Autumn Bate

Professor Jane Drexler

PHIL 2300

1 May 2018

The Moral Obligations of Going Vegetarian

When you go to the meat section of the grocery store and begin to select packages of

chicken breasts or steak, do you think about the animal that the piece of meat came from? Where

did they live? What were they fed? How did they die? Unfortunately, the answers to these

questions are quite disturbing and for many this new found knowledge has changed their diet

completely. Due to animal rights, the impact on the environment, and the health benefits, we are

morally obligated to go vegetarian.

The effect of factory farming and mass production of meat is extremely detrimental to the

environment. Henning Steinfeld, a senior official for the Food and Agriculture Organization of

the UN, states that, “Livestock is one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious

environmental problems.”(Rearing Cattle) The mass production of livestock requires the use of

large areas of land, an astounding amount of drugs such as antibiotics, and significant amounts of

freshwater. Together all of these issues are slowly killing our planet.

In 2013 the US meat and poultry industry produced 8.6 billion chickens, 33.2 million

cattle, 239.4 million turkeys, and 112 million pigs. All of these animals require land, but how

much land does it really take to raise and feed all these animals? According to the FAO,

“Twenty-six percent of the Planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing and 33 percent of

croplands are used for livestock feed production.” (Livestock and Landscapes) The use of this
land causes deforestation and produces extreme amounts of green house gasses which is

contributing significantly to global warming.

The discovery of antibiotics has drastically changed our world for the better. It has helped

with the treatment and containment of diseases and infections that would have otherwise wiped

out large amounts of the population. But to our surprise the majority of antibiotics aren’t used for

human health but rather for farm animals. Because many of these animals are packed into small

confined spaces, these animals are highly susceptible to disease and must be fed unbelievably

high amounts of drugs such as antibiotics to prevent disease from spreading throughout the

whole herd or flock. According to the FDA, eighty percent of all antibiotics in the US are fed to

livestock. We are then exposed to these antibiotics through the consumption of meat and animal

products creating antibiotic resistance in our bodies making it harder and harder to treat and cure

disease and infections.

Seventy percent of the earths surface is covered in water but only one percent of that

water is usable freshwater. The production of livestock requires seventy percent of our

freshwater and is returned back into the earths surface in a polluted state through the animal’s

excreta. In the article “Livestock’s Long Shadow” released by the Food and Agriculture

Organization they state that, “Livestock excreta contains a considerable amount of nutrients

(nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), drug residues, heavy metals and pathogens. If these get into

the water or accumulate in the soil they can pose serious threats to the

environment.” (Livestock’s Long Shadow) Not only is our freshwater being over used to produce

livestock, it is also being polluted by the animals’ toxic waste.

 The mass production of livestock is killing our planet. The over use of large areas of land

is causing deforestation and global warming. The astounding amount of drugs such as antibiotics

that are used just to keep these animals healthy are polluting our water and soil and causing

resistance in our bodies making it easier to get sick. Our fresh water is being depleted and

polluted more and more everyday. From an environmental stand point we are morally obligated

to go vegetarian or at least decrease our consumption of animal products if we are to conserve

the lands resources and save our planet.

From an animal rights standpoint we are morally obligated to go vegetarian. The

processes involved in factory farming are extremely cruel and unjust. Animals have a life of their

own and should not be treated as merely a product or good. Animals are packed into small

confined buildings and are forced to live their lives without ever seeing the sunlight. They are fed

growth hormones that cause them to grow far past their natural weight so that producers can sell

larger pieces of meat. Cows are over milked and chickens are fed hormones that cause them to

produce twice as many eggs than is natural.

Animals have a life of their own and should not be treated as merely a product or good.

Tom Regan says, “The other animals humans eat, use in science, hunt, trap, and exploit in a

variety of ways, have a life of their own that is of importance to them apart from their utility to

us. They are not only in the world, they are aware of it. What happens to them matters to

them.” (Regan) Animals feel pain and forced to live in pain. According to the ASPCA animals

suffer physical alterations such as teeth clipping or tail docking without anesthetic, sick and

suffering animals are neglected, and animals suffer rough and abusive handling by workers.
 Some may argue that animals don’t understand their surroundings, they can’t

communicate, or reason but none of that matters when it comes to how they should be treated.

Jeremy Bentham states, “The question is not, can they reason? nor can they talk? But, can they

suffer?” ( Bentham) There is such injustice in the world of factory farming therefore we are

morally obligated to be vegetarian.

Lastly there are many health reasons for humans to morally become vegetarian. Although

there are many nutrients in meat such as protein, B12, cholesterol, and zinc, the risks outweigh

the benefits. The World Health Organization classifies processed meats a group one carcinogen

the same group as tobacco, asbestos, and plutonium and red meats as a group 2 carcinogen.

Processed meats include hot dogs, bacon, ham, cold cuts, and deli slices. Red meats include beef

and pork. Studies have shown that just one serving of processed meat a day increases your risk of

colorectal cancer by eighteen percent. Over consumption of meat has also been shown to

increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

A vegetarian diet on the other had has many benefits. A study done by JAMA Internal

Medicine showed that vegetarian diets were associated with twelve percent lower risk of death

from all causes not just cancer. Vegetarians also have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

and reduced incidence of type two diabetes. Although a vegetarian diet may be more beneficial,

it requires a lot more effort. You must be aware of the amount of nutrients and vitamin you are

taking into your body so you can insure that they are adequate. Many vegetarians must take

supplements to obtain all the nutrients that are necessary to live a healthy life style.

There are many nutrients that may be in meats but the toxicity of the meat and the

diseases that are linked to consuming them outweighs the benefits. Morally, for our own personal
health and the health of our families we should be vegetarian or at lease decrease the amount of

meats that we purchase and consume.

Meat is something that has become part of our American culture but the consequences of

over consumption are astounding. The mass production of livestock is continually killing our

planet through deforestation and overuse of our freshwater sources. Animals are being abused

and treated as merely a product or good. Consumption of meat is contributing to cancer,

cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. In conclusion, whether it be due to animal rights, the

impact on the environment, or the health benefits, we are morally obligated to go vegetarian or at

least decrease our consumption of animal products.

 Works Cited

Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration. “Antimicrobials
Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals.”

www.FDA.gov, Sept. 2014,

www.fda.gov/downloads/ForIndustry/UserFees/AnimalDrugUserFeeActADUFA/
UCM231851.pdf

FAO. “Livestock and Landscapes.” Www.FAO.org, 2012,

www.fao.org/docrep/018/ar591e/ar591e.pdf

“Farm Animal Welfare.” ASPCA,

www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal-welfare

World Health Organization, World Health Organization,

www.who.int/

“Rearing Cattle Produces More Greenhouse Gases than Driving Cars, UN

Report Warns | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, 29 Nov. 2006,
news.un.org/en/story/2006/11/201222-rearing-cattle-produces-more-greenhouse-gases-
driving-cars-un-report-warns

“Livestock's Long Shadow.” Livestocks Long Shadow, FAO of the UN, 2006,
www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM.

Regan, Tom. “Animal Rights 101.” Remembering Tom Regan,

regan.animalsvoice.com/animal-rights-101/.

Bentham, Jeremy, and Laurence J. Lafleur.

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Hafner Pub. Co.,
1948.