Vegans Kill More Animals Than Meat Eaters Through Crop Deaths – Is That True?

Do vegans really kill more animals than meat eaters? If you're looking for a clear answer to this question, you've come to the right place! I've actually heard this saying more often since I've gone vegan. The background to this statement is that animals also die when plant-based foods are harvested. But does this really mean that more animals die for plant-based meals than for meat and other animal products?

In this article, I have examined the "vegans kill more animals" argument in more detail. You will find out whether and how many animals die when harvesting plants and where the really relevant difference lies. Let's go!

Are animals really killed when plants are harvested?

The application of toxic pesticides on fields kills insects - and animals can be injured or killed by agricultural machinery when harvesting in the field or mowing meadows. Deer, foxes, hares, partridges, field mice or frogs for example.

NABU estimates that in this way around 500,000 wild animals annually come to harm.¹

But fortunately there are Great potential and effective measuresto protect fawns and other wild animals hiding in tall grass, grain or corn. Here is a brief introduction to some of them:

• Mowing from the inside outso that animals can escape much better.
• Leave fallow land that is not used for agricultural purposesso that wild animals can also find food and shelter there.
• Plowing immediately after the grain harvestso that no stubble field remains where hamsters, larks and partridges feel at home.
• Using infrared detectors and dronesto identify and rescue animals via their radiating heat.
• Make loud noises on the days before harvestingfor example by rustling bin liners, tin cans or fluttering tape at the edge of the field.
• Allowing hunters to walk through the field with dogsbefore the harvest season begins.

With these and many other measures, unintentional animal suffering during harvesting can be effectively minimized in the future. Ultimately, everyone benefits when farmers make this effort. The animals, the environment and, of course, themselves, as the harvest yield would otherwise also be below the species extinction suffers.

3 reasons why "vegans kill more animals" is a hypocritical argument

So many wild animals are injured or killed for plant-based food. But we have to eat something. However, the figures mentioned are undoubtedly a worrying fact. Fortunately, however, there are many solutions that can significantly reduce animal suffering in the future.

We note: Up to this point, at least the argument "Vegans ALSO kill animals" make perfect sense.

Now I would like to show you briefly and concisely why the discussion is actually just a weak and somehow also brazen excuse is to simply continue eating meat.

Because meat eaters kill far more animals than vegans

Here in Germany alone, slaughterhouses according to the Federal Statistical Office 56.2 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses every year as well as 668.7 million chickens, turkeys and ducks slaughtered.

The 500,000 or so wild animals that are unfortunately injured or killed during harvesting are therefore already brutal, real, precise figures from the Factory farming opposite. But that's not all!

Because on the one hand meat eaters also eat plant-based foods (usually as a side dish with meat), so they also contribute to the animals injured in the harvesting process.

And secondly plant-based animal feed must also be cultivated and harvested. More than 83 percent of all Agricultural land are used either for grazing or for growing grain and soy, i.e. feed for livestock all over the world.²

To create the space for this, the company is also rapidly Rainforest cut down. Exactly how many animals are ultimately injured or die for the cultivation of animal feed and the production of grazing land can only be guessed at. However, this figure alone is likely to exceed 500,000 many times over.

All in all, we can clearly state that meat-eating people - and vegetarians too, by the way, clearly kill (or have killed) more animalsas a vegan.

Tip: Why also for vegetarian foods such as milk or Eggs Animals must dieI will be happy to explain in the article "Is vegetarian enough?".

Because vegans kill animals unintentionally, but meat eaters deliberately

Vegans also kill animals - the clear difference is that they do it unintentionally. We humans have to eat something - and unfortunately we don't have complete control over how wild animals behave in fields and during harvesting. Nevertheless, there are ways, means and efforts to reduce animal suffering to a minimum.

Meat eaters, on the other hand, knowingly kill animals. After all, it is Basic requirement that an animal must dieto have meat on their plate. Even if they don't kill the animal with their own hands, "meat fans" pay (via the product price) for someone else to do it for them. That is the bitter reality.

Because this is not about perfection

The argument that "vegans ALSO kill animals" suggests that you are not perfect just because you are vegan. But it's not about perfection, it's about this, Gradually reducing animal suffering. The Veganism is a matter of the heart that tries to avoid the exploitation and suffering of animals - as far as practicable.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely prevent animal suffering during harvesting. But that of course does not justifythat money continues to be spent directly on animal suffering.

Each of us - whether meat eater, vegetarian or vegan - would probably claim that he/she is against Cruelty to animals and abhors animal suffering. However, only a few actually act in accordance with their moral stance. Loving animals and eating meat at the same timereally doesn't fit together.

So instead of looking for the "fault" with vegans, one should rather Face reality and adjust one's behavior to live in accordance with one's values when one experiences this unpleasant inner conflict (cognitive dissonance).

Tip: Why I personally live veganI explain in detail in the linked blog post. If you're interested, take a look there too!

Better vegan than intentionally killing animals

In the end, I can't accept the "vegans kill more animals" argument with the erroneous Prejudices against vegans as the statement does not even begin to correspond to the truth. Rather, it confirms that your counterpart has never dealt with the vegan philosophy or the purely plant-based diet before.

Personally, I'm also bothered by the comparison itself. Everyone should listen to their heart and do what feels right instead of finding fault with others.

If you too an animal's life is more important than your tastein the following article vegan life will be happy to provide you with everything you need to know to get off to a good start.

"I am life that wants to live, in the midst of life that wants to live."

Albert Schweitzer (more at Vegan quotes)

I hope that I have been able to shed some light on the darkness and hope that we will all become more open to change and new things. And that we treat animals for what they are: sentient beings, like you and me.

Do you have any questions or suggestions about the "vegans kill more animals" argument? Then please write a comment below this article.

Stay animal-friendly,

PS: I would guess that none of us agree with the practices of industrial animal agriculture. How we can all collectively Stop factory farming you can find out next in the linked blog post.

References

1. B. Jungwirth: Ernte als Gefahr für Wildtiere (as of: 05.10.2014), available at https://www.schwaebische.de/regional/biberach/riedlingen/ernte-als-gefahr-fuer-wildtiere-752729. [25.01.2024]. ↩︎
2. J. Poore, T. Nemecek (2018): Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers, available at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216. [25.01.2024]. ↩︎