Imagine a day in the life of a common farm animal. Far from the peaceful grazing life one would envision, the livestock of today endure horrific conditions - from suffering painful diseases to being separated from their mothers at too young of an age. Not only are these conditions harmful to the animals, the food produced by them is unnecessary to humanity’s well-being and can even be damaging to society’s overall health. Since the definition of ethics is having well-founded standards of right and wrong, this process of producing meat for our consumption is unethical. In everyday conversations about vegetarianism, a lifestyle without meat, the most common reaction is disbelief quickly followed by the question, “But how do you get any protein?” …show more content…
Cows, one of the most farmed animals in the world, are described as highly sentient and intelligent individuals with markedly different personalities (Bekoff). Not only are cows able to learn different tasks, solve complex puzzles, and discriminate between different people and animals, they also form strong bonds with their fellow cows. For females, the closest bond they form is with their calf - who is typically ripped away from its mother within 48 hours of suckling. The trauma this separation causes is extremely apparent, from calling to one another for days to pacing back and forth in an effort to be reunited. Alongside doubts about farm animals’ mental and emotional intelligence, the myth that animals can live a decent life and still be killed humanely for our consumption is unreasonable at best. First, even a marginally better death is still death. The life we give these animals by breeding them does not give us the right to nonchalantly take it away for our own pleasure. As Ashley Byrne, a PETA campaign specialist, says, “Slaughter can be less cruel, but not humane.” Additionally, in an interview with the General Managers of one of the most progressive slaughterhouses, it is revealed that the owners ‘sometimes get attached to the cattle and occasionally spare one they become close to, keeping it as a pet’