy, non-tortured animals on the earth!

The only reason animals are such a huge source of profit right now is because the demand is so high. Supply and demand! If the demand decreases, the supply will decrease, which means less animals to be bred and slaughtered. And all will be well. :)

I'm so happy you're thinking about becoming vegan! It's a great thing to do! If you have any other questions or wanna talk, e-mail me! [e-mail]

Answer 3

It's so awesome that you're thinking about making the ethical choice of vegetarianism! You just made my day!

You're right - most pigs, chickens, and cows raised on farms wouldn't be able to survive on their own. People have bred these animals for consumption - they're overweight, they grow too fast for their bones to keep up, their lifespans are ridiculously short ... and so it is unlikely that the species - in their current state - would thrive in the wild. So, were these animals released into the wild, all at once, most would die. That, however, isn't a bad thing! They'd die out in the open ... not in piles of urine and feces or piles of other animal's entrails/limbs like they would have if they'd not been freed. It would be a natural death, not the artificially perpetuated and tortuous death granted them by humans. Nature would soon return to balance, like it always does..... But like the other people said - not all people are going to give up eating meat at once .... It'll be a slow process and supply/demand will reduce the production of the animals before anything so drastic as release from farms happens. If vegetarianism ever catches on that strongly .... Thanks for the question.

Answer 4

Well, unless everyone quit eating meat at once (unlikely!), the population of farmed meat animals would dwindle as the demand for their meat decreased. Eventually the farms would close, and the remaining animal populations--much, much smaller than they are today--would presumably be freed. In the wild, these animals would survive or not, depending on their environment and individual fitness.

There are already wild populations of all domesticated animals (sometimes, fences break) so it's certain they wouldn't all die off as some might claim, but populations would quickly shrink to naturally sustainable levels.

Answer 5

These animals are bred to die... don't feel bad that you won't eat them. The numbers will dwindle as less demand for meat is needed. You need to be intersested in yourself.... meat is terrible for you! Stop ASAP! You are on the right track!

Answer 6

Sadly, humankind will never give up eating meat, but you have made a choice that's right for you. Congrats!

Answer 7

people would still care for them.people would probably still eat eggs and drink milk.in India they keep cows but only for milk.people would probably keep them as pets or worship them.