So you don't care about the ethical treatment of the animal and/or the health issues, correct?
Again, just to be clear, I'm refraining from judgement.
I eat meat.
My understanding is, is that even though there are factories/farms/what have you. They are killing the animals more humanely than has been done in the past.
This is not based on any fact though, I am simply assuming that is the case. Either way as the poster above stated, I am so far removed from the factory/farm that it's as the saying goes "out of sight, out of mind".
I also believe that it is in our nature to eat meat, it is a very natural thing for animals/humans to eat. Yes, it does mean killing sometimes an intelligent animal (Pig for Ex.) but this is the nature of life. We are omnivore, and by nature we eat both plant and animal, to deny one or the other is to deny the natural way our species eats.
Since I did not grow up on a farm, it would be very difficult to see the slaughter of an animal, however if I had lived on a farm I'll bet it wouldn't faze me much.
I think, and this is not directed at you, that a lot of people who are against eating meat, simply do not like the fact that the animals die, and some die in pain. This in my opinion is a hard natural fact of life, that only until recent times has been accepted as normal.
Humans for however long we have been on this planet, have been eating meat, it is in our nature to do so, this is why I still eat meat. Other than it being just super amazing and awesome tasting.
As you stated above, I'll state the same as well, I'll refrain from any judgement. This is an explanation, and honestly I never really gave it to much thought until now.