Umm I might be more convinced if that wasn’t just an opinion piece pretending to be a paper?
I’m sure beef and lamb/sheep use WAY more resources than a lot of farming…my point is, that ANY mechanised farming processes aren’t in the clear. It seems some vegans go on about meat being the worst etc, and then sit on their hands about the other ecological disasters, from pesticides to climate change. It’s like they feel they have ‘done their bit’ which is frankly bollocks.
Not saying there aren’t decent vegans, I know several and my Dad has been a vegetarian since the 1940’s and his mother was. He’s a cultural veggie, rather than conviction, and I find those are fine, very non-lecturing usually. But it’s this idea that you need to suffer for the lickle fwuffy animals at the cost of your health - or the cost of the earth…e.g. vegans who drive, wear oil-based clothing instead of leather (which if you are going to eat the animal, you may as well use every part, it’s the waste that’s annoying like trophy hunters), import special foods from thousands of miles away, etc.
It’s not the end point, I’m all for people lowering their carbon footprint and giving a shit about the world, and reducing meat consumption etc. I’ve done it myself, switched a lot more to chicken and less pork ages ago - partly cos of my IBS and health issues (which incidentally like this woman mean I would die or be very ill on a vegan diet - gluten intolerances and such like don’t mix well with veganism, and also I don’t eat most veg) and more cooking.
Everyone should care about what they put in their bodies and try cooking if they can afford it.
But I notice many vegans are middle class and fairly well off as well, because sadly food poverty is a thing and basically if you’re on the dole like me, you’re not going to afford truly organic veg or pasture raised beef or a lot of Fairtrade goods - that’s for the Leisure Classes mainly who can afford to pay for quinoa and fret about the poor fluffy animals (but interestingly like the most of this thread, f*** the fish, which oddly could support a lot of people if fished responsibly).
Believe me, when you are struggling to stay above the water, recycling and the animals is the least of your worries - all of this is the playpen of Tarquins and Emilies with rich daddies.