I was veggie for about 5 years, worked in a veggie restaurant, have an uncle who is a farmer so have seen both social and 'political' reasons for giving up meat.

I go parading with a giant. This giant has crow wings for hair. Some vegetarians complained, saying we were cruel to kill crows. We explained that the crow wings came from a bean farm nearby, and that the crows were shot because they ruined the bean plants. The beans in this field were then sold to a supermarket chain who used them in their range of vegetarian meals. [I then pointed out to these vegetarians that the shoes they were wearing were leather and where did they think that came from? We've not been bothered by them since.]

So nothing, unless you can guarantee it from seed to stomach is truly 'cruelty free'.

As for dairy products - cheese, unless it's a vegetable rennet, is the only one that involves any animal body part (generated from a dead animal as opposed to a live one), in fact, if you have ever heard a cow that has not been milked, it is quite obvious that it is in pain and that milking it would be a blessing. The only dodgy area here is in the removal of the calf too early. Sensible farmers don't do this. And if the demand is there, the milk supply will remain. The stimulation of the milking machine or human milker will ensure the flow continues. This is true of humans too - you can breast feed for 2 years, as long as the demand and stimulation is there!

Oh, and I gave up being veggie because I couldn't give up sausages - ironic when you think of how much actual meat is in the average sausage!

LTS