Why Vegetarians Should Consider Going Vegan

Going vegetarian is a great way to stand up against the cruel factory farming industry. In fact, vegetarians spare the lives of dozens of animals each year.

However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that animals suffer immensely in the dairy and egg industries too.

Eggs


Egg-laying hens arguably endure the worst lives.

Crammed into filthy wire cages, subjected to mutilations without painkillers, and denied proper veterinary care, these chickens are deprived of everything that makes life worth living.

Because male chicks do not lay eggs or grow quickly enough to be raised profitably for meat, they are often killed within hours of hatching. Some are ground up alive while others are gassed or suffocated.

Females will spend their lives in cages so small they can barely move. And when their egg production slows down, they will be sent to slaughter.

To make matters worse, not a single federal law protects animals during their lives on factory farms, and the law that protects cows and pigs at the slaughterhouse—the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act—does not extend to birds, leaving chickens with virtually no protection from abuse.

Dairy


Though it may seem obvious, many people have no idea that in order to produce milk, cows have to be pregnant or have just given birth. Just like all other mammals, cows lactate for their babies.

But newborn calves are typically taken away from their mothers within hours of birth so that humans can have the milk instead. After being forcibly separated from their calves, cows often bellow for hours or even days, pacing and searching for their babies.

Because male calves don’t produce milk, they’re of no use to dairy farms and are often sold for veal production. Baby calves raised for veal are locked alone on feces-covered floors in wooden crates or chained by the neck for their entire lives.

Cows are repeatedly impregnated for about four years until they are considered spent by the dairy industry. At that point, they are sent to slaughter. Their meat is ground up for hamburger.

Luckily, with all of the delicious vegan versions of your favorite foods already on the market, there’s never been a better time to ditch cruel animal products and embrace a compassionate vegan lifestyle.

Click here for a list of delicious dairy-free products.

Click here for a list of amazing egg recipes without the eggs.