Do Vegans Harm the Most Animals?

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"Vegans kill more animals than non-vegans." Sounds like something you might hear at a family dinner or on an ill-informed podcast. You’ve probably heard it from anti-vegan folks like Joe Rogan, Taylor Sheridan, Piers Morgan, Jeremy Clarkson, Jordan Peterson, Ted Nugent, Elon Musk, Cameron Hanes, the list goes on and on. They argue that growing crops for plant-based foods, like soy, corn, or wheat, kills more animals, like insects, rodents, and birds. And on top of that, they claim vegans are too naive to realize animals are killed by crop farming.

Really, though? Is that actually the case?

The main source of direct animal deaths in our food system is animal agriculture. This is where billions of animals, intentionally, are bred, raised, and slaughtered every year for meat, eggs, and dairy. And yes, it’s a huge number. It’s estimated that over 70 billion animals are killed globally each year for food. That’s billions of chickens, cows, pigs, and more, all bred and raised with a single purpose, to end up on someone’s plate.

And that's not even counting the impact of industrial fishing. Trawlers, with their massive nets, can capture hundreds of thousands of fish in one haul. But the toll doesn’t stop there. These giant nets also trap bycatch; animals like turtles, whales, dolphins, manta rays, and sharks that weren’t intended for capture, but suffer the same fate. This bycatch often includes endangered species and wreaks havoc on marine ecosystems, contributing to the decline of marine biodiversity.

Not only that, but the agricultural industry, particularly livestock farming, is one of the leading causes of habitat loss around the world. Forests and grasslands are cleared to make way for grazing land or to grow animal feed, displacing wildlife and reducing biodiversity. This loss of habitat is devastating for countless species and is another major consequence of our food system.

Crop farming does cause some harm to animals, specifically, incidental deaths. But here’s the key part: these deaths are incidental. They happen because we’re growing food to feed humans, not to deliberately kill animals for food or profit. So, while the harm is unfortunate, it’s not even in the same ballpark as the systematic, intentional killing that occurs in the meat and dairy industries, where animals are often trapped in horrendous conditions that amount to torture. Plus, the majority of crops grown around the world are actually used to feed the animals that are raised for slaughter. Vegans aren’t supporting industries that breed and slaughter animals specifically for food, and that makes a huge difference.

Vegans are reducing harm on a massive scale. By cutting out animal products, vegans directly reduce the demand for animal agriculture. That means fewer animals bred, raised, and slaughtered for meat and dairy, and fewer crops grown to feed the 70 billion animals raised per year for food, meaning fewer animals are killed in crop harvesting. And what about the environmental impact? Well, it’s not just about the animals. The entire system of plant-based food production has a much smaller carbon footprint than meat production. It uses less water, less land, and produces fewer greenhouse gases.

We should absolutely care about minimizing harm in crop farming too. There are better farming practices like organic farming, regenerative agriculture techniques, and even wildlife corridors that can protect animals’ habitats. But the key difference is that veganism is part of a broader movement to reduce harm and promote sustainable food systems. It’s about moving away from systems that breed and kill animals for profit.

Does being vegan cause more animal deaths than eating meat? Absolutely not. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. By choosing plant-based foods, we’re reducing the demand for factory farming, lowering our environmental impact, and helping to end the systemic killing of animals for food.