Vegans like to call this a bad faith distraction, but when I was a vegan I went all in. No lettuce, no root vegetables, I only ate fruits (botanically speaking, seed-bearing bodies). The plants want you to eat those, and they’re freely given.
Industrial agriculture doesn’t rely on naturally occurring grass, corn and soybeans are also used, and feed is grown for animals using similar methods as would be used growing food for human consumption. Relying on more sustainable methods would still require a drastic reduction in meat consumption.
Also, the point I was responding to was, “What about the poor tomato plants?” If we’re still pretending to do the “plants rights activist” thing, then I don’t see why grass would be more acceptable than tomato plants.
Note that in the US, animals are also allowed to be fed feces as a cost-cutting measure, in spite the health risks
Well, keep in mind, the recent popular trend of vegan diets has caused a spike in certain mono crops, which have caused a mass death of insects and natural pollinators, which has massive knock-on effects, killing off other wild animals and habitats.
To support the ever-growing demand of the more inefficient vegan alternatives, we have inadvertently created a situation where we are now over taxing our farmland and natural resources to the point that they can no longer sustain themselves or naturally replenish the necessary floor and fauna needed to keep the habitats in working order which is just started causing issues all over the place.
Mono cropping is never good but at least up till recently a lot of the issues were somewhat manageable. Still very damaging but somewhat manageable. The massive Spike in vegetarian and vegan diets with point younger generations has pushed us well over the tipping point.
It would still even be somewhat okay if it was just a rise in a more traditional vegetarian-focused diet like say you see commonly in India. But you can really only push mono, cropping, soy and other things so far before you just start ruining shit.
You would be correct if not for the fact that consuming animal protein is waaaaaaay less farmland-efficient and more environmentally damaging than consuming plant-based protein… unless you’re eating meat from sustainably-grown animals. Including carefully-managed hunting of wild animals. Factory-farmed meat, however, is very much not that. Most of the feed that goes to them is ALSO a mono-crop.
JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
You joke, but if we can value the lives of one lifeform over another, why should that have to stop with animals?
Just because it’s harder to anthropomorphize tomato plants, that makes it okay to selectively breed them so their children taste better.
agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 8 hours ago
Vegans like to call this a bad faith distraction, but when I was a vegan I went all in. No lettuce, no root vegetables, I only ate fruits (botanically speaking, seed-bearing bodies). The plants want you to eat those, and they’re freely given.
basxto@discuss.tchncs.de 2 hours ago
That’s called fruitarianism
JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
Well, they want you to spread the seeds. Only a few of them require eating in that process.
agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 4 hours ago
It’s not required, but it does add decent fertilizer so I’m sure it’s preferable.
Objection@lemmy.ml 7 hours ago
It takes more plants to fatten up animals than if you just eat plants directly.
JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
I’ve tried grazing before, but I couldn’t digest the grass.
Objection@lemmy.ml 4 hours ago
Industrial agriculture doesn’t rely on naturally occurring grass, corn and soybeans are also used, and feed is grown for animals using similar methods as would be used growing food for human consumption. Relying on more sustainable methods would still require a drastic reduction in meat consumption.
Also, the point I was responding to was, “What about the poor tomato plants?” If we’re still pretending to do the “plants rights activist” thing, then I don’t see why grass would be more acceptable than tomato plants.
Note that in the US, animals are also allowed to be fed feces as a cost-cutting measure, in spite the health risks
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Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 7 hours ago
Well, keep in mind, the recent popular trend of vegan diets has caused a spike in certain mono crops, which have caused a mass death of insects and natural pollinators, which has massive knock-on effects, killing off other wild animals and habitats.
To support the ever-growing demand of the more inefficient vegan alternatives, we have inadvertently created a situation where we are now over taxing our farmland and natural resources to the point that they can no longer sustain themselves or naturally replenish the necessary floor and fauna needed to keep the habitats in working order which is just started causing issues all over the place.
Mono cropping is never good but at least up till recently a lot of the issues were somewhat manageable. Still very damaging but somewhat manageable. The massive Spike in vegetarian and vegan diets with point younger generations has pushed us well over the tipping point.
It would still even be somewhat okay if it was just a rise in a more traditional vegetarian-focused diet like say you see commonly in India. But you can really only push mono, cropping, soy and other things so far before you just start ruining shit.
SparroHawc@piefed.world 5 hours ago
You would be correct if not for the fact that consuming animal protein is waaaaaaay less farmland-efficient and more environmentally damaging than consuming plant-based protein… unless you’re eating meat from sustainably-grown animals. Including carefully-managed hunting of wild animals. Factory-farmed meat, however, is very much not that. Most of the feed that goes to them is ALSO a mono-crop.