I recently read a book written by a vegan woman who runs a “sanctuary” for farm animals. She went so far as to say that we should not shear sheep. I read through the whole thing to see what she proposed as the eventual utility for these lovely farm animals that she’s championing. She spared about two paragraphs (IIRC) for her vision for the future - farm animals raised as beloved pets, roaming about farms in their “family” groups.
Okay. I’m a farmer. Livestock very rarely form “family” groups. Bulls, boars and rams are not exactly models of family fidelity. Besides, what kind of market does she think will be out there for livestock “pets”? Who out there wants to keep cattle for companionship, and not meat or milk? If her vision came true, we’d see a lot of endangered species out there.
I’m totally against cruel farm practices, but the only reason for most livestock to exist is their utility. Take that away and you take away the reason for continuing their breeding.
I grew up on a farm about 65 miles east of Austin. We took great care of the animals. BTW, if you don’t shear sheep, they can die of heat stroke.