Ok. We vegans try to save the poor animals that get killed everyday..so we stop consuming meat and "save" animals and land that is used for grazing right? than why the soybean industry is destroying the amazons a place where many animals live??? I saw a documentary and the soybean industry is using more and more land ...we consume soybeans..a lot! right? then we are saving "some" animals while we kill others....and destroy land....am right or wrong?? opinions please!!!
2007-01-12 13:15:13 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink ➔ Vegetarian & Vegan
You're doing a fantastic thing by stopping your consumption of animal products. The fact is vegetarians/vegans consume a lot of soybeans and other plant foods. All these things require agriculture, which in all senses is bad for the land. but this is a fact we cannot change. We have to eat, even though it is destroying forests. The fact is though that most of the agriculture causing this destruction is due to the fact that so many people consume meat and it is in high demand. So most of our agriculture goes to raising the cattle and other animals to feed our country. "A steer consumes seven pounds of protein in the form of grain and soybeans to produce just one Pound of beef protein." (from the book The vegetarian Way, great book!) So part of the soybean epidemic is due to the fact that we have to feed such a large amount of it to cattle to produce beef protein, AND in the process six pounds of high-quality protein is lost.
so in conclusion, yes, agriculture and the production of soybeans is destructive to the land, but by stopping your consumption of animal products you are slowing down the process.
If you have anymore questions, just ask!
2007-01-12 13:42:48 · answer #1 · answered by kaykay4915 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Soybeans are a huge animal feed crop. This is why they are growing so much and expanding and destroying. We could feed the world in soybean production alone, but most of it goes to cattle feed. So, don't worry about it since you are not eating meat, you are not really contributing to this. Crops meant for human consumption would be on different farms as cattle-feed crops have different regulations than human-feed crops, as far as I know. I don't know what the rules, if any, they have in South American Amazon. From what I've seen there are a lot of illegal farms there. Don't buy meat, and they will go out of business.
2007-01-13 00:28:51 · answer #2 · answered by Scocasso ! 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
These soybeans are NOT GROWN FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.
They are grown for animal feed. The small amount of soy we consume can be grown right here in the U.S. The huge soybean demand is from the beef industry. So guess what my friend? Vegetarianism saves the Amazon.
2007-01-12 21:31:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Instead of eating soybeans, you could try being a little more of an activist - not one of those crazy live in a tree or harangue ppl and throw paint on them loonie, but petition and fight for better living conditions and more humane kills of all the millions of cows and sheep and chickens us meat eaters consume. After all, to bring about change you need to make your voice heard. Quietly consuming a bowl of soybeans really won't do that. As for the rain forests, buy american made!
2007-01-12 21:29:21 · answer #4 · answered by Behhar B 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There is nothing wrong with eating soy beans. The problem is greed and exploitation. Much more Amazon rain-forest has been destroyed to raise cattle than for soy beans, and cattle grazing completely destroys the soil. At least soy beans return nitrogen to the soil.
It's a matter of not letting it get out of proportion, moderation.
I certainly don't see it as a reason to start eating animals.
2007-01-12 21:25:50 · answer #5 · answered by The Gadfly 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Well, I am a vegan for health reasons, so I don't care where they grow the soybeans.
2007-01-13 12:26:09 · answer #6 · answered by Dagny Taggart 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion, your not eating meat or using leather or butter or gasoline (from fossils, dead animals...) will not change the plight of animals. As the demand for soybeans go up, so will the farming and the land usage for soybeans.
My opinion is to relax... buy a leather belt now and then and put some real butter on your bread. Not doing so will not save any animals.
2007-01-12 21:20:51 · answer #7 · answered by Sugar Pie 7 · 1⤊ 6⤋
try to buy fruits/vegetables from places that are either grown by the people who sell them or from places that you know that they would not harm land where animals live in. thats what i do. i buy them from stores or stands where they grown them themselves or eat the fruits and veggies i grow.
2007-01-13 02:08:40 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋