I previously wrote about my core reasons for being a vegetarian, mostly to clarify my thinking about it and in doing so I pondered many topics I’m still not sure about. Vegetarianism and veganism are popular choices for ethical eaters, but the debate still has a large gray area. Here is my working list - perhaps I’ll write more about this as I come to a personal conclusion.

Ethical Partnerships between Humans and Animals

When we think of using animals for food, we tend to think of factory farms and the harm caused to animals in those settings. But what about small-scale farms where animals are given safe and happy lives? Is it ethical to use animal products like eggs or excess milk from these farms? Raising your own animals for food may ensure that the animals are treated well and give you control over the entire process although it takes time, resources, and knowledge to raise animals in a way that is both ethical and sustainable. But there still sits a fundamental question of implied consent - whether you can impute that an animal would want or agree to this relationship.

Borderline Animals

While the ethics of eating animals like cows and chickens are largely settled for ethical eaters, there are other animals that fall into a gray area. For example, evidence suggests that oysters don’t experience suffering, and farming them can even improve water quality with zero risk of incidental harm (from catching dolphins or other fish recklessly). Tie this with how nutrient and protein dense they are, and they look vegan-compatible (I myself choose to consume oysters and mussels with the belief this is consistent with my ethical eating). Some insects I think raise similar questions. Do they suffer? If not, should we consider them a viable food source? And if so, how do we ensure they are raised and harvested ethically?

Lab-Grown Meat

Lab-grown meat has been hailed as a potential solution to the ethical and environmental issues surrounding traditional meat production. But there are ethical considerations even in this area. I’d want to be sure that this solution wasn’t creating more environmental issues than it were solving, even if it were reducing animal suffering. There are also ethical questions around the taking of cells from animals without their knowledge or consent to create these meat products (for a human analogy on this moral failure see the case of Henrietta Lacks).

The Fate of Farmed Animals

While reducing the number of animals raised for food is an important step towards reducing animal suffering and limiting the effects of climate change, what happens to the billions of farmed animals alive today? Is it ethical to let them die out, or do we have a responsibility to care for them as long as they are alive?

Privilege and Vegetarianism

Some might suggest that vegetarianism and veganism are privileged choices that are not accessible to everyone. Can we work towards more sustainable and ethical food systems that are accessible to all?

Health Considerations

Food choices impact our health and some people may need to consume meat for medical reasons. This is the most obvious way to me that the ethical arguments for animal suffering and climate change conflict with an ethical argument for personal health.

Resource intensive plant-based alternatives

Alternative sources of protein are not all made equal. For example, soy production is a leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and almonds are renowned for how water intensive they are to grow. Although I think it is unlikely, if this deforestation or excess water usage leads to more animal suffering than farming animals directly than we have a clear ethical dilemma.

Culture and religion

Some cultures and religions have traditions and beliefs that involve the consumption of animal products but I haven’t easily found any modern culture or religion that explicitly requires meat consumption - perhaps the closest I’ve seen is the greek love of meat. While cultural perspectives can be important I wouldn’t expect to be convinced by an argument from tradition or belief but recognise this could be harder for others.

The impact of reducing meat consumption on some farmers

Reducing meat consumption may impact farmers who rely on animal agriculture for their livelihoods. Not all land can be used for crops so finding ways to support sustainable and ethical animal agriculture practices may be a more pragmatic path to address the negative impacts of meat consumption for these farmers. This is similar to the issue with divesting out of fossil fuel industries, where sometimes the livelihoods of entire towns are centred around coal or other fossil fuels.

Conclusion

Deep thinking about ethical consumption requires us to not be stuck in a false dichotomy of meat eater or vegan but instead consider a wide range of issues. I think ethics is hard but the topics above offer additional considerations to be taken into account when making ethical and sustainable food choices. It’s not just about whether or not to eat meat, but how we can create food systems that are sustainable, ethical, and accessible to all.