Many of us grow up believing that cows give us milk, chickens give us eggs, sheep give us wool, and meat gives us protein that we need to sustain life. But the biggest misconception is that they “give” us anything: Humans take them, often at the animals’ expense.
In animal agriculture (on factory farms and smaller farms with humane farming claims), humans control how animals live—and how they die. Through selective breeding, farm animals grow much larger and faster than their ancestors. Their bodies are taxed beyond their natural limits, and they’re killed at fractions of their lifespans—then replaced with younger animals to continue the cycle.
The United States slaughters nearly 10 billion land animals for food each year. Animal agriculture also harms workers, communities, public health, and the environment. And people do not “need” animals to survive—we can sustain our own lives without harming others.