Question

To Rabbi Michael Abraham,
 
Most people in the world, Jews and non-Jews, eat meat if they have the option. There are also people who would have nothing to live on if they did not eat meat—for example, those who live in the far north of Russia and Alaska, or the Lapps in Lapland. There are also people on the islands of the Pacific Ocean whose diet is based on fish and seafood. In those places there are either no edible plants at all, or only very few. You can only suggest that they move somewhere else where they can live.
 
One place where there are many vegetarians is among the Hindus in India, a large number of whom do not eat meat, but the accepted diet there is based on milk and dairy products. The cow there is, as is well known, sacred. Vegetarianism as you propose it is not accepted in the world; it is an exception in the practical world in which you and I live. The change you propose is a major revolution that, as far as I know, has never been tried in history. It may be possible, but in practice it will be realized only on a tiny scale.
 
And what will happen if many people accept your advice and become vegetarians? As is known, cows, sheep, chickens, and all the rest were created by human beings, and people provide most of their food. If fodder is not given to a cow, it will die of hunger, and in my opinion death by starvation is harder than slaughter—and that is aside from the fact that slaughter itself is not humane at all.
 
Best regards,