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This is headcanon but it's not that Team Rocket was doing something bad by harvesting Slowpoke Tails. Slowpokes regrow their tails, so it's likely they naturally shed it. Cutting off the tails means unnecessary pain to the Slowpokes.
Also, think about Azalea Town's position compared to every other town on the map. Most towns have a clear route you can take from the farms between Olivine and Ecruteak without having to go through a dungeon, with Blackthorn City being an exception.
Azalea Town is surrounded by mountains and forests alike, thus it might be difficult to gain the prime Tauros and Miltank beef other towns in Johto can. Thus, they rely on Slowpokes for their meat.
