Do Vegans Kill More Animals Than Meat Eaters?
Grain harvests, livestock feed, and the bigger picture.
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I’ve pretty much heard every excuse in the book for eating animals, but I’ve yet to hear a convincing reason.
“If we didn’t eat animals, the world would be overrun with them.”
“People living in the mountains of [insert remote country] can’t grow vegetables and therefore must rely on animal products.”
And the oft-repeated: “Vegans kill more animals than meat eaters when you look at the death of insects and small rodents in plant production.”
(Since when do people actually care about insects and rodents?)
Yes, animals die in the production of crops — insects, mammals, and birds among them — but the majority of grain grown isn’t for human consumption; it’s for for the billions of animals we bring into this world only to kill.
It’s nearly impossible to get accurate numbers on how many animals are accidentally killed in grain harvests, but they don’t come close to the deliberate, large-scale killing built into animal agriculture. And while we’re talking about intentional slaughter, millions of wild animals are also killed (with our tax dollars) to protect ranchers’ private profits.
They include wolves, coyotes, foxes, prairie dogs, eagles, and hawks — animals people do claim to care about.
If any of this disturbs us, the focus shouldn’t be on catching vegans in hypocrisy; it should be on holding animal agriculture accountable — and recognizing the role we all play in sustaining it.
If we’re truly concerned about the accidental deaths of small animals in grain harvests, the solution isn’t to eat more animals but to reduce — or eliminate — our consumption of them. Fewer animals bred to be fed and slaughtered means fewer crops grown for feed — and fewer deaths, period.
Don’t Make Perfection the Enemy of the Good
I find it troubling that people who knowingly eat mammals and birds try to discredit those who choose not to — simply because we live in an imperfect world. Does that mean we should do nothing at all because we can’t do everything?
Yes, animals die in the farming of vegetables. I’ve stepped on more insects than I care to know. I ate my share of chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows. But none of that means I shouldn’t do what I can to prevent harm and needless violence.
That all-or-nothing thinking turns perfection into the enemy of the good. Good is good. Better is better. Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything. Do something. Anything.
There are as many reasons not to eat animals as there are lives that could be saved by making a single dietary change. One of the joys of being vegan is knowing that my behavior is consistent with my values.
Though the world isn’t perfect, and I’m not a perfect person, it feels good knowing that my choices reflect the compassion I value. Adopting a vegan lifestyle is the best decision I’ve ever made, and I’ve never had to make excuses for it.
Completing the Picture
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Thanks for tackling these fundamentally disingenuous "arguments" against veganism. They drive me crazy!!
Dunning-Kruger effect. They think they've ingeniously come up with an argument that devastates veganism. Cue the eye rolls.