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April 3, 2007
Eroding The Meatless Moral High Ground
Though animal rights groups self-righteously chow down on bean sprouts, tofu dogs, and nayonnaise in the name of animal welfare, the ideologically animal-free diet, like the movement itself, has thousands of skeletons in its pantry. Surprisingly, the number of animals affected by the production of a veggie burger is significantly more than those needed for a thick steak, chicken wing, or Thanksgiving turkey.
According to researcher Steven Davis, a professor of animal science at Oregon State University: “Vegan diets are not bloodless diets. Millions of animals die every year to provide products used in vegan diets.” Clearing fields for growing produce displaces entire eco-systems, and agriculture machines like the combine harvester shreds millions of rabbits, mice, pheasants, snakes, birds, and moles annually.
Davis’ research suggests that switching to a food system dominated by beef and dairy would save the lives of 300 million more animals annually than switching to a vegan system.
A 2002 article from TIME magazine best sums up the absurdity and hypocrisy of anti-meat crusade: “The moral: there is no free lunch, not even if it's vegetarian.” Someone should send a memo to the (apparent) hypocrites at PCRM.
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