Should people in privileged countries be vegetarian?

I've changed my mind a lot on this issue over the year. I'm trying to clarify my views on it. But I'm going to assume my moral vegetarian high ground for this debate.

I believe that there is no excuse to not being vegetarian. A few decades ago, I would understand. Back then, People knew where their food came from. If you didn't raise your own food, You could get your meat from a local butcher and the milkman would deliver milk from the local dairy. Animals were never given growth hormones and antibiotics, And therefore the meat was much healthier.

We've eaten meat for millions of years, We've evolved to it. But I believe that with the increased number of vegetarians and vegans in the world, Our unique sense of morality has evolved further from just our own kind, To include animals.

Nowadays, We buy en masse from supermarkets without much thought - animals are raised in tiny, Crowded cages in unhygienic conditions, Without ever seeing the light of day. As if they weren't stressed enough, On the journey to the slaughterhouse, They will recieve no food or water on a ten-hour ride; trucks can range from -15 degrees to +30 degrees celcius depending on the season. In the cold, Sometimes cows will freeze to the side of the truck until they are pried off with crowbars.
I could go on, But I think you get the idea.

Even the label of 'free-range farming' is clutching at straws; one of the requirements is that animals must be able to have access to outside light. Therefore, Farmers will cut small holes in the factories. Yeah, /that/ is classed as their access to the outside world.

Eating meat is also bad for the environment; deforestation and loss of habitat is largely caused by the crop fields required to feed farm animals; whereas crops required to feed only humans is a much smaller amount.

I would support a fully free-ranged (or should I say organic, To be safe) diet, But with most of our food being bought as ready meals, And processed, It is becoming more difficult to distinguish labelling of good sources of meat.

Other than that, There is simply no excuse to eating meat nowadays. Compared to what animals have to go through, When your main argument 'but its yummy' that really makes you sound pretttty ignorant.

Yes I can see where at some spots (especially these days) you can't really tell what actual meat tastes like because of the hormones and preservatives in it. But if our saying it should be mandatory, Then no I am opposing. If it is mandatory in a privileged country, Then no. Citizens should have the right to choose what path to take on their life. And what would most likely happen if everyone were vegetarian in certain countries is that the producers of vegetables would start focusing on vegetables and put preservatives in them. But do not get me wrong, Being vegan is not a bad lifestyle.

I'm not saying that everyone should be forced to be vegan, I'm saying it would be morally right if everyone made that decision. In terms of preservatives, I see your point, Vegetables can be made less healthy in many ways just as meat can. The only thing I would say is that hormones and antibiotics affect both you and the animal, Whereas putting preservatives in plants affects just you.

Ah ok, Well I agree with the fact that the amount preservatives in meat are so heavy you can't tell what is really in them. I don't see a problem with people eating vegetables for the rest of their lives, It's their choice. If God did not want this lifestyle to exist, He wouldn't have put it here. And even though I know animal meat can be dangerous, I don't see myself turning to a vegetarian-or at least not now. Which I can see you are more worried about the animal inflicting pain, I think? I understand that the animals will go through some painful processes, But I put my life first. As with vegetables, You can't really tell if there is a type of disease or harmful bacteria in the crop. Every year there are at least three major disease outbreaks found in crops, Which leads to casualties and harm. I wouldn't want to eat straight vegetables unaware if there are any diseases in them that have not been announced. But it can go the same way with meat.