So much of this is simply untrue so I'm going to comb through point by point.
The first thing you need to understand which entirely debunks your entire post is:
Animal agriculture uses more land for farming plants for animals to eat than will ever be needed to feed all of humanity on plants.
Around 80% of farmed soya is used for animal feed. Less than 10% is for human consumption (the majority consumers being non-vegans)
"we would still have soil erosion, habitat loss and slave labour in agriculture"
To some extent yes. However there would be less because less farmland would be needed.
There would also be less steps in the process of farm to plate so people can make more educated choices. It's easier to find out where your rice came from or where the soya in your tofu came from than it is to find out where the soya fed to the pigs you are eating came from. Educated choices means more regulation to avoid consumer boycotting.
"Not to mention the issues caused by pesticide run-off."
See above but also add animal farm run-off and slurry etc. In the UK our rivers are full of shit, the two biggest polluters are the water/sewege companies and run-off from animal farmland or farmers intentionally disposing of animals excrement in local rivers.
"And plant-based doesn't always mean less animal cruelty, as many animals are killed during plowing and harvesting"
This gets talked about a lot. Almost every study conducted does show a massive drop in small animals in the field after crop harvesting, carnists use this as a gotcha to vegans but forget two important factors
1) more crops are grown for animal feed than for humans
2) those same studies that show a drop in field animals? Show a massive increase in animals in the hedgerows during/after harvest. The vast majority of small animals aren't being killed! They're moving out of the way!!!
"and that's not even getting into how many animals are killed in cruel and inhumane ways just for eating crops."
Like wolves, badgers, eagles, foxes, coyotes and so many more animals hunted, poisoned and driven to extinction for killing farmed animals? "These animals are viewed as competition by many farmers."
Animals that eat crops would have less need to do so if there were still forests and pastures not being used for farmland.
A massive benefit of veganism would be less land use therefore more rewilding, thus protecting both predator and prey animals.
"What about the emissions released when the food has to be shipped across the planet to reach your table?"
The same stands for animals shipped around the world, and animal feed shipped from South America.
However, the animal agriculture industry is responsible for more global greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transport industry, including aviation and cars.
"It's hard to grow certain food products in environments they aren't native to. You can set up an animal farm pretty much anywhere and feed a community."
Yes, you can't grow all plants everywhere. But the animals need to eat too and they are much more resource intensive than humans. You would need to massively decrease the amount of meat eaten in the community.
Additionally, this doesn't work for cities and suburban communities, these groups usually can go vegan and it's better for the planet if they do.
"We've been doing this exact thing since the birth of civilization."
Sort of, but not really. We consume much more meat per person than we have ever consumed in all of human history. The rate of production is completely unsustainable and it will end civilisation if it continues.
We have absolutely not been intensively farming since the birth of civilization.
And again, we live in cities now, things have changed and our habits also need to change.
"All of these problems would increase exponentially and become even worse than our current system in a totally plant based society."
No, they wouldn't. For all the reasons above.
"And I don't know about you, but I would prefer to fix the problems with both industries before deciding to get rid of one of them."
As above, "fixing" animal agriculture requires fixing plant agriculture in the process.
every single day animal agriculture continues, 202 million chickens will be slaughtered, 12 million ducks, 1.6 million turkeys, 3.8 million pigs, 1.7 million sheep, 1.4 million goats, and 900,000 cows are killed.
Each individual animal is a sentient being that feels fear, pain and joy.
Their continued life cycle of breeding and slaughter is actively destroying our planet.
There's no fucking comparison. One of these industries cannot be fixed.
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