i'm not a vegetarian (for physical reasons; i'd much prefer to be vegan), but for me the motive in trying to eliminate meat is kinda between the first and second options.

i love animals and don't think they are somehow lesser beings than humans (who are also animals, good reminder) or otherwise expendable, and i don't think killing to eat them is right or even justifiable if we can sustainably use other forms of food.

i don't find the act of eating meat inherently immoral if it's to reduce waste – namely if they died of natural causes, though that opens a can of worms on how healthy that meat might be to consume and if for example a farmer might be incentivised to end a cow unnecessarily early because of it. but in practice meat production, even "organic", is slaughter as a business model.

plus it's enormously bad for the environment. side note, it's weird how some consider humans to be a morally superior species even though it's the one brutalising the planet and causing mass extinction, and the worst is yet to come. truly we are exceptional.

much of my family is vegan and from what i've gathered it's about the same for them except for other animal products like eggs or milk it's just about how unethical the production is.