We can eat fish, but only if we are prepared to contribute to the collapse of marine ecosystems, with many species of fish on the brink of extinction, like Blue Fin Tuna, the killing and maiming of hundreds of thousands of dolphins accidentally caught in the nets and - as the Europeans, Americans and developing countries plunder the seas - the starvation of some of the hungriest people on earth is imminent.
Our seasonal excesses would be perfectly sustainable, if we weren't doing the same thing every other week of the year. But, because of the world's leaders disproportionate purchasing power, many of us can feast every day. By comparison to most of the animals we eat, turkeys are relatively efficient converters: they produce about three times as much meat per pound of grain as feedlot cattle. But there are still plenty of reasons to feel uncomfortable about eating them. Most are reared in darkness, in filth, so tightly packed that they can scarcely move. Their short lives are nothing but suffering until their painful death.
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When you see the inside of a turkey broiler house, or any animal corporate farming facility, you begin to entertain grave doubt about Western Civilization . Â Â Visit all-creatures.org for a reality check.
This is one of the reasons why many people have returned to eating red meat for special occasions. Beef cattle appear to be happier animals. But the minimal improvement in animal welfare is offset by the loss in human welfare. The world produces enough food for its people and its livestock, though (largely because they are so poor) some 800 million are malnourished. But as the population rises, structural global famine will be avoided only if the wealthier countries start to eat less meat. The number of farm animals on earth has risen fivefold since 1950: humans are now outnumbered three to one and as developing nations are becoming more affluent, while ignoring all environmental (or animal welfare) standards, "Westernizing" their lifestyle, eating and producing meat and dairy on a large scale, the number of livestock is expected to still grow considerably. Â
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The conclusion is that the only sustainable and socially just and ethical option  is for the inhabitants of the developed nations to become, like most of the earth's people, broadly vegan, eating meat (if you absolutely must) only on special occasions like the Holidays, from animals raised on small and local farms that have earned the  "Certified Humane" seal.
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Resource for this article: George Monbiot of the Guardian Times in UK., Shawn Dell Joyce, Peter Singer , the Natural  Resources Defense Council, Physicians  Committee for Responsible Medicine, David Brubaker of John Hopkins University, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, All Creatures.org and more"".
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