Violence

1068: 

The Animal Industries not only exploit animals but those people who become dependent on their products which are chemically addictive and economically attractive. Animal-based products are very available and promoted constantly in the many forms in which they are used – we know them by the product name and are largely ignorant of their animal content and unaware our animal-based foods have violent origins.

The conditions in which animals are raised and killed go largely unnoticed by almost all people on the planet. Since they never get to see what goes on behind the closed doors of factory farms and abattoirs, they don’t give any of it a second thought.

Consumers might value the money they spend on food products, so they might want to know the quality of the product - its cost, its freshness and its nutritional value. However, its ethical provenance is hardly ever considered, unless ensuring eggs are free-range or milk comes from organically fed cows. The animals themselves and their status as irreplaceable, sovereign beings are of little concern.

While humans continue to live off the backs of these animals, our only concern might be over their carbon footprint or the impact of animal farming on the environment. It’s likely that meat and dairy don’t even appear on most people’s ethical radar.