Should I go vegan? Cruelty conditions in the UK

[vik85]

I've been a vegetarian for about a year now after deciding I no longer wanted to gain any pleasure from someone else's pain. I was practically addicted to meat so it was really hard for me at first, but it's got a lot easier. Now I'm trying to decide whether or not I should go vegan.

I've heard a lot about cruelty in other countries involving dairy products but have always thought that in the UK cows and chickens lead pretty happy lives. I don't eat animal products like gelatin and only buy free range eggs and have reasoned that these animals are sheltered and fed in return for what they give us. I've even heard that cows need to be milked and find it painful when they're not. I've been to countless farms in the UK in the past and the cows and chickens seem happy to me.

So can anyone in the UK tell me any different? Am I being naive in thinking no cruelty is involved? It will be a hassle for me to go vegan.. I'm already underweight and get a lot of my protein from eggs, but if pain is involved then I don't mind changing.


Also....

What else wouldn't I be able to eat and why?

For example... why should I not eat honey? what cruelty is involved?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated but please don't tell me about health benefits. The only reason I'd become a vegan is for ethical reasons.

Thanks

[Risker]

You're on a vegan forum, did you think anyone would answer no? Of course you should become vegan!

That's a pretty big question, to answer two points, here's a thread on honey, and as for protein, as long as you are eating enough it should be practically impossible to not get enough protein.

Also, cows, like humans, only produce milk for when they have a child - ever wondered what happens to the calves they have in order to produce milk?

I'm sure someone else can give you some more in depth info and other threads to look at that will answer your questions more thoroughly.

[harpy]

Hello - have a look here for some potted explanations of why vegans object to honey, eggs and so forth.

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/animals/exploitation/

[misssoya]

Ive been vegetarian 23 years, decided to become vegan 6 or7 weeks ago. I thought milk was fine, i was blocking the truth, which when i look back i know is true from personal experience. The dairy cows have their day old calves removed from them, which are either destroyed or fattened for veal. The cows are forced to carry a calf every year for this and then the milk produced is taken for humans, who arent even equipped to digest it!!! The poor cows carry a calf every year which they spend no time nursing,the calves suffer and are slaughtered for veal if male. The cows are worn out after a few short years and slaughtered. their life isnt a blissfull life roaming pastures as supermarkets etc would have you beleive!! I seen it, they sleep in their own shit most of the year and are poor worn out beings.

[Purple]

Hey Vik

For me, the 'bees' thing was the hardest to appreciate. I get it now. Honey is pretty easy to avoid, although some supermarkets try to sneak it into random products.

With Eggs and Milk, the males of each species generally aren't profitable. So they're disposed of. Hens that lay eggs eventually get too old/don't lay enough eggs, so they need to be replaced. Being unable to guarantee whether the replacement being hatched is male or female, eggs are hatched on mass and sorted into male / female groups. Females become meat or egg laying hens. Male chicks and just disposed of - either gassed in what looks like wheelie bins, or literally minced alive using "instantaneous mechanical destruction".

With Milk, cows only produce milk when they're pregnant so they're artificially inseminated and kept pregant. When the calf is born, it's either a female (used to replace the other tired out milk cows and suffer the same fate) or a male - either sold for veal or disposed of. The reason they "like" being milked, is because cows have been selectively bred to produce more milk than they normally would do (more profits!). So they like it because the pain briefly goes away. Much like having a poo when you've been constipated for 4 days. So I've heard.

I recommend checking out a video called "Earthlings". Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, you can find it on you tube I think. It might make you angry and it will make you cry

Good luck! My general rule of thumb is, if it can be exploited to make more money, then it probably will.

[Korn]

I've heard a lot about cruelty in other countries involving dairy products but have always thought that in the UK cows and chickens lead pretty happy lives. [...]

I've been to countless farms in the UK in the past and the cows and chickens seem happy to me.

Hi,
'Seeming happy' never was a good reason for killing someone......

I'm already underweight and get a lot of my protein from eggs, but if pain is involved then I don't mind changing.

You don't need eggs or any other animal products for protein. The planet is full of vegan protein sources!

[cobweb]

It's always a hassle to make a big change, but often the things that are really worth it take some effort.

Animals may seem reasonably 'happy' in the U.K - maybe some of them are, but i'm sure you would quickly change your mind if you spent a few hours in a slaughterhouse.

[Ruby Rose]

The original post seems to have been made more than a year ago. I wonder what Vik decided to do?

[cobweb]

yes, i just noticed that!

[Purple]

Oops, my fault