I don't care about labels; my goal is to do the least harm possible to the world around me in general/ other living things in particular.... But, again, I don't identify as 'vegan' (though I eat that way almost all the time), and I am completely uninvested in that label as an end, in and of itself. ... However you resolve it for yourself, just by giving the issue careful consideration and making a decision based on a thoughtful & ethical world view, you are doing *way* more for animals & the environment than the majority of humans living in the modern world! So, it's kind of a win/ win, imo.    

You spoke my thoughts well. I often find that with vegetarianism, there is so much obsession over labelling that sometimes we do things that maybe aren't all for the better but we do it to adhere to our label as "vegetarian" or "vegan." With the things that I do every day, I try to make the "better" choice- Walking to work, drinking tap water rather than bottled, choosing a vegetarian lunch rather than an animal-based meal. I don't do it specifically for one reason. I do it for a multitude: It's better for my health, it helps the enviornment, it's more humane, etc. I try now not to get mired in labels, because I thnk it's distracting. Although I continue to eat much vegan food, I try to let my focus be on so-called "Better Eating" in general rather than on Eating Vegan. I spent nearly a year as a strict vegan and I sometimes found myself doing things that I didn't think were necessarily beneficial just for the sake of staying a vegan. I feel like it's a You're Mistaking the Trees for the Forest type of thing. Sometimes I think it's good just to step back and look at the overall picture. And when I step back, I think: "Overall, I'm doing a lot of good things for us. I am contributing positively and making a positive impact. That's all that matters. I don't have to be the perfect vegan in order to continue accomplishing that."  I think that if you keep your sights set on considering all the small things and choosing to think of things with a thoughtful world view, it's not so important to focus on simply being vegan.

At least that is why I have come to think.

I could add that during my time as a vegan I basically just drove myself nuts. I was worried about buying ketchup from the store because it contains sugar and how do I know if this sugar has been processed with bone char? I was worried about buying beer because I didn't know what it had been proessed with. I fretted what to feed my cat. Is it ethical for people to keep pets? Should we be domesticating animals? Is it bad that I'm relying on supplements to get B12?  I had to step back and tell myself- I don't have to do everything perfectly. It's enough that I am concious and that I am trying. I need to focus on something other than being the Perfect Vegan and just concentrate on doing my bit in the world. So rather than coming from the inside going out, I'm outside working in and that is more manageable and I am still making a positive difference in the world.

What ZiziphusZizyphus said above -"Heck, it's probably better for animals to eat a pet chicken's infertile eggs than to by an inorganic and heavily soy-based product from Mexico." - goes along with this. Maybe it's better for people as well as animals to be eating those eggs than certain other things.