Força Vegan Magazine: issue 4

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#4

MAR 2022

FORÇA VEGAN JUSTICE FOR ANIMALS, PEOPLE & THE PLANET

M A G A Z I N E

BYC/Vegan

Uganda FC Fundraiser

Helping Animals in

Tanzania

Animal

DEFINING VEGANISM Benny Malone analyses the current definition

Justice Project

Vegan in

Cambodia

The 1st February marks the start of the Year of the Tiger. It is said that those born in the Year of the Tiger are brave, confident and ‘display great levels of willpower’. Here’s to those who go vegan in 2022.”

W EL COM E T O

CLICK TO OPEN: ISSUE #3

ISSUE #2 Hello and welcome to issue 4 of Força Vegan Online Magazine as we roll into 2022 - a new year of activism and global veganism to tuck into.

And this issue we launch our first fundraiser in a series raising funds for different grassroots vegan outreach organisations every couple of months. First up, we are fundraising for our pals at BYC/VEGAN Uganda FC (see page 42) and are looking to kit them up with fresh equipment and football jerseys, all bearing the Força Vegan logo as they cross Uganda spreading the vegan word. And every two months we’ll be supporting a different venture and reporting back in future issues.

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ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Catch up with activists from Africa & Cambodia in this issue, plus an in-depth look at the definition of veganism, reports from several vegan activists groups in the UK, some of the history of the movement including a look at the women pioneers from 70 years ago, and a host of other news and views from across the globe.

And of course we share the fabulous news that we are returning to Live Events in 2022 with the announcement of VegfestUK London Olympia on November 12th & 13th 2022. Happy Days.

Thanks once again to our fantastic contributors – it’s appreciated.

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EDITOR TIM BARFORD

DESIGNER PETE METCALFE ISSN 2634-9566

Published by VegfestUK © www.vegfest.co.uk Enquiries: info@vegfest.co.uk

The views expressed in Força Vegan Online Magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor nor VegfestUK Ltd, and neither the Editor, Design team or VegfestUK Ltd accept any liability for any matter in the magazine, nor can be held responsible for any actions taken as a result of the content of this magazine. Advertisements and paid promotional copy are accepted without implying endorsement by the editor or publishers. Paid promotional copy is marked ‘Promotion’ on the appropriate pages.

CONTENTS 20

DEFINING VEGANISM Veganism is a philosophy. This means a philosophy in the sense of ‘a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.’ – Oxford Languages definition...

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VEGFESTUK

LONDON RETURNS!

THE thrilling news that VegfestUK London returns to Olympia on November 12th 13th...

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ANIMALS OF

OUR WORLD

GEORGIA Kaczorowski & her partner Billy run Animals Of Our World & House of Strays, a Rescue/ Rehabilitation/ Rehome mission in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

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FUNDRAISING

FOR BYC / VEGAN

UGANDA FC

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SUNNY SATVA

FOUNDER OF

VEGAN AFRICA FUND

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YAOH: CELEBRATING

20 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS

VEGANISM is alive and kicking in Uganda – with a little help from vegan football club BYC/Vegan Uganda FC...

CONTENTS: CONTINUED

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THE WOMEN

PIONEERS OF THE MOVEMENT

In the fourth of the “And If You Know Your History…” blog series, Dr. Roger Yates of the Vegan Information Project takes a look at some of the women pioneers of the vegan movement.

60 HELEN BARBARA

BARBARA Helen is a singer songwriter with a passion for writing songs about animals and activism.

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GLORIA

EWOENAM

MY vegan journey began in November 2021, where I participated in a forum with the theme ‘The food we eat and its effect on the environment’. That was my first time hearing the word ‘vegan’.

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GREEN &

PLEASANT

LAND

JORDI Casamitjana, the author of the book “Ethical Vegan”, looks at how much the British landscape could be considered “vegan-friendly”.

90 VEGAN IN

CAMBODIA

72 MAJEED SUHUYINI

96

ON BEING VEGAN

IN EGYPT

CONTENTS: CONTINUED

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VEGAN RUN

ANIMAL SANCTUARIES

DO you - as I do - sometimes ponder if we get an overly rosy picture of vegan-run animal sanctuaries? Those sunny images of visitors kissing pigs ...

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MANASE LESKARY: HELPING ANIMALS

IN TANZANIA

110 JUSTICE

114 ANIMAL AID

ANIMAL Aid work tirelessly all year round for animals in the UK, with a focus on wildlife, animals used for entertainment & vivisection.

FOR ANIMALS

120 SCRAP FACTORY FARMING

124

THE Scrap Factory Farming Campaign recently took its case to the Royal Court of Justice for a review, refused by the Judge – and will now seek an appeal via the Court of Appeal.

BUILDING

LOCAL

GROUPS

THE history of animal liberation is built on victories secured by autonomous local groups...

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PETITIONS:

DO THEY

WORK?

Since the beginning of my involvement in animal advocacy, I have been aware that...

ALL AROUND

THE WORLD Forca Vegan continues its celebration of vegan events with part 4 of All Around The World. It’s inspiring to see more and more live events returning for 2022, including - we’re very excited to add - VegfestUK London 2022 on November 12th & 13th this year.

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Take a look at our humble selection of things to do [so far] this year. If you’re in a position to, we hope you can attend, or support these events in one way or another. If you can’t make it, why not share it on social media? It’s true what they say - even sharing on Facebook really does help.

The Himalayan Vegan Festival Kathmandu, Nepal; & Thimpu, Bhutan Taking place in Nepal and Bhutan September 15th – 20th, on an unrivalled scale the likes of which have never been witnessed in this part of the world.

Speakers from across the region will speak on an abundance of topics for each 3-day event, plus an abundance of plant-based options too.

Well worth the travel if you aren’t already there. www.himalayanveganfestival.org

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Vegan Camp Out 2022 Leicestershire, UK Vegan Camp Out returns once again for the UK’s biggest vegan outdoor event by some stretch.

Featuring another strong line up this year at a new venue with an additional day added too.

Keep up to speed with ticket availability (it sells out generally) and what’s fresh at the event website right here: www.vegancampout.co.uk

Global Vegfest 3 Online Global Vegfest 3 is hosted online during the weekend of March 19th & 20th, featuring a series of live panels, presentations and performances from a number of global vegan activists and influencers.

The online event is completely free to access and is available in a handy online event programme format, making the event available before, during and after the show weekend.

Previous Global Vegfests can be viewed here: Global Vegfest 1 Global Vegfest 2 Global Vegfest 3 Event Page FORCA VEGAN

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Vegan Fam Festival 2022 Larnaca, Cyprus Vegan Fam Festival is a celebration of all forms of life and an opportunity for everyone interested in a healthy zero harm lifestyle, to come together and enjoy an exciting day. ‘’Whether you are a committed vegan or vegan-curious, this festival offers you the opportunity to learn more in a relaxed and friendly setting.

Visit our seminar stage, try delicious vegan food, join a variety of cooking and wellbeing workshops, browse for ethically sourced products, enjoy live music performances and great DJ’s.’’ www.veganfamfestival.com

VeganFest 2022 Brno, Czech Republic The ninth VeganFest, which takes place from March 12th to 20th, will once again show the public that the vegan lifestyle is not only animal-friendly but also ecological and healthy.

Within VeganFest you will see a number of lectures, workshops, food stalls and non-profit organizations.

VeganFest is organized by the Brno Collective for Animals - an activist organization that strives primarily for the ethical and equal relationship of people and animals. www.veganfest.cz

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Farplace Vegan Festival Belfast, Ireland The 8th Irish Vegan Festival coming to Belfast in April 2022 in aid of Farplace Animal Rescue. ‘’We will be hosting all vegan stalls serving delicious world foods, drinks, selling quirky clothes and accessories, bags , cosmetics and fantastic campaign stalls. We will have special guest speakers to engage with you their work and views along with educational documentaries about how our food choices effect our environment, health and animal welfare.’’ www.irishveganfestival.com

Tyneside Vegan Festival Newcastle, UK Shaping up to be a fab day out in the North east of England on May 14th this year - the Tyneside Music and Vegan Festival 2022 event page is updated with all that’s happening leading up to the event and on the day.

It is going to be a fantastic day with lots of fantastic music and poetry throughout, alongside a number of fabulous stalls. www.facebook.com/ groups/186533641984463

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OLYMPIA RETURNS! THE thrilling news that VegfestUK London returns to Olympia on November 12th 13th 2022 for the UK’s biggest indoor exhibition of all things vegan was announced at Global Vegfest 2 just before Christmas 2021 after what will be an absence of 3 years by the time the gates open for a return to live events post-COVID once again.

Expect up to 400 traders with the latest in plantbased products as well as a number of animal charities, campaign groups, authors, speakers & entertainers.

And let’s not forget visitors - up to 20,000 potentially over the weekend - although organisers are advertising more like 10–12,000, what with the potential spectre of COVID still hovering.

At the centre of the event, in the prestigious (and currently redeveloping) Grand exhibition hall at Olympia, is the Art of Compassion Project Art Exhibition, featuring vegan artists from across the globe, plus some of the history of the vegan movement and a number of animal sanctuaries and campaigns groups.

Pictured: A packed Auditorium at VegfestUK London 2017.

“At the heart of the vegan movement lies the animals.

In and amongst the plethora of plant-based products and a steadily increasing influence of the ‘multinationals’ moving in on what was traditionally ‘independent’ ground, it’s important to keep the focus on the animals, whilst still reflecting the growth of plant-based products. VegfestUK London Olympia does just that’’ claim the organisers confidently.

Tickets are on sale in the autumn and the website is live for bookings in April 2022 – see www.vegfest.co.uk for updates.

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VegfestUK London returns to Olympia on November 12th 13th 2022 for the UK’s biggest indoor exhibition of all things vegan” Pictured: one of many catering operations at a previous VegfestUK London event

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CELEBRATE 20 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS YAOH Hemp Products from Bristol are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year – with a host of new products and packaging to come over the course of 2022. We caught up with the Yaoh team on their birthday to talk about 2022..

Valentines Day 2022 saw original hemp vegan company Yaoh celebrate their 20th anniversary – originally set up on February 14th 2002, Yaoh was a continuation of various hemp projects in the nineties, with a focus on hemp bodycare, seeds and oil. Yaoh Hemp Products first appeared on the shelves of ‘Wild Oats’ health food store in Bristol in early August 2002 and within 2 years, was enjoying nationwide distribution to several hundred independent health stores, co-ops, farm shops, delis, online retailers and other specialist shops. All independent -

and never to be found in the ‘multiples’ or supermarkets – indeed, Yaoh famously turned down an opportunity to stock Holland & Barrett stores in 2004.

Yaoh won its first award in 2004 for its raw vegan hemp seed snack bar at the Natural Trade Show in Brighton amongst hot competition, especially in the organic sector (Yaoh won Best New Organic Food Product) which at the time was in full flow growthmode. That show was also the time Yaoh founder Tim Barford found himself next door to original vegan pio-

Yaoh won its first award in 2004 for its raw vegan hemp seed snack bar at the Natural Trade Show in Brighton amongst hot competition” 16

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neer Arthur Ling, then in his 80s and on the Plamil stall, the original vegan company he founded in 1963, the year of Tim’s birth. Tim dedicated his award to Arthur and the work of the original pioneers, and that evening at the Awards ceremony, enjoyed an awful attempt at a vegan offering with Arthur’s son Adrian of Plamil fame – a meal which cemented a long term friendship and association in promoting all things vegan, which lasts to this day.

2003 had also seen Yaoh launch the first Bristol Vegan Fayre, a hugely successful venture on World Vegan Day November 1st which ended up running for 17 consecutive years, and saw the biggest ever crowd at a vegan event in 2012 – although by that time, Yaoh had split off to become a Limited Company and was to focus exclusively on

the hemp ranges, and VegfestUK had been born to run the events side of things.

Fast forward to 2022 and Yaoh is undergoing something of a refit with new potato bio resin lip balm cases coming in during the year, and new sugar beet bio polymer bottles for the bath products and the sun care, with the moisturisers all in glass jars. Added to that some new shampoos and shower gel fragrances, some new moisturisers and a set of new improved body butters in the autumn means a busy year ahead for Yaoh. ‘’We love Yaoh’’ says founder Tim – ‘’it’s a family business, old school, original, hemp, vegan, independent, eco-friendly and still cutting edge, and plays a special part in many people’s memories, especially the vegan community from the Naughties, of which there

Yaoh is undergoing something of a refit with new potato bioresin lip balm cases coming in during the year, and new sugar beet bio polymer bottles for the bath products and the suncare, with the moisturisers all in glass jars. are many. May Yaoh continue to thrive – although it’s no secret that small vegan independent businesses have had it very tough these last few years. We are lucky in some respects that we have a compact but dedicated fan club and committed customer base, but that’s something we never take for granted.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, and excited about the decades to come. “Hemp has grown untold since I started out on this path 30 years ago, and veganism

likewise since going vegan 40 years ago” adds Tim. “Where we will be in another 40 years, we’ll have fun finding out. No chance currently of retirement this side of 100, to be frank – at least that’s not in the plans, anyway. More hemp please.’’

Sign up for the monthly free Yaoh e-bulletin here on the www.yaoh.co.uk homepage, including news of special offers, new products, packaging updates, events and various bits of interest.

Pictured: Brand new Lip Balm flavours & a sneakpeak at the new potato bio-resin and recycled plastic packaging, launching throughout 2022

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FORCA VEGAN

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DEFINING

BY BENNY MALONE

VEGANISM Veganism is a philosophy and 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; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.

In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”

- The Vegan Society

Veganism is a philosophy.

This means a philosophy in the sense of ‘a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.’ – Oxford Languages definition.

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This is why saying you can be vegan before 6pm each day or that you ‘cheat’ on being vegan is nonsensical. It’s possible you could hold this principle at some point and then abandon it, but are people really adhering to a principle for a few days/hours a week and then abandoning it each time, only to pick it up again later? This stretches the credibility of the idea of having a principle to its limit, and it is hard to take anyone saying they were following a principle in this way seriously. What they would be following is a different principle (of Flexitarianism) rather than what we usually mean when we say someone is following the principle of being vegan. It’s more accurate to say people who are vegan are committed to following the ethical 22

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principle that it describes.

A shorter definition of veganism I use is that it is ‘a principle against the commodity status and exploitation of other animals’ in order to succinctly get this point across.

If we look again at The Vegan Society definition: “and way of living” This is the practical aspect of how we live in the world.

It shows how the attitude or principle affects and informs all of our decisions and actions. “which seeks to exclude— as far as is possible and practicable—” Avoiding as far as we are able to put into practice

(note that this is the meaning of ‘practicable’ – not ‘practical’).

This is acknowledging the concept in philosophy devised by Immanuel Kant known as ‘ought implies can’ meaning if we say someone ought to do something this implies they are capable of doing it. In other words, don’t ask people to do what is not within their power to do. I often phrase this as “vegans don’t ask anyone to do anything they aren’t doing themselves”.

It also acknowledges that putting theory into practice is easier for some areas of animal use than others.

Avoiding meat and dairy is the biggest lever we can pull to avoid animal use and avoiding other forms of an-

imal use are more difficult because they present greater dilemmas or difficulties, such as medications being tested on animals. This is simply a practical matter of the nature of the world we live in which has used animals for so long and where animal parts are ubiquitous.

The existence of ‘grey areas’ in no way justifies not avoiding the ‘black and white areas’ however.

‘mistreatment’ are certainly to be opposed as well, but they are things that compound the wrongness.

I have compared the situation we find ourselves in to Neurath’s Boat (1) ‘all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals’

‘and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.’

Exploitation is defined as ‘the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work’ and ‘the action of making use of and benefiting from resources.’

An extension of the principle, logically, to pro-actively seek alternatives to animal use. This is a hopeful sentence. There is always a better plant-based alternative, even within plant-based

This introduces a concept of fairness. By exploiting animals we are being unfair and unjust in many ways.

We are benefitting from using their bodies, exploiting their reproductive systems, families and lives as if they are ‘put here for us’ or because we have bred them into existence claiming the right to do whatever we want with them. This shows a disregard for the interests of the animal in their own wellbeing, life and familial bonds. Animals are regarded as commodities and property to be bred, traded, slaughtered or used for amusement. As Tom Regan observed, this idea of animals as resources is the root of the problem. ‘Cruelty’ and

‘for food, clothing or any other purpose;’ Food is the dietary aspect with clothing, entertainment, transport, animal testing being other common purposes of animal exploitation.

agriculture itself. It speaks to the need for constant research and innovation and of course this is usually a collaborative effort of scientists, engineers, inventors and others. This hints at the concepts of veganism being a collaborative effort. An individual and collective boycott is the exclusionary aspect but this part shows how we should be part of a systemic change, a social movement. Thinking veganism is just a ‘consumer activity’ is just as bad as thinking it is just a diet. The arguments for the benefits of a shift to a vegan system at a societal level can then be made.

In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom. Where a beam is taken away a new one must at once be put there, and for this the rest of the ship is used as support. In this way, by using the old beams and driftwood the ship can be shaped entirely anew, but only by gradual reconstruction.”

- Otto Neurath FORCA VEGAN

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Merely explaining what you think the principle of veganism is and striving for accuracy here is not gatekeeping. If people are failing to follow a vegan principle it is because they are failing to follow a vegan principle. It’s not because vegans are setting a bar too high by ‘defining’ them out of membership of a club.”

Finally, just to make it clear, the example of what the principle means in one area of practice is given.

Importance of definitions Definitions are important so that we may agree on what it is we are referring to and be sure we are even talking about the same thing. Science and philosophy pay attention to the importance of definitions for the sake of clarity and accuracy. If we want to arrive at sound conclusions and use rigorous arguments it is important to be clear on these matters.

Definitions are important for how discussions are going to be framed. There are numerous rhetorical tactics that people may employ, often in bad faith, in order to frame discussions and have them in the area they want.

The reason we say ‘veganism isn’t a diet’ is so that it isn’t framed around ‘personal choice’ from a list of menu items with no moral component.

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Framing can also reveal better and worse arguments for veganism. Even staunch defenders of trying to frame veganism as ‘just a diet’ must recognise some arguments for veganism are better than others.

For example, is disgust at the texture of some foods a good enough argument for being vegan? How would that work when it comes to advocating for veganism?

Some people may follow a plant-based diet for religious and/or spiritual reasons. But as there are many different religions in the world how could we make a general case for veganism based on just one religion when the beliefs often cancel each other out between religions? If someone is already following a religion then we can certainly point them to how others following the same religion are vegan or how it doesn’t contradict or finds support in their religion. However, this can’t be universalised for vegan advocacy. For that we need

a more universal, secular and objective-as-possible advocacy, based on facts, science and logic and more universal moral principles.

Motivations Of course there is an assumption here that people are advocating for a vegan principle and don’t have some other motivation. If they are utilitarian they may see veganism as part of a ‘suffering reduction’ rather than trying to protect or guarantee animal rights.

If we are interested in educating on animal rights, speciesism and the principle of veganism (against animal use and the view of animals as resources) then we have an interest in maintaining a good understanding of the meaning of these things and avoiding confusion. I can however see that those who are more utilitarian in outlook wouldn’t have an interest in defending these positions and hence why they try to fold veganism into Reducetarianism.

‘Gatekeeping’ Assigning false motives to vegans is a very common tactic when people don’t want to face the actual motives or try to understand the principle. Anti-vegans will say veganism is about everything except wanting to avoid animal use and slaughter. They will say vegans just want to feel superior or will explain how vegans should be advocating for a position they themselves haven’t even

convinced themselves of.

Why not have a principle of charity and give vegans the benefit of the doubt that the reason they are vegan is what the vegan is telling them? The charge of ‘gatekeeping’ is similar – why make such accusations whenever a vegan is trying to explain what they think veganism actually means?

No doubt there are some vegans who can be over zealous in their micro-management of others, but the charge of being ‘vegan police’ is overused too. Merely explaining what you think the principle of veganism is and striving for accuracy here is not gatekeeping. If people are failing to follow a vegan principle it is because they are failing to follow a vegan principle. It’s not because vegans are setting a

bar too high by ‘defining’ them out of membership of a club. The bar for actually having ‘a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour’ is being set too low. No such threshold into a change of attitude towards other animals has actually been passed.

We can’t identify what isn’t there.

Minimising the definition of veganism to just a diet is also a form of straw-man-ing.

When some people want to argue against veganism they minimise its scope and say it doesn’t cover certain areas. This is sometimes because they want to sell their version of activism that they say veganism doesn’t cover. By minimising veganism down to a diet or consumer activity they can step in and

say their activism covers these areas that the vegan pioneers were clearly clueless about until these new organisations were formed.

Quite often if they had more knowledge of the history of veganism and what some of the pioneers wrote about their vision for it and its scope they would realise it already covers much of what they say it does not.

If we want to counter this then we have to appeal to a wider definition of veganism, not a narrower one that agrees that it is just a diet or individual consumerist activity.

The areas Reducetarianism and ‘Plant-Based’ do not cover are the very ideas we want to communicate about this greater vision of a new

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Available now in all good bookstores

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relationship and attitude to other animals. Things that are just a diet fail to seek an end to the use of animals as resources on principle, fail to challenge attitudes and bigotry towards other species and fail to challenge human supremacism. Regardless of the fate of the vegan definition, the position and principle I’ll be making a case for will be that of avoiding the use of other animals as resources and trying to change attitudes. If someone persists on redefining veganism to suit themselves I will simply have to explain what I am making a case for in another way. This is unfortunate as veganism already has the history and traction that we try to draw upon in our advocacy.

Staving off misunderstandings and clarifying our principles are useful for us in defending veganism. If we want to communicate the richer version of veganism rather than the impoverished view then we must challenge any conflation with diet alone which erases all the social justice elements. Granted, it is harder to argue for moral philosophy than for changing one meal a week but you have to decide what it is you are making a case for. If it isn’t veganism, then just be honest about that. There may be terms that more accurately reflect your position that have no ethical component and don’t make a case for the same principle of freeing animals from being used by humans. If people are so adamant that veganism is ‘off-putting’ and about the

difficulty of making such a case then it is puzzling why they want to use the word vegan to describe themselves.

Loss of information Asymmetry There is an asymmetry in the loss of information incurred by different definitions of veganism. Those insisting it is just a diet don’t ‘lose’ any information if they were to just describe themselves as plant-based dieters. Those who are ‘ethical vegans’ (really ‘just’ vegans) lose information if veganism is regarded as just a diet because all the ethical arguments and the case for being vegan are outside of merely describing what you eat if this is for health or environmental reasons. So what are the costs to plant-based or ‘dietary vegans’ compared to erasing other animals from a movement to liberate them from human exploitation?

The cost to vegans of agreeing that veganism is ‘just a diet’ is to lose our best arguments in making a powerful

case for the shift in attitude that is needed towards animals, for framing the issues to our advantage rather than acquiescing to a ‘personal choice’ view and preventing misunderstandings and fallacious arguments by communicating what veganism means.

There is asymmetry also in how vegans can fully support arguments for plantbased diets for personal and public health and for the environment but those who argue purely on environmental or health grounds do not support the ethical arguments for veganism.

Insisting it is ‘only a diet’ or should only be promoted as such is different to how vegans are in a position to provide and support health and environmental arguments.

Vegans can do so without compromising or capitulating to speciesist arguments for animal exploitation. It is one thing to be a Reducetarian and provide arguments for that but another to say you promote veganism and not provide a case for being vegan. How do people who insist on veganism be-

Granted, it is harder to argue for moral philosophy than for changing one meal a week but you have to decide what it is you are making a case for. If it isn’t veganism, then just be honest about that.”

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The fallacy of grey is a good concept to have in mind here.

Just because there are grey areas doesn’t mean everything is grey. It is similar for the question of ‘where to draw the line’ as vegans.” ing ‘just a diet’ answer questions or arguments against ‘ethical veganism’ and in favour of various forms of animal use? The truth is that they don’t, either because they don’t believe in the position themselves or haven’t assimilated the arguments to counter and debunk the misinformation and arguments of anti-vegans.

How are we as vegans supposed to communicate our position if we can’t explain what we mean by veganism without being accused of being ‘purist’, ‘dogmatic’ or ‘extremist’ when we are merely stating that it is a social movement with the aim of ending animal exploitation? If there is no way we can communicate this without being accused of gatekeeping it shows that it is the message itself which is opposed. Isn’t it gatekeeping to insist veganism is just a diet when there is clearly a large body of knowledge within vegan studies that shows it encompasses so much more? One way to gatekeep would seem to be preventing a deeper understanding of veganism.

Can plant-based dieters re28

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ciprocate support by not positioning us in such a way and leaving the way open to an understanding of veganism as more than an apolitical, consumer choice?

Drawing the line Questions of line-drawing come up in thinking about which animals are sentient.

Tom Regan’s answer was that while we may not know with exact precision where to draw a line this doesn’t mean we can’t say the animals that are regularly exploited aren’t above where that line is drawn, even if it is tentatively drawn. This is because that line will be

drawn at borderline areas and so if any doubt exists, it is in these areas, not in the areas of greater certainty.

The fallacy of grey is a good concept to have in mind here. Just because there are grey areas doesn’t mean everything is grey. It is similar for the question of ‘where to draw the line’ as vegans.

We know it gets into complex areas where farming is concerned because the use of animals is so ubiquitous.

However, this doesn’t mean we can’t say with greater certainty which areas are not vegan and are far above any such areas of disputation. It is often futile to discuss such areas with those who aren’t even avoiding the areas they can. This is where non-vegans are actually acting more like vegan police. We want people to be able to use a practical working definition of veganism so they don’t suffer from paralysis of analysis. When looking at the overall pattern of environmental impacts of animal-based versus plant-based foods it is clear that plant-based have

a lower impact. This is due to use of resources being significantly lower as we move down to lower trophic levels. Consuming animals that consume plants obviously magnifies any issues with plant agriculture. We want going vegan to be as easy and accessible as possible without setting up unnecessary rules and restrictions.

So we can use a heuristic of choosing plant foods with very high levels of confidence that even the highest impact plant food has lower impact than even the ‘lowest impact’ animal-based foods.

This doesn’t mean we can’t continue to learn and improve our understanding of issues within plant agriculture. This comes after we’ve taken the most impactful step and ‘pulled the biggest lever’.

Even those who like to dispute working definitions of veganism still draw the line somewhere, or they risk the term losing all meaning and holding an extremely inconsistent position. There are obviously some actions that even these people would say for sure are not vegan.

At one end of the scale there are people who aren’t vegan and they know they aren’t vegan. On the other end there are people who say they are vegan and are definitely not intentionally consuming animal products. For my part I’m happy to acknowledge anyone who says they are vegan because I take this to mean they are following a vegan principle, as we have already defined it. Isn’t this

simpler than asking about every situation/activity/ingredient? It comes with the assumption that they are following a principle and have a certain attitude towards animals and their use. What is most surprising though is someone saying they are vegan but they aren’t following the vegan principle.

Categorical Value Tom Regan talked about inherent value being a categorical value, admitting of no degrees.

‘This criterion does not assert or imply that those who meet it have the status of subject-of-a-life to a greater or lesser degree.

One is either the subject-ofa-life, or one is not. All those who are, are so equally.’

The Case for Animal Rights (1983, page 244) Regan is talking about his criterion for moral consideration to other animals. He has correctly identified that variables can be categorical in nature and that this implies an egalitarian attitude to everyone covered by the category. Applying this to veganism we see that it is a ‘categorical value’ view that implies equality amongst those who are vegan. There are no ‘degrees’ of being vegan. There are no actual ‘Level 5 vegans’. We could say, after Regan, ‘all those who are vegan, are so equally.’

It is the Reducetarian view of veganism that introduces inequality through admit-

ting of degrees. They say people can be 90% vegan. It is also implied that ‘no-one is 100%’ vegan and this leads to arguments involving Nirvana fallacies.

Defining veganism as a ‘category value’ comes from the acknowledgement that it is a position, a set of values, a stance that people adopt. There may however be value in talking about degrees and percentages and stages but these would be more applicable to the term ‘plant-based diet’. There is no contradiction in saying someone is following a percentage of a certain diet in this sense. Indeed, we can look at the average trophic level of humanity as a whole and conclude that it is around 80%. This is clearly not the same as saying 80% of the human population are 80% of the way to adopting veganism as a philosophy. This is confusing Categorical variables with Numerical Data. We can get numerical data on what proportion of an individual or population’s diet is made up of plants versus animal based-foods. The population could be eating 99% plant-based but they might all believe that animals are commodities and are here for humans to use as we see fit. Are we meant to believe that this is 1% away from being a 100% vegan population when it doesn’t contain a single person who has a vegan position? This is why trying to absorb veganism into Reducetarianism does not work.

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Moral Offsetting Imagine veganism covers an opposition to and avoidance of 100 areas of animal use. Now imagine one person says that ‘actually veganism permits this one particular area of animal use’. Then another says it permits a different area, and so on until in effect all areas are permitted when amalgamated. If we say that each person has a valid claim in saying each area is permitted we are erasing our argument against each area and the argument for avoiding all the areas disappears.

To prevent the ‘offsetting’ of all areas against each other we need to draw a line somewhere. Why not draw the line at where the vegan principle implies?

This means the principle remains intact and serves as a guide without comprising the overall message or all the areas being undermined.

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Where people try to find loopholes or exemptions we have to ask if these are exceptions that ‘prove’ the rule. (Prove means ‘validate’ in these circumstances). We can apply a Kantian Test to acts to see if we would want everyone doing what these supposed exceptions are, in other words if these acts were to become the rule.

Things like Freeganism, consuming roadkill, and hunting wildlife do not work at population levels. Imagine the effect on wildlife if 8 billion people take up hunting.

If visiting a circus with animals is meant to be some sort of exemption we have to ask if we would want this to become a rule, or rather a principle for everyone to follow. Such exemptions can’t become a categorical imperative as far as veganism is concerned. Making a mistake or finding oneself in a compromised position may happen from time to time. But these exceptions, self defense situations and the like cannot become our

guiding principle for normal circumstances and choices we are actually faced with everyday where we aren’t faced with such dilemmas.

Consistency, Credibility, Integrity Research shows that people take activists more seriously when they show greater moral consistency. (2) (3) Anti-vegans love to point out what they see as hypocrisy.

Much of this is best countered by explaining what veganism is and countering the argument by not accepting a framing of hypocrisy or indeed calling others hypocrites. We should explain the principle and how we aim for greater consistency. Activists would often get accused of wearing leather shoes and therefore hypocrisy. But vegans can easily explain that their shoes are not animal skin and that we are merely aiming for greater consistency in avoiding more animal use. Of course,

Anti-vegans love to point out what they see as hypocrisy.

Much of this is best countered by explaining what veganism is and countering the argument by not accepting a framing of hypocrisy”

As much as people like to think non-vegans like them because they are ‘quiet vegans’ I don’t think any real respect is there and what they actually like is the silence.” ‘vegan is just a diet’ makes no claims for consistency so that is one way to escape the issue. Our own consistency and efforts in the direction of greater consistency show that we take veganism and animal interests seriously and that it is not a trivial issue. As much as people like to think non-vegans like them because they are ‘quiet vegans’ I don’t think any real respect is there and what they actually like is the silence.

In the end any definition cannot hope to fully encompass all the arguments for a position. Even in more precise and tangible subjects like mathematics and phys-

ics there are limits to how far we can define things and while some things appear to work on an everyday practical level, once we dig deeper we come across foundational paradoxes and Gödel’s incompleteness theorem and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Our language comes up against a sort of ‘tautological limit’ where as we define things in ever more basic terms we are left with circularity or an infinite regress. To terminate this we must agree on some definitions as our starting point to build larger theories and concepts. At its most basic If these are problems in ‘hard sciences’ then the situation is more difficult

in subjects like ethics. But there are also different expectations for how precise one needs to be in different subject matters and it is unfair to expect absolute accuracy in this area. What we have got is good enough as a signifier of the principle we are following and what we are aiming for. When looked at in good faith and a willingness to understand it, much can be gleaned from the definition of veganism.

Where we can hopefully agree is that a good definition of veganism should be a tool for understanding and clearing up some misconceptions. It should point to the principle that is behind all the practical outcomes. There should be little dispute about the principle which is aimed at reassessing our relationship with animals and no longer exploiting them. The beneficiaries of this understanding should be animals and the aim should be to abolish the industries and practices that use animals as resources. The definition as we have it achieves this as well as can be expected.

Benny Malone Author of How To Argue With Vegans (1) https://www.academia. edu/11084757/Neuraths_Boat_and_ Veganism (2) https://www.forbes.com/ sites/jeffmcmahon/2019/11/19/greta-is-right-study-shows-individual-climate-action-boosts-systemicchange/ (3) https://www.sierraclub.org/ sierra/yes-actually-individual-responsibility-essential-solving-climate-crisis FORCA VEGAN

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ANIMALS OF OUR WORLD

BY GEORGIA KACZOROWSKI

GEORGIA Kaczorowski & her partner Billy run Animals Of Our World & House of Strays, a Rescue/ Rehabilitation/ Rehome mission in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Animals Of Our World is an anti-speciesist animal rescue organization and UK-registered charity. A community outreach mission to sterilize and prevent future suffering whilst rescuing those struggling most along the way. We also provide FREE medical treatment and education to local poverty-stricken families to treat their sick and injured animals. We aim to make a difference in individual’s lives through rehabilitation and thousands of lives through sterilization.

Before Covid-19 our shelter ‘House Of Strays’ was sustainable through donations, our rescue bar, and our pet boarding service. We created a rescue bar for travelers to come and stop by along their travels to learn more about our essential work, how we started, what we 32

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are now doing, and most importantly what you can do on your travels to make a difference. The bar was a huge success amongst the backpacker community and it was a great way to increase our exposure and support. Then when tourism was non-existent, so was our rescue bar. Our support system dwindled away and we have struggled immensely to keep our sanctuary alive.

Small non-profit shelters everywhere will have been impacted by Covid and some will not have survived through the struggle. We’re very lucky AOOW is still here and the fight continues.

We were hoping to be moved into our new shelter by 2021, but now I think that was a very hopeful dream.

We are getting there but a build this big takes a lot of time and even more funds.

We currently have 105 rescues that we must safely care for and that requires separated areas and specialized enclosures. We would love to complete our paralyzed enclosure and our onsite hospital area in the next few months, but this is completely dependent on if we raise enough funds. After we complete the build we can finally get back to pushing funds into the community and restarting our desexing missions.

After rehoming an orphan kitten and rescuing a monkey held captive in a cage in Luang Prabang, Laos... we made our way to Cambodia.

Four kittens were rescued in the capital Phnom Penh and again we had no plan.

We bottle-fed them until they were strong and then vaccinated and desexed.

It was time to find them a

We could never in our wildest dreams have expected to open Siem Reaps FIRST animal shelter just seven months later.

We used all our travel funds to build our first shelter which we very quickly outgrew.”

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loving home and we traveled throughout Cambodia with them in search of that person. We then arrived in Siem Reap and realised that we’d be staying here longer than we’d thought. Finding a loving home was proving harder than our previous successes. Then came along Baloo the rescue dog in desperate need of help and just like that ‘House Of Strays’ was born. Those four cats and Baloo still live at our sanctuary today. Just alongside another 100+ rescues!

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Background We both grew up in Romford, Essex but Billy was born in central London.

We went to primary school together and lived on the same block. I (Georgia) have an amazingly supportive family who is very much a part of Animals Of Our World. My dog Harley Rae was the reason I turned vegan. He was the realization I needed to finally WAKE UP. The bond I share with him is different from anything

I’d ever experienced. I trusted him and he trusted me.

There was nobody I’d rather be around than my dog Harley. Understanding me in ways no humans seemed to. Veganism was then the only thing that made sense anymore. How could I eat animals when I say I’m an ‘animal’ lover? Harley would be considered food just a plane ride away. What is the difference between a dog and a pig? I couldn’t answer those questions and my whole life just changed

quite instantly. There was no gradual process, just a lightbulb moment.

I only ever dreamed of one thing as a child and that was to be a performer - not an animal rescuer! I studied musical theater my whole life and graduated with my degree just before I left for my travels. Life changed pretty quickly and I now just sing and dance to my rescues and they all must think I’m crazy!

My partner Billy was a builder living In London. He gradually made the shift from vegetarian to vegan on our animal rescue journey. His morals were always aligned with veganism but his daily choices were not. We can happily say we are 100% a vegan organization and household.

Cambodia We didn’t choose Cambodia, Cambodia’s animals chose

From day one we were exposed to human and animal suffering that we just couldn’t blindfold ourselves from. Soon our days were consumed by daily feeding strays and soon medicating them as we gained more experience.” us! We began our travels in 2017 across South East Asia and arrived in Bangkok on our one-year anniversary.

From day one we were exposed to human and animal suffering that we just couldn’t blindfold ourselves from. Soon our days were consumed by daily feeding strays and soon medicating them as we gained more experience. We visited every rescue shelter we could in every destination we traveled. In most areas, they were non-existent and the suffering was endless. We could never in our wildest dreams

have expected to open Siem Reaps FIRST animal shelter just seven months later. We used all our travel funds to build our first shelter which we very quickly outgrew.

Siem Reap (where our sanctuary is located) is incredibly vegan-friendly. We are surprisingly spoiled for vegan options and even completely vegan restaurants!

Good friends of Animals Of Our World - Vegan Food Quest - are able to point you in the right direction of the incredible plant-based food Cambodia has to offer. The

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supermarkets even stock VEGAN CHEESE these days!

We believe an understanding of Animal Rights is growing and have definitely seen a change in the mindsets of the younger generation towards cats and dogs. There is a LONG way to go before that same view is extended to chickens, pigs, cows, and so on. We hope to be a part of that education. Our most recent rescue is a chicken

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who is currently receiving treatment in hospital after being hit by a motorbike.

Ultimately his current suffering has saved his life! If he pulls through he will live out his life at our House Of Stray’s sanctuary.

We are still very much building our shelter and cannot move on to any other projects until the build is complete. Any support that we currently receive goes

towards running our shelter and continuing the build.

It’s just such a huge project and we really need as much support as possible to just get the build completed so everybody at our sanctuary is safely sheltered and happy. Having so many animals at our sanctuary we must ensure they have their separated enclosures and currently we are doing the best we can.

Learning to cope If you cannot find a way to cope, this work will slowly consume and destroy you.

It’s not for the faint-hearted and little by little, death by death, it chips away. Truthfully the only way we have learned to cope is by reaching rock bottom and realizing how unhealthy our minds and lifestyle had become. Our work is endless and physically and mentally draining. You have to find your limitations and not forget about your own needs.

I live and breathe animal rescue and despite how challenging it may be, life isn’t worth living without it. I live on-site with my partner at my sanctuary and I don’t know what a ‘day off’ means.

I cope by doing little things in my day like making sure I take my lunch break. Going to see a sunset or going for a swim when I can. Sometimes it’s just calling my mum, sister, and dad in the UK. Making time is key and I’m still useless at it. Every hands-on rescuer with a full sanctuary will know that it can be easier said than done with our unpredictable lifestyles.

There is a dark side to animal rescue where rescuers feel shame and judgment for leading a ‘normal life and having nice things.

You will always fall victim to judgment when working in this industry with expectations to slave away day and night and have nothing in order for the animals to have everything they need.

My team’s mental health is a number one priority. Without us, there is no Animals FORCA VEGAN

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Of Our World. It has taken years to reach this point and we hope we help others understand the importance of caring for yourself whilst caring for others. It is the only way you will be able to work in this industry for a long time. We are dealing with the sickest and most injured of animals and death is a huge part of the job and our lives. It’s not something that gets easier, but it’s something you unfortunately get used to through experiencing it so often.

How to support us Follow us, share our content to reach more animal lovers, volunteer with us if you’re ever in town by getting in touch with us through our social media pages/email, and of course donating towards our organization/ shelter. Your support makes what we do possible. You are an essential part of our mission.

We are a non-profit charity/ organization and rely solely on donations to make the work we do possible. It has

been incredibly difficult and nearly impossible to continue at times but there truly is no other choice than to just keep going. To not continue is to give up on what we know we can do, what we live for, and each and every one of our rescues lives.

We have recently set up a way for supporters to become monthly patrons to help us fund our sanctuary running costs. If we are able to raise enough funds to run our sanctuary on a monthly basis, we can do more in the community! We do not receive any government/ business funding or financial support from any other charities/organizations.

Our long-term plans include Increasing our community outreach all over Cambodia by holding desexing missions as regularly as possible. Completing our facilities and expanding our team to care and shelter for our rescued animals is also a hueg priority. We know that House Of Strays will always be needed even if there will hopefully be less of a need to shelter rescued cats and dogs in time. We care for many rescues with ongoing needs/disabilities such as paralysis, vision and hearing impairments, severe anxiety, and PTSD. These rescues have nowhere else to go and need to live out their lives in a peaceful and safe environment. However, we are an ANIMAL RESCUE organization that will not draw our line of compassion to just cats and dogs. We plan to eventually have a completely separate

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space for a farm sanctuary - The first one in the whole country. Our long term plan is to offer refuge to many different types of animals who will have definitely died without their rescue.

We would like to thank Kim and Victoria (Georgia’s

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mum and sister) for all the work they have put in even overseas to help Animals Of Our World. We would like to thank ALL of our supporters locally and overseas for allowing us to rescue and rehabilitate hundreds of animals that were in desperate need. We hope that you will

continue to support us to make more of a difference, until we eventually make an impact in Cambodia.

To help, visit:

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FUNDRAISING FOR

BYC/VEGAN UGANDA FC DONATE HERE

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We won 2 trophies in 2021/22 Corporate Tournaments - that’s The Vegan vibe here!!”

- Kyobe, founder of VEGAN UGANDA FC

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VEGANISM is alive and kicking in Uganda – with a little help from vegan football club BYC/Vegan Uganda FC, which fields 3 teams including a youth team and a women’s team playing football across Uganda.

Recently during Veganuary 2022 they won 2 trophies in the Corporate Uganda Tournament, bringing the vegan message to a whole new audience in the process.

Founder Kyobe has been a dynamo behind the success of the teams, and is really inspired by the results – both on and off the field. Not only are his teams growing in popularity and success, but he is also seeing more peo44

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We have 3 teams now but the mother club is BYC/ VEGAN UGANDA FC, & we have been playing against other teams as a method of raising awareness about Veganism.

With our jerseys indicating Vegan African Fund and Vegan Ug It has led to more teams joining us and them committing to do the same in other areas – and that’s why we also need jerseys for BYC/VEGAN UGANDA FC!” - Kyobe

ple attracted to the benefits of plant-based diets as a result of their participation and success in local tournaments.

Kyobe and BYC/Vegan Uganda FC have enjoyed some support from the Vegan African Fund – and now its time for Força Vegan readers and VegfestUK supporters to get behind our new fundraiser to help buy a whole load of new jerseys, flags and essential training and playing equipment to help fund Kyobe and his growing team to increase their outreach and affect change by some degree. You can imagine it’s a big ask for Kyobe to find that sort of funding and the more we can help, the more this fabulous club can grow and spread the vegan message right across the country.

Our fundraiser is active and people can either donate monthly or a one-off – all of which will go to Kyobe’s teams in Uganda.

Força Vegan will cover the expenses, transfers (well, not Messi obviously) and any taxes ensuring every penny of a donation goes to Uganda.

DONATE HERE In subsequent issues of Força Vegan, we’ll report back from Uganda with Kyobe and hopefully with some nice new football kit with Força Vegan across the front too!

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We had a successful day at our recent Corporate Tournament during January 22 - we started with cleaning on the market and the whole trading centre, and then the football with the community teams could begin.

Many of the people are interested in our work and ready to adopt the vegan lifestyle as a result, which is really encouraging.”

DONATE HERE

- Kyobe FORCA VEGAN

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SUNNY SATVA FOUNDER OF VEGAN AFRICA FUND SUNNY Satva is the founder of Vegan Africa Fund, an organisation set up to help African vegan founders access capital and a global network. Sunny believes the most important and exciting sector to invest in now is the vegan product sector and regenerative agriculture in Africa.

Sunny – hello and welcome. Where are you currently?

Spiritually, I’m at a place of peace and alignment, doing what I felt called to do. Mentally, I believe that the world is on its way to embracing compassion and veganism.

Physically, while writing this, I’m at a blockchain conference and have been in the United States for the past few months to raise awareness of the vegan community’s needs across Africa.

And what are you up to?

Busy?

I feel like I’m always in motion, and love what I do. I’m working to bridge the intersection of vegans, crypto, and Africa to create a more equitable and sustainable future. I’m currently fundraising to invest in high-growth-potential vegan businesses which are African-owned. I’m excited 48

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to deploy capital into the future leading vegan brands in Africa to scale their operations. We’re fundraising and distributing equity through our eco-friendly crypto-token “VAF.” Been vegan long?

I have been vegan for six years! It’s been quite the journey, and like most of us, the only regret I have is that I didn’t go vegan sooner.

What was your motivation for going vegan? and staying vegan?

Wow. It gets emotional for me sometimes, because I went vegan in late 2015 when a partner of mine was diagnosed with cancer. After getting a second and third opinion, we learned about the power of plants in healing disease, so went vegan together. This is when I started eating vegan for health.

I fully embraced veganism for the animal rights aspect in 2017. I was working in a research lab where we performed experiments on kangaroo rats. These beautiful animals were all killed through the experimentation process, and this was eye-opening for me. I’d never been so close to animal testing - and when I left that job, I embraced a vegan lifestyle for ethical and compassionate reasons.

The Vegan Africa Fund – tell us more.

I spent most of the past two years in Africa, where I made my first angel investments into Vegan Basket, Kenya’s first vegan protein producer located in Kilifi on the Kenya coast. After traveling and networking across Africa, I built a directory of hundreds of vegan businesses in over 25 countries, in target sectors including alternative protein,

I’m excited to deploy capital into the future leading vegan brands in Africa to scale their operations. We’re fundraising and distributing equity through our eco-friendly crypto-token “VAF.”” FORCA VEGAN

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vegan leather production, eco-packaging, and regenerative agriculture.

I sent out network surveys in early 2021 to gauge the needs of the pan-African vegan community. From vegan entrepreneurs across 12 countries, I learned that they want and are ready to scale their operations but lack the capital necessary to purchase machinery which is necessary to increase production.

I founded the Vegan Africa Fund to help African eco-entrepreneurs with amazing products and companies scale their operations. We want to see high-value products from Africa in the hands of global consumers!

10% of our fund supports impact initiatives to help more people go vegan and preserve the environment.

We’re currently fundraising for our first fund, which will allow us to invest at the seed stage in vegan businesses across our target sectors!

For a long time, they [Vegan UG Football Team] were playing in their local community and raising awareness about a vegan lifestyle.

When I learned about their mission and work, it inspired me to help increase their capacity to change their community.”

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Once we close our funding round, my focus will shift from fundraising to deploying capital into the businesses that will be leading Africa in vegan production in the decades to come.

And the Uganda Vegan Football team – amazing!

I love what Kyobe and the Vegan UG Football team do!

For a long time, they were playing in their local community and raising awareness about a vegan lifestyle.

When I learned about their mission and work, it inspired me to help increase their capacity to change their community.

Thanks to the Vegan Africa Fund’s sponsorship, now they travel to different counties in Uganda on a bi-monthly basis at a minimum to play football while spreading a vegan lifestyle.

To help them increase their travel capacity and impact, you can donate here!

What other projects are in mind?

Our focus is investing in vegan businesses with products that can be scaled for global distribution from Africa. I’m excited about vegan leather production, alternative proteins, and other high-value vegan goods. I invested in Vegan Basket in 2021 and am excited to continue working to expand their brand and capacity

to get their delicious vegan protein products into more peoples’ hands and mouths.

We also support impact that helps people across the continent go vegan! We loved supporting the VegFest Morocco and hope to support a VegFest Africa in 2022.

The UK vegan community seems to be just about waking up to the idea that veganism is global – what would you like to see especially in regards to Africa from both UK national groups and also grassroots and individuals?

Africa is of course a multi-national and multi-cultural continent, and many of its cultures have deep ties to plant-based lifestyles.

Throughout colonialism, indigineous crops were replaced with cash crops, but the plant-based lifestyle continued to thrive in many

areas. Now, many communities are working to scale production of incredible vegan products and re-popularize indigenous crops.

We’re calling on the UK and the world to invest in sustainable vegan development in Africa through VAF. Learn more: https:// veganafricafund.com We are seeing some truly fabulous groups emerging in Africa – Morocco, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda especially – where else is really beginning to boom?

I’m connected to amazing vegan entrepreneurs and communities in Zambia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa as well. Our focus is mainly on supporting sub-Saharan Africa aside from South Africa. There are so many incredible vegan founders and activists that need global support.

Above: The poster for 2021’s Veg’fest Morocco, organised by Simohamed Bouhakkaoui

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How can we help a bit more here?

gan economy is essential to bridge equity gaps and promote equality.

A lot of funding entering Africa is not going to African founders, but instead to foreign expansion efforts across the continent. Investing in African founders to support African participation in the growing ve-

We have to ask – fave vegan food? Very important!

I would love to see wealth creation from the amazing vegan production across Africa. To learn more about how to get involved, check out our pitch deck and white paper - https://vaf.one

I have to say that I love spicy food - chili, soups, and curries are delicious! I also make a lot of tacos with mushrooms, and I love to cook! Check out https://sunny.vaf.one if you’re interested in buying an e-book copy of my cookbooks.

Hopes for the future?

I am excited about the world becoming increasingly vegan. I hope that we can dismantle some of the harmful narratives about Africa, and uplift African founders who are on a mission to change the world for the better. I also hope to see a realignment in wealth distribution. I believe some of the most pressing issues facing the world - climate change, world hunger, and animal suffering - can be healed with a shift to veganism. I hope to see the world continue moving in this direction.

How can people help VAF best?

If you feel inclined to invest in our mission, join us through https://VAF.one

Check out episode 40 of The Afro Beets Podcast, featuring Sunny Satva to find out more:

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THE WOMEN PIONEERS

OF THE MOVEMENT: RARELY OUT OF THE SHADOWS

BY DR. ROGER YATES

IN the fourth of the “And If You Know Your History…” blog series, Dr. Roger Yates of the Vegan Information Project takes a look at some of the women pioneers of the vegan movement: Elsie (Sally) Shrigley, Dorothy Watson, Fay Henderson, and Eva Batt.

In the patriarchal space of Non-human Animal rights activism, the voices and contributions of the many women who helped build the movement are generally silenced or forgotten.

Abbate, Vegan Network.

Feminist

It is probably not a surprise to learn that, even in a movement with a membership dominated by women, women’s voices are the least heard. This certainly appears to be the case in the vegan animal advocacy movement.* The invisibility of some of the women pioneers of the vegan movement is so marked that Dr. Samantha Calvert, the Vegan Society’s researcher-in-residence, writing for VeggieVision TV, described Elsie Shrigley, one of the 54

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women featured in this blog entry, as a “shadowy figure” in the movement, despite her importance in the earliest years of the movement.

In August 1944, Elsie Beatrice Shrigley, often known as Sally Shrigley, joined with Donald Watson in pushing for a non-dairy section of

the Vegetarian Society. The (friendly) rejection of this proposal would lead to the formation of the vegan social movement not long afterwards. The vegetarians likely did our movement a huge favour when they said no to a non-dairy section of their organisation. We can only speculate as to wheth-

er the vegan movement’s radical vision of the future would have blossomed as it did if it remained within the umbrella of the Vegetarian Society. I’m inclined to think that would have been a constraining and limiting factor on the development of veganism.

In the third edition of The Vegan News, published in May 1945, Donald Watson reports on the formation of a temporary committee of the Vegan Society. The committee held a meeting a month earlier in April, and they began the process of expanding the concerns of the “non-dairy vegetarians” far beyond the “milk issue.”

Watson writes about the “new movement’s” aims: “It was unanimously decided that the Society, which had developed from a small group of ‘non-dairy’ vegetarians, should work for the abolition not only of all food of animal origin, but also of commodities made from animal products, in particular, those from the slaughter-house.”

Elsie Shrigley was elected as a committee member and also as a committee member of the London Vegan Group, formed in July 1945, and initially separated from the Vegan Society. Watson reports that she gave a talk at their first meeting, arguing that the vegan diet was “clean,” “humane,” and “logical.” By the time of the publication of the Spring 1946 edition of The Vegan (the first properly printed version of the magazine), Shrigley was

Pictured: Dorothy & Donald Watson

announced as the Society’s “Press and Minutes Secretary.”

Pictured: Elsie Shrigley

By 1947, Shrigley had begun a series in The Vegan magazine entitled, “Report of Food Investigations.” She concentrated on chocolate, sweets, and biscuits in the autumn edition, so she knew a good few things back then

about what makes vegans tick! Seriously, though, these were times of continued rationing and hardship after the war, so sweet stuffs must have been a great treat. Interestingly, there seems to have been no shortage of chocolate suitable for vegans in 1947. Sam Calvert says that Shrigley’s early work on products suitable for vegans provided the groundwork for the Vegan Society’s popular “Animal Free Shopper,” a small booklet many vegans took around with them, a vital resource before the age of the internet.

Shrigley was to work for the vegan movement in one capacity or another for thirty-three years until she died in 1978. She was a vegan delegate at the congresses of the International Vegetarian Union, a long-time member of the Vegan Society’s FORCA VEGAN

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given the other terms under consideration at the time, such as ‘Allvega’. ‘Dairybans’, the ‘Total Vegetarian Group’, ‘Neo-Vegetarian’, ‘Vitan’, and ‘Benevore’, it is a good thing that someone came up with ‘vegan!’” committee and, in the 1960s, was the organisation’s Deputy-President and President.

In 1967, in a warm tribute entitled “Vegan Since 1944” by “S.N.C.” (possibly Serena Coles who was a committee member of the Vegan Society at the time) Elsie Shrigley was remembered as a pioneer of the movement who was, “still playing an active part in the out-working of the idealists who first brought the society into being.” Again, emphasising the fact that the ‘second world war’ was an important factor in the lives of the vegan movement co-founders, it was noted that Shrigley acted as “leader of the street” for the Fire Guard Service.

Thanking Shrigley for her service to the vegan cause, “S.N.C.” finished with “She has reminded us that the Vegan Society was formed because of correspondence in the Vegetarian Messenger of Leslie Cross, who inspired her to become a non-dairy vegetarian.”

In the acknowledgements of Ecofeminism: Feminist Inter56

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sections with Other Animals and the Earth, edited by Carol Adams and Lori Gruen in 2014, Dorothy Morgan is credited with coining the word “vegan” by taking the first three words and the last two words of “vegetarian” and putting them together, getting married (to Donald Watson), helping “to found the Vegan Society, and [promoting] veganism as a world view and word.” There are, actually, a number of versions about how the word “vegan” came about and this one is one of the most frequently recounted. Commentators often settle on the idea that the word was coined by some combination of the Watsons and Elsie Shrigley. We may never know for sure but given the other terms under consideration at the time, such as “Allvega,” “Dairybans,” the “Total Vegetarian Group,” “Neo-Vegetarian,” “Vitan,” and “Benevore,” it is a good thing that someone came up with “vegan!”

As another “shadowy figure” in the vegan movement, it is the writing and the doings of her husband that are best

known. There’s not a lot “out there” on Dot Watson, although this story says a lot of the character of both her and Donald. In 1951, a neighbour had a glass conservatory made and, not long afterwards, birds began to crash into the glass since they could not see it. On one occasion, a barely-alive female blackbird was found.

She had collided with a pane of glass and was lying with one eye hanging out of its socket. Even though they thought it may be the best thing to do, neither Dorothy or Donald could bring themselves to kill the bird. They left her with some water in a greenhouse overnight, expecting her to die. However, she was well the next day, her eye luckily having “popped back” into place.

They happily released her.

Two days later, Dorothy Watson was in their yard and she claims that a blackbird flew by her, dipping in flight, which she took to be a “thank you” message.

Pictured: ‘Vegan Recipes’ by Fay K Henderson

Fay Henderson was much more visible in the vegan movement than Watson.

For example, she wrote literature for the Vegan Society, served as a vice-president, and toured Britain and Ireland giving lectures and cooking demonstrations. Sociologist Matthew Cole suggests that Fay Henderson was a prime mover in pioneering a “consciousness raising model for vegan activism,” putting the emphasis on education. To that end, in 1947, she wrote: “It is our duty to recognise the obligation we owe to these creatures and to understand all that is involved in the consumption and use of their live and dead products. Only thus shall we be properly equipped to decide our own attitude to the question and explain the case to others who may be interested but who have not given the matter serious thought.”

In the Winter 1948 edition of The Vegan, Henderson wrote a piece entitled, “You Have Been Warned.” She was responding to a dire warning emanating from the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations on the “food problem,” which can be summarised by this ominous line: “The whole human race is rumbling to destruction.”

(Sounds familiar, somehow, doesn’t it?) Indeed, with the advent of groups such as Extinction Rebellion (XR), her words seem incredibly relevant right now. For example, she talks about food security issues, the transfer

Pictured: Mrs Fay K. Henderson

of feed to “livestock” rather that providing food directly to humans, and says this: “The solution to this problem lies in the homes of the people as in the organisation of Governments,” which is a lesson XR may have to learn quickly.

A crucial part of the solution to the “food problem,” from a vegan point of view, is to eliminate “dairy and stock farming,” which Henderson declares unnecessary, ex-

travagant, and cruel. Here, she turns to a concern of many of the vegan movement pioneers – the state of the soil, involving the “art of cultivating the soil.” She concludes by saying: “Give-and-take is a good rule in all phases of life, and it especially applies to our relationship with the soil.”

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a pioneer of organic agriculture. She had travelled to meet him in his “war-time home,” and paid tribute to him in the pages of The Vegan after his death for his belief that food needs to be grown in healthy, naturally balanced, soil.

Eva Batt also talked a good deal about the soil, both in terms of its “correct balance,” and in terms of its conservation as part of the “correct long-term use of the land.”

Batt was concerned that her generation of vegans needed to ensure that they protect the soil to “hand it over” to the next generation as a valuable heritage that was not, “eroded, scorched, or leached of the essential minerals so necessary for a full and healthy life.” Little did she know that we are more ignorant of such a priority than her generation, and act as if we couldn’t care less for much else than consuming things.

Pictured: Eva Batt

Pictured: Cookery Books

by Eva Batt

More generally, she talked about releasing humanity from animal husbandry which would result in a country such as Britain becoming a net exporter of foodstuffs. She wrote: “Think what this could mean to the “underdeveloped” (another term for starving) peoples of this world and what a contribution it would make towards world peace!”

And said: “Aside from immediate effects, vegans consider this way of life to be no less than a duty to future generations. It will take many ages at the present rate of progress to undo all the results of past wrongs, if indeed this is ever possible; but whatever our actions, it is our heirs even more than we who will reap the results (good or bad) of what we do today, tomorrow, and the next day, un-

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til we leave them—what? A desert, a conflagration, or a garden of plenty?”

In 1964, in a pamphlet entitled “Why Veganism?” Eva Batt wrote what remains as one of the most powerful assertions of vegan values when she stated that: “Veganism is one thing and one thing only—a way of living which avoids exploitation whether it be of our fellow men, the animal population, or the soil upon which we all rely for our very existence.”

In 1965, she wrote as the Honorary Secretary of the Vegan Society to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in London which was considering recommendations and regulations for food labelling. The letter was effectively a list of demands that would radically shake up the food industries. For example, Batt argued that, “The word ‘milk’

should be used in its technical sense, i.e., as a term for an emulsified liquid as in vegetable milk, coconut milk, latex milk, etc., etc., and not used to necessarily denote “cow’s milk only.” She goes on: “Butter likewise should be referred to as either “nut butter” or “cow butter.”

Cow butter! I tend to call cow milk, “calf food,” because that’s what it is, but even the term “cow milk” can cause raised eyebrows during vegan education outreach events. I must remember to talk about cow butter.

Another brilliant labelling demand was this: “All food containing animal milk or cream, cow butter or cheese made from animal milk, should clearly state this on the label.

All foods containing eggs, whether or not intensively produced, should be clearly marked.”

It will surprise no-one reading this to learn that these vegan demands were never met! Incidentally, I emphasised the words, “whether or not intensively produced,” to underline how much the

vegan pioneers into the 1960s were on board with Leslie Cross’ declaration a decade earlier that veganism is not so much about welfare but about liberation.

The role and the hard work of the women pioneers was clearly as important as that of the men. In practical terms, perhaps moreso, given that it was the women who were invariably given the job of researching the foods suitable for vegans, and managing and running cookery demonstrations, but that’s hardly an enlightened part of vegan history, and it pains the feminist ally in me to say it.

The fact that it’s harder to find the evidence of the contribution of women pioneers should concern us, especially due to the fact that male voices continue to be loudest in 21st century vegan animal advocacy. It perhaps should also be rather obvious that, thus far, this series has told a very white and probably very middle class story. The fact that this problem persists should also concern us moving forward.

Veganism is one thing and one thing only—a way of living which avoids exploitation whether it be of our fellow men, the animal population, or the soil upon which we all rely for our very existence.”

- Eva Batt, 1964

*The late 1970s and early 1980s seemed to be a time when women were more prominent in the movement. In Britain, for example, Paddy Broughton and Margaret Manzoni managed the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection).

Angela Walder was their scientific adviser. Jean Pink founded Animal Aid, and Juliet Gellatley was and is a prime mover in VIVA! (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals).

Jan Creamer founded ADI (Animals Defenders International) and she worked for the NAVS (National Anti-Vivisection Society – Louise Wallis was the NAVs Regional Campaigns Officer in the 1980s before moving to the Vegan Society where she initiated the annual World Vegan Day).

Muriel, the Lady Dowding, was a co-founder of Beauty Without Cruelty and active in the Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research, while Rebecca Hall published Voiceless Victims. Ingrid Newkirk co-founded PeTA and, in Ireland, Bernie Wright and Nuala Donlon were among the co-founders of AFAR (Alliance for Animal Rights).

Sources The Vegan News. (May 1945).

The Vegan. (Spring 1946).

The Vegan. (Autumn 1947).

The Vegan. (Winter 1947).

The Vegan. (Winter 1948).

The Vegan. (Summer 1967).

“In Search of Sally – the Lesser Known Founder of the Vegan Society with Donald Watson,” Sam Calvert. VeggieVision TV http:// www.veggievision.tv/2016/04/27/insearch-of-sally-2/ Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth.

Carol Adams & Lori Gruen (eds) 2014. “‘The Greatest Cause of Earth’: The Historical Formation of Veganism as an Ethical Practice.” Matthew Cole, in The Rise of Critical Animal Studies: From the Margins to the Centre. Nik Taylor & Richard Twine (eds) 2014.

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BARBARA HELEN ANIMAL RIGHTS MUSIC BARBARA Helen is a singer songwriter with a passion for writing songs about animals and activism. Vegan for near on a decade, Barbara released her 2nd album during Lockdown and is back in the studio this spring to record some more.

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Helping to raise awareness of Animal Rights helps me to cope with my feelings.”

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into an unmotivated fog.

However, they’re still a creative time for me. Animal Rights and Environmental issues are always on my mind, they don’t go away.

Barbara hello! Are you back to live gigs again?

Hello - and yes, still mainly performing online vegan events but so good to start sharing with a live audience again. I performed a set of my songs inspired by vegan living and environmental issues at Shanti, a local vegan bistro, just before Christmas.

The feedback was wonderful, people sharing how much they had missed the thrill of live performances.

I’m looking forward to performing at the Tyneside Vegan Festival on 14th May. Nothing beats performing live, I love it.

Have the lockdowns been creative periods for you?

Or frustrating? Or both?

I live by the sea and woods, so I’m able to get out for walks daily with Scout, our lovely companion dog, walking is a great stress buster, a time to reflect and process my thoughts and feelings.

As I walk I often start developing ideas for songs and am able to jot them down on my phone and work on them later. I recorded my second album during the last lockdown, “One Voice” in our studio at home. My husband Les is the perfectionist sound technician.

Lockdown was a mix of highs and lows, as for most people, it was easy to drift

The frustration for me was the cut back in street outreach activity and spending time with “vegan family”.

I feel that as vegans, in a non-vegan world, we are constantly in a state of “grief” by being thrust into the grief cycle once you make the connection. I do suffer with depression and can find myself getting extremely down about the state of our world and how we treat non-human animals and each other. So on one level my song writing helps me keep my head above water, by feeling that I’m expressing my feelings in a positive way.

Helping to raise awareness of Animal Rights helps me to cope with my feelings.

What new material have you released recently?

I’ve released a single, “One Voice For Regan” and an accompanying video, on YouTube, produced by Shaun Monson in memory of the Save Movement Acitivist, Regan Russell, who was tragically killed whilst bearing witness. Also the 12 track Album, “One Voice” the follow up to my first album, “Vegan Eyes”. All available on Soundcloud and Bandcamp, or on a CD. I currently have the songs written for my next CD and will start recording this in the Spring. Any new material I like to put up as a live performance on my YouTube channel. Creating new songs is an ongoing process, there is so much I feel need saying.

Pictured: Ba 62

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rbara’s seco nd album ‘O ne Voice’

Anita Krajnc, founder of the Animal Save Movement, asked me to write a song on the first year memori-

I’ve released a single, “One Voice For Regan” and an accompanying video, on YouTube, produced

by Shaun Monson in memory of the Save Movement Acitivist, Regan Russell”

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al of Regan Russell, hence the song “One Voice for Regan” was written, very much from the heart. Anita and her climate save team launched the amazing Plant Based Treaty and asked me to write a song for the campaign. My song, “Endorse the Plant Based Treaty” is available on Spotify and Bandcamp. Also the song, “Live Kindly, Tread Lightly, Live Vegan” came about due to being asked to compose a song to play at Animal Saves. I’m always happy, honoured and inspired to offer my services and help out with any Animal Rights and environmental organisations.

What’s your views on Veganuary?

Veganuary is brilliant! A great resource of online information, inspiration, recipes and more. The figures speak for themselves, and a lot of people in the UK became vegan or started eating a plant-based diet after undertaking Veganuary 2021. It’s good to see so many plant-based alternatives available in shops.

Vegan food is being normalised. It’s great seeing plant milks in chains and independent coffee shops, I remember having to take my own plant milk with me and some chains are stopping the extra charge on plant milk too. For me, being vegan is for the animals, and the positive side effects of being vegan can be better for health and certainly better for the planet aswell.

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And all the mainstream plant-based options available? Even KFC these days.

There are many differing opinions from vegans on the plant based options offered by places such as KFC and the Burger joints. Some of these products are endorsed by The Vegan Society. I have considered the arguments for and against.

There are many ethical factors to consider, as well as being aware of big companies greenwashing and

cashing in on the vegan wave. However, there is change and that’s the most positive aspect of plantbased options in fast food places.

As I said earlier, about being vegan and feeling as though we are in a constant cycle of grief, anger is part of this process, very rightly so. There’s a lot to be angry about - we are surrounded by casual cruelty and apathy, sight, sound and smell, 24/7. I overheard a conversation in a vegan cafe the

other day, the gist of being how they were mainly vegan but sometimes couldn’t resist that bacon or sausage sandwich. I felt my blood pressure rise, then remembered to pick my battles. Had I been drawn into the conversation, I’d have shared my views, that being vegan is all about the animals and justice, not our tastebuds being worth more than a life. Having said this, I know first hand the power of words and how they can wound and hurt, so I try to be mindful of this with any interaction.

It’s not so long ago it seemed outrageous to some that Greggs were selling a vegan sausage roll, laughable even.

Personally I don’t frequent fast food places, it’s never been in my sphere as I grew up. If I eat out, I love to frequent independent vegan places. I’m fortunate enough to have the time to cook at home. Having a plant meal at a fast food place could be the start of someone’s vegan journey. Food has so much social, emotional and cultural significance, so any change towards plant-based is a good step forward.

Musicians, performers, festivals, events – we’ve all taken a big hit.

Yes it’s really sad to hear the personal stories of those affected on many levels by the pandemic. The livelihoods of musicians, festival performers, sanctuaries that rely on income from festivals, organisers and stallholders have all been hit really hard. They need our support now more than ever. I feel sad for anyone affected in any detrimental way by the pandemic. Personally, I’m fortunate that Im able to mainly perform and write songs on a voluntary basis, especially if the event raises money for animals and environmental causes, I’d rather any profit went to them. It’s great to see vegan events happening online, like the Global Vegfest and seeing plans for VegfestUK London 2022 in the autumn. Vegan Camp Out in the summer is a wonderful event that’s grown so much and I would love to have the opportunity to perform my songs there.

Can we really get to a vegan world? So many more animals seem to be killed every year across the globe.

I’m in the midst of reading Ed Winters book, “This Is Vegan Propaganda”, the facts and figures he quotes are staggering and hit hard.

Each statistic is one individual beings life. I believe we can have a vegan world.

It’s the only way we will be able to survive as a species.

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As an activist it’s all about doing what you can, doing what you feel you’re good at to raise awareness”

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So if we don’t choose to end animal agriculture, because we recognise the injustice of what we are doing to non-human animals, then the decision will be made for us as to whether we survive on this planet. I believe that in the future we will look back and be horrified by our treatment of non-human animals and our behaviour. In my lifetime, animal circus’s, performing dolphins and whales, all once seen as legitimate entertainment, are now viewed as shameful.

What motivates you?

When standing up and speaking out for Animal Rights I’m motivated by a sense of what is right and what is wrong. It’s a feeling, a motivation to just “do something”. As an activist it’s all about doing what you can, doing what you feel you’re good at to raise awareness, be it wearing a slogan tee shirt, street outreach, social media posts, or writing a song. I’ve always expressed my feelings in music and songwriting since I first picked up a guitar when I was 14. I’m selftaught and never mastered reading music. So, when I made the connection nine years ago and became vegan, expressing those feelings of, stepping out of the matrix, being vegan in a non-vegan world, feelings of anger, depression, injustice, needed to be expressed and they are in my songs. Artivism, is a gift. My songs come from the heart, for example, I wrote, “ I Saw You” and “Witness” after attending Animal Save vigils. These

feelings so needed to be expressed, sharing them offers others who feel the same to feel their emotions are validated.

Post Traumatic Stress can be suffered due to animal rights activism, we are “the glass walls”. We see, hear, smell, and feel things that are the stuff of nightmares and that stays with you in your mind always. I’m driven by wanting to shine my vegan light as brightly as possible, be it in a supermarket by what I’m purchasing, by what I wear, by what I post on social media, by getting out onto the streets with outreach and information on Animal Rights, by the way I live my life and through performing and sharing my songs.

Who has impressed you recently in the vegan arts circles?

I’m loving Ed’s book mentioned before - “This Is Vegan Propaganda”. His way with words offer so many light bulb moments. And I do love what Vegan Sidekick does and follow his vegan comic strip - simple, genius and effective.

What are your favourite animal charities and why?

Sandra Higgins, Go Vegan World. Her poster campaigns are groundbreaking and really hit home. Also the work she and her team do at Eden Sanctuary are so wonderful. I love what Victoria Bryceson and Miracles Mission do to re-home dogs and

cats that have limbs missing and paralysis, as well as ongoing catch, neuter and release. Viva!, Juliet Gellatley and her team have undertaken groundbreaking campaigns and exposed the horrors of Factory Farming and Emerging Zoonotic diseases to name just a couple of their recent successes.

Who are some of your favuorite musicians?

I never tire of listening to Joni Mitchell, Martin Taylor, The Eagles, Crowded House, Talking Heads, Neil Young.

Any well known musician who is vegan and promoting vegan ethics is going to reach and influence a huge amount of people, such as Billie Eilish and Moby, so all vegan musicians are my fave. Vegan Queen V is recording her amazing songs to an album at the moment. I look forward to hearing that.

Mobius Loop are inspiring musicians, songwriters and beautiful people who really walk the walk. Anyone who has the courage to bare their soul and express and shares their feelings artistically.

And finally I have to ask – what’s your favourite vegan meal?!

I love a Buddha Bowl! The more of a mix of fruit and veg together, and tangy dressings, the better.

Check out Barbara’s music: YouTube Soundcloud Bandcamp FORCA VEGAN

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VEGAN EDUCATION IN

GHANA

BY GLORIA EWOENAM

MY vegan journey began in November 2021, where I participated in a forum with the theme ‘The food we eat and its effect on the environment’. That was my first time hearing the word ‘vegan’. I’d heard of ‘vegetarian’ but never ‘vegan’.

I am passionate about herbal remedies in relation to my health so when I got the message that our way of eating (non-vegan eating) is a major cause of global warming, I was a little perplexed.

I had always thought fossil fuels were rather the major cause.

There, my curiosity and desire to know more about this group of people (vegans) began. Fortunately for me, I had a friend who I met from a beach clean-up who is vegan. In fact, I disturbed him with most of my questions.

He told me about how sentient non-humans are. And truthfully, that was my first time hearing the word ‘sentient’ too. Then, memories of my childhood dawned on me.

Growing up in Anfoega (Volta Region), my mother used to rear goats, and I was 68

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given one of the females as a gift. She became my friend and I always wanted her around me, even though my mom was always complaining that I limit contact with her because I may attract certain diseases from her.

One afternoon when I got back from JHS (high school), mom broke the news to me that my friend had died and I cried. Mom dug a hole and we buried her.

Whenever a female goat gives birth, my mom will specially prepare soup for her, saying that she needs it.

Yet, anytime the male goat grows, it will be used for pepper soup. Little did my mom and I know the connection we have with the goats.

So connecting my past with the new information of veganism, I gave up meat. But

at that point I did not connect with the vegan philosophy, so I was still taking in fish and products from non-humans.

Then on Monday 3rd of January 2022, I decided to go vegan after coming across a beautiful young soul (Genesis Butler) fighting for animal rights. To be frank, I was inspired by her selfless dedication towards saving non-humans. And I have been vegan ever since. I am a vegan.

It has been easy with me because I have really connected with my past and one of the things I cannot stand is torture. And one of my beliefs is that, when it is of great importance, we will always find a way.

My sister was always questioning me anytime I was eating. she would ask “so

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where is the protein in your meal?” But I had already researched on the plant-based sources of protein so I was always eating a balanced meal. She always ended up giggling about it but I never let that discourage me because I know the intensity of my decision.

My greatest source of motivation is my belief which is; if it is of uttermost importance to you, you will always find a way. My second motivation is Genesis Butler and ‘unapologeticvegtino’ and my last motivation is all vegans worldwide.

Life in Ghana I am currently a final-year undergraduate student studying a single major in information studies at the university of Ghana.

I love places of nature. So I mostly visit the school’s botanical gardens or the beach. I enjoy volunteering for services towards humanity and the environment.

My typical day these days as there are no academic activities due to the ongoing strike of the university lecturers, I do my meditation, prepare my meal, eat, step outside and visit social media pages of vegans. And of course participate in any voluntary activities if there are any.

Often, I find myself eating rice, banku, waakye and yam with vegetable stew, peanut butter soup, and beans stew.

My message to other vegans around the world is they should always remember their “why” and let that keep them going. Comments from people are their opinions and that should not discourage us.”

From my perspective, it’s dispiriting knowing that the educational system of my country does not favour the youth. It is a means of increasing the unemployment level. Consequently there is little or no desire from the youth of Ghana to take action in voluntary services, to learn, and unlearn certain skills which will develop us personally and collectively.

As to whether Ghana has seen a growth in vegan food - i will say it’s currently a 4 on a scale of 10. There is an increase in the level of plantbased diets due to the level of disease of most patients.

The knowledge of vegan food is there but people are just not ready to accept it.

If I could choose one thing that would help the growth of veganism in Ghana from my perspective it is education. Most people are not aware of what veganism is.

The myths about veganism need to be cleared and that can only be done through desensitization and allowing non-vegans to ask all the questions they have in order to clear those doubts and misconceptions.

My message to other vegans around the world is they should always remember their “why” and let that keep them going. Comments from people are their opinions and that should not discourage us.

Vegan Events in Ghana So far, I have participated in one of the events and that was the world vegan chalking event. It was productive, as it prompted people to wonder and question what the event and veganism in general is all about. The more events like this there are, the more we’ll create more awareness about veganism.

There is hope for the future.

Our daily collective efforts as vegans is spreading the message of veganism. And soon, veganism will be the new normal.

Thank you for such a great opportunity to share my story. This means a lot to me and I am very grateful.

By Gloria Ewoenam Animal Rights activist FORCA VEGAN

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MAJEED SUHUYINI A TRAVEL FREAK, ACTOR & VEGAN FOOD LOVER MAJEED Suhuyini is a vegan activist in Accra, Ghana.

An actor, filmmaker, model and Ghanaian travel guide, offering his services under the name ‘A Travel Freak’. We caught up with Majeed and spoke about life, vegan food and the state of veganism in Ghana in 2022.

Majeed How is Ghana right now?

Ghana is great. The harmattan is very challenging this year but climate change right?

Is vegan food increasing in Accra?

Just few days ago I had a box full of vegan cakes, donuts, cookies, cupcakes and all. I’m not a sweet tooth, but lord they were delicious!

Haha. So that alone tells me that vegan food is becoming a thing in Accra. Now a couple of the restaurants are beginning to include vegan options in their menus. And the number of vegan restaurants is slowly increasing, compared to the past 5 years. So yes vegan food is on the rise I think.

What began your vegan journey?

Questions, Compassion, Curiosity… you know. I come from the Northern part of 72

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Ghana where meat is very cheap, from a Muslim family which means our food is heavily meaty and traditionally my family are butchers.

So that is almost impossible for someone like me to be vegan. But I just started asking myself questions.

And ever since I have been a child I have always had a curious mind.

So imagine as a child your parents bring a goat home, and you were the ones to take care of the goat. Feed it food, water, take it around, and as playful as you are as a child, you create a bond with that animal, to some extent you don’t even have to leash it anymore but it still follows you around, as a friend. Then one morning you wake up and the animal is not there anymore. They serve you food and on top of the food is the flesh of your friend, the very same friend you were running around with just yesterday. So that was when I knew there is something up with what I was eating.

Easy to change?

Easy peasy. I mean I’m an OG now what do you expect hahaha.

Are you an actor?

Yes. I love acting, it satisfies my curious mind, and just the idea of playing different characters intrigues me a lot.

You’re a filmmaker too?

Yes. I started filmmaking along my journey when I realized I had a lot of personal stories to tell, so I had to share my own voice with the camera to tell those stories.

Modeling?

A: So I started modeling in my early days but then my conscience wouldn’t let me do a lot of the commercials that came my way because they were non-vegan products. So I don’t do a lot of commercials these days, al-

I hope in the near future a lot of people become more compassionate.

You know it all starts with compassion.”

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Waakye is spiritual. I eat a lot of Waakye. Waakye is a kind of rice and beans dish in Ghana, for those who don’t know. Although on some days, I replace it with Kenkey. Another favorite dish of mine.

Is the film industry changing in Ghana? As in more eco-friendly, more progressive?

Not quite. I think as of now, there are just a handful of filmmakers who are conscious about the environment. I would say there are a few people that I don’t know yet haha, but just few days ago another filmmaker sent me a script to review which was about deforestation. A beautiful script and I was really impressed with him trying to tell such a story.

But to be honest, it is not as progressive as it should be.

I hope to bring the change with my works.

though I just finished shooting for one a week ago.

Hahaha a network cable commercial though. Runway modeling? I have never done any, but I am not shying away from it.

What’s a typical day like for Majeed these days?

Meditate, write scripts, or be on set, or travelling. I travel a lot. I actually run a travel company called “A Travel Freak” which is a vegan travel guide for people who wants to see Ghana. The 74

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website www.atravelfreak. com is going to be up soon to help guide vegan travelers around especially in Africa. So book me as your vegan tour guide if you look forward to coming to Africa, Ghana. So yes, my typical day is basically writing, filming or exploring.

And what do you find yourself eating lots of?

Ooo…. I eat a lot, I love food, I mean who doesn’t right?

Hahaha but yeah Waakye is my all-time favorite.

How would you see the spread of veganism change pace and speed up considerably in Ghana? What would be the ‘magic wand’ wish that would help the growth of veganism?

Oh I’d love to see vegan products on our billboards, on our local TVs, a lot of vegan options in our local restaurants… You know, in a nutshell, just normalize veganism here and make it even more accessible for people who want to transition. You know the main principle of veganism is beyond health, but a healthy

lifestyle is mostly associated with being a vegan. Which to some extent is true. So personally the ‘magic wand’ I would say is a healthy lifestyle. According to my interactions with non-vegans, a lot of them are interested in the healthy aspect. A lot of people won’t even have a conversation with you when you talk about the pain of the animals they eat, and why? Guilt! But when you bring up how healthy a vegan lifestyle can be, then they become interested and start asking questions.

The vegan community in the UK is beginning to switch on to the growth of veganism especially in Africa and in Asia.

What’s your message to vegans in the UK?

like that start spreading through Ghana do you think?

What are they like? Informative, educative and free vegan food! Hahaha. And yes I do believe with the right funding, his events can actually make a greater impact in the Ghanaian society. I mean it is already making an impact but I personally hope it gets to a ‘Vegandale’ kind of level. Which is very possible with the right funding. But generally, he is doing the best with what little resources he has.

Hope for the future?

I hope in the near future a lot of people become more compassionate. You know it all starts with compassion.

The more compassionate you are, the more questions you ask about your environment, about what you eat or let me say in most cases WHO you eat. I hope for a more compassionate future.

Check out Majeed’s travel website, soon to launch: www.atravelfreak.com

Vegans in the UK? Ay look, you guys should try as much as you can and come to Africa, Ghana to be precise.

There’s a lot of natural vegan goodies here, all manner of fruits to vegetables right from the farms. I know you guys do have more vegan alternatives, it’s almost like every month there is a new vegan product in the UK. That is not fair on us haha! Just kidding. But yeah, you guys should look at coming to Ghana.

Hit me up when you want to come @a_travel_freak, I would be more than glad to take your around.

And of course you’re at Tivai’s vibrant vegan events – what are they like? And will events FORCA VEGAN

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BY JORDI CASAMITJANA JORDI Casamitjana, the author of the book “Ethical Vegan”, looks at how much the British landscape could be considered “vegan-friendly”.

I remember well the first time I travelled through the British Islands.

When I emigrated to the UK in the early 90s, I went straight to London — as most immigrants do. Because I could not speak English, I survived the first months doing very low paid jobs.

But I did not give up trying to find work as a Zoologist, so in addition to sending many letters to any potential employers I could think of, I decided that I would hitchhike through the British Islands trying to find a suitable job for me. The reason I chose hitchhiking was mostly economical, but it also forced me to have conversations — in my broken English — with whoever was trusting enough to offer me a lift. I thought that would be far more effective than just 76

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sending letters that would never get any reply.

I asked every driver whether they knew anybody that would need a Zoologist like me. And, as you can imagine, most of the time the answer was “no”. However, eventually, after having hitchhiked through most of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, someone in Cornwall answered “yes” — and this is how I ended up working at The Monkey Sanctuary in Looe and settling in the UK for good.

But one of the interesting things that my hitchhiking adventures provided me with was the opportunity to see up close the different shapes and colours of the “green and pleasant land” the British countryside is traditionally described as.

Having grown up in the relatively arid Iberian Peninsula and under a very heated fascist regime, my experience of the British Islands were totally aligned with this stereotypical description.

From what I saw, it did look pleasant and definitively looked green. That was one major appeal for me, so I did my best to find ways to stay, rather than moving to the next country if things did not turn out as I expected — as I had been doing so far.

At that time, I knew very little of foxhunting and shooting, and how these fraternities had ruined these islands and stripped the “pleasant” attribute that only some outsiders still maintained — and by ‘outsiders’ I mean humans, horses and dogs that had not evolved in these islands as foxes, hares, deer

If we were to tell the representatives of the non-human animal communities living in the British Islands that veganism is growing and now the UK is one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world, they would look at us with perplexity and disbelief.”

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and badgers had done. Neither did I have any idea of who owned the fields and meadows I was occasionally sleeping on. Some of them looked a bit wild but then, in the morning, an intimidating herd of cows would approach and disabuse me of that idea. Not even today, many decades later, have I a good enough knowledge of who owns Britain. And I would like to know how many of those who own a bit of it use their land to grow proper food and sequester carbon — instead of destroying habitats, polluting water, heating the air and causing a huge amount of suffering.

In other words, how much British land is owned by vegan-friendly landowners?

This article is my attempt to answer this question.

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People own land The fact that the land you normally see is owned by people is something you probably take for granted, but for me, that was a relative surprise. I knew that buildings and crops were owned by proprietors and farmers, of course, but I assumed that the bits that looked “wildish” were either owned by local governments, the State, or nobody. I assumed that wild animals were “free” animals not owned by anyone. How wrong I was! In many places, and heavily populated islands such as Great Britain in particular, each individual wild animal is owned by whoever owns the land that animal happens to be on. And most of the land is owned by a person, a family, a corpora-

tion, or an institution (all of them composed of people). I was shocked I was allowed to walk through most of the country not because I was a free human that I could go anywhere I wanted, but because landowners were giving me “permission” to do so, as long as I used, exclusively, the very few paths legislators had forced them to make available to pedestrians (the famous Right of Way paths, which are not, by any means, common in most countries).

Who are these landowners? Are they “anyone”, or a very particular set of “someones”? I found some data from Guy Shrubsole, author of the 2017 book Who Owns England. It seems that half of England is owned only by less than 1% of the pop-

ulation. About 25,000 landowners have control of half of the country’s land. According to this source, 30% is owned by the aristocracy and the gentry, 18% by corporations, 17% by oligarchs and city bankers, 8.5% by the public sector, 5% by homeowners, 2% by conservation charities, 1.4% by the Crown and the Royal family, and 0.5% by the Church of England. About 17% of the land is undeclared at the Land Registry, so it may be owned by some of these too.

Some of the privileged people identified as owning much more land than the average Briton — a huge amount more — are the Duke of Buccleuch (who owns the Boughton Estate in Northamptonshire), the Duke of Bedford (who owns the Woburn estate in Bedford-

shire), the Duke of Beaufort (who owns the Badminton estate in Gloucestershire), and businessperson James Dyson (who owns several large grouse moor estates).

And by the nature of their titles, these are, as you might expect, mostly upper-class white males. I never met any of them, but they don’t strike me as very vegan-friendly landowners to me.

As far as institutions or corporations are concerned, when in 2018 I tried to find which one owns more land, I identified The Forestry Commission as number one. This is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. It’s Brit-

ain’s largest land manager, leasing 208,895 acres of the 2.5 million acres in its care.

If all local authorities were part of a single institution, that would possibly be the second largest, which would total about 1 million acres. But they don’t, so the number two prize goes to the National Trust, with 620,000 acres of land and 780 miles of coast. This is a charity founded in 1895 for the purpose of heritage conservation in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The third prize would go to the Ministry of Defence, which owns about 593,000 acres, more than two-thirds of which are considered to be “rural estate” held solely to train the armed forces.

If all pension funds were a single institution they would

This painting is poignantlyFORCA called ‘The 79 Death’ VEGAN

get the fourth prize, and the fifth would go to all utility companies that provide water, electricity, and transport (i.e. railways). If we don’t count them, though, then the fourth prize would go to The Crown Estate — which, as you know, tends to choose one person, and one person only, as the wearer of its precious crown. The Royals can use about 358,000 acres without fear of being accused of trespassing. And the legitimate fifth prize goes to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), with its 200 nature reserves covering about 321,237 acres of British land.

The next one size-wise would be the already mentioned Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry with 240,000 acres, who beat all the UK “peasants” who, had they all 80

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been running a co-operative under a single institution called something like “UK Independent Farms”, would have reached 300,000 acres (according to 2001 figures).

Again, neither of these institutional top winners spell vegan-friendliness to me.

Land for killing Unfortunately, landowners are allowed to kill wild animals on their land (unless the individuals belong to protected species), as they, legally, own them all. They can also allow other people in, and let them kill a few too — sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee. Even the right to kill on someone’s land can be passed or sold in the form of hunting, shooting, or fishing licenses.

Landowners who allow any so-called “field sports” or le-

thal “wildlife management” in their land could definitively not be considered vegan-friendly.

During my anti-hunting work, I tried to calculate the amount of land that was available to registered hunts (foxhunts, hare hunts, staghounds and mink hunts). Land owned by people who allow hunts to enter and do what they want. People who disregard any evidence that shows how trail hunting — which is what the hunts say they are normally doing since the Hunting Act 2004 was enacted — is, in fact, a false alibi used as a cover for illegal hunting. I did not manage to calculate it, as most small landowners either do not publicly declare if they allow hunters in, or some may only do it reluctantly, fearing re-

taliation if they do not. Regarding foxhunting alone, if you look at the UK maps of “hunting countries” which show which areas are considered the “territory” of each foxhunt, you will notice that about a quarter of Scotland is “taken” by foxhunts, about two-thirds of Northern Ireland, over 80% of England and over 90% of Wales. These are the areas they traditionally used, trespassing with their hounds and horses into any land they wished within their territory — terrorising wildlife and farm animals alike.

percentage of landowners in hunting countries who do not allow the hunts on their land anymore. He replied: “No, I never did that calculation. Because it’s fluid’. Land changes hands and wishes change too. And most importantly, because we always encourage autonomous action. The idea is that we provide the tools and empower people to just get on with it. That’s the purpose of the website.

So, it’s actually not possible to calculate because most landowners don’t come to us, they just do it.”

bers voted to ban trail hunting in their 2021 AGM (after many years of pressure asking them to ban all types of hunting). The RSPB does not allow hunting with dogs but allows animals such as foxes to be shot on their land in the name of “wildlife management”, claiming that it is necessary to protect their favourite birds (the blogger and environmental campaigner Jason Enfield stated that the RSPB killed 598 foxes and 800 crows in one year). For this reason, this institution cannot be classed as vegan-friendly either.

However these days, many landowners no longer allow them in. There is even an organisation, Hounds Off, dedicated to supporting them.

My friend Joe Hashman runs Hounds Off, so I asked him if he had any idea of the

From all the people and institutions I mentioned in the previous chapter, the National Trust and the RSPB are the only two that no longer allow hunts in. But the former just recently decided so after their mem-

The shooting industry (which commercialises the shooting of some birds, such as pheasants, partridges, grouse and aquatic birds) uses a huge amount of land too. According to the industry itself in its 2014 ‘The FORCA VEGAN

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The Pheasant. Not native to the UK, Pheasants are specifically bred to be shot, in the name of ‘sport’.

According to a 2019 report from Greenpeace, 63% of EU cropland is used to feed farm animals, and if we include permanent pastureland, then it raises to 71%.

Ourworldindata has calculated that 29% of the Earth’s surface (149 million Km2) is dry land, 71% of which is habitable land, 50% of which is agricultural land, and 71% of which is used to feed farm animals (40 million Km2).”

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Value of Shooting’ report, nearly 35 million acres are managed by it. More than 60 million birds are bred and released for shooting each year on Britain’s 300 game farms, according to the Game Farmers’ Association.

And in commercial shooting states, as they charge per animal shot, they kill all the natural predators as they see them as competition for their punters. They either poison them illegally, shoot them, or snare them. According to figures from the UK Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), 1.7 million animals fall victim to snares every year, mostly in shooting states.

I did not know at the time, but when I was walking on fields during my hitchhiking

days, I was going through a land where either wildlife was regularly chased by dogs or shot by guns, or farm animals were fattened before being sent to execution. I did not realise that under the pleasant green flourishing everywhere, laid the disturbing red of the blood of so many innocent victims.

It’s not easy to find land in the British countryside that is not used for animal agriculture and does not allow any bloody field sport. For instance, Vegan Camp Out is a highly successful event that happens every year — pandemics permitting — in England. Thousands of people camp in very big fields and attend very interesting talks and workshops given by the most popular vegans of our time. However, there has been controversy regarding the sites they have chosen for not being vegan-friendly enough (such as belonging to animal farmers, or for allowing hunting or shooting). In a Facebook conversation, Jordan Greiner Martin, one of the organisers, explained the process they went through to select the right place for their latest event: “There are 3 types of venues for festivals typically - showgrounds (owned by agriculture societies), farmland, or estates/halls (which allow shooting). We went to over 100 site visits to pick the new venue for VCO and everyone fell into one of those 3 categories.

So, we asked our audience which they preferred and the vote was overwhelmingly estates/halls, so that’s what we did.” The site chosen for 2022 is Stanford Hall,

Becoming vegan is a good step towards increasing the chance to be on that list, but you can do better than that. You can use your land to produce crops for vegans while reducing as much as possible the negative impact on local wildlife.”

Leicestershire, but despite the organisers claiming that the venue recently banned any hunt from using their land and the community farm in there does no longer farm animals for meat, some vegans have questioned the latter and there is no doubt that “external” shooting is still allowed. It’s hard to find bloodless land in England.

Land for growing If you are a landowner who consumes animal products and allow your land to be used for field sports, neither most animals nor most vegans are likely to have you on the priority list of people to send a card to for Christmas. Becoming vegan is a good step towards increasing the chance to be on that list, but you can do better than that. You can use your land to produce crops for vegans while reducing as much as possible the negative impact on local wildlife.

But to attempt that, unless you are a very high-tech vertical farmer or fermenter, you would need some arable land.

According to the 2019 report ‘Eating Away at Climate Change with Negative Emissions’ written by Helen Harwatt and Matthew N Hayek from Harvard Law School, the UK has about 84,000 km2 (20,756,852 acres) of permanent pastureland and 57,528 km2 (14,215,479 acres) of cropland. The latter is divided into 51,449 Km2 (12,713,325 acres) in England, 4,737 (1,170,538 acres) in Scotland, 812 (200,650 acres) in Wales and 530 (130,966 acres) in Northern Ireland.

That’s great! But is all this cropland used in a vegan-friendly manner? Sadly, most of it isn’t. The report states 55% of this cropland is used for animal feed (56% in England, 49% in Scotland, 49% in Wales and 58% in Northern Ireland).

This is a pattern we see repeated in almost every country in the world. According to a 2019 report from Greenpeace, 63% of EU cropland is used to feed farm animals, and if we include permaFORCA VEGAN

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“The UK Government census shows that 98.6% of farm managers and holders are white-British.”

nent pastureland, then it raises to 71%. Ourworldindata has calculated that 29% of the Earth’s surface (149 million Km2) is dry land, 71% of which is habitable land, 50% of which is agricultural land, and 71% of which is used to feed farm animals (40 million Km2).

And who runs the croplands in the UK? Mainly white people. The UK Government census shows that 98.6% of farm managers and holders are white-British — it has even been claimed that Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE is the only black farmer in the British countryside! Navaratnam Partheeban, the founder of the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society, said to Wicked Leeks 84

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New research has found that urban allotments could be as productive as farms. A two-year pilot study by the University of Sussex in Brighton and Hove in 2021 found that people in cities were able to harvest in their gardens and balconies one kilogram of insect-pollinated fruit and vegetables per square metre in a season — yields comparable to conventional farming.”

that only one per cent of farm vets are from an ethnic minority, while 3.5 per cent of all vets are non-white.

This is not unique to Britain.

In the US, black farmers account for only 1.4% of all US farmers, cultivate only 0.5% of the country’s farmland and generate only 0.4% of total US annual agricultural sales. According to the census, in 1920 there were ten times more black farmers than today, so it seems that it is industrial farming that is leading to this racial disparity. There is certainly an issue of land justice to consider here.

mals? Is all that vegan-friendly then? I am afraid not. On most of it, many animals are killed on purpose with pesticides. DEFRA stated that in 2019 the UK had a total area of 4.85 Km2 (1,199 acres) of land farmed organically (an increase of 2.4% compared to 2018). This is more vegan-friendly than traditional farming as it uses fewer pesticides that kill wildlife and no chemical fertilizers that damage the environment, but it is still not vegan-friendly because it does use some pesticides and uses animal manure from animal agriculture.

What about the 45% of UK cropland used to feed humans rather than farm ani-

To get to true vegan-friendly farming, we need to look at “veganic farming”, which

“many animals are killed on purpose with pesticides.”

is the type of organic farming that tries to avoid all animal products and does not intentionally kill any animal. Via Facebook, I asked UK veganic farmers if they knew how much of the organic cropland in the UK is veganic. Iain Tolhurst, one of the top veganic farmers in the country who created the Vegan Organic Network (VON) and it’s stockfree (animal-free) organic standards, replied the following: “Less than 100 ha. I think we may still be the largest certified Stockfree organic farm in the UK”. This means less than 1 Km2 (247 acres).

It seems that, from all the cropland currently in the UK (14,215,479 acres), around 0.00002% is vegan-friend-

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ly — and I don’t think adding the land owned by vegan animal sanctuaries will make a big difference to this figure.

So much for a pleasant land for the animals.

There is hope for a vegan Britain Imagine a hypothetical anti-speciesist equalitarian UN Assembly where all animals could have a say. If we were to tell the representatives of the non-human animal communities living in the British Islands that veganism is growing and now the UK is one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world, they would look at us with perplexity and disbelief. They will think we are delusional, deceived by opportunistic marketing and wishful thinking. I could not

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blame them. Considering how small is the proportion of our vegan-friendly land, they may be right.

We could measure vegan friendliness in different ways. We can calculate the “blood footprint” (the total amount of suffering caused to other sentient beings by an individual, event, organization or product) of a country, and the lower it is, the more vegan-friendly the country would be. But we could also measure it by the area of vegan-friendly land (where animals are not deliberately harmed or exploited by who owns it, manages it, or occupies it, and which does not form part of any animal exploitation industry or project). We could call the rest of the land “blood land”. A low blood footprint

plus low blood land equals vegan-friendly. Britain may score relatively high compared with most developed countries on the former, but, after looking into this issue, unfortunately, I don’t think it does on the latter.

But there is hope. Change may be on its way.

Although the top landowners are members of the aristocracy or the Royal family known for their bloodthirsty habits (I am not talking about any conspiracy theory here involving lizards or babies, but their keenness for blood sports) there is one that seems to be leaving the pack. Randal Plunkett, the Baron of Dunsany, is vegan now, and he has started rewilding his family state in the Irish county of Meath to

“New research has found that urban allotments could be as productive as farms.”

give it back to the animals.

He said to the Irish Independent: “After attempting a normal agricultural approach, I stepped back and saw a landscape bleak and exhausted from overgrazing and over-farming… Chemicals injected into the soil and no pause for regeneration or recovery. How does land remain healthy when the cycle of life is ignored?”

His new insight made him remove all grazing animals from the property and banned the use of both pesticides and fertilisers on his crops. He changed the use of 750 acres of a highly profitable 1,700-acre pasture into a rewilding reserve, which is now home to otters, red

deer, foxes, badgers, pine martens, hares and stoats. If he could become vegan and do all that, perhaps the next generation of English aristocrats could do it too.

And we should not forget the urban areas. Although they do not form part of the countryside, they can become vegan-friendly land too, by either passing local authority ordinances banning different types of animal exploitation or harm, or by growing food in a veganic way in allotments, gardens, and city farms. New research has found that urban allotments could be as productive as farms. A two-year pilot study by the University of Sussex in Brighton and Hove in 2021 found that people in cities were able to harvest in their gardens and balconies

one kilogram of insect-pollinated fruit and vegetables per square metre in a season — yields comparable to conventional farming.

And perhaps in the cities, we could also solve the issue of land inequality. Over 98% of Black people live in cities, so if we encourage urban dwellers to give food growing a go, people of different ethnic groups may take the challenge — especially if they see it as an act of social justice. For instance, the Community Farm is an organic farm and social enterprise in Bristol which has now appointed Acomo Oloya as its Black Lives Matter champion. In 2019, Black Rootz, the first multigenerational Black-led growing project in the UK, was created. It grows sweet potatoes, exot-

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ic squashes and tomatillos, among other vegetables, in the Wolves Lane Horticultural Centre in north London.

The Land in Our Names (LION) is a grassroots Blackled collective committed to reparations in Britain by connecting land and climate justice with racial justice.

They give grants to Black people interested in getting into growing food.

And in cities, we also have many vegan eateries, vegan markets, and vegan fairs, every one of which adds a tiny bit of vegan-friendly land to the islands. If we all make our homes vegan-friendly, imagine how much more land we could add to the list — we don’t have to own a house, we can make our rented homes vegan, as I have done with mine. Data from the latest 2022 poll from Finder shows that 3% of the UK population is already vegan — and it could reach 7.8% by the end of 2023. As this percentage keeps growing, sooner or later we are bound to affect the vegan friendliness of the land.

If most vegans are in cities and most of the countryside is not yet vegan-friendly, we could turn the tables around. If the countryside doesn’t progress towards a vegan world and gets stuck in the past, we could make the vegan revolution urban-led, spilling outwards to and through the fields, and correcting the food injustice that has led to just a few people from a particular demographic profile to own most of the islands’ land, as we go.

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We vegans could go and buy land from animal agriculture or shooting estates, and convert it into veganic farms or rewilding projects. It is already happening. The Vegan Land Movement (VLM), which recently became a Community Interest Company (CIC), was founded by Gina Bates, an animal rights activist and veganic farmer in Scotland. They aim to buy land used for animal agriculture and rewild it. All use of their land must be in line with eco-vegan principles, and promote non-interventionist rewilding. On their website, they explain what eco-vegan principles are: “Eco-vegan principle means that which promotes the well-being of individual species members, recognised as persons with interests, and the habitats that support them. Eco-veganism recognises that diverse and abundant ecosystems are preferable to support the good of the whole. Eco-veganism does not sacrifice specimens for the good of the whole. Eco-Veganism is non-violent. Eco-veganism prohibits the use of pesticides/insecticides and any substance that is intended to kill organisms and might reasonably be thought to cause harm to creatures. (ie precautionary). In light of climate change, VLM CIC will prioritise reforestation (of native trees). Eco-veganism recognises all creatures as ends in themselves and of intrinsic value, and strictly prohibits their use as means to the achievement of ends beyond themselves.” That, for me, is what vegan-friendly land looks like.

After crowdfunding for it, VLM CiC already bought a 3.3-acre piece of land in Somerset in September 2020, where hundreds of trees have already been planted. And when they get more land, they are planning to use part of it for veganic farming or establishing community orchards, as long as any profits made from selling produce are used to buy more land. It seems like a good plan.

Also, if the ban of trail hunting in National Trust land begins to be imitated by major landowners, we can use this new trend to go beyond, and lobby for a ban on shooting and snaring — which in Wales may be closer than some people may think. And now that the UK government is beginning to add conservation criteria for some of its agricultural subsidies, we could push them to go further and begin subsidising veganic farming. With the promise of extra cash, animal farmers may turn to crop production, horticultural farmers may become organic, and organic farmers may convert to veganic agriculture. A wave of positive conversion reverberating throughout the land.

We may be green, but we are far from the pleasant land that we could be.

But if we know where we want to go, we may get there in the end.

Jordi Casamitjana Author of ‘Ethical Vegan: A Personal & Political Journey to Change the World’

Pictured: A young Jordi Casamitjana hitchhiking in Scotland. Photo credit: Jordi Casamitjana

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VEGAN IN EYERS

BY PAUL

CAMBODIA PAUL Eyers has been living in Cambodia this past 7 years, and travels, organises vegan tours & runs ‘Vegan Food Quest’ along with curating a luxury vegan travel blog.

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Traditionally there is limited vegan food in Cambodia other than some ‘accidentally vegan’ street food snacks (which I love) but slowly things are changing. We have supported hotels, restaurants and training schools in their efforts to introduce more vegan options”

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I’ve been vegan for 7 or 8 years and my wife and partner in Vegan Food Quest has been vegan for around 20 years.

For me, my wife was my motivation as her passion for veganism was impossible to ignore. The environmental and health benefits were key factors too.

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Siem Reap, Cambodia has been home since 2015. We left Southampton, England in January 2014 on a oneway ticket to Bangkok, with no real plan other than to not return! We enjoyed 18 months exploring South East Asia before ending up in Siem Reap where we planned to stay for a couple of months. That was now more than 7 years ago…

Vegan Food Traditionally there is limited vegan food in Cambodia other than some ‘accidentally vegan’ street food snacks (which I love) but slowly things are changing.

We have supported hotels, restaurants and training schools in their efforts to introduce more vegan options and manage an active

Vegan Cambodia group on Facebook with more than 4000 members. In our home town of Siem Reap we are Happy Cow Ambassadors and we spend lots of our free time doing anything we can to raise awareness.

Throughout the region, & not just in Cambodia, we have worked with many luxury hotels and resorts on their journeys to become vegan-friendly luxury hotels and resorts. Recently, the #1 hotel in Siem Reap and one of the finest in the region introduced a brand new vegan breakfast menu with our support that includes training for their F&B team. You can read about our partnership with Jaya House River Park here.

Hidden ingredients are a challenge. From soya milk that contains dairy milk to ‘vegetarian’ curries with chicken powder you really need to do your research.

But with a little bit of help it’s easy, especially in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Out in the countryside it’s harder but as long as you’re happy with fried rice, veg and tofu you’ll be fine!

Travel Blog For 8 years we’ve also written about vegan-friendly luxury hotels and resorts in the region for the award winning luxury travel website, A Luxury Travel Blog.

This has given an excellent platform to them to showcase their vegan and plant based options.

Tours & Restaurants When we arrived there were no vegan restaurants in Siem Reap and limited options. Pre-COVID there were 5 100% vegan restaurants and countless options.

Sadly, COVID has economically devastated Siem Reap and at the time of writing, each of these vegan restaurants have closed. But there are still plenty of options in town as highlighted in this recent blog post we published.

During COVID we have partnered with the excellent Vegan Travel Asia to curate the first ever 14 day Cambodia vegan tours which will launch in December 2022.

They have operated vegan tours in Asia for 18 years in

9 countries and approached us to enable them to offer Cambodia to their guests.

Just this year they won ‘Asias Responsible Tourism Award’ at the World Travel Awards in recognition of their efforts throughout the region. We are very excited for this new partnership...

Veganuary Veganuary presents some great opportunities to promote veganism locally. With our friends from Bong Bonlai and YK Art House in Phnom Penh (vegan restaurant and vegan guest house) we brought together more than 20 restaurants who have all offered promotions during the month of Veganuary.

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Himalayan Vegan Festival September sees me head to Nepal and Bhutan for the first ever Himalayan Vegan Festival which will be hosted in both locations. I will be a guest speaker on a number of panels and also will be delivering workshops to F&B managers and hotel/ resort managers around becoming more vegan-friendly and the challenges they may face. This is an amazing opportunity and i’m honoured to have been invited alongside some amazing guest speakers.

Covid & Tourism COVID has economically devastated Siem Reap. The borders closed in March 2020 and didn’t open until November 2021 which meant zero tourists and zero income. Since the reopening we are seeing a

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steady trickle of new faces which is very exciting! It’s an amazing time to visit as you will have the chance to visit Angkor Wat without the crowds and explore the country in relative peace.

The vaccination rate is over 90% and the infection rate is super low making it a COVID safe option and you only need a rapid test on arrival and no quarantine. I hope to see some of you soon!

Sadly, it will be a very tough few years ahead and i don’t see tourist numbers returning to pre-COVID rates for around 5 years. That said, it will give us all chance to rebuild and come back better, stronger and even more vegan-friendly!

Our friends at Animals of our World do an amazing job with limited resources and the incredible See Be-

yond Borders are working tirelessly to improve education opportunities in Cambodia.

‘Making vegan travel in Southeast Asia easier for everyone’ Vegan Food Quest ‘Finding, eating & writing about the best vegan food in the world’ A Luxury Travel Blog ‘For those who enjoy the finer things in life’ Vegan Travel Asia ‘Mouthwatering vegan food, amazing destinations & fascinating cultures’ Paul Eyers Founder of Vegan Food Quest and writer for A Luxury Travel Blog

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ON BEING VEGAN IN

EGYPTKAMAL

BY JENNA

AS someone vegan in their twenties living in Egypt, I have noticed many changes in people’s behavior affected by food habits.

I was such a lucky kid whose father decided to take his children to a special green village on the Mediterranean sea for a sound childhood. There, I witnessed amazing farmers’ behavior to animals, and amazing cooking. By the time my father decided to head back to the city for a better education, I was twelve, so the transition gave me a deeper insight into the conflicted choices that people have to make. I was often asked about which I liked more between living in the city and living in a village. The real dilemma for me was my lunch turning from the village’s vegetable stew rice, to the city’s hot-dogs and burgers.

Now I am a twenty seven year old running a vegan restaurant in Dahab, a small town on the Red Sea and I only decided on this ru96

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ral life when I realised how capitalism and globalisation both have corrupted the Egyptian diet, helping me to go vegan. The conditions I have witnessed from my childhood in a village in 90s and 2000s, to the urban life in Cairo, then witnessing economic depression leading to two revolutions resulting in everlasting political and economic unrest.

All these things have helped to shape my view.

“So is it easy to be vegan in Egypt?” is my most an-

swered question to both Egyptians and foreigners.

The main reason for this question is people not looking deeply enough into cultures, and also what “vegan for the animals” really means. Like the rest of the world, the American diet has occupied markets with its fast-food restaurant chains, products and portions, defeating agricultural civilizations.

Until the 90s, the Egyptian culture was more plantbased as meat and dairy

Until the 90s, the Egyptian culture was more plant-based as meat and dairy were considered luxurious food - then, families who afforded them twice a week were higher ‘ranked’ than other families.”

were considered luxurious food - then, families who afforded them twice a week were higher ‘ranked’ than other families. People depended more on vegetables and legumes for food as farmers also planted varieties of them. Processed meat appeared in the Egyptian markets in the beginning of the 21st century - a dark side of globalization. Processed meat is still cheap and easy to prepare, which led to more sales and less plant-based options. Then agriculture was threatened due to water shortage and political/economic unrest, which was again a boost for the processed food that invaded plates.

To be vegan in Egypt is simply to go back to the roots by following an Egyptian diet,

and choosing local ingredients such as chickpeas, fava beans, koshary and falafel.

An obstacle considered by most is how costly a healthy vegan diet would be, yet this is a misconception caused by looking at the expensive alternatives to meat and animal products. Nuggets and Bolognese can be easily made with chickpea flour and lentils. These are alternatives that are extremely cheap, healthy, eco-friendly and lifesaving for the agricultural community as the demand will increase on planting for foods to restore agriculture again.

From an optimistic point of view, the agricultural identity of Egypt kept several plant-based food items, so bread and most bakery products are vegan. Inter-

estingly, many family businesses selling ice cream don’t use milk in their ice cream to avoid unnecessary costs. Also you would be very lucky to have a Christian community in your city as they provide a vegan menu all year round, since they are a fasting community avoiding any food borne of animal suffering. These blessings are believed to save animals and keep an eye open on the origins of the Egyptian diet.

By Jenna Kamal Activist & Founder of Veganzania, a vegan restaurant in Dahab, Egypt

Pictured below: Breakfast done right, courtesy of Veganzania Restaurant in Dahab, Egypt

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VEGAN-RUN YATES

BY ROGER

ANIMAL SANCTUARIES DO you - as I do - sometimes ponder if we get an overly rosy picture of vegan-run animal sanctuaries? Those sunny images of visitors kissing pigs and cuddling chickens.

Cows frolicking with oversized footballs, and turkeys who want nothing more than to be cuddled all day.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching such peaceful scenes too; for one thing, it is a blessed relief from all the graphic animal use footage that flies around the social media world - but I also know that running an animal sanctuary is damn hard work, all year round, and sometimes 24/7. It’s expensive too, and takes a physical and often psychological toll on the people running them.

My first experiences of helping at an animal sanctuary was in the 1980s in Liverpool. I remember the owner of the sanctuary taking heart-breaking and scary phone calls. Emotional blackmail was standard - take this animal or we’ll kill “it” was a regular threat.

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they had recently redecorated and their existing animal companion no longer “matched” the wallpaper.

Over the years, I started to think I’d made that up: surely people, I started to tell myself - even speciesists - cannot be that utterly shallow. However, I met the owner several years later in Wales at a vegan event and she confirmed the memory.

Vegan-run animal sanctuaries often end up being the ones that take the individual other animals no other sanctuary will burden themselves with. This often results in them trying to look after disabled other animals over a long period of time. Moreover, as a general matter, the farmed animal sanctuaries are routinely looking after other animals way beyond their “kill-by” date. Take pigs, for example. Modern day pig farming “designs” their victims to last until they are, say, 6-8 months old. After all, the animal farmer’s job is

to keep other animals living long enough and, generally speaking, healthy enough to get them to slaughter weight. The irony of having a job that involves tending to other animals’ health concerns sufficiently well enough in order to get them to the house of slaughter before they are deemed too ill to be slaughtered. Therefore, you’ll notice that pigs rescued from the pig killing industry tend to be massive individuals who may develop mobility issues way before their free-living counterparts would. This means that vet bills can be enormous. One case I often relate is about an ALF rescued pig individual the activists - they thought ironically, while others think controversially - named “Rasher.”

When Rasher experienced some health problems, an agricultural vet was called out to treat him. However, the vet said that he did not really have much of a clue as to what ailed Rasher and, when asked why that was,

the children had been told that the 800 were “going to the factory.” The farmers were not pleased when one of our party told them what that meant.”

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he replied, “I’ve never seen a pig this old before.”

I cared for some rescued broiler chickens several years ago. The broilers are the ones bred to provide “meat.” They grow very fast and are often killed when they are just 42-47 days old.

They spend those pitifully few days in large broiler sheds, typically windowless.

There are no “free-range” broiler hens, not that “freerange” has much meaning any more. Anyway, all farmed animals’ rights are violated regardless of their treatment while alive. Many arrived with deformed feet and some died in the early days. After that, those strong enough to survive had a decent life. This story virtually repeated itself this last summer (2021) when a “free-

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range” egg farm that had 1000 hens and a contract to kill 800 of them, asked the Back Into Daylight animal sanctuary in Ireland if they would take the remaining 200. We had less than 24 hours to get everything organised and arrived at the farm which itself looked like a broiler unit. We were told that the birds were usually let out into a large paddock twice a day. They were not in good condition despite being only about one year old. The children who lived at the farm had come to watch proceedings and we were struck by how little they seemed aware of what was happening. I used to argue that there is a distinct rural/urban divide in terms of awareness to animal farming practices but now I’m not so sure since,

here at least, the realities of egg production had been hidden to some degree from these farm kids. In Ireland, slaughterhouses are euphemistically known as “factories,” and the children had been told that the 800 were “going to the factory.” The farmers were not pleased when one of our party told them what that meant.

The painful business of separating out 200 from 1000 began and, two hours later, the lucky ones arrived at the sanctuary. Although now classified as “end-of-lay” hens, they were still laying prolifically, creating problems like prolapses. For several weeks afterwards, sections of the sanctuary resembled a chicken hospital.

Thankfully, things have settled down now and, again,

as to eat. One of the greatest crimes the egg industry commit is the routine cutting off of birds’ beaks (de-beaking or, as the industry would prefer to call it, “beak trimming”).

The deaths of the other animal residents of animal sanctuaries are, naturally enough, sad occurrences but inevitable non-the-less.

Please bear the points made above in this article in mind the next time you see a video from a vegan-run animal sanctuary and, hopefully, you’ll appreciate even more the work that is involved in maintaining them.

Dr. Roger Yates Organising volunteer of Vegan Information Project & co-host of The Animal Rights Show

those who survived are doing very well. Feathers on their backs have regrown, their once floppy combs are healthy again. In essence, the sanctuary was transformed overnight from one with 400 other animal and bird residents to one with 600, meaning that teams of volunteers have worked ever since to create extra accommodation and, in effect, juggle the sanctuary compound arrangements around to cope with the influx of newcomers. The hens are quite curious and affectionate, particularly liking to gently peck at visitors boots and jeans. Their beaks are very sensitive and they use them to explore as well FORCA VEGAN

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HELPING ANIMALS IN

TANZANIA

BY MANASE LESKARY

TANZANIA, home to the Serengeti National Park, faces many challenges, including food security. Eating plant-based can be a challenge anywhere but even more so where food can at times be scarce. But many staple dishes are already vegan and as with many African countries there is a growing vegan culture in Tanzania.

Manase Leskary has set up his own rescue centre and vegan outreach campaign in Tanzania and is working hard to help animals wherever he can.

Greetings people, I am Manase from Arusha, Tanzania. I was raised in Arusha, and I still live here in Arusha. There is definitely a growing vegan scene but there’s a long way to go yet.

when I was young so I kept in mind that animals are friends and not food, because food is grown not born - so you could say I am addicted to veganism at this point!

I went vegan over 8 years ago, and in this last decade there have been changes - but not in the higher percentages that I would love to see. For many people here, veganism is still a strange thing in their minds, but slowly people are starting to use more plants for health in place of eating animals, and that is a big change.

On a typical day I eat Wali [rice mixed with vegetables and beans] – but as currently I’m out of work because I lost my job due to COVID, I take care of my horticulture here at my home. I always like hiking, swimming, listening to and watching music for fun and relaxation.

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I set up MAVOAS - Manaseh’s Voice for Animals Society, which is a platform created by me aiming to create re-

spect and empathy for animals through education and advocacy. We also promote awareness and educate communities about animals and their rights. MAVOAS is self funded and the work is voluntary so If you would like to contribute toward our running costs we would be very grateful!

Rescue work is really important because animals are suffering more and more, and they are in danger because they’re treated like non-living things.

I also do vegan outreach - not a large group of people but there’s a few of us sometimes operational costs

I set up MAVOAS - Manaseh’s Voice for Animals Society - which is a platform aiming to create respect and empathy for animals through education and advocacy.”

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Animals are friends and we are their voice so let’s build the best planet for animals together!”

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like transport fees and some of the materials we use like computers are expensive and prohibitive - it’s always a challenge to get more funds to spend, and I don’t really have any contacts with other vegan groups in Tanzania. I’m not even sure there are any.

But plant-based food is part of our culture - we have several cultural foods like Ugali made by using maize floor, and Kande cooked by mixing maize with beans - and also Wali which is mixed rice with beans and sometimes vegetables. There’s also an increase in Western food culture too. Foods like the plant-based McBurger are becoming available in Tanzania now too.

What’s holding back the growth of understanding of animal rights in Tanzania?

A lack of funding is a big issue. For example, MAVOAS itself has a strong passion for raising awareness and promoting animal rights through education but at times it is also failing to fulfill its mission and vision because of a lack of funds.

If you would like to support us, we would welcome support from everyone - including any animal rights organisations.

I would like to invite animal rights activists worldwide, companies and all the animals lovers out there to support our mission In order to fulfill our vision effectively as it is planned. Animals are friends and we are their voice so let’s build the best planet for animals together!

so many who need help. I try and help people understand by educating them on how to treat animals without hurting them and make them friends because they have feelings too. But also when I find an animal who is in trouble - like maybe they are sick - I will always pay what I have to help to call a vet, or to buy food for them.

The big problem I face for them is for instance I can meet an animal who’s in serious trouble, and by that time I don’t have the time or resources to help the way I want to. But I do what I can and love what I do, and will always try my best to help animals in Tanzania.

At MAVOAS we try to help all animals but we can’t help them all, because there are

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JUSTICE FOR ANIMALS

ANIMAL JUSTICE PROJECT IN FULL EFFECT

Hello! Animal Justice Project have some incredible plans for 2022, building on our existing campaigns as well as launching some new ones too.

Our EXPIRED and The Foul Truth campaigns will be prominent focuses for us, building on the work we have carried out in recent years including pressure campaigns and undercover investigations. This is going to be a great year for Animal Justice Project!

Covid-19 meant that we could not get out onto the streets as often as we would have hoped for during 2020, but as soon as restrictions dropped, we were able to safely carry out visually stunning protests outside of farms and on the high street including our flagship demonstration outside of Berryfields Farm in Northamptonshire, following the launch of our EXPIRED campaign, that attracted over 70 activists from around the country.

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undercover investigation at Bath Soft Cheese, an award-winning, ‘high welfare’, organic dairy farm.

Known for their high-end cheeses, we wanted to show the callous reality for cows on organic dairies. Our footage reached millions via national press and two of the farm’s major stockists, Abel & Cole and Planet Organic, both cut ties with the farm.

We revealed the heartache and distress that cows and calves face as they are separated from each other so people can drink the mother’s milk. Shocking findings included verbal and physical abuse of animals by staff, calves dragged by their necks and individually housed and calves being sent to be killed by a prolific calf dealer.

Project’s mission is a society free from animal exploitation (not just ‘food’ animals) and we aim to do this by working in five key areas: Undercover investigations, pressure campaigning, education, organising and public engagement.

Our core focus is always the animals. It is great to see more plant-based options available, making vegan food accessible to more people, but Animal Justice

Our campaigns use undercover investigations to bring to light hidden parts of industries to show to consumers. For example, under our Dairy Still Kills cam-

Vivisection Animal Justice Project was founded in 2014 focusing solely on vivisection. Whilst we do still provide resources to local grassroots animal rights groups covering the heartbreaking and vile vivisection industry, our current work centers around animal agriculture. We wholeheartedly still want to see a complete end to unnecessary and outdated animal experiments.

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Whilst our investigations highlight the suffering that ducks face in these poor conditions, our messaging will always focus around asking people to stop supporting all animal exploitation and choosing veganism.” paign, we filmed inside G & G B Hewitt slaughterhouse in Cheshire, capturing footage of male dairy calves waste products of the dairy industry - being killed inside an abattoir for the first time in the UK. Investigations enable us to focus on ‘high welfare’ farms and industries to show that not only the intensively-reared animals suffer, but all animals do, including RSPCA Assured, Red Tractor farms and organic.

We must work strategically, taking a multipronged approach to reach producers (farmers), consumers, stock-

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ists and the industry as a whole. We must work with the media, demonstrate outside of farms and reach members of the public on high streets up and down the UK if we want to be as effective as can be for the animals.

The Gressingham Ducks campaign As with all of our previous investigations, we work with authorities to try and get some form of justice for the animals but unfortunately, we have found time and time again that very little

action really happens from our government. We have seen farms being dropped by welfare labels to then be picked back up again once the bad press has ended. This is the same with Gressingham Foods with both of our investigations, one covering their farming standards and the other inside their abattoir. Despite clear law breaking in their slaughterhouse where live birds were left shackled upside down for as long as 14 minutes (seven times to legal time permitted), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has stated that is it “not in the public interest” to carry forward legal action.

Our Scammed! campaign perfectly highlights many issues surrounding the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in particular.

Whilst our investigations highlight the suffering that ducks face in these poor conditions, our messaging will always focus around asking people to stop sup-

porting all animal exploitation and choosing veganism.

Working with authorities, supermarkets or welfare labels, their focus remains on welfare, so we must exploit that to impact the farm and/ or business as much as possible. Our ‘asks’ will always include that these companies move to plant-based production.

Petitions Petitions help us get attention for key areas of campaigns that need it, allow activists to carry out quick and simple actions, plus lets us target the authorities or businesses. Our petitions usually centre around emails being sent off to companies with every signature, urging that they take the appropriate immediate action.

Members Animal Justice Project has membership packages whereby supporters sign up to donate a specific amount

each month and receiving a membership pack in return.

Memberships and regular donations allow us to plan ahead and be more effective in our pressure campaigning. It gives us stability to be as strong and effective as possible for the animals.

The best way to help Animal Justice Project currently is to carry out our online actions, share our content via social media, sign up to our mailing list plus of course, donating to fund our investigations and street actions.

We are still very much a small group but in the future as we expand, we hope to have a more in-depth volunteer programme.

Not only must we promote veganism and plant-based diets, but we must keep our messaging clear against all animal exploitative industries. We must push for a decline (and ultimately, an end) to animal agriculture through undercover investigations, national media, public demonstrations, artistic stunts, pressuring companies and supermarkets and pushing for legislative change. We have a long way to go but this is the time where we must ramp up our efforts and work together collectively for animal liberation.

For more information, visit Animal Justice Projec online:

We can certainly win, but we have a lot of work to do!

We must work strategically, both within our own organisation and by working with other groups. A rise in plant-based food is fantastic, but globally, we are producing more animal products than we ever have done.

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CAMPAIGNING FOR ANIMALS SINCE 1977 ANIMAL Aid work tirelessly all year round for animals in the UK, with a focus on wildlife, animals used for entertainment & vivisection. Here’s a quick look at some of their current campaigns.

Snares Animal Aid got involved in the snaring campaign last year, as a result of different people and groups getting in touch, asking if we could help. I want to state from the outset that in no way is Animal Aid more knowledgeable about this issue than the numerous grassroots groups, monitors, wildlife enthusiasts and sabs who encounter these disgusting devices in their work – and the horrific toll these wire traps have on their animal victims. These groups have worked tirelessly in the field to gather evidence - often at great emotional and physical toll to themselves. You know who you are, and our total respect to you. Our role, as I see it, is to try and help

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with the political aspect of the campaign, and we are working hard with many other groups and individuals who all want to see an end to snares – once and for all!

The campaign got off to a fabulous start last year as our friends at Lush let us use their prominent shop windows to help bring the campaign to the public’s attention – it’s no surprise that many people assume that these torture devices were consigned to history a long time ago.

One of the most encouraging things about this campaign is to see the level of support from celebrity figures as

well as other groups – many of which we haven’t worked with before but that have first-hand experience of the impact that snares have on wildlife as well as animals who share our homes (or rather, those animals who allow us a corner of the bed, sometimes!).

Peter Egan, Chris Packham & Deborah Meaden posted video messages on social media – and others including Diane Morgan, Sherrie Hewson and even Gary Lineker pledged their support! I’m a great believer in the power of positive engagement and that people who have signed the petition to ban snares, could become interested in other

aspects of campaigning for animal rights. It’s all about spreading the message.

The government’s promise of a long-overdue Call for Evidence on snares shows no sign of emerging soon, so we are going to try and bring about a government debate on the matter via a government petition (visit animalaid.org.uk/snares).

We know many MPs oppose the use of snares so we are hopeful that many of them will be willing to speak up at the debate.

We need 100,000 signatures on our government petition in order to stand the chance of triggering a parliamentary debate on the issue – so every signature counts (please don’t forget that after you have signed, you’ll get a confirmation email with a link that you have to click in order for your signature to be validated). We only have until 9 May so the pressure is on – but since the last petition was so close, I feel confident we can do it. And then the hard work begins…

We’ll need as many people as possible to contact their MPs asking them to support the banning of snares but, more importantly, to attend the parliamentary debate and to speak in support of the petition.

It’s outrageous that these archaic, barbaric traps are still legal – and we need them banned ASAP! animalaid.org.uk/snares

Animal Experiments Animal Aid was founded in 1977, so we’ve been campaigning for 45 years this year. Animal experiments, along with animal farming, were the main reasons we were founded. It is shocking to think that, with all the progress we have seen in so many areas of life – technology, the rise of the plantbased diet and environmental awareness, animal experiments such as the notorious LD50 (which in-

volve the most terrible suffering and death of animals) have continued, largely unchanged, for decades.

Animal Aid has some very exciting plans regarding animal experiments - we are going to be branching out in a new and exciting way very soon, so please do sign up for our e-newsletter today, so you’re amongst the first people to hear about our exciting new project.

[SNARES] It’s outrageous that these archaic, barbaric traps are still legal - and we need them banned ASAP!” FORCA VEGAN

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Camp Beagle

Horse Racing

Plans

Animal Aid has been campaigning for all animals in laboratories, and we know how hard it can be to capture the imagination of some people so they can empathise with animals in laboratories – their short and painful lives and horrific deaths.

This is where Camp Beagle has been invaluable – most people either share their home with a dog, or know a dog who lives with friends or family. They are animals people can easily become familiar with and connect to, so I think seeing young puppies being put into crates to be sent off to laboratories where they face horrific tests and almost certain death, has shocked many people. People who previously knew nothing about animals in laboratories are now interested in this issue and want to learn more and campaign for animals – that can only be a good thing.

Animal Aid has been at the forefront of the campaign to end horse racing, since we started campaigning in this area in 1998. We have battled hard to raise awareness of how racehorses are treated as commodities – being discarded when they have stopped being profitable and being killed both on and off racecourses. Our website Race Horse Death Watch is updated each time a horse dies. Last year 220 horses died in connection with racing. In 2021 our footage, filmed in a horse slaughterhouse featured in an episode of Panorama called ‘The Dark Side of Horse Racing’. There was huge media interest, before and after the show was aired, which we know changed how many people view racing. We were contacted by people who swore that, after seeing the show, they would never bet on racing again.

I’d urge everyone to watch it, despite the upsetting content.

We’ve got lots of exciting plans – a new project connected to animal experiments, some exciting films that we hope will engage people and give them the information and passion to get active for animals, plus we’ll also be getting out on the streets with our message of compassion to animals (and probably some samples of amazing vegan food to give away too).

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Join Animal Aid Sign up to receive our e-newsletter, which tells you what we’re up to and how you can help.

Follow us on social media and let us know what you think of our work – we’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

In 2021 our footage, filmed in a horse slaughterhouse featured in an episode of Panorama called ‘The Dark Side of Horse Racing’. There was huge media interest, before and after the show was aired, which we know changed how many people view racing. We were contacted by people who swore that, after seeing the show, they would never bet on racing again.” horsed

eathwa

tch.com

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SCRAP FACTORY

FARMING

BY DAVID FINNEY THE Scrap Factory Farming Campaign recently took its case to the Royal Court of Justice for a review, refused by the Judge – and will now seek an appeal via the Court of Appeal.

Background The Scrap Factory Farming campaign was inspired by a book called Chickens’ Lib, written by Clare Druce, which exposed the contradiction between animal welfare legislation and factory (intensive) farming. This gave me the idea to launch a legal challenge which I shared with Jane Tredgett, founder of Humane Being.

The person who brought us all together was a Humane Being volunteer, Peta Smith.

This was in November 2019 and ever since we have been researching the risks and impacts of factory farming. We already had fairly good knowledge of the hideous treatment of farmed animals, and we were aware of some of the environmental impacts such as climate change and pollution., although we were less aware of the contribution made to deforestation in terms of the 120

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Celebrity Support majority of soya being purchased from south America to feed farmed animals.

What really surprised us in our research were the health risks. For instance, the World Health Organisation stating that 75% of new and emerging diseases in humans are coming from (non-human) animals and how the overuse and misuse of antibiotics on people and animals was creating a resistance to antibiotics which – unless something is done – is predicted to kill 10 million a year by 2050. This national and global issue was once described by UK Government Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock as “the silent pandemic”. When Dr Alice Brough became a co-claimant for the case, we had a qualified pig vet who had seen these issues first hand; witnessed accounts that cannot be ignored.

We are delighted that respected actors Peter Egan and Jerome Flynn became ambassadors for the campaign - Peter was featured in the recent Daily Mirror article about the legal action.

Liz Solari, an actress from Argentina is also an ambassador and has been really supportive.

Coalition of Campaign Groups We are delighted that PETA, ANIMAL AID, ANIMAL EQUALITY, VIVA!, THE HUMANE LEAGUE and COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING have all given us fantastic support and have united with us in our aims.

Compassion, of course have been fighting against factory farming since the sixties. We have had fantastic support from many other organisations and people who are

concerned as we are – and for this we are so grateful.

Michael Mansfield & Court Michael - Yes indeed! That was Jane Tredgett’s brainwave! She simply wrote and asked him, he said yes immediately.

Michael Mansfield QC was invited to present a summary of the arguments, then there was a response from the Defra barrister, and then a further response from Michael Mansfield. One contention was the Defra legal representative stating that the government has an existing “framework” in place which addressed the risks we presented. Michael Mansfield’s response was that this framework was reactive and not preventive

– i.e., does not address the root causes of zoonotic disease and the antibiotics issue.

The Judge agreed with the Defra legal representative.

This verdict hit us hard but we are determined to continue the fight and already had a Plan B. We will be seeking an appeal via the Court of Appeal. That’s the next step.

Twitter & Social Media These have been immense in helping us build this campaign.. Just prior to the court hearing, we launched a Twitter storm and there was terrific use of the #scrapfactoryfarming hashtag!

Factory Farms & the Welfare Myth Most farmed animals are farmed in factory farms although the numbers vary, & It depends which way you count it – according to Compassion in World Farming, if you include all the farmed animals, it is just over 70%, but if you focus on pigs and chickens then it is around 90%. We have focussed our research on animals who are intensively farmed.. As to whether there’s a danger that people may choose a ‘higher welfare’ product if we succeed in scrapping Factory farming - Yes there is. The main reason we have focussed on factory farming is that it represents the highest risk in terms of our health, and the highest imFORCA VEGAN

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pact in terms of environmental damage and animal cruelty. We see this as extremely urgent for animals, people and the planet.

The frustrating aspect of this is the time it takes. It took us two years to get into a court to be heard. We see no reason why factory farming cannot be confined to history like the other obscene & outdated practices this country has facilitated in the past such as the slave trade, refusing people a vote based on their gender, and denial of gay rights. Peter Tatchell is also an ambassador of our campaign and has demonstrated how dramatic change can take place.

Get involved There are so many ways you can help!

Sharing our Tweets Sharing our posts Helping us with our legal fees as Humane Being is a not-forprofit run entirely by volunteers Telling friends, family and work colleagues why this is so important is a massive help in terms of raising awareness.

Writing to your local MP about your concerns over Factory Farming could also be really powerful in mounting public pressure.

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BUILDING LOCAL

GROUPS

BY TOM HARRIS

THE history of animal liberation is built on victories secured by autonomous local groups.

A lot has changed since I first took action for non-human animals in 1999, but the importance of local groups has not diminished.

It’s easy to hope large organisations will secure change on our behalf. However, while national and international groups launch and inspire campaigns, it is usually local activists who protest, petition, and relentlessly take action. In fact, most of those big organisations started as local groups themselves. PETA began with five people campaigning out of a basement in Maryland, and the Save Movement grew from a handful of activists holding vigils as Toronto Pig Save.

In a grassroots movement, change comes from the bottom up. Without determined individuals forming local animal rights groups, our movement would barely exist.

In 2003, my partner and I formed one such group, the Southern Animal Rights Coalition (SARC), covering the south coast of England.

Over the next seven years

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we closed a puppy farm (and rescued the dogs), shut several intensive egg farms, stopped the MoD using goats in diving experiments (and freed the goats), made Portsmouth, Bournemouth, and Southampton fur and foie gras free (at least for a while), and launched a campaign which eventually led to a ban on testing cosmetic Botox on animals. We were only stopped because we were imprisoned for campaigning with another anti-vivisection campaign, which you can read about in the previous issue of Força Vegan.

We certainly aren’t special; virtually anyone could do what we did. However, if noone had sought out and confronted those local targets, the farms would still be open, dogs would still be bred in veal crates, goats would still be dying in deep diving experiments, and millions of mice would still

be injected with Botox and smashed against a table to snap their necks.

Ask yourself; what has been achieved in your area over the last seven years, and what could be achieved over the next seven? If you want to see more happen you aren’t alone - that’s exactly how we felt when we launched SARC. Every town and city needs at least one local group. If you have one and you like how they campaign, you’re all set; join up and join in.

However, many towns don’t have active groups, you may not feel that your local group is a good fit for you, or they may be focused on a single issue that you’re happy to help with, but don’t want to devote all your attention to. If you don’t have a local group, or yours isn’t a good fit, you should start your own. If you don’t, who will?

Ask yourself; what has been achieved in your area over the last seven years, and what could be achieved over the next seven?”

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Pictured: Image caption required here

When setting up a group, you should consider what your goals are. You don’t need a perfect masterplan but think about the areas of oppression you intend to focus on, and the forms of activism which might be most effective. The Talon Conspiracy website has a great collection of old animal rights newsletters, full of ideas on how to campaign. New activists joining your group are likely to follow your example, so be re-

sponsible but take the initiative and lead from the front.

Campaigning for SARC, my partner and I were always happy to get on roofs, run inside fur shops, D-lock ourselves to something, hang a banner, and if the police insisted on it then we’d get arrested. We never asked anyone to do the same (we always advocated personal autonomy), but our example was infectious, and our whole group was dynamic, active, and on the face of it

Campaigning for SARC, my partner and I were always happy to get on roofs, run inside fur shops, D-lock ourselves to something, hang a banner, and if the police insisted on it then we’d get arrested.”

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at least, fearless. Because we normalised it, for SARC activists, that was simply how we all expected protests to be. There is no right or wrong way to conduct a protest (aside from the obvious: racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia… have no place in our movement). As long as your intentions are positive, and you believe you are being effective, you should pursue whatever tactics you feel best. Whichever route you choose, never expect others to carry out protest tactics that you won’t.

Tragically, we all have dozens of potential targets on our doorstep, from intensive farms and abattoirs to vivisection labs and racetracks.

While any business can be closed through pressure campaigning (and for me, that should always be the aim), the resources required will vary depending on the target. A single protest may convince a shop selling fur to remove the offending gar-

ments. Closing your local animal testing laboratory is likely to take years and require a level of dedication which most nascent groups can’t commit to. Avoid launching a campaign you don’t truly believe you can win; it will lead to burnout and despondency.

To maintain group morale, set simultaneous short, medium, and long-term goals.

For example, convince a local store to stop selling fur in the short-term, close a pet breeder in the medium-term, and aim to shut an abattoir as your long-term goal. Alternatively, focus solely on the abattoir, convincing key suppliers to cut ties with them as a shortterm goal, gather covert footage as a medium-term goal, and close them down as your long-term goal.

Regular victories will keep everyone in your group positive and motivated as you chip away at your long-term goals.

Once you have an idea of your strategies and campaigns, you’ll want to recruit some people to help. While you should never underestimate how much one or two determined people can achieve, more people mean more skills, more time, and potentially more impactful protests. Some of the most effective protests I’ve attended involved just two people running into an office building with megaphones and leaflets, but twenty, fifty, or a hundred people would have made them even better.

We often assume ‘if we build it, they will come’. You may have a thriving vegan community in your area, so why aren’t they turning up to your protests? There are several reasons. Firstly, people can only join you if they know you exist. Many groups complain about a lack of support, but make little effort to reach beyond their existing Facebook followers. Secondly, diving into direct action and pro-

Above: The Talon Conspiracy. Click here to visit The Talon Conspiracy website

test can be incredibly scary for people who have spent their entire lives fitting society’s definition of ‘good’. Don’t be annoyed that someone who doesn’t want to hurt animals, and is happy baking plant-based treats and stroking cows doesn’t leap straight into confrontational action without your support, education, and patience.

Pictured: Image caption required here

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Pictured: Vegan Information Project in Dublin, providing information to the public

In any walk of life, when you’ve done something for a long time you forget how you started. None of us woke up one day as animal liberation activists. We each had something, or a chain of somethings, which compelled us down this path.

Think about your personal story. How did you become an activist? Talk to other people to learn their stories too and see what lessons you can learn for recruitment.

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I became an activist when I was 15, after reading ALFSG and Huntingdon Death Sciences Campaign newsletters. Those magazines taught me the importance of clearly communicating your activities, accomplishments, and calls to action. This has become a lot easier with social media, however it is easy to create online echo chambers. To reach beyond your immediate circle, you can pay for targeted advertising, or consider producing

and disseminating a good old-fashioned newsletter. A physical (or digital) magazine compiles information which can quickly get lost in social media feeds. People can pick it up and put it down at leisure, rather than having all that information vanish and be forgotten. After I read those newsletters, I spent the next year plastering my town with posters and stickers, I set up information stalls on my local high street, and held several protests on my own or with my brother. When I was 16, I contacted a local band about a punk show I was arranging. After a discussion about animal rights, the singer invited me out hunt sabbing. I learnt another important lesson; most people who get involved in activism don’t seek out their local group, but are invited to join it. To grow your group, it is imperative to reach out to as many people as possible. The more people you invite to a protest, meeting or action, the more people will come. My knowledge of sabbing – and animal rights in general – was limited to those magazines, and what I’d seen on the news. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting myself into, so I sought advice from the place society had taught me I should.

Going to my local police station and asking them if I should take up hunt sabotage will always be one of my most absurd memories.

It was the last time I entered a police station through the front door, and the first time I got involved in an existing

animal rights group (suffice to say, I ignored the police advice). Apprehension is a common theme. Many people become involved in activism after attending meetings, protest camps, or other ‘safe’ and more neutral introductory settings.

This way they can meet other campaigners, learn what activism involves, and dip their toes into the animal liberation movement without having to dive straight into what can seem an intimidating or confrontational situation.

That’s my story, but if you consider your own path you’ll likely uncover more areas you can focus on to attract new members. Another important avenue for recruitment is through forming alliances. Support other progressive social justice campaigns, and it’s likely they will support you.

It is a great opportunity to discover new tactics and strategies, as well as building and enriching multiple campaign groups. Be inclusive and consider how inviting your group appears to people from different backgrounds to yourself.

The words you type and images you use can speak to people in different ways, so consider how you reach as wide an audience as possible. Everyone should have a role to play in your group.

Whether it’s research, fundraising, social media, protesting, creating banners… no one should be excluded or undervalued (unless they are a fascist).

I learnt another important lesson; most people who get involved in activism don’t seek out their local group, but are invited to join it. To grow your group, it is imperative to reach out to as many people as possible. The more people you invite to a protest, meeting or action, the more people will come.”

Setting up a group can cost money, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Banners can be made from reclaimed advertising signs, and for many years I photocopied leaflets using facilities at my local university. However, you may need to hire a venue for meetings, and you might want to get leaflets, placards, banners, and possibly a newsletter professionally printed. Your group’s branding will have a big impact on recruitment and how seriously you’re taken (big businesses don’t spend millions on it for nothing). Then there’s megaphones, petrol money, social media ads… Some of this can be subsidised by yourself, or other group members, but fundraising can be a great way to promote your group and gives your group more options. There are a host of donation apps such as DonorBox, Ko-Fi, Paypal… do some research to see which works best for your group. Make sure

you add links to any social media posts. Organise fundraising events online and in the real world to bring in much needed cash, and to gain the attention of potential new recruits. Consider holding street stalls; essentially a pasting table (available from hardware shops), with leaflets and petitions on, surrounded by posters showing why you are there.

Make the petition relevant to your groups aims and invite every person who passes to sign (hold out a pen and look them in the eye when you ask). The more organised you appear, the more seriously you’ll be taken.

If we want more local groups, it’s up to each of us to create them. As a grassroots movement we are individually responsible for forcing the change we want to see in the world. As the ALF have been saying for years; if not you, who? If not now, when?

Tom Harris Author at SHAC Justice FORCA VEGAN

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PETITIONS:

DO THEY WORK?

BY DR. ROGER YATES Since the beginning of my involvement in animal advocacy, I have been aware that petitions have been used in aid of this and that cause, and also that their use - in terms of effectiveness is contested.

I’ve known animal activists totally opposed to petitions on the grounds that it “allows people off the hook”, or “gives them an easy way out”.

This view is predicated on the idea that people may effectively think “job done” by the simple act of signing a petition.”

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Does petitioning “work” is a long-standing inquiry. Before the internet, petitions were often used to gain the attention of the mass media, as well as public support, despite the fact that petitioning, and other forms of legal peaceful protesting, were of little interest to the media, certainly the national press; and especially if there were illegal and less-than-peaceful events to be reported on instead. The petition-related version of “if it bleeds, it leads,” if you will.

Sociological research, dating back to the 1960s, revealed that the things least interesting to the mass media were nevertheless popular with the public, generally speaking. For example, a study of “unconventional

political action” from 1979 suggested that the circulation of petitions enjoyed the support of 85% of members of the public surveyed.

This compares to a score of 37% of “product boycotts”, while “rent strikes”, “occupying buildings”, “blocking traffic”, “painting slogans”, and “damage to property” were all supported by less than 20% of the research sample.[1] Campaigning groups such as Compassion In World Farming (CIWF) would attempt to bridge the gap between what was supported by the public and what interested the mass media by having their farmed animal welfare petitions presented to Downing Street, for ex-

ample, by the vegetarian celebrities of the day, such as Spike Milligan and Joanna Lumley.

The World Wide Web has changed all of this and now “e-democracy” is the thing.

This simply means, by-andlarge, that the collection and delivery of petitions has moved online. The debate about whether they are effective remains, it seems, and it doesn’t look like the arguments have changed much. I’ve known animal activists totally opposed to petitions on the grounds that it “allows people off the hook”, or “gives them an easy way out”. This view is predicated on the idea that people may effectively think “job done” by the simple act of signing a petition. No further

Pictured: A group collecting signatures for the ban of leather in Russia. Source: Wikimedia Commons

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action needed, so to speak and that, for the vegan activist, just will not do. There seems to be a new word to describe all of this - “slacktivism.” Those who oppose the use of e-petitions, for example, point to articles such as Amelia Tait’s 2017 New Statesman piece [2] which reports that the top 10 mostshared petitions of 2017 completely failed in terms of their intended outcomes.

However, Tait also reports that the world’s largest e-petitioning site, Change.org., has a “victories” tag, listing their petition successes, in-

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cluding some animal welfare ones.

Scott Wright suggests in a 2016 paper on “Downing Street E-petitions” [3] that it may be a mistake to limit the assessment of the success of an e-petition in terms of its primary goal. Wright says that, “people’s perceptions of success are complicated and at times conflicting.”

From this, although policy change that is driven by the creation of a petition may be the ultimate goal, other aspects are regarded as important too, such

as “the campaign impact of the petition”. It turns out that many petition creators and even those who sign them had pretty low expectations of achieving actual policy change, but look for secondary outcomes as successes in themselves.

Such people apparently claim that they never really expected their petition to succeed. Wright claims that this is a “nuanced understanding of the impact of participation”, and calls for more research into it. He further claims that e-peti-

Pictured: Ernest Bell & Jessey Wade’s banner for The Animals Friend – parading through London in July 1909, with John Ruskin’s (1819 – 1900) words on it – “He who is not actively kind is cruel.” – during the Anti-Vivisection International Congress July 6–10, 1909.

Pictured: This van was reportedly a regular site by the roadside in Montpellier, France, 2005. Source: Wikimedia Commons

tions can reveal a “failure of democracy.” For example, Wright notes that in 2005 the Institute of Public Policy Research claimed that the “public has come to believe that governments don’t know how to listen”. However, Wright claims that they do not know how to speak either, and this is revealed by government responses to e-petitioning.

He claims that his respondents were “scathing” about how the government had replied to e-petitions. People might not expect governments to take action in exactly the way that they

would wish - but they do expect them to at least listen. People’s anger was expressed in terms of the way they felt the government had responded: the very tone and content of replies was seen as falling way below what was expected. Replies were, “perceived to be late, dismissive, impersonal, and unengaged”. In something of a twist, some people concluded that their petition had hit a mark - had made some impact after all - but that the government were downplaying its impact.

People thus felt let down and ignored. Activists who decide to take those forms

[Scott Wright] further claims that e-petitions can reveal a “failure of democracy.””

of actions listed above that are unpopular with the general public often cite the fact that they had, sometimes for many years, abided by the “official way to protest”, seen that it does not work, and had moved on to a more direct action approach.

The ultimate failure of petitioning may, ironically, radicalise people to take action outside of that which is conventionally sanctioned.

[1] Barnes, S., Kaase, M. et al (1979) Political Action: Mass Participation in Five Western Democracies, Beverley Hills: Sage.

[2] Tait, A. (2017) “Do online petitions actually work? The numbers reveal the truth,” The New Statesman, 30th January.

[3] Wright, S. (2016) “‘Success’ and online political participation: The case of Downing Street E-petitions,” Information, Communication & Society, 19:6, 843-857.

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PREVIOUS ISSUES

Issue 1 having been released on 15th March 2021, Força Vegan continues almost 1 year on to share the stories, opinions, tactics and approaches of vegan activists from all over the world.

If you’ve enjoyed this issue of Força Vegan, please do check out and share with your contacts our previous issues displayed below.

From Gaza to Ghana, Morocco to Mexico, India to New Zealand and beyond, these issues contain a treasure trove of information and insights from across the globe.

We’re grateful for your support, as it will help us to continue sharing the voices of others in the fight for a vegan world.

Featured in issue 3:

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- Kampala, Uganda - The Vegan Society of Kenya - Camp Beagle - Vibrant Vegan Society of Ghana - The Ghanaian Vegan - Unapologetic Vegtino - Vegans of India: Atul Sarin - Vegan For Half a Century - Vegan Capitalism - Inside SHAC - The Making of Animal Rebellion + MORE 136

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Featured in issue 2:

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- Gaza: Plant The Land - Athletes, Food & Diversity - Animal Rebellion Actions Update - ‘Is Your Vegan Chocolate Cruelty Free?’, featuring articles by Food Empowerment Project, Dr. Roger Yates, Plamil, Dapaah Chocolates & more - How Frustrated Activists Evolved During Lockdown - How To Argue With Vegans - Art of Compassion Project + MORE

Featured in issue 1:

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- Mexico - Dublin, Ireland - Fes, Morocco - Athens, Greece - Unapologetically Black - Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary - Ethical Vegan - Chilis on Wheels - Integral Ahimsa, and the Dharma of Disruption: Anti-speciesism Activism in Pan-Dharmic Communities - World Day for Laboratory Animals + MORE FORCA VEGAN

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Check out our other magazine If you’re enjoying Força Vegan Magazine, why not check out Plant Powered Planet?

Plant Powered Planet is another magazine published by VegfestUK. It combines features on serious health and environmental concerns that can be countered with plant-based diets and veganism, with more lighthearted content as well, such as interviews, recipes and introductions to vegan brands and product ranges.

We heartily recommend taking a look at Plant Powered Planet, which is a continuation of our celebration of veganism, and hope that you both enjoy it and are also able to share it with others who may also enjoy it too.

Issue 3 Plant Based Treaty The Vegan Society at COP26 The Impact of Agriculture on Wildlife Wetnose Animal Aid Vegan Consumerism Within Ethical Capitalism Plant Based Health Online Greenbay: The UK’s First Omnichannel Vegan Supermarket Celebrates...

- What Exactly is Vegan Compleating?

- Jasmine Harman: Back In The Sun + lots more!

Issue 2 Feeding Your Vegan Child An interview with TVs Danny Hatchard Robert Cheeke & The Plant-Based Athlete Vegan Society: Planting Value in the Food System The Vegan Vet Crystal Bonnet: Queen of Raw Desserts, with Danielle Maupertuis V for Life A Day in the Life: Juliet Gellatley + lots more!

Issue 1 Vegan Compassion in Action: New Projects Launched to Tackle Human Hunger An Interview with Kirly-Sue Summer of ‘21: Bryan Adams on Tour Vegans Deserve Better than a Fruit Salad Grow Veganic, Save The Planet Is the Plant-Based Sector Immune to Greenwashing?

Top 20 Vegan Friendly Passport-Free Things to do in the UK this Summer + lots more!

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