Veganism & food ethics: input, anyone?

For many, veganism seems to be a journey... maybe I'm on that track; I’m not sure. For now, I identify as an 'ecovegavore'. I'm not vegan -- though I'm 99% herbivorous, and avoid leather, wool, products that test on animals, etc. I grew up in a veg-friendly family, so have been more plant-based than not for most of my life... I eat no mammals or birds, no factory farmed animal anything, and no dairy from any source; eggs only rarely (maybe once or twice a month, in the summertime) -- from pet-chicken eggs when my friend's family has more (leftover after slow farmers'-market-days) than they can use. I also eat local honey sometimes, from eco-friendly local beekeepers I know personally. About... mmm, once a month? something like that... I might eat local catfish/ tilapia/ mussels/ oysters, or (when I'm on the coast) clams or local (nonthreatened-species) saltwater fish that I catch myself.

Here's my current thinking, though I'm open to ideas & debate...

Premise 1: I don't think it's inherently wrong for a creature to eat another creature -- *if* it's necessary. A cougar's attack on a deer isn't immoral: cougars are obligate carnivores, doin' what they gotta do. My human body needs omega-3s and B-12; if I (not a corporation, but *me* myself, just another creature) go out and get those from the lowest on the food chain I can find them (i.e. mussels, oysters, etc.), how is that different? I do eat a good bit of nutritional yeast, but most sources agree one shouldn't count on one food exclusively, for B-12; I don't live near a good source of sea veggies... so, what's the fundamental moral difference between a shellfish becoming prey to me (who needs it), instead of an otter (who needs it)?

Premise 2: I try to eat 'real food'/ whole food, vs. processed food, as much as possible -- about 85% of my food purchases consist of 1-ingredient foods (nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, legumes, flour, cornmeal, etc.) -- and I look for local sources, whenever possible. I think reliance on processed/ highly transported food is not desirable, for both health & environmental reasons. In the cultivation, processing, packaging, and transportation of items such as B-12 fortified products, B-12 & omega-3 supplements, and vegan sweeteners... it seems to me there would be MORE animal death and environmental degradation (insects, nematodes, & amphibians affected by pesticides; habitat loss from agriculture and processing plants; CO2 emissions from processing & transport, of both product & packaging) than ‘1-ingredient’, naturally occurring things like honey and oysters. Wouldn’t the artificial production of these nutrients do more damage, overall, to *more* living things?

Premise 3: I think 'food-for-profit', as an exclusive model of production, has been a harmful shift in human sociology, over the last few decades... I think at least a partial shift back to 'backyard agriculture'/ partial self-sustainability as the norm (rather than 100% for-profit/ conventional agriculture) would have huge benefits -- on human health and on other creatures' well-being (wild & domestic), as well as on reduced environmental degradation. I think backyard chicken-keeping for eggs, and individual bee-keeping for honey -- both very sustainable/ low-eco-impact food-production strategies -- have ethical/ environmental advantages over, say, buying prepackaged seitan from a corporation 17 states away, or vegan sugar from another continent. With eggs especially... I know some very happy and personable pet hens, who are as loved and content as any cherished pet dog or cat; unfertilized eggs thrown out, for vegan 'non-exploitation' principles? ... that just doesn't seem right, to me -- it seems wasteful. And beekeepers (like oyster farmers) tend to be fierce advocates for environmental non-trashing... bees need an environment without indiscriminate artificial pesticides (like oysters need crystal-clean water), so those who raise them tend to advocate for conditions that benefit the creature in question. Isn't there a fundamental difference between symbiosis and exploitation?

In embracing the goal of ‘less harm to other living things,’ there seem to me to be some gray areas in food ethics... maybe I’m just not an absolutist by nature; I tend to look for the ‘big picture,’ not necessarily just the close-up... However, I’m also not interested in rationalization -- for the past few years, my diet has been steadily evolving, as I continue to think things through. I’m not looking to justify or demonize any pre-selected conclusions; rather I’m in the process of considering my own particular world view, regarding the choices that do the least harm to the world around me.

I’m interested in arguments from all sides, as long as they are thoughtfully presented... I look forward to considering others’ viewpoints on this topic.

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