Honey is questionably vegan because the book that establishes the basic principles of veganism specifically said its people’s choice whether to consider it as acceptable or not because of the lack of harm. If I recall correctly he said something like the debate is worth having but not worth fighting over, because everyone who is even having the debate is trying to do the right thing.

I’d advocate for long-term harm reduction, myself.

While obviously it would be better for the cow to have been able to live a full life, but in (I think) 15 years or so that cow would be dead either way.

Something that can be helping new cows regularly, like a Beyond Burger that can appeal to those that would otherwise just pick a normal burger, I basically consider it to be harm-neutral after the lifespan of the animals they’re using for those taste tests is up.

Honestly, this is the trolley problem. On the main lane, we have a bunch of cows about to be run over by our “Meat Industry” trolley. Pull the lever to redirect the trolley and butcher some cows for beyond burger development. I would pull the lever, but it’s not a clear moral win.