Where do the cows go?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:15pm #1

I'm just wondering, if everyone becomes vegan, where do the cows go? What do we do with them? I'm not trying to be antagonistic, I'd be interested in becoming a vegan but I've just never figured out what happens to cattle if they're no longer needed for food?

BDI · 18-10-2019 5:17pm

We would give them a small country to rule as they see fit. Somewhere with lots of grass.

Captain Flaps · 18-10-2019 5:18pm

There'll be a whole lot less of them around, some people will keep them for pleasure but they'll stop being such a common sight to be sure.

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:23pm

Will they become endangered?

Captain Flaps · 18-10-2019 5:24pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

Will they become endangered?

We don't eat donkeys, are they endangered?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:26pm

Captain Flaps wrote: »

We don't eat donkeys, are they endangered?

Donkeys are regularly eaten!

seamus · 18-10-2019 5:29pm

Cows are a domesticated version of a family of animals, many of whom live wild. We don't really know the full history, but what we know as a modern cow has probably been in existence as long as the domestic dog.

That is, it didn't arise normally through evolution but through human-led selective breeding. As such, the decline of this species is of little concern since very little co-evolution will have taken place with it.

The domestic cow as a species would likely continue to be kept by some people around the place, but as a whole you wouldn't see many of them living wild.

Effects · 18-10-2019 5:31pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

I'd be interested in becoming a vegan but I've just never figured out what happens to cattle if they're no longer needed for food?

Most vegans keep unwanted cattle as pets, until they die of natural causes.
All cows are artificially inseminated so they can't survive in the wild anyway.

Eathrin · 18-10-2019 5:33pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

Will they become endangered?

Huge amounts of animals become endangered or go extinct every year, in no small part due to animal agriculture. On the whole, the world going vegan would see huge amounts of land returned to nature and animals would flourish in such an environment.

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:34pm

If cattle had a vote, would they vote to have their numbers diminished hugely or stick with the status quo?

emaherx · 18-10-2019 5:34pm

Effects wrote: »

Most vegans keep unwanted cattle as pets, until they die of natural causes.
All cows are artificially inseminated so they can't survive in the wild anyway.

Do you actually believe that?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:35pm

Eathrin wrote: »

Huge amounts of animals become endangered or go extinct every year, in no small part due to animal agriculture. On the whole, the world going vegan would see huge amounts of land returned to nature and animals would flourish in such an environment.

Do you think farmers will give up their land to be returned to nature?

Captain Flaps · 18-10-2019 5:35pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

If cattle had a vote, would they vote to have their numbers diminished hugely or stick with the status quo?

Something tells me that OP isn't actually thinking of going Vegan at all and is engaging in a bit of fishing.

emaherx · 18-10-2019 5:40pm

Eathrin wrote: »

Huge amounts of animals become endangered or go extinct every year, in no small part due to animal agriculture. On the whole, the world going vegan would see huge amounts of land returned to nature and animals would flourish in such an environment.

You mean poor land management, plenty of destruction of nature due to all kinds of human activity including producing plant based food.

Can't see how me keeping a few cows causes any kind of extinction event. Farms are full of wild life much of which depends on grass land.

Effects · 18-10-2019 5:41pm

emaherx wrote: »

Do you actually believe that?

I'm a vegan farmer, of course I believe that.

topmanamillion · 18-10-2019 5:41pm

If the beef market collapsed in the morning and everyone said they were no longer eating beef a certain portion of cattle would be maintained for markets like petfood.

The rest of the world's 1 billion cattle would be very quickly shot and the land they graze on would be used to produce something that would give its owners an income. Any other scenerio where humans keep 1 billion cows as pets is a fairytale.

Effects · 18-10-2019 5:42pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

Do you think farmers will give up their land to be returned to nature?

As a farmer myself, I've already given up land to return to nature. I get paid by the EU to do so.

solerina · 18-10-2019 5:43pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

I'm just wondering, if everyone becomes vegan, where do the cows go? What do we do with them? I'm not trying to be antagonistic, I'd be interested in becoming a vegan but I've just never figured out what happens to cattle if they're no longer needed for food?

They won’t exist, why breed animals that will cost you money to keep...some will have to be born for cows to produce milk but not as many as now.

Plumbthedepths · 18-10-2019 5:45pm

Captain Flaps wrote: »

Something tells me that OP isn't actually thinking of going Vegan at all and is engaging in a bit of fishing.

Possibly but it is an interesting topic even if that were not the intent of the OP.

Iodine1 · 18-10-2019 5:45pm

Effects wrote: »

All cows are artificially inseminated so they can't survive in the wild anyway.

Why do farmers keep bulls running with their cows do you think?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:45pm

Captain Flaps wrote: »

Something tells me that OP isn't actually thinking of going Vegan at all and is engaging in a bit of fishing.

:pac: Not at all. I'm actually quite surprised that there's not a plan. Seeing the cattle population culled is not something that I'm overly appealed too to be honest.

emaherx · 18-10-2019 5:47pm

Effects wrote: »

I'm a vegan farmer, of course I believe that.

Can't be sure these days I've seen a lot of crazy beliefs on here recently, ranging from "it's unatueral for a female animal to be constantly pregnant" to "dairy cows being worn out and spent at 5 years old" getting hard to distinguish between sarcasm and not a clue about animals

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:47pm

Effects wrote: »

As a farmer myself, I've already given up land to return to nature. I get paid by the EU to do so.

Oh right. Well that's a good development. What do you grow?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:48pm

solerina wrote: »

They won’t exist, why breed animals that will cost you money to keep...some will have to be born for cows to produce milk but not as many as now.

But we won't drink milk?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:48pm

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Possibly but it is an interesting topic even if that were not the intent of the OP.

Why wouldn't it be my intent?

Effects · 18-10-2019 5:49pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

Oh right. Well that's a good development. What do you grow?

Nuts, berries, fruits.

Effects · 18-10-2019 5:50pm

Iodine1 wrote: »

Why do farmers keep bulls running with their cows do you think?

For protection.

BDI · 18-10-2019 5:51pm

Ok beef is done with tomorrow.

All the cows are shot.

What is the best thing to do with them for the environment. Should we eat them until they are gone or let their carcasses return to the earth by rotting?

Would a million rotten cows lead to a new virus or evolutionary change in something?

Is there an end game?

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:52pm

Effects wrote: »

Nuts, berries, fruits.

What's the income like if you don't mind me asking? I mean, with the EU payments, are you making as much as you did while farming cattle or are you making more?

Plumbthedepths · 18-10-2019 5:52pm

Danthemanhere wrote: »

Why wouldn't it be my intent?

Just replying to another to another poster. I'm sure your are genuine and your further engagement on the topic will convince the doubters.

Danthemanhere · 18-10-2019 5:53pm

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Just replying to another to another poster. I'm sure your are genuine and your further engagement on the topic will convince the doubters.

I'm already after getting some very interesting answers.

Where do the cows go?

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