Ovo vegetarianism
Encyclopedia
Ovo vegetarianism is a type of vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...

 which allows for the consumption of eggs; unlike lacto-ovo vegetarianism
Lacto-ovo vegetarianism
A Lacto-ovo-vegetarian is a vegetarian who does not eat animal flesh of any kind, but is willing to consume dairy and egg products...

, no dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...

s are permitted. Those who practice ovo vegetarianism are called ovo-vegetarians or "eggetarians." "Ovo" comes from the Latin word for egg.

Ethical distinctions

Ethical motivations for excluding dairy products are based on issues with the industrial practices
Industrial agriculture (animals)
Industrial animal agriculture or industrial livestock production is a modern form of intensive farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, including cattle, poultry and fish...

 behind their production of meat. Concerns include the practice of keeping a cow constantly pregnant in order for her to lactate and the slaughter of unwanted male calves. Other concerns include the standard practice of separating the mother from her calf and denying the calf its natural source of milk. This contrasts with the industrial practices surrounding egg-laying hens, which produce eggs for human consumption without being fertilized. Ovo-vegetarians often prefer free-range eggs, particularly those produced by uncaged hens.

Carbon emissions associated with keeping hens are less than those associated with cattle, a factor significant to those practicing environmental vegetarianism
Environmental vegetarianism
Environmental vegetarianism is the practice of vegetarianism or veganism based on the indications that animal production, particularly by intensive agriculture, is environmentally unsustainable...

.

Ethical concerns about the consumption of eggs arise from the practice, not limited to industry, of euthanising male chicks shortly after birth. Practices considered humane for animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...

 include maceration and suffocation using carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

.
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