anyone care to remind me how many animals are killed each year due to the harvesting of plants?
how many animals (and humans) are killed/made ill etc by things such as fertilizers, pesticides, weed killers and other things like them?
The number is far higher (i think its roughly double?) than the number of animals killed in slaughterhouses. and they dont die quick deaths (unlike the vast majority of slaughterhouse kills).
Source ?
I found 72 millions animals killed by year by pesticides (in USA). An average american eats 31 animals a year (found also 50, or higher), multiplied by 300 millions americans. Do the maths.
Also, i abhor the use of the word 'murder' when talking about animal slaughter. They aren't sapient. they dont know whats coming and in many countries they are stunned before slaughter so they aren't even conscious when the death happens (its another case entirely in barbaric countries that have halal and other religious practices like it).
First, sapience != consciousness
Secondly, there's the way slaughter should work, and the way they work. Currently, slaughterhouse are far from painless. Stuns are not efficient 100%, especially with how they're applied.
Third, "barbaric" things like halal are in every countries, including USA, Europe, etc. You often eat koscher or halal meat.
Well there is the main reason why I've been trying to edge towards vegetarianism, it's a big source of cholesterol, and raises your risk of stomach/colon cancer.
Gotta call bullsh** on this: http://www.gnolls.org/1444/does-meat-rot-in-your-colon-no-what-does-beans-grains-and-vegetables/
Normal Meat consumption has no effect on the stomach, colon or cholesterol. only in huge, inhuman amounts.
"I'm gonna call bullshit by linking to an article that talks about something else." Yes it doesn't 'rot'. Meat is not "bad", but vegetarian diets are often better for stomach, colon, cholesterol, etc, especially looking how much meat we eat nowadays. Just look at the effects of mediterranean diet, compare, etc.
Antibiotics and growth hormones may be damaging, but have you taken a look recently at the chemicals contained in the huge cocktail of fertilizers, pesticides, weed killers, insecticides etc that farmers pile on their crops? Far worse.
I'm gonna call source again. Proof of chemicals on crops being worse than chemicals in meat ?
And, as said, Vattic, livestock eat said crops.