Is there any real reason to be a vegetarian?

You are clutching at straws now. What is the point on spending money on animals, which are a food produce and then not use them for food? If we were not producing the animals for food then they would be a waste of space which we could be using for arable land.

Same could be said of the disabled. I'm not clutching at straws.

Your point of view centres on the belief that the the needs of animals are entirely unimportant compared to those of humans.

Here is a video if you are interested. I warn you it is graphic though [video]http://www.meatvideo.com/[/video]

The o.

You do realise that this is an american video, talking about american methods. The UK has the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Nothing like what you see in America. Almost all their practices used are illegal in Britain.

You do realise that this is an american video, talking about american methods. The UK has the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Nothing like what you see in America. Almost all their practices used are illegal in Britain.

Also, pretty much just as many animals are killed to feed vegetarians as are killed to feed meat eaters, in fact the former are killed in far more inhumane ways...

All those poor voles, birds, and mice etc... which are churned up and left either dead or ripped apart in agony as the machines till and cultivate the land.

There's no way of avoiding the deaths caused by farming vegetables, and in fact eating meat incurs more of those sort of deaths than vegetarianism. It takes more farmland to produce food to feed the animal that you then eat, than it does if you eat the vegetables directly.

More land? i'm not so sure... growing plants en masse requires a lot of land too!

More of those sort of deaths from eating meat? umm how? you don't require big land crushing/blade spinning machines for say cattle..

Britain may have better animal welfare standards, but the standards are pretty vague https://www.gov.uk/farm-animal-welfare-at-slaughter. This results in the animal being able to be electrified or it's head slammed against the floor because it is a quick method of killing the animal whilst complying with the vague regulations.

The animal welfare standards are nothing to be proud off, they are not protecting the animals to the best degree they could.

There will always be improvements that can be made. I can't say the system is perfect. But the regulations are not vague.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents

http://www.fawc.org.uk/freedoms.htm

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2078/contents/made

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/contents/made

Are these "vague" regulations to you?

Just because you read a simple overview does not mean there is no legal documentation in regards to this area of practice.

Yes they are, just because you list a variety of sites do not mean the information is ample. They all have the same regulations. The regulations fundamentally are not to torture to the animal. But, any killing method may be used ?

Did you not read it?

These are the regulations as set out by the government which clearly of concisely explain all aspects of animal welfare and the slaughtering process.

The methods of killing are clearly set out as follows;

Free Bullet

Electrocution

For Birds only, decapitation or dislocation of the neck.

Exposure of pigs and birds to gas mixtures as set out in accordance with schedule 7.

A 'real' reason to be vegetarian is that we just don't need meat to survive anymore...it came about as an evolutionary advantage and it's no longer relevant for us privileged people with our Quorn and our tofu/other proteins. And wow you can eat fish and not land animals if you want?? when i became pescatarian i was 13, i had to eat fish or that was it, my mum wouldn't cook for me or buy me other things. I might contribute to the dairy industry which sucks, but again i'm living at home under my parents rule. The eggs I eat are fresh from my own chickens. So OP in your own words 'gtfo'

That is similar to America, and still painful to the animal; and taking the animals life. I really do not understand what point you are trying to make.

For me personally, I am a vegetarian for moral reasons but I see being vegetarian as a half way house to being vegan (which I intend to be - do you know how much stuff has eggs/milk in it!!!!!)
At the moment I don't eat meat and I don't eat eggs or drink milk outright (rice milk for the win!) but it is difficult to avoid it in products so I can't class myself as vegan yet
Tldr; being vegetarian is a step towards being vegan for me personally

There are many advantages to eating meat (amino acids, vitamins, and quality of protein) that you do not get with quorn, it is also more expensive gram for gram, and it contains eggs.
Also, I said I dislike when people call them selves vegetarians but still eat fish, because it goes against the whole point of being vegetarian. You call yourself pescatarian or whatever so I don't have a problem with that.