We do it because people want cheap meat. If they didn't do those awful things, meat would cost more. Of course, that would help curb consumption, so it would be more like the old days when meat was more of a luxury and people ate more vegetarian sources of protein. My father said they'd often eat lentil soup when he was a child (so often, he got sick of it), but he grew up fine.
RE: Steemit vegetarians, "deathless meat" is almost here...what do you think?