To ask what vegetarianism achieves?

[Dancergirl]

Lots of threads about being veggie/vegan at the moment.

It's got me thinking - does being veggie or vegan have a direct positive influence on animal welfare? I can totally understand people's reasons for not eating meat or animal products, but are fewer animals killed as a result?

I understand that there is already huge wastage in meat production. Will meat production go down if there are enough vegetarians?

@whatsthecomingoverthehill hahaha you're kidding right!!! The USA alone could feed 800 million people with crops and grain that livestock eat. 40% of WORLD grain is fed to livestock rather than humans. It's not sustainable. We will be back to rationing food before you know it, and that's not to mention all the pain and suffering these animals are put through for people's tastebuds when there's many many vegan and vegetarian alternatives out there!

No I'm not kidding. I think you don't understand my point. I know that feeding grain to animals is not as efficient as growing food directly for humans. But all modern agriculture harms animals in some way. The chemicals they use, the land cleared for growing crops reducing habitat etc. It is not possible to feed 7 billion people without having some detrimental impact on nature.

@whatsthecomingoverthehill that doesn't excuse the amount of animals that are slaughtered every year, which contributes to a vast amount of greenhouse gases and deforestation. It's just not sustainable. Have you watched Cowspiracy or What the Health? If not you should. It's nothing to do with animal slaughter and all to do with the affect it's having on our plant

I started off as vegetarian but as many pps have pointed out dairy is even more awful for animal welfare than rearing for meat.
Happily vegan now.

@TheScottishPlay well done, you and me both. Happy to know we are making a difference

I’ve been veggie a long time partially at school,fully uni and in past 12months it’s gotten noticeably easier to eat out and not be forced to chose option. I don’t have to justify or explain choice

But the vegetarian come latelys who are preachy and/or evangelical are irksome

I'm not vegetarian (due to conflicting morals), but the times I was, I was for animal welfare.

I never saw veganism as necessary because veganism does not intrisically have to involve the death of animals.

I know it currently does, but it doesn't have to, we could produce limited quantities of milk and eggs without having to slaughter creatures, whereas we could never claim the same for meat.

I may choose to be vegetarian again one day, and if I do, it won't be because I think it will change the world, but because I believe meat-eating is wrong. (again, currently conflicted!)

" never saw veganism as necessary because veganism does not intrisically have to involve the death of animals"

Agree and the overpopulation factor is key here again.

I was vegetarian for eight years as a young woman, and vegan for a year in my thirties.

I felt terribly ill both times, and I think (so my doctor says) because I’m autoimmune, I have a real issue absorbing certain minerals and nutrients. I feel seriously unwell if I don’t eat red meat at least twice a week, take 40mg a day of iron, and I’m still on the low end for ferritin levels.

I only eat organic and grass-fed meat, and I know the farms. I do avoid dairy, though, and have done so for eight years, as I believe (young kids aside) it has minimal health benefits.

Being vegan or vegetarian isn’t always an automatic good health solution.

I am vegan because I want to do the least harm I can. I am quite a shitty, hypocritical vegan tbh though because if I am poured a drink I dont demand to know if the wine is vegan or check the ingredients if there is a bowl of crisps knocking about at someone's house.bit if I am buying products for me they are always vegan.

I am also hypocritical because whilst trying to avoid palm oil I dont boycott it completely and my plastic shoes are probably horrendous for the environment.

I was a lapsed vegetarian for years and always said I wouldnt bother being veggie without being vegan so eventually had to give it a bash for January and it was fine, so I am sticking with it for the foreseeable future.

So I do it to reconcile my actions with my feelings but in a still slightly lack.lustre way, but I am fine with that. Everyone should eat in a way they are comfortable with.

I went vegetarian as I didn’t want to contribute to an animals suffering.

I felt that if I stopped buying meat, at least I was consciously making a difference.

I agree with both whatsthat and missy.

It’s definitely better to eat vegan imo, but there is no such thing as “cruelty free” or any way of modern living as a human which does not harm an animal in some way.

I think you may be arguing at cross purposes.