‘Humane Meat’ Is a Cruel Joke

Posted by Erin on June 23, 2023

All of us have had this conversation at one time or another (and if you haven’t yet, you will eventually). You’re chatting with a friend, a classmate, a family member, or even a stranger about the suffering that animals endure on factory farms, and the person fires back with “But I only eat humane meat!” 😑

Many students have contacted us to ask whether they should support the consumption of so-called “humane” meat. It’s an important question, because this is a serious issue—particularly for the billions of animals who are killed for food every year.

Society is at a turning point. Everyone from Lizzo to Ariana Grande to Jennifer Coolidge is talking about how going vegan makes them glow. Grocery stores are packed with tasty vegan foods, from faux meats such as vegan chicken and “ribs” to dairy-free products such as oat milk ice cream and vegan cheese! It’s no longer a chore to ask for a vegan meal in restaurants, including steakhouses, and there are now vegan options at schools across the country. Some universities even have all-vegan cafeterias.

It’s clearly time to be kind to animals by not paying for them to be slaughtered—something that’s done to all animals used for their flesh, including those raised on so-called “humane” farms.

© Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals

Labeling meat as “humane” misleads consumers into thinking that buying an individual’s flesh is somehow OK. The best way to help stop the suffering of animals used for food is to refuse to eat them. We’re at a pivotal moment in the push for animal rights. More than ever, compassionate people must now advocate for a world in which animals’ lives aren’t stolen from them for a meal.

Almost every “humane” factory farm PETA has investigated has engaged in many of the same cruel industry practices as other factory farms, such as cutting baby animals’ tails off, making painful notches in their ears, cutting off their horns or beaks, castrating them without anesthetics, denying them companionship or keeping them in crowded conditions, denying them access to sunlight and fresh air, taking their beloved babies away, confining them to filthy feedlots, and forcing them to endure the horrors of transportation to a slaughterhouse where animals are murdered right in front of them before they’re killed, too.

There is no such thing as “humane meat.” Giving animals a few more inches of living space is simply not enough. They deserve to be respected, not exploited. Momentum is on our side, but it will take every one of us to bring this change about by being active advocates for animal rights.