VEGAN - THE FACTS

VEGAN, IT’S A WORD WE are hearing more and more. Generally speaking it covers a group of our population who abstain from the use of products derived from animals, in diet or in consumerism. Coming from a belief that animals aren’t here as a commodity for us humans, the exploitation, slaughter and testing on them is immoral. The Vegan Society’s formal definition is “veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose”. A vegan lifestyle and diet is completely achievable and healthy as long as it’s balanced and thought out. Let’s take a look at some of the facts…

ENVIRONMENTAL I think we can all agree that the environment isn’t really in a good place right now, with the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere being a massive factor. But what has this to do with veganism? Well, in very simple terms, keeping all of those animals reproducing and alive long enough for us to eat uses tremendous amounts of energy, land water (and remember we need to grow crops and process them to feed the animals too).

18% of our daily calories come from livestock, yet farming uses 83% of all farmland ** An average British diet produces approximately 21.2kg of C02e every week in animal products alone (excluding fish), over a year this is about 1.1 tonne of C02e (equating to the same pollution as a return London to New York flight). ** It takes 2400 gallons of water to produce 1lb of meat compared to 25 gallons to produce 1lb of wheat. *** Raising animals for food uses 30% of the earth’s landmass, that’s about the same size as Asia. *** A dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 people. **** A person who follows a vegan lifestyle produces the equivalent of 50 per cent

less carbon dioxide than a meat-eater and uses an 11th of the oil, 1/13th of the water and 1/18th of the land. ****

ANIMAL CONSUMPTION Personally speaking, I think it’s just a habit that has me eating meat with every main meal, and I know it’s a habit I could get out of if I tried. I wanted to know more about how my fairly average diet works out in numbers, and I think these shocking statistics would probably be my main motivator, as an animal lover, to consider a vegan life…

the animal causing the animal to lose consciousness immediately. Electrical - used on sheep, calves and pigs. An electrical current is passed through the animal’s brain via a large pair of tongs, causing temporary loss of consciousness. Some systems also pass the current through the heart, so the animal is not just stunned but also killed. Gas stunning/killing - of pigs, which involves the use of gas mixtures. Pigs are exposed to high concentrations of gas (currently carbon dioxide).

The average person will chomp down on 7,000 animals during their lives. ***** An estimated 50 billion chickens are slaughtered for food every year. ****** In the last 50 years the number of people on the planet has doubled. But the amount of meat we eat has tripled. ******

SLAUGHTER We don’t like to think about how that cute wee lamb gets from the field to our plates. I know over the year’s I’ve seen some horrific and graphic videos and images online from slaughter houses and farms. There’s an argument that there are ethical and humane ways to kill animals for our consumption, but is that not just a contradiction of terms – a humane way to kill. What gives us the right really to make the choice that it’s o.k to kill a living thing? What does some research tell us?

A battery chicken lives on space smaller than your iPad. ******* Forced molting processes kill 5 to 10 percent of hens. *******

The slaughter process for large animals has two stages: *******

Stunning There are various methods available to stun larger animals, these include: • Penetrating captive bolt - used on cattle, sheep and some pigs. A gun fires a metal bolt into the brain of

Sticking After stunning the animal is shackled by a hind leg and hoisted above the ground and the slaughter person sticks the animal.

And for poultry:

There are two main methods used for the killing of poultry:

Electrical stunning • Birds are hung upside down by their legs on metal shackles along a moving conveyor belt. • They move along the production line to a stunning water bath; when the bird’s head makes contact with the water, an electrical circuit between the water bath and shackle is completed, which stuns the bird. • The conveyor belt then moves the birds to a mechanical neck cutter, which cuts the major blood vessels in the neck. • Live bird shackling causes pain, and hanging birds by their legs is stressful for them.

Gas killing • The majority of poultry (chickens, hens and turkeys) in the UK s are now killed using gas. • There are a number of different types of gas killing systems and gas mixtures that may be used. • Birds remain in their transport crates and are placed into a gas system

where they are exposed to mixtures of air and gas, until dead. This method avoids the need to handle and ‘shackle’ live birds, so has some welfare advantages. UK law states that animals must be killed, not just stunned, using this method.

YOUR CHOICE These days it’s becoming easier and easier to adopt a vegan lifestyle. So many mainstream supermarkets, restaurants and brands are offering vegan options.

So whether you think it’s for you for ethical reasons, environmental reasons, or for the health benefits, it’s definitely worth considering. Take some time to speak to other vegans who are usually happy to offer tips on how to make the adjustment. Also, research online, there is enough information on there to keep you reading for a lifetime.

Statistical Sources:

** source: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/ vegan-diet-environmental-carbon-impact *** source: https://www.culinaryschools. org/yum/vegetables/ **** source: https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/ how-going-vegan-helps-stop-climatechange/ ***** source: https://eu.usatoday.com/ story/news/nation-now/2015/03/11/meateaters-animals-lifetime/70136010/ ****** source: https://www.weforum.org/ agenda/2019/02/chart-of-the-day-this-ishow-many-animals-we-eat-each-year/ ******* source: https://www. onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/ facts-about-the-lives-of-factory-farmedanimals/ ******* source: https://www.rspca.org.uk/ adviceandwelfare/farm/slaughter/factfile