Following the same logic you could replace the word animals with "people" in your counter argument and you'll see where that gets you. Our morality has evolved

Following the same logic you could replace the word animals with "people" in your counter argument and you'll see where that gets you. Our morality has evolved since prehistoric times and continues to do so in the face of challenges such as this (and many more). An example of a move towards more ethical food practices would be something like this: Since a pig is as smart as a three-year-old human, perhaps it might be a little more ethical to treat that pig humanely while it is alive even--if we do end up eating it. So lets move towards more humane treatment of livestock.