Everyone should become Lacto-vegetarian/vegan

I am arguing the case that eating meat products, eggs and honey is morally wrong and everyone should stop. I am also against the hunting of animals for materials and experimenting on animals for science development but if I were to include these topics in this argument it would be extremely long. Also, my largest concern is currently for the eating of farm animals because there is such a large amount of people that ignore this topic. From recent discussions, I have found that the common problem with many meat-eaters today is that they are taking upon a blindness towards what they eat and ignoring the fact that the meat they eat was once a living animal, with interests and emotional value. Or, perhaps people feel that with such a large meat processing/selling industry existing, their forbearance of meat is not going to have an impact on the quantity of animals slaughtered and sold. However, many others have seemed to argue that the food chain provides us with justification for killing animals and that it is our natural instinct to do so. Moreover, cases have been argued that Genesis 1.26 states that we have 'dominion' over the animals, or that we could not provide the world with enough food for a healthy diet without the meat industry. I'm going to keep this fairly short as it is only the first argument. I will go in depth with the following if you have any objections. First of all, let's stick with the obvious principle that - although we are a very different species to farm animals, with a higher level of intelligence - these animals can feel pain and they can feel comfort (whether they can experience happiness, I am not YET debating) and in that respect they are equal to humans. I'm sure if we all reason with ourselves, everyone (other than the sadistic minority) can understand that an act that inflicts pain on a living being, whether human or inhuman, is less moral than an act that creates comfort for the being - and less moral than if you were not to act upon the being at all. Presuming that you agree, this proves that the act of having these animals slaughtered is intrinsically wrong. Maybe you still think that the consequence of this act is of such importance to human survival that it overrules the immorality of the act itself. If this is the case, I can tell you, as Peter Singer makes clear (I will explain in a later debate), that the human population can easily survive without the meat industry - in fact, it would even be more efficient and solve tragic issues such as starvation of the less fortunate. Moving on to those with the mindset that they are not going to make a difference to the meat industry themselves by becoming vegetarian/vegan. This has no relevance to my argument title because I state that 'Everyone' should become vege/vegan and this concerns only the individual. Anyhow, I thought I'd include it for the benefit of those reading. By eating the meat because you think that it is going to be produced continuously no matter what you do, you are buying in and supporting the cause for killing animals and you are, therefore, placing yourself in the wrong. However, on this subject I like to use the maxim of Immanuel Kant's 'Categorical Imperative' theory that states that in order to ensure that an act is morally right, we must first universalise the action. Imagine a world where everyone had this mindset; eating meat purely because they felt that, as an individual, they would not contribute to the prevention of animal slaughter. Now think of a world where everyone had the opposite mindset; believing that something different can happen: that, as an individual, they can make a difference. After looking back on my rather lengthy discussion already, I've decided to approach the last to arguments at the same time. Many Christians believe that animals have been put on Earth by God under our control; some even see the animals as a gift to feed us. The food chain is also used commonly in attempt to justify eating animals; other animals eat each other so why are we not entitled to? Well, no other species of animal are nearly as intelligent as humans; no other animals know to plant seeds in order to grow food, nor might they know that killing other animals is wrong. I have not yet thought researched deeply about a solution to the rest of the food chain, but this argument only concerns humans anyway. Peter Singer states: "If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans?" This quote, alone, sums up my first point on the issue. We seem to feel that we own the right to use these animals as our resources just because we are more intelligent and more powerful, yet when it comes to the less intelligent and weaker people of the HUMAN RACE, the majority of our society will disagree that it is fair for someone more powerful to murder one of the weaker. In relation to this idea, the cruelty that we show to animals is influential towards how we treat other people and if you really are absolute that a human life is more valuable than an animal's in every manner then this is a point to consider. St. Francis of Assisi says that "If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." The way we treat animals is very likely to have an impact on the way we treat man. Stats show a sharp correlation between animal abuse & other crimes, including rape, robbery, murder, sexual homicide, domestic abuse and more. Studies show 100% of sexual homicide perpetrators (like Jeffrey Dahmer) started by abusing animals and, although his sort of abuse differs slightly to the slaughter of farm animals, it all still reflects the same principles of animal cruelty. EGGS/HONEY: My objection to eating honey is simple. Bees work throughout the hot weathered seasons, storing this honey so that the colony can feed from it during winter when they can no longer collect pollen from plants. Then the humans come along and steal it from them, just to provide a luxury item for us to eat - which is not necessary. The wrongdoing in the theft of this honey, the selfishness and greed, as well as the inconsideration for the bees' survival through the colder seasons should be clear to you. By eating eggs, we are supporting the poor conditions that chickens live through when producing the eggs. A large majority of eggs (apologies for not having stats, I have to finish up soon) come from conventional, caged hens. Up to 10 hens are crammed into 18 by 20 inch cages. These conditions barely allow the chickens to move around or spread their wings; they are trapped, deprived from their interests, free will and veterinary attention. As for the males, they are either thrown away in dumpsters left to die or ground up alive in meat grinders as chicks; having their will to live snatched away in order for us to feast greedily on the unneeded luxury of eggs. Now, linking back to the earlier argument that the infliction of pain promotes less good than leaving the animals alone entirely, the process of obtaining eggs is morally wrong. Although Uncaged eggs and free-range eggs seem like a more humane alternative, the chickens still go through deprived lives, as I will discuss in the next round if you choose to argue against this subject. Overall, in purchasing eggs to eat, you are in effect paying for the murder of hundreds of millions of baby animals.