This is a question about vegetarianism. Suppose everybody stops eating meat and we all eat veggies. Then what? What will we do with the cows? We don't need that much milk, and none of us would eat that meat. Plus, what about vegetarians who consider milking cruel? And what would we do with chickens and their eggs? And all the commercially bred fish and other such animals? It would cost billions just to make farms into partial animal care facilities, and really stupid. In the end, to avoid expensive upkeep, pollution, waste of resources, and bad treatment of animals, we would need to put down hundreds of millions of cows, chickens, and various livestock. This would defeat one of the goals of vegetarianism, to stop the killing of animals. It could also be seen as cruel, though extremely and paradoxically neccessary, to euthanize all the animals. Plus, the chemicals neccessary for euthanasia would cost billions in total, meaning there's the risk of some farmers resorting to crude and violent means of 'putting down' their livestock. Again, defeating one of the purposes.

Also, although it's a noble cause, vegetarianism has no impact on the meat industry. Somebody else will buy that steak that a vegan or vegetarian ignored. The animals they do not eat will be eaten by somebody else anyways. Meat is a common source of protein and nutrition and whatnot, and people like its taste. People need money, raising cattle to become New York twin steaks is a way to get that money. Processing and marketing and distributing that meat are more ways to make money. Meat has an economic role that most people are fine with. I hold no objection to vegetarians or animal lovers (I love animals myself, particularly kitties), but they're more powerful in animal cruelty laws than putting a wrench into the works of meat producers. There is no actual vegetarian impact on the meat market. People like the taste of cow, pig, chicken, turkey, fish, lobster, crab, and other animals, and they buy lots of it. Not to mention, the (all too true in some cases) stereotype of the preachy-pushy vegetarian/vegan overshadows their efforts. I'm fine with vegetarians so long as vegan shock troopers don't crash through my living room window or they aren't pushing it on me. Really, it's all very ironic... What's even more ironic is I'm going to have steak for dinner tonight. Oh my, what savage disregard for the life of livestock bred to die.