I was a vegetarian (near-vegan) for several years, for health and compassion. I definitely support outlawing factory farms.
Eventually due to a variety of research, in order to improve my health and the environment, I started adding some meat back in to my otherwise plant-based diet. Some grass-fed steak, some pastured eggs, some wild-caught fish, and some shellfish. I eat low carb, low glycemic, no grains except some rice, virtually no added sugar, virtually no processed food. Probably 80%+ of the volume I eat is from plants.
My health is better than ever now. I had chronic headaches which mostly went away, I get sick less often, and I became even more lean. Probably because I have a lot more vitamin B12, omega 3s, zinc, and other things which studies show tend to be low in vegans on average, and fewer carbs and a better insulin response than I used to.
I'm a big proponent of permacultures- farms that use animals and plants symbiotically as they exist in nature. And I try to eat fewer plants that require plows, in order to keep soil intact whenever possible.
A good example would be Chaffin Family Orchards. They operate an orchard, and so they sell fruits, olives, olive oil, etc. But instead of bringing in teams to mow the grass under the trees and clear the vines away with fossil-fuel based machines, they have pastured goats and sheep, which they regularly bring through the orchard to eat the vegetation (grass and weeds and vines), and from which they sell meat, wool, and milk. And in order to deal with pest control, they have chickens to peck away at the bugs and larva under the trees, that would otherwise hatch and attack the trees, and from which they sell eggs and meat. The animals also fertilize the orchard, reducing the need for external fertilizer. The place has reduced fuel consumption massively, while also increasing calorie output per acre.
