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Madison Eisner

Composition II (05)

Gregory Graham

February 19, 2023

Eating Meat Is Immoral

Billions of people worldwide consume meat. Nevertheless, very few people take the time

to understand the process that goes into modern meat production - the institution that provides

us with meat. In order to sustain this dietary choice, thousands of animals are slaughtered

everyday. However, the execution of these animals is proven to be unnecessary and unethical.

For instance, modern meat production exploits animal abuse. This cruelty imposes an

abundance of ethical dilemmas in both a moral and economic sense. Moreover, the systematic

mistreatment of animals is futile as people can retain protein, vitamins, and minerals from plant

based foods. Consequently, eating meat is immoral, and redundant.

Modern meat production foists animal abuse. Animal abuse is defined as a deliberate

infliction of psychological pain, deprivation, distress, or death of an animal by a human being.

Such abuse transpires when people are unable to meet an animals’ basic needs. As a result of

this abuse, animals on factory farms endure constant fear and torment. The animals are kicked,

thrown at, stunned, neglected physically, and killed maliciously. Withal, factory farms perceive

animals as machines from the day they are born. It is standard for baby animals to be confined

to cages with little to no room for movement; they are unable to lie down, spread their wings, or

stretch their muscles. Animals remain in this confinement throughout the course of their lives.

They are suppressed from sunlight, fresh air, companions, and are often exposed to extreme

temperature conditions. Additionally, animals are withheld from a proper diet. This ensures that

the animals can produce the most amount of fat in the least amount of time. Animals who are
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considered weak, or sick, are “either suffocated or crushed with clubs'' (Animal Equality). These

animals’ short lives close in a trash bin, without veterinary care. Factory farms refuse to pay for

veterinarians as it is more convenient for them to have the animals die. For instance, consider

the lifespan of chickens in factory farms. Baby chickens deemed weak are killed, and the rest,

like products of an assembly line, are stored in boxes, and sent to fattening farms. At the farms,

the chickens “are fed with a long tube inserted down the esophagus to bring the food directly to

the stomach and liver to ensure that it fattens [them] quickly and unnaturally” (Animal Equality).

The chickens remain at the farm for 42 days. During this time, the extreme conditions “stress

them to the point that they peck each other in frustration, lose their feathers, [and have] the

ends of their sensitive beaks cut off” (Animal Equality) to avoid greater complications. The

chickens are then transported to the slaughterhouse. For most chickens within the modern meat

production industry, their trip to the slaughterhouse is the only time in their life where they have

felt the warmth of the sunlight, and breathed fresh air. The chickens then witness one another

die until it is their turn to be killed. No animal deserves to withstand such a cruel environment,

lifespan, or death. We must show solidarity to living creatures, and respect animals.

Modern meat production imposes a plethora of ethical dilemmas in both a moral and

economic sense. In addition to the abuse inflicted on animals within factory farms, modern meat

production contributes to an assortment of ethical problems within our society. For starters,

there is a vast environmental impact. Factory farms contribute to biodiversity loss, acid rain, land

and water degradation, coral reef degeneration, and deforestation. However, the environmental

impact is heightened with regards to climate change. Modern meat production contributes “18%

of human produced greenhouse gas emissions worldwide” (Pickles). This is more than all

emissions from planes, ships, trucks, cars, and all other transportation combined. As global

warming continues, weather conditions such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts progress. This

climate change imposes a great risk to humans, and the economy. Additionally, meat production

is highly inefficient. This is especially true when investigating the production cycle of red meat.
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In order “to produce one kilogram of beef, [it] requires 25 kilograms of grain to feed the animal,

and roughly 15,000 liters of water” (Pickles) to hydrate the animal. The spectrum of the problem

can also be observed through land use. Around “30% of the earth’s land surface is currently

used for livestock farming” (Pickles). Considering the fact that natural resources are scarce in

many parts of the world, these ratios are highly inefficient; the masses of land, grain, and water

do not account for the amount of meat being produced - especially considering the abuse the

animal endures. Subsequently, the mass of grain that is fed to livestock increases the global

demand for the product, and results in grain being more expensive. This makes it more difficult

for the global poor to feed and provide for themselves. If we were to use the abundance of grain

and water that is currently allocated to livestock to feed people, and to irrigate crops, “we could

feed an extra 3.5 billion people” (Pickles). This accentuates the inefficiency and inequity on

account of modern meat production. Furthermore, the consumption of meat is making people ill.

At the production level, factory farms heavily depend on antibiotic use to control infection within

animals, and to accelerate their weight gain. In fact, in the US, “80% of all antibiotics are

consumed by the livestock industry” (Pickles). This contributes to the public health problem of

antibiotic resistance. In actuality, “more than 23,000 people are estimated to die every year in

the US alone from resistant bacteria” (Pickles). It becomes difficult to overstate the threat of this

emerging crisis as this figure continues to rise.

The consumption of meat is unnecessary and unhealthy. Red and processed meats are

high in saturated fat. Ingesting “saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, raise [the]

risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and various cancers” (Mayo Clinic). People can

acquire protein, vitamins, and minerals from plant based sources instead. A plant based diet

consists of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, lentils, peas, and nuts. It is rich in fiber, vitamins,

and other essential nutrients. According to the Mayo Clinic, people who follow a plant based diet

have a lower risk of heart disease than those who eat meat. By switching to plant based diets,

we could “save up to 8 million lives a year worldwide by 2050” (Pickles).

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The consumption of meat is immoral and unnecessary. Modern meat production exploits

animal cruelty. This abuse foists a multitude of ethical dilemmas in both a moral and economic

sense. Furthermore, factory farms' standard of mistreating animals is futile since people can

acquire protein, vitamins, and minerals from plant based foods. According to the United Nations,

“the number of industrial livestock sent to slaughter each year is equivalent to eight times the

human population” (Animal Equality). At no other time in history have so many animals suffered,

and died for people's gratuitous consumption. We must show compassion to living creatures,

and respect animals.

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Works Cited
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Animal Equality. “Why Factory Farming Is the Largest Cause of Animal Abuse in History.”

Animal Equality, 21 Sept. 2022,

animalequality.org/news/why-factory-farming-is-the-largest-cause-of-animal-abuse-in-histo

ry/.

Mayo Clinic. “Meatless Meals: The Benefits Of Eating Less Meats.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo

Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Dec. 2022,

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/meatless-meals/

art-20048193.

Pickles, Matt. “The Ethical Arguments against Eating Meat.” University of Oxford,

www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-blog/ethical-arguments-against-eating-meat.