Humane Meat: An Oxymoron?

Sometimes, when I tell people I am opposed to the way the meat industry slaughters animals for food, they reply with the idea of choosing free range animals for consumption since they get to experience life and the outdoors. As the truth of how factory farms treat their animals surfaces to the public, more people are choosing organic foods and free range meat. Slaughterhouses kill animals while they are still conscious with the production line moving so fast no one knows what is actually being put in with the animal meat. Animals are confined to dark, small spaces and live their lives eating antibiotics and hormones so they grow twice as fast. Disease is not uncommon in such small spaces. A solution has been raised to stop supporting these big corporations and start buying free range meat which means the animals are free to graze the outdoors instead of being stuck in dark confinement. However, no matter how these animals are raised, they are still killed for our consumption so is one way really more humane than the other?

Another solution is to promote veganism all around which would mean no animal has to die for the needs of humans. Experts have found this choice more drastic since many people would refuse to give up their ways so free range animals it is. There is no true definition of "humane meat" and many people see this as an oxymoron. Different producers have their own humane standards to follow like labeling the meat "Certified Humane Raised and Handled." Some standards are larger cages or no cages, natural feed, less painful ways of slaughtering, and the end to practices like tail docking and debeaking. A recent study performed by the United Egg Producers found that three out of four American consumers would choose food products certified as humane and protecting animal's interests over those that do not. Also, humane regulations provided on a state level provides relief to millions of animals. Humane standards are a step towards more animal rights... and maybe eventually equality...

My question to you is: So, is humane meat an oxymoron? Do you think people are on the right track of setting more humane standards for the raising and killing of animals for food or do you think there is no difference how an animal is raised because it is killed in the end anyways?