First, allow me to state that not all pagans believe in animal rights. It is not an idea espoused by the majority.
Living, as I do, deep in the heart of Texas, being a vegan is a lonely business. Mention vegetarianism, and most people will think you have an "OH! The cute little animals! We CAN'T EAT them!" sort of attitude.
Meat is such a pervasive part of the culture around here that few even stop to question their food choices, or the effects thereof.
However, no matter how tasty it happens to be prepared, torture is WRONG. Ethically, morally, karmically, there is never going to be a good reason for torturing a creature, simply because it makes it more convenient to kill it and eat it.
Gandhi knew this, Albert Schweitzer knew this, George Bernard Shaw knew this... What I fail to comprehend is why don't WE know this?
Are most people unaware of the fact that cows spend most of their lives in feedlots- in an area about one third the size of their living room, eating sawdust and processed sewage, while being pumped full of chemicals and anti-biotics to keep them alive on this diet?
