Why Everyone Should Choose to Become Vegetarian: a Research Paper

Vegetarianism from the outside seems like a choice that benefits the single consumer alone. When that diet is a plant based diet, and not one of processed foods and sweets, it can offer lower blood pressure, lower the risk of diabetes, strengthen bone density and improve asthma symptoms. The decision to become vegetarian appears to be made solely for a person's preference and benefit, but that choice goes much further than personal gains. Everyone should choose to become vegetarian because the meat industry is guilty of abusing livestock, negatively impacting human health through feeding animals antibiotics, and playing a large role in the pollution emitted into the environment. In 2018, America’s meat consumption was at a record-breaking 222 pounds per person. This means that the average American ate about 10 ounces of meat a day, while the government recommends adults to only eat 5 to 6.5 ounces of protein a day. Not only are Americans consuming double the amount of protein recommended, the meat being eaten can cause detrimental effects to the body.

In the 1940’s, antibiotics such as penicillin were used during World War II to treat infections of wounded soldiers, which eventually led to the drugs’ commercial availability. By the 1950’s, scientists discovered that these antibiotics could be used in the animals’ feed to help them to live longer and grow larger. Although this could be viewed as a success from the farmer’s perspective, these antibiotics are causing microbes, which are disease spreading pathogenic bacteria in the animal’s body, to become immune to the drugs. When the pathogen-contaminated meat is eaten, consumers become resistant and immune to the antibiotics as well. This is called AMR, or antimicrobial resistance. This makes it impossible to treat ill patients with the antibiotics needed if they have already been infected. Even non-meat eaters can be affected as well, as the microbes sometimes will not fully metabolize in the animal’s body, and often will be excreted along with the manure. If the manure leaks into a water supply, the microbes will contaminate the water and infect consumers. One study found that 80% percent of surface water tested was contaminated with microbes. Not only are people affected by consuming the meat that was treated with drugs, but also affected by the sheer amount of antibiotics used in livestock production. In the US, a staggering 80% of antibiotics sold are used just for meat production.

The Access to Medicine Foundation say that “antibiotic supply chains are on the brink of collapse,” making this an even more shocking amount. According to Healthday News there was a shortage of 148 antibiotics between 2001 and 2013, and that “shortages of antibiotics, including those used to treat drug-resistant infections, may be putting patients at risk for sickness and death”. This is why the argument that meat is only affecting those who have chosen to eat it is false- mass meat production is hurting everyone and will continue to do so as long as consumers keep buying. Not only is the meat industry negatively impacting humans- it is also hurting the environment. Meat production’s environmental effects include pollution from fossil fuels, waste water, animal methane, and the consumption of water and land. According to the Federal Organization of Agriculture, around 18% of the world’s greenhouse gasses come from meat production (Olivier). In fact, it takes ten times the amount of fossil fuel to produce animal protein than it does to produce plant protein. Other pollution includes that of the animal’s excrement which is thirteen times as much as that of the human population. Surface run-offs carry this animal waste along with all of its antibiotics and hormones.

Toxic gasses like ammonia are also released from the large amounts of manure. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 80% of the US’s ammonia was emitted from animal waste. These emissions are a huge part of air pollution and ozone smog. 18% of greenhouse gases come from just the meat industry, which is more than all of the world’s automobiles, ships, and planes combined. The climate is also affected as well, as livestock production is responsible for 9% of CO2, 40% of CH4, and 65% of NO2. Water and land consumption of meat production is also at an all-time high. Half of water consumption in the US is used to raise animals for food, with 2400 gallons of water needed to produce a pound of meat. This is nearly 100 times more water needed to produce a pound of wheat. 30% of the Earth’s land mass in being used for meat production, and of agricultural land 80% is used to grow feed crops. Because of the growing industry of livestock farming, water and air is being polluted, land and food are being excessively consumed, and the climate is getting warmer. Although vegetarianism cannot reverse these effects or stop them completely, the diet is one of the easiest ways the average person can reduce their carbon footprint. Of course, negative effects of mass meat production are not isolated to the environment or humans. The livestock themselves endure the most during the production through suffering and abuse. Factory farms, which are large windowless buildings, are often home to chickens, cattle and pigs. About 9 billion chickens are slaughtered per year in the US. While on factory farms, chicken are put in small cages with no room to move or spread their wings. The stress of this situation makes them frustrated and upset, which causes them to peck at each other. To prevent this, the end of their beaks are cut off, which is a painful process.

In 1958, the Humane Slaughter Act was passed, and made it so that animals were to be stunned before being slaughtered to prevent pain. However, chickens and other fowl are not protected by this law, and are often killed while fully conscious. In the US, about 41 million beef cattle are slaughtered per year. The cows begin their life on open range farm, where their ears are pierced with identification tags, their horns removed, their testicals cut off, and they are branded with a hot rod. All of these are done without anesthesia. After about a year they are moved to a CAFO, which is a concentrated animal feeding operation. While here they are overcrowded in small, unsanitary spaces, which increases the risk of infection. Because of this they are injected with antibiotics and hormones to keep them healthy long enough for the slaughterhouse. The European Union has actually banned the importation of beef from America because they do not allow hormone injections. The cattle is fed mainly corn while they are here, although cows stomachs are not meant to digest corn, they are meant to eat grass. They are fed corn because it gets them fat very quickly, so much so that they can be sent to the slaughterhouse in only a little over a year. For the nine million of these cattle that are raised as dairy cows, life can be even worse. The dairy cows are kept indoors where they are fed and watered. There urine and feces is mechanically removed, as they do not go outside.

To make easier access to their udders, their tales are removed. This is done without the use of anesthesia, making the process very painful. The cows are artificially inseminated, have their calves taken from them after birth, and are then milked by machines. When they can no longer produce milk, the process starts over. Their male calves are put in crates where they sit in their own feces and urine, and are slaughtered after about 4 months for veal. Once the mother cows are too old to give birth, they are sent to the slaughterhouse along with the beef cows. By the time the cattle make it to the slaughterhouse, many are sick or weak from their lack of exercise, and are poked and prodded to walk. Those that are unable to stand up are left for dead. Pigs are often treated the same way, however about 121 million are killed per year in the US, which is three times as much as cows. The life of a factory farm pig is not far from that of the cows. Pigs are confined in small metal cages called gestations crates, which is only two feet wide, giving no room to move or turn. They are forced to lie in their own feces and urine on hard, concrete floors.

When the sows become pregnant they are moved to farrowing crates where they must lie on their side for weeks until impregnated again. The average factory farm pig gives birth to about 20 piglets a year. Due to their lack of exercise, the pigs legs can become weak and crippled. The air they breathe is unsanitary, and can cause them to develop respiratory diseases, along with other infections. Once at the slaughterhouse, the pigs are hung upside down by their back legs and are then “stunned” to reduce the pain. But because this process is sometimes done quickly and inaccurately, some pigs can still be conscious when they are moved to the scalding tank, which is used to soften the skin. Chickens, cattle, and pigs do not deserve the terrible lives and brutal deaths they experience. All people deserve the right to see and know about the cruelty and abuse practised in livestock farms and slaughterhouses. In September of 2018, the House outlawed the slaughtering of dogs and cats for food. 'I am proud to have championed this effort, which sends a strong signal to the world that the welfare of animals must be taken seriously,' said Representative Alcee Hastings.

Why is the slaughtering of dogs viewed as disgusting and immoral while the slaughtering of livestock is not? Some may argue that dogs are more intuitive, intelligent, and sensitive than animals used for livestock, and therefore are more aware. Yet, many studies have proven that pigs are just as smart and empathetic as dogs. Emory University neuroscientist, Lori Marino, says “We have shown that pigs share a number of cognitive capacities with other highly intelligent species such as dogs, chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, and even humans,” In Marino’s paper, Thinking Pigs: Cognition, Emotion, and Personality – An Exploration of the Cognitive Complexity of Sus Domesticus, The Domestic Pig, pigs were found to have long-term memory, a sense of time, need for social interaction, empathetic tendencies, the ability to solve puzzles and mazes, tactile deception and distinct personalities. Although this study proves that pigs are just as smart as dogs, this does not mean the abuse of less intelligent animals is any less immoral. There are no studies or researches that show a link between intelligence and suffering. Author Nicolette Hahn Niman argues that “the pig-equals-dog claim ignores the glaringly obvious issue of relationships. The human relationship with dogs is unique. For as many as 30,000 years, dogs have literally been indispensable members of the human family. Quite naturally, many humans have qualms about eating a family member.” Although she is right that ‘pig-equals-dog’ claim is flawed, her argument against it is flawed as well. Of course, because of their 30,000 year connection, man cares more for their canine companions than most any other animal.

But does this really justify the torture and brutal killings of other animals? Whether these animals are intelligent or empathetic does not change the fact that they still feel as much pain. What exactly would happen if the whole world went vegetarian? Without meat being in demand, there would be no excuse for animals to be mistreated and abused at the hands of humans, and billions of livestock would start to continually disappear. This means that vast amounts of land would be freed up for vegetable crops, and the rest for grassland and forests. The trees in these forests would absorb CO2 and could possibly counteract climate change. Humans would also no longer be at risk for consuming antibiotic-resistant microbes in meat, and AMR (antimicrobial resistance) would slowly start to decrease. Without large amounts of animals, meat-related emissions would drop by 60%. Although the chances of the whole world becoming vegetarian is very improbable, individuals that choose to eat less or no meat are still making positive impacts. If more people make the decision to become a vegetarian or vegan, the state of the environment, animal treatment, and human health will be improved greatly.