If we would base that on the nature of animals, we would have to let them roam freely and not actively breed or kill them. Consider for example how short the lifespan of cattle has become. In nature about 20 years iirc and now 5 years tops.
Doing so would collide with an efficient meat industry and in the end raise prices. Nobody would want that who isn’t a vegan, vegetarian or someone who has other reasons not to eat meat or consume animal products in general.
I wonder how far more advanced aliens would decide to raise us in a species-appropriate manner if they would visit us and came to the conclusion that there is no reason to respect our free will.
We are basically doing the same with animals and I find it curious how we as humans come to decide what the best way to captivate, breed and kill animals is.
Eating animals is natural
And if something is natural, does that always create virtue?
It is also natural not to brush one’s teeth, or to have sexual needs or not to wear pants. Does that imply that it’s okay to go around and rape people or flash them?
It’s also only natural to have the urge to kill someone sometimes if one is especially angry. Why are we stopping them?
We as humans are at the capacity to derive ethical values and decide whether something natural is also “good”.
And animals in nature are eaten far more brutally and painfully than even our mass-produced lifestock.
How is this relevant?
Yes they die in nature and get killed by predators who need them to survive, which can help to stabilise ecosystems (see for example how the reintroduction of wolves has helped in some problematic regions).
But:
Do we need them to survive? Are we stabilsing eco systems by breeding and killing animals? Are we living in the wild nature like those predators or do we have gained a lot of control over it and have the privilege to live in an established society?