Facts about cruelty to animals and Vegetarianism -

• Wildlife crime is the second most profitable trade after that of drugs.
• There are no necessary nutrients for us to function perfectly that cannot be obtained from plant food.
• It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of beef protein; 35 calories for 1 calorie of pork; 22 calories for 1 calorie of poultry; but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans.
• In the UK alone, 800,000,000 animals are slaughtered for food every year.
• It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does to produce the equivalent in plant protein.
• Livestock farming makes inefficient use of limited resources. Millions of people go hungry and thirsty in developing countries while grain and water is squandered on rearing animals to be slaughtered for food in the developed world.
• It takes up to 16 pounds of soybeans and grains to produce 1 pound of beef and between 3 and 6 pounds to produce 1 pound of pork, turkey and egg.
• Millions of hectares of life sustaining rain forest are destroyed each year to create grazing pasture. This kills off and puts at risk animal species and indigenous human populations.
• Animal foods are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. They contain cholesterol but plants do not.
• Over-fishing of the earth's oceans has decimated fish populations to the point of near extinction of many species. Dolphins and whales are indiscriminately killed by drift nets while massive amounts of dead fish are thrown back into the sea or used as pig and sheep feed.
• Contrary to popular belief, meat is largely deficient in carbohydrates (particularly the starches) and vitamins, except for the B-complex, which can be easily obtained from alternate sources.
• There are 20,000 different drugs, including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones, and other veterinary pharmaceuticals that are given to livestock animals. The dangers have been particularly well documented of the secondary consumption of antibiotics.
• There are many bacteria and viruses (some quite dangerous) that are common to animals which are consumed by those who eat meat.
• Ammonia from animal waste in agricultural fertilisers contributes to acid rain which kills aquatic and plant life.
• Meat-eating increases the risk of heart disease, which is currently the number one killer in the UK and US.
• It has been well-founded that there is a strong correlation between meat consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis, Arthritis, gum disease, acne, obesity, kidney stones and gallstones, and diabetes. Meat-eaters are up to three times as likely to suffer from dementia in old age and there's also a strong correlation with multiple sclerosis.
• Animal products putrefy in the colon.
• Fibre absorbs unwanted excess fats and cleans the intestines. Plant food is high in fibre content whereas meat, poultry and dairy products have none.
• The average westerner eats 400% of their Recommended Daily Allowance of protein. This causes excess nitrogen in the blood and creates a host of long-term health problems as a result.
• Pigs are usually slaughtered after only 4-7 months. Pigs intended for pork are usually slaughtered 1-2 months younger than pigs for bacon.

Some of these facts have been sourced from The Vegetarian Society and The Lumen Book.