I have to ask this Vegan question?

I'll just beg your pardon for Beebs. Her response to your very good question was entirely unjustified. Just so you know, she isn't vegan.

I understand your curiosity though. It is something I wrestle with a lot with regards to factory farming. Our government allows a free-for-all killing of even protected wolves should they venture too close to said farm. My dad, who loves wolves, won't give up his beef in light of that revelation. I don't get it.

I am vegan. By and large, all we can do is our best. I look forward to a day when we go back to a simple life. When mass machines aren't used and my bread comes from grain grown within my own county rather than 40 states away.

I do my best to buy locally. I support small farmers. These small things are very important to me.

Vegans are not eating or using the animals or animal products. That is the defintion of vegan. It isn't directly related to the process, because everyone is only in very small control of anything that is going on in the world.

There is always something that will happen in the world that is beyond the control, so people do their best to follow their choices. If you really followed such a strict requirement you couldn't live because you are constantly killing something (micro-organisms, etc...). You might step on an ant just walking or hit a dog with your car, etc...

People have to live in the real world, unless they want to live in a hut in the jungle or on a mountain top or some such thing. That's not very practical for earning a living.

This is a concern, however I think it is blown way out of proportion. The idea that millions of small animals cannot get out of the way of a big, slow, noisy machine is something I find very odd. I'm sure some animals get killed, maybe they are sick and not able to move, or a nest gets plowed over. That's believable. The main thing you must understand is that in this day and age humans will cause death and destruction just by existing. The house you live in, and the car you drive all have killed or will kill something. I like to put it like this: As Vegan's we must do the best we can to not harm animal live wile still living in the real world.

Hi,

I agree there will be killing involve in the harvesting of plants as well. But this is how our world is like, as vegans, the best we can do is to avoid and minimise these sufferings. One way is to buy pesticide free crops.

Another point you might wanto to note is that many of the harvested crops e.g. grains are fed to factory farm animals to provide meat, animal products etc. So if we eat meat etc., we will also be involved in the killing of the small animals and insects killed in the crop harvesting. And animals eat a lot, the same amount of crop can feed more people than when it's fed to an animal to provide meat for the people.

Most True Vegans will not eat food that comes from a farm that uses pesticides... and not other animals would need to be killed to "protect" the crops... Vegans also DO NOT eat wear or use ANY product that comes from ANY part of an animal... or that harms animals in the making of said item. So milk eggs and chesse are out....

The number of animals killed by harvesting crops would be no where near the 26 billion land and sea animals killed each year for meat and dairy.

Everyone harms some form of life everyday. You cannot help stepping on an unseen insect. Vegans, Buddhists, and others who are opposed to harming animals are no different. They don't intentionally harm any animal life, but unintentional harm of some kind is inevitable.

I know what you mean, you grow some of your own food (beans, squash, vegetables, fruit) and buy stuff not grown in mass commercial farms

Vegans and vegetarians do the best we can. We have to eat to survive. Many of us choose organic veggies and fruit as well.

Where are you getting this absurd information from. I know of no animals harmed in the production of fruits and vegetables. I grow all of my own food, and can assure you that no animals are ever harmed. Do you realize that if crops where planted where there are now animal farms, enough food could be produced to end WORLD hunger. Also, so much of the land has been polluted by animal runoff and waste, that it is no longer plantable. I am not sure what you are referring to, could you add details?