Beyond animals living torturous lives before being killed for their meat, what’s the problem with other animal products like milk, eggs and honey? Here are some points from the view of animal welfare, as stated at http://www.viva.org.uk/goingvegan/index.html. Don’t miss the shocking points in bold…
1. Cattle reared for milk production are exploited and made to suffer, just like animals reared for meat. They suffer from lameness, mastitis (inflammation of the udders) and other illnesses and –
2. Worst of all – they are forcibly separated from their calves just days after they are born so that humans can drink their milk. Cows are not some kind of special animal that produces milk automatically: just like every other animal, including us, they only produce milk to nurse their young.
3. Male dairy calves, meanwhile, are useless to the dairy industry and are usually shot at birth.
4. Meanwhile, egg-laying hens may be crammed into battery cages or disgusting, disease ridden percheries and forced to produce twenty times the number of eggs as are natural to them.
5. Even free range and organic layers face disease and parasites – and are slaughtered for cheap meat as soon as their productivity falls below the level that the egg business will accept.
6. Male chicks are as useless to the industry as male dairy calves and all are killed – including those on free-range and organic systems.
7. Like leather, wool is a vital part of the profitability of the meat business – and animals suffer to produce it.
8. Over 90% of British sheep flocks have problems with lameness and almost 1 in 5 lambs die before getting to market.
9. Even honey bees are prone to infectious diseases and the ill-effects of intensive production.
All animals kept for profit are exploited in one way or another: the only way to ensure that animals are not harmed is to ensure they are not farmed at all.