Why Veganism

is Not More
Humane
Farming Truth

1. 25 times more sentient beings die in crop production per

kilogram of usable protein than in slaughterhouses.
And in much worse ways. As I am about to go into more detail about, all livestock animals are
rendered unconscious before any human or machine touches them. They do not suffer. However,
in the crop field, the reality is far more gruesome and painful. Mice are crushed alive under large
farm machinery. Snakes are speared through the middle with plowing equipment. Small birds are
poisoned alive by chemicals. Gophers and prairie dogs have their food source stripped away from
them after harvest, and cant travel the many miles to the neighboring fields on an empty
stomach. Its also important to know that many, many more animals are killed in the protection
of crop harvest than in protection of livestock. Public interest groups get up in arms when a
shepherd kills a wolf to protect his flock, but dont bat an eye at the 750,000 feral hogs,
6,000,000 deer, and the uncountable number of wild horses that are shot to protect crop
harvests every year.
Animals killed for human consumption
Animals killed in crop production

*Marine animals are killed in crop production as a result of high nutrient runoff from fertilizer
causing bottom water hypoxia and coral bleaching
**Not listed: insects, snakes, and smaller populated species such as armadillos, prairie dogs,
gorund hogs, bats
Sources:
Archer, Mike. "The Vegetarian Dilemma." UNSW Newsroom. UNSW Sydney, 08 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 Dec.
2016.
Davis, Steven. "The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a Diet Containing Large
Herbivores, Not a Vegan Diet." The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a
Diet Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan Diet. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 03 Dec.
2016.

2. Cruel treatment in slaughterhouses results in tougher meat.

Anti-meat activists claim that going plant based keeps animals from having to suffer painful
deaths, but the truth is that modern methods make slaughtering an animal completely painless
by rendering every animal unconscious before any human or machine touches them. Otherwise,
the stress would elevate their adrenaline levels, resulting in meat with a higher pH, darker color,
and drier texture. Although it is true that some animals dont fall unconscious from these efforts,
this happens less than .01% of the time. Here are the three most common methods of stunning:

Captive Bolt Gun

A specialized gun fires a blank cartridge into the skull
Used on cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and camels
Minimal running costs but requires training to operate

Electrical Stunning
Puts animal into temporary epileptic shock long enough to bleed
out while insensible
Used for pigs, sheep, goats, poultry, and ostriches
Electrodes must be well maintained and may cause severe
muscle spasms while unconscious

CO2 Stunning
High concentrations of carbon dioxide are released into a closed
off area where animals are confined
Used for poultry and some breeds of pigs
Very expensive so only utilized in large scale, industrial
slaughterhouses

Did you know

Farms and slaughterhouses are completely SEPARATE! Producers
have a choice on which slaughterhouse they use for their stock,
and, if a slaughterhouse turns out bad meat multiple times, farmers
will quit using it, and it will suffer financially.

Sources:
"CHAPTER 7: Slaughter of Livestock." CHAPTER 7: Slaughter of Livestock. Regional Office for Asia and
the Pacific, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Grandin, Temple. "The Effect of Stress on Livestock and Meat Quality Prior to and During Slaughter."
Animalstudiesrepository.org. Int J Stud Anim Prob, 1980. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

3. Ethical treatment on the farm increases livestock productivity.

Just like in humans, chronic stress that would be caused by maltreatment would have very severe
health effects on livestock. Some of these effects include decreased feed to gain ratio, delay of
puberty, lower semen quality in males, lower calving rates in females (if severe enough, even
infertility), lower birth rates, less feed intake, handling issues, lower immune functions, loss of
hair (such as wool or mohair), and all around lower yields in meat, eggs, and milk. Here are some
specific statistics from a 2011 study:

The growth rate of pigs that

were handled ethically was
455 g/day whereas the
growth rate of pigs that were
handled badly was 404 g/day

Egg production was 8% higher

when hens were treated well
compared to when they were
mistreated

Confining young female pigs

moved the beginning of their
estrus cycle from 9 to 13
months of age

Other stressors besides mistreatment include stress from the heat/cold stress, humid/dry
climate, transport, change of environment, diseases, and parasites. All of these factors are
measured and controlled by successful producers both to yield maximum income and for
humanitarian issues.

Think About It
When humans stress, it causes inconsistent eating patterns, weight
gain or loss, hair loss, disturbed menstrual cycles, infertility,
disease, sleep deprivation, and irritability.

I need this page

Sources:
Gebregeziabhear, Eyob, and Negasi Ameha. "The Effects of Stress on Productivity of Animals: A
Review." Iiste.org. Haramaya University, 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Brook, R. J., and J. A. Brook. "Sequential Tree Method Of Examining The Relationship Between Job
Stress And Mental Health." Perceptual and Motor Skills 80.1 (1995): 287-90.
Theomnigendifference.com. Phibro, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Shaine Devoe;glenda Dvorak, Dvm, Mph, Dacvpm. Animal Behavior and Restraint: Cattle (n.d.): n.
pag. Iastate.edu. Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, July
2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

4. Going vegan supports cruel public interest groups.

As ironic as it sounds, supporting public interest groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals (PETA) or the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is directly funding animal
murder. Every time you view a documentary such as Cowspiracy or Earthlings, or click on an
article on the PETA website, you are giving them stock that directly translates into profits.
Whats so bad about these organizations?

PETA kills an average of 86.5% of the animals that

come to their shelters. Of those killed, 84% were
killed within the first 24 hours of arriving.
The founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk campaigned for
the extinction of pit bulls through policy backing and
an editorial newspaper article.
CharityWatch, a philanthropic evaluation project,
rated the HSUS a D, or unsatisfactory rating because
they mislead donors about spending intentions.
We have no problems with the extinction of
domestic animals. They are creations of human
selective breeding. HSUS CEO, Wayne Pacelle
Sources:
"HumaneWatch | 13 Things You Didn't Know About HSUS." HumaneWatch. Center for Consumer
Freedom, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"HumaneWatch | HSUS Quotes." HumaneWatch. Center for Consumer Freedom, 2016. Web. 31 Oct.
2016.
"Online Animal Reporting." (n.d.): n. pag. Peta Kills Animals. Virginia Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
From San Jose To Schenectady, Many Shelters Have, Enacted Policies Requirirrg The Automatic
Destruction Of The, Huge Ana Ever-Growing Number Of ',pits,' They Encounter., and This
News Shocks And Outrages The Compasiionate Dog-. "Deadly, Abused, Doomed." Rilt8nl[
IltttillflRl( (n.d.): n. pag. PETA-online.org. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

5. Getting rid of animal agriculture would mean theres no more

natural fertilizer.
Believe it or not, poop is one of the most important agricultural commodities there is. It can be
processed and made into bedding, syphoned through a generator and made into electricity, and,
most commonly, transported to local crop fields and dispersed as natural fertilizer. The
alternative to this is synthetic fertilizer, which, along with the chemicals required to produce it,
kills millions of animals (including people) every year:

Mercury was
released in Japans
Minamata Bay in
from 1932-1968
AZV Fertilizer
Factory in
Toulouse, France
exploded in 2001

2013 West
fertilizer plant
explosion

Silo storing
fertilizer exploded
in Oppau,
Germany in 1921

SYNTHETIC
FERTILIZER
PRODUCTION

Phosphate fertilizers
pollute groundwater,
which impacts ground
dwelling organisms

Fertilizer that ends up

in rivers, lakes, or
oceans promote algae
growth, which depletes
oxygen for marine life

Nitrate compounds in
excess amounts are
toxic to ruminant
animals, such as cattle
and goats

Sources:

"Chapter 3: Fertilizers as Water Pollutants." Chapter 3: Fertilizers as Water Pollutants. Natural

Resources Management and Environment Department, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Muir, Patricia. "1. EUTROPHICATION." 1. EUTROPHICATION. Oregan State University, 29
Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081021120927.htm
M, Harada. "Minamata Disease: Methylmercury Poisoning in Japan Caused by Environmental
Pollution." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.