Animal exploitation

Animal exploitation refers to the human utilization of non-human animals, typically for the former's personal and economic benefit or resource extraction from the latter, including meat, hide, bodily secretions, organs, labor, and so forth, without regards for their well-being which often results in suffering and harm on the animal's part and/or confinement and deprivation of the animal's natural living conditions. It occurs across various animal industries and involves different practices, treating non-human animals as commodities rather than sentient beings and violating their rights. According to the Humane League, animal exploitation lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from animal rights, "which are situations in which animals have no choice to live freely, no autonomy over their own lives. Instead, humans dictate every aspect of an exploited animal's life."

Along with meat consumption, animal exploitation is considered part of the dominant ideological system called carnism, which prescribes norms and beliefs about animal treatment. according to some scholars. Both exploitation of animals and consumption of meat represent underlying competitive-power motives of domination over animals and support for inequality between humans and nonhuman animals.