Vegan Vegetarian Diet: Moral Considerations The Meat Industry Would Rather You Clueless
In addition to concerns about our health, an equally compelling reason for choosing a vegetarian lifestyle is moral and ethical concern about killing another animal for food. Often, even those who become vegetarian solely for health reasons experience an increased responsibility to protect the animals and wildlife of this planet. The idea of killing animals and birds for “fun,” “sport,” or “recreation” is distressing to vegetarians, many of whom become involved in conservation movements.
animal rights
one. Poultry: Recently, animal rights groups have focused their attention on “poultry factories”, where chickens are raised exclusively for the production of eggs. Typically, four birds are housed in battery cages that are only 12″ X 18″. To prevent the birds from becoming hostile, their beaks are removed; otherwise they would peck each other to death. To barely conceive of how this might feel, you need to know that the beak is made of tissue that resembles the tissue and nerve endings found in fingernails and toenails.
They cannot stretch or flap their wings, and lights shine on them 22 hours a day to force them to constantly eat and produce eggs.
In the early 1950s, it took 14 to 16 weeks to bring a chicken to slaughter weight and 3.4 pounds of feed were required to produce one pound of chicken meat.
Today, it only takes 7 weeks, half the time, to bring a chicken to slaughter weight and requires only 1.9 pounds of feed to produce one pound of chicken meat.
The cost of these so-called “improvements” is not only increased cruelty to birds, but also increased health risks to the consumer.
Danger of infection. Research has proven the fact that overcrowding increases the danger of infection. Contaminated birds are difficult to identify because, when caged on a moving conveyor belt on the way to slaughter, they are accelerating at a rate of 80 to 90 birds per minute, according to one inspector. Chickens are routinely fed limited-range antibiotics that have been linked to a new strain of stronger organisms that have not only developed immunity to many drugs, but are also consumed by humans who eat these contaminated chickens. And, purely for aesthetic reasons, poultry farmers use a chemical dye called xanthophylls to give meat a golden sheen to fool the consumer into thinking it’s healthy.
two. Veal: An even crueler form of torture has been imposed on calves to induce very white and extra tender meat. They are housed in extremely tight compartments where they cannot move or turn; and they are fed a milky mash mixed with hormones, antibiotics and a variety of chemical additives. They are kept in windowless buildings that are lit only by low-voltage red bulbs that are turned on continuously to artificially stimulate their appetites; their heads are in a restraining slot with a continuous supply of food in front of them, and they can never turn or recline; instead, they must sleep on their feet for several weeks before being sent to slaughter.
The political impact of vegetarianism
People know and are generally resigned to the inordinate influence of special interest groups through the writing of laws that are supposed to protect the health and well-being of the citizenry. As vegetarianism increases, both in numbers and influence, the meat and dairy industries put constant pressure on politicians to counteract this positive development, even going so far as to use harassment under the guise of protecting consumers from labeled products. detrimentally. -called quacks in the health food industry. While their efforts may seem laudable and altruistic, they are nothing more than flimsy ploys in disguise to impede or even stop progress toward vegetarianism. If you feel your choice rights are being infringed, seek out organizations that support tilt and give them your support. In general, a single individual is not taken into account; however, in unity, there is strength.
Social and Economic Impact
According to R. Buckminster Fuller, the internationally respected engineer, scientist, and architect, and other experts, our planet’s resources are enough to feed, clothe, and house every middle-class American man, woman, and child if we use our resources. resources properly.
Raising livestock requires much more land than raising plants. It takes 12 to 24 pounds of plant protein to make a single pound of meat protein. 70% of the grain grown in the US is used to feed animals instead of people, which is obviously an extravagant and unnecessary waste. There is only one acre of arable land per person on earth; and the average American carnivore requires 1.6 acres per year for food, while a vegetarian needs less than half an acre. This inefficiency of meat production is reflected in inflated prices. Plant protein sources are cheaper than less expensive meats, and sprouted grains and seeds provide an excellent source of protein at even greater savings.
