Why Don't Vegans Eat Eggs or Cheese? A Comprehensive Guide to Ethical and Practical Reasons

December 22, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2019 survey, a remarkable 68.1% of vegans cite animal welfare concerns as their primary motivation for adopting a plant-based diet. This core ethical belief is the fundamental reason why don't vegans eat eggs or cheese, as both industries involve significant animal exploitation and suffering.

Quick Summary

Vegans avoid eggs and cheese due to the systematic animal exploitation, cruelty, and eventual slaughter inherent in both the dairy and egg industries, regardless of farming methods or labeling like 'free-range'.

Key Points

Ethical Imperative: At its core, veganism seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation, and eggs and cheese production both rely on exploiting and harming sentient animals.
Culling of Male Chicks: In the egg industry, male chicks are systematically and inhumanely killed, often by being ground up alive, as they have no commercial value.
Dairy Cow Exploitation: Dairy cows are forced into a relentless cycle of artificial impregnation and milk production, with their calves being taken away shortly after birth.
Premature Slaughter: Both laying hens and dairy cows are killed well before their natural lifespan, once their 'productivity' wanes.
Environmental Impact: The animal agriculture that produces eggs and cheese is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.
Health Concerns: High consumption of eggs and cheese has been linked to health risks, including higher cholesterol and saturated fat intake.

The Ethical Case Against Eggs

Many assume that because hens lay eggs naturally, consuming them is harmless. However, the commercial egg industry, from industrial-scale factory farms to smaller "free-range" operations, is built upon systemic exploitation and cruelty.

The Fate of Male Chicks

In egg-laying breeds, male chicks are considered useless to the industry because they cannot lay eggs and are not bred for meat. Shortly after hatching, they are brutally and inhumanely killed, a process known as culling. Methods include gassing, suffocation, or being ground up alive. This is a standard practice worldwide, even for eggs labeled as free-range or organic, because male chicks are an unavoidable byproduct of breeding hens for egg production.

The Exploitation of Laying Hens

Hens bred for egg production have been genetically altered to lay an unnatural number of eggs, sometimes over 300 per year, compared to the 10-15 their wild ancestors would lay. This takes a severe toll on their bodies, often leading to painful health issues. In factory farms, hens are crammed into tiny, filthy battery cages where they cannot even spread their wings. To prevent them from pecking each other out of stress, their beaks are often painfully trimmed with a hot blade, without painkillers. When their egg production inevitably declines after only a year or two, they are considered "spent" and sent to slaughter, far short of their natural lifespan of up to 10 years.

Even "Ethical" Eggs are Problematic

Even eggs from backyard hens are not considered vegan. From a purely ethical standpoint, taking eggs from a hen is still an act of exploitation, denying her body autonomy. It is also part of the broader issue that normalizes the use of animal products, which ultimately supports the larger, crueler industry.

The Ethical Case Against Cheese and Dairy

Like eggs, cheese and other dairy products are a product of animal exploitation. Dairy cows, like all mammals, only produce milk to feed their young. The industry profits by artificially intervening in this natural cycle.

The Endless Cycle of Pregnancy and Separation

To force continuous milk production, dairy cows are artificially impregnated, often through a distressing process. After giving birth, the calves are typically taken from their mothers within hours or days. This causes immense psychological distress to both the mother and calf, who form strong maternal bonds. The milk intended for the calf is then taken for human consumption. This cycle of pregnancy, birth, and painful separation is repeated until the cow is no longer profitable.

The Fate of Calves

Male Calves: Since male dairy calves can't produce milk and are not the right breed for beef, they are considered a worthless byproduct. Many are killed shortly after birth or sold to be raised for veal in cruel conditions before slaughter.
Female Calves: Female calves are often confined and raised to replace their mothers, continuing the same cycle of exploitation.

The Hidden Cruelty of Rennet

Beyond the obvious dairy sourcing, many traditional cheeses contain an ingredient called rennet, which is derived from the stomach lining of slaughtered calves. This ingredient is used to coagulate milk and is a key component in hard cheeses like Parmesan and Gorgonzola. The use of animal rennet is a clear link between the cheese and meat industries.

A Comparison of Ethical and Environmental Reasons


Aspect	Reasons for Avoiding Eggs	Reasons for Avoiding Cheese (Dairy)
Core Ethical Issue	The culling of male chicks, exploitation of hens, and premature slaughter when production declines.	Forced artificial impregnation of cows, separation of mother and calf, and the ultimate fate of male calves and spent cows.
Associated Cruelty	Confinement in battery cages (or poor free-range conditions), beak trimming, physical stress from overproduction.	Emotional trauma of mother-calf separation, confinement, repeated forced pregnancies, and painful dairy industry procedures.
Environmental Impact	While lower than dairy and meat, commercial egg production still contributes to environmental issues, including waste management and resource use.	Significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (methane), deforestation, and water pollution from animal waste and resource consumption.
Health Considerations	High in saturated fat and cholesterol, linked to increased risk of heart disease in some studies.	High in saturated fat, salt, and cholesterol, potentially linked to health issues and addictive properties from casein.

Conclusion: Making a Compassionate Choice

For vegans, avoiding eggs and cheese is not about personal preference but a moral and ethical stance against systemic animal cruelty and exploitation. The reasoning extends beyond a simple dietary choice to address concerns over animal welfare, the significant environmental footprint of these industries, and personal health. As more people become aware of the stark realities behind these products, the demand for truly compassionate plant-based alternatives—from cashew cheese to tofu scrambles—continues to grow rapidly. Choosing a vegan lifestyle is a powerful way to reduce suffering and build a more sustainable and ethical world for all sentient beings. You can learn more about ethical living at The Vegan Society.

Note: This article was written with information from multiple sources, including reputable vegan organizations and academic studies, to provide a comprehensive view on why vegans don't eat eggs or cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, because the male chicks from egg-laying breeds are still culled in the industry that produces the hens. Furthermore, from an ethical standpoint, taking eggs is seen as an act of exploitation, regardless of the conditions of the hens.

This is a common misconception. Cows only produce milk for their calves and are forced into continuous pregnancy and lactation to meet human demand. If a cow were not forcibly impregnated, she would not be producing milk for humans in the first place.

While many modern cheeses use microbial rennet and are vegetarian, they are still a product of the dairy industry, which is built on the exploitation of cows and the disposal of male calves. For vegans, the issue is not just the rennet but the entire dairy production cycle.

Eggs and cheese do contain nutrients, but they also have high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and some studies link them to health risks. Vegans acquire the same nutrients, such as calcium and protein, from plant-based sources like fortified milks, tofu, lentils, and leafy greens.

No, honey is not vegan. It is produced by bees, and its consumption is seen as an exploitation of an animal product. Many vegans also point to the potentially harmful beekeeping practices involved.

Yes, the market for plant-based alternatives has exploded in recent years. There are numerous vegan egg replacers for baking, tofu for scrambled 'eggs,' and a huge variety of plant-based cheeses made from ingredients like cashews, almonds, and soy.

Yes, plant-based diets, by eliminating the need for large-scale animal agriculture, significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water pollution. Animal agriculture is a major contributor to environmental degradation.