So i notice that oh meat is subsidized, it would break your bank if it wasnt and you would all be vegan! is a common argument among vegans. By common argument I mean common fallacy. Lets give them some truth though, shall we? First off meat isnt the most subsidized product. In fact it is far from it. 90% of subsidies go to wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, and cotton, with corn being at the top of the list. And guess what? the vast majority of that corn doesnt go into livestock feed- it goes into ethanol. In fact every single crop is subsidized in the US. Secondly, I dont think that vegan actually know what subsidies do. They arent for the consumer, they are for the farmer. They guarantee a bottom price the farmer will get paid for his product. When current prices fall below that bottom price, he receives the difference from the government. This is to keep farms from going under, not to keep the consumer spending less. Third, even IF we were to assume that the average 20 billion a year went into subsidizing meat, guess what? It wont break my wallet without it. There are 310 million americans. each american eats on average 30 animals a year, but this can be better broken down into pounds- which is 195 lbs of meat per year. that is a total of 60,450,000,000 pounds of meat. The average yearly amount paid in subsidies (not just meat, but all agriculture) is 20 billion. that comes out to 33 cents a pound, or $64 for the difference in what I would spend per year, Yup, $6 more a month doesnt break my wallet. But in reality that number is much less, as 100% doesnt go to meat, 90% goes to 5 crops. Leaving 10%, and if we assumed that all of that went to meat, guess what? Its now 3 cents more for my 1lb steak. Not a deterrent by any means. So lets be realistic shall we?
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 10:17:33 +0000