throwaway_gfsd

Again, "concentration camp" is not a suitable term for the kind of animal raising I'm talking about. Look up what concentration camps are. Then look up a picture of some healthy cows on a sunny grassy field. Not nearly the same. The vast majority of farmed animals are not mistreated. [But in saying that, I have probably drifted a little from the theme of the article, which is more about factory farming, which I'm not totally on board with]

Mistreated animals don't thrive. They don't make a good product.

We treat our animals better than some vegans treat other people, despite the fact that we eat them at the end.

Don't over think things.

Be kind and gentle. Don't be their best friend -- do be their best teacher.

If they discover you weren't right, then apologise to them just as you would in any other situation where you are wrong. What they learn off you is how to be a human, not how to be right 100% of the time.

[At the start, they only need cuddles, feeds and cleaning anyway so you have time to learn as you go]

Father of 3 preschoolers speaking. I'm sure there's more to come.

edit: to keep it clear about where my stance comes from: we don't factory farm. The beef I'm talking about is grass reared outside in open paddocks, with additional hay during winter, salt lick, "drenched" for worms, and eaten at approximately 2 years old. They come up to "say hi" if you stand at the fence and wait quietly. They are not really exposed to dogs for rounding up.

This certainly makes me think about things. Many animals in the wild fall victim to predators (a terrible and painful death), and many die prematurely of illness and famine.

The meat I eat doesn't have those problems.

We do indeed slaughter it "as soon as it is ready" rather than at end of natural life though, it's certainly something for me to think more about.

Our teeth certainly support it. There's a difference between eating exclusively meat, and eating some meat.

my opinion is that we wouldn't even be here without developing animal husbandry.

In general, mistreated animals do NOT make good food products. Eg, they taste bad, and are tough, and have low yields.

I don't think the worlds problems would be solved by us not being opportunistic feeders. If you do, then you are clearly deluded.

  > the only reason for eating meat is taste

I'd rather eat meat than most of the product that passes for protein in many restricted diets. Not just because of the taste.

  > a life of absolute misery.

No. Not all. Some yes, and mistreatment of animals is definitely a problem, but I can't agree with the conclusion that because some animals are mistreated, we shouldn't eat any.

I do know that the majority of the meat (beef) I eat is extremely well treated for its entire life. Yes, they are bred and grown for a purpose. Yes, it lives in a paddock and yes, we eat it. But "enslaved" and "misery" are not words which are applicable.

FWIW, I'm not from the USA, and have grown up around farms and farm animals.

(When I say "majority" above, I mean that we also buy some meat from supermarkets and I can't be totally certain of how it has been treated, but in my opinion, the vast majority of farmers treat their animals very well here.)