Vegan reply: But wearing fur is worse compared to wearing leather

"Leather isn't merely a "by-product" of the beef industry. In fact, most leather doesn't even come from the same type of cow used for beef.
Even if this were the case, it's important, again, to think of what we do to animals not in terms of "inflicting suffering," but their property status. If an animal is killed to create two different products, what sense does it make to say one product is a by-product while the other is the real thing? Animals are killed because their dead bodies can be sold in the form of various products."
http://www.vegankit.com/wear

What would happen if the nonvegan population would start to abhor meat, but continue to like leather. They would still continue to exploit cows for leather.

Exploitation is exploitation.
Who are we to say that it is "worse" for a mink to be exploited for fur compared to a cow being exploited for leather and meat.  We are not the victims. We have no right to give that kind of judgment when it comes to the exploitation of other sentient beings.

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Jonathan Hughes Roy, if you think it's useful to apply 'worse' to why/how an animal died, you're looking at things from a different perspective completely. I see *that* they died as the problem, not *how* they died. In being killed for human use, all animals are equal and equally deserving of support from Vegans.

See also
Leather Is More Than “a By-Product of the Meat Industry”

Leather isn't merely a "by-product" of the beef industry. In fact, most leather doesn't even come from the same type of cow used for beef.

Hello Eric,

You wrote:"Yes, I agree with that statement in general. I in no way agree with abusing animals .."

Great Eric!
Does the animals we kill for food or clothing want to sacrifice their life for clothing and food that we have no need of whatsoever?
Why do you eat meat at all? Isn't this causing unnecessary suffering to an animal?
Do you eat any other animal products, or use any animal products in other ways? If you research e.g. the website www.vegankit.com you will understand that any kind of animal use is wrong, and that it perpetuates the status of animals as "property", which is the cause of the most horrendous physical animal abuses. If you understand this you can in no way participate in any kind of use of animal, since you are both confining and exploiting an animal and are perpetuating the "property"-status of animals, with all of its negative consequences.

Can we extend our compassion, mercy and love to them and to choices that doesn't cause them unnecessary suffering and pain.
The animals make great resistance when someone tries to kill them. They don't want do die.

Please watch the video 'Animals as property' do understand the results of giving animals the status of being "property":
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/video/#.USoSj1fA0Wk
If you agree of the statement in general that it is immoral to cause animals unnecessary suffering, how can you justify that people caused animals unnecessary suffering  for clothing that they didn't need to survive?

When it comes to animals and byproducts, I agree with this statement:

"Leather isn't merely a "by-product" of the beef industry. In fact, most leather doesn't even come from the same type of cow used for beef.

Even if this were the case, it's important, again, to think of what we do to animals not in terms of "inflicting suffering," but their property status. If an animal is killed to create two different products, what sense does it make to say one product is a by-product while the other is the real thing? Animals are killed because their dead bodies can be sold in the form of various products."