> Or maybe it would make vegetables the new "meat" in terms of ethical concerns. Do vegans distinguish between something like carrots (where you basically kill the entire plant) and apples (where the fruits are harvested but the tree remains in tact)?

Actually, there are fringe but growing number of people who hate vegans because vegans kill and torture plants. Plants after all have senses and can feel and communicate with each other. And they find people who eat fruits disgusting since fruits are a plants' womb and eggs.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170109-plants-can-see-hear-...

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/plants-have-feelings...

Just like vegans, these people have too much time on their hands and an unhealthy desire to feel morally superior to others.