Is eating meat ethical?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is eating meat ethical?". Your opponent's style: Devil's advocate

It is not ethical because animals are living beings

So animals are living beings, therefore eating them is unethical. By that logic, you kill thousands of living microorganisms every time you breathe or walk. You're slaughtering plants, which are literally alive, every time you eat salad. Your argument proves too much, so it proves nothing. Here's what actually matters: humans have survived and thrived on meat for 2 million years. Our brains evolved because of it. You can't build a consistent ethical framework that says "animals bad to eat" but "plants fine to destroy." Either all life has moral weight equally, or we get to make distinctions based on consciousness, suffering capacity, and our place in the food chain. Why should animals get special protection that vegetables don't?