Choosing an animal-friendly diet may well be the single most important contribution to animal welfare one can make as an individual.
The welfare of farm animals is most problematic, because of its scale and because of its financial constraints.
Diet selection affects animal welfare directly on a daily basis.
Becoming a vegetarian or vegan also has an impact on one’s identity. You are what you eat.
It takes an effort to go veggie, but it is also a signal. It shows you have compassion, that you care. It also indicates that you are likely to disagree with the legal framework under which the raising and slaughter of animals for food consumption is still allowed. It is hard to predict how long this is going to continue. Perhaps a very long time. However, inevitable the time will come that livestock farming will no longer be acceptable, neither morally nor legally.
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