Vegetarianism

Troublesome

Should we stop eating other animals?

There have been very few human societies in which no meat or fish are eaten, although in some parts of the world the normal diet is made up largely of staple foods such as rice, with meat and fish being relatively rare additions; this has often been due to poverty rather than choice. In modern Western societies, however, 'voluntary' vegetarianism is on the increase. This debate is about whether it is right for human beings to eat other animals (including fish). To take an even more absolute line, the proposition could argue for veganism - this means eating no dairy produce or eggs (as well as no meat or fish).

Pros:

The main reason to be a vegetarian is to reduce animal suffering. Farm animals such as chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows are sentient living beings like us - they are our evolutionary cousins and like us they can feel pleasure and pain. It is wrong to farm and kill these animals for food when we do not need to do so. The methods of farming and slaughter of these animals are often barbaric and cruel - even on supposedly 'free range' farms. Also, in most countries, animals farmed for food are not covered by animal welfare laws that protect other animals.

To suggest that battery farms are in some way 'natural' is absurd - they are unnatural and cruel. To eat meat is to perpetuate animal suffering on a huge scale - a larger, crueller, and more systematic scale than anything found in the wild. Furthermore, the very fact of humanity's 'superiority' over other animals means they have the reason and moral instinct to stop exploiting other species. If an alien species from another planet, much more intelligent and powerful than humans, came and colonised the earth and farmed (and force-fed) human beings in battery farm conditions we would think it was morally abhorrent. If this would be wrong, then is it not wrong for we 'superior' humans to farm 'lower' species on earth simply because of our ability to do so?

The fact that human beings are omnivores (and are rational agents with free will) means that they can choose whether to eat meat, vegetables, or both. It might be 'natural' for men to be violent towards one another but that does not mean that it is right that they should carry on being so. Some natural traits are immoral and should be restrained. In any case, our closest animal cousins - the apes - have an all-vegetable diet.

Becoming a vegetarian is an environmentally friendly thing to do. Modern farming is one of the main sources of pollution in our rivers. Beef farming is one of the main causes of deforestation, and as long as people continue to buy fast food in their billions, there will be a financial incentive to continue cutting down trees to make room for cattle. Because of our desire to eat fish, our rivers and seas are being emptied of fish and many species are facing extinction. Energy resources are used up much more greedily by meat farming than my farming cereals, pulses etc. Eating meat and fish not only causes cruelty to animals, it causes serious harm to the environment and to biodiversity.

There are significant health benefits to 'going veggie'; a vegetarian diet contains high quantities of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, and is low in fat. (A vegan diet is even better since eggs and dairy products are high in cholesterol.) The risk of contracting many forms of cancer is increased by eating meat: in 1996 the American Cancer Society recommended that red meat should be excluded from the diet entirely. Eating meat also increases the risk of heart disease - vegetables contain no cholesterol, which can build up to cause blocked arteries in meat-eaters. A vegetarian diet reduces the risk of serious diseases and, because it is low in fat, also helps to prevent you becoming overweight. There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein, such as beans and bean curd; and spinach is one of the best sources of iron.

Going vegetarian or vegan means massively reducing the risk of contracting food-borne diseases. The inclusion of animal brains in their own feed led to the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (BSE or 'mad cow disease') and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD). Almost all of the potentially fatal forms of food poisoning (E-coli, salmonella, BSE) are transmitted by meat and poultry.

Cons:

Eating meat does not need to mean cruelty to animals. There is a growing number of organic and free-range farms that can provide meat without cruelty to animals. Similarly, it might be reasonable to argue for an extension of animal welfare laws to protect farm animals - but that does not mean that it is wrong in principle to eat meat.

It is natural for human beings to farm, kill, and eat other species. In the wild there is a brutal struggle for existence. The fact that we humans have succeeded in that struggle by exploiting our natural environment means that we have a natural right over lower species. In fact farming animals is much less brutal than the pain and hardship that animals inflict on each other naturally in the wild.

Human beings have evolved to eat meat. They have sharp canine teeth for tearing animal flesh and digestive systems adapted to eating meet and fish as well as vegetables. Modern squeamishness about eating meat and fish is an affectation of a decadent society, which flies in the face of our natural instincts and physiology. We were made to eat both meat and vegetables - cutting out half of this diet will inevitably mean we lose that natural balance.

All of the problems the proposition mention would exist without meat farming and fishing. Deforestation has been going on for centuries as human civilisations expand, but can now be counteracted by planting sustainable forests. There are many worse sources of pollution than farmers, and in any case farmers of vegetables, cereal crops etc. use nitrates, pesticides, and fertilisers, which damage the environment - it is not just meat farmers. Finally, the energy crisis is a global one which must have its solution in the efficient use of natural resources and the development of alternative sources of energy - it makes no sense to pick on meat farmers - they are a tiny drop in the ocean.

The key to good health is a balanced diet, not a meat- and fish-free diet. Meat and fish are good sources of protein, iron, and other vitamins and minerals. Most of the health benefits of a vegetarian diet derive from its being high in fibre and low in fat and cholesterol. These can be achieved by avoiding fatty and fried foods, eating only lean grilled meat and fish, and including a large amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet along with meat and fish. A meat- and fish-free diet is unbalanced and makes it more likely that you will go short of protein and iron. Also, a vegetarian diet, in the West, is a more expensive option - a luxury for the middle classes. Fresh fruit and vegetables are extremely expensive compared to processed meats, bacon, burgers, sausages etc.

Of course hygiene and food safety are very important and the highest standards should be enforced. But this does not mean that we should all just stop eating meat, which, in itself, is a natural and health-giving thing to do.