Viva!Life Issue 63

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life Have a

Published by Viva! the vegan campaigning group

Issue 63 Winter 2016

n ’ i C k s c h o a r i s t m R with Viva!’s deliciously vegan guide

Cracked Egg campaign hits the streets A Soldier’s Story from Commando to Vegan

Viva! Poland’s heart-warming bear rescues Viva!’s chilling new scientific report

A Turkey is for Life, says Tony Wardle

Kick that cheese addiction

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WHO WE ARE Viva!’s fight is a fight for life – for animals and ourselves. Through effective campaigning, we take the brutal reality of intensive farming to the people who can effect the most change: consumers. Our wideranging campaigns promote veganism as the best way to save animals from suffering, protect the environment, improve health and help those in developing countries.

We have cleared the shelves of so-called ‘exotic meats’; our campaign against the factory farming of pigs, turkeys and ducks saw deaths dive; we are closer to a foie-gras free Britain and meat and dairy consumption are down in the UK thanks to Viva! and you. Viva! is a registered charity (1037486).

Contents

Viva!Health is a section of Viva! that promotes the health benefits of a vegan diet. The diseases that kill many of us prematurely can mostly be prevented by consuming a plant-based diet – Viva!Health explains why. We provide accurate information about healthy eating to the public, health professionals, schools and food manufacturers.

We campaign on important issues including the harmful effects of dairy foods, heart health, how to help combat obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and breast cancer and the dangers of eating dairy, eggs, fish and meat.

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Cracking Christmas recipes

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Cracked Viva!’s egg campaign launches

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Meat Report Scientific reasons to change your diet

16 Lifescience Latest vegan research

41 Medialife Viva! in the news

21 Addicted to Cheese Giving up the hard stuff

42 Meat Report

23 Turkeys are for Life Tony Wardle reminisces 33 Do Something Positive Says the Vegan Geezer 34 Christmas Goodies Seasonal tasty treats 37 Viva! Youth

48 Viva! Festivals The list just keeps on growing 49 Restaurant Reviews Home and away 53 Book Reviews Good seasonal reading 50 Lifestyle Latest goods and goodies

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Soldier Soldier Commando with a conscience

How to get this magazine Join Viva! to get your copy of Viva!life magazine three times a year for only £15 (£12 unwaged). You’ll also receive a supporters’ card – giving you discounts at hundreds of shops and on services and holidays (see myvegantown.org.uk/discounts) – plus a free car sticker. Call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or join online at viva.org.uk/join.

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Bear Necessities Front cover photo: Chava Eichner/Viva!

Viva! Poland’s heart-warming rescues viva.org.uk 3

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VIVA!LIFE MAGAZINE Viva! Founder & International Director Juliet Gellatley

Welcom e

Editor Tony Wardle

This festive issue of Viva!life is, I’m sure you’ll agree, a superb read. Our perseverance in going undercover into several egg producing ‘farms’ has paid off with some truly shocking footage of the conditions which over 35 million hens are forced to endure in Britain – in many ways the forgotten victims of animal abuse. Starting on page 11, you can see what we discovered.

Our London demo on the tube, and dozens of regional demos carried out by local groups, took the results of our investigation to thousands of people while media coverage took it to millions.

A really fascinating read is Veronika Powell’s explanation on page 21 of why people can easily become addicted to cheese – and how to give up the hard (and soft) stuff. And in his column (page 30), John Robb raises a fascinating question as veganism comes in from the cold: “What are we going to do now we’re respectable?”

This issue sees the launch of our new report on the links between meat consumption and ill health (page 42). Authored by Dr Justine Butler, Meat The Truth, is a staggering read as it goes through all the major diseases in the West and looks at the part meat plays in killing us – and believe me, it is a huge part!

What would Christmas be without a little over-indulgence in delicious foodie treats. Well, we can certainly help with that! There are some truly delicious recipes starting on page 25 but there’s more. On page 45 you’ll find details of our new Deliciously Vegan Christmas guide – 20 pages of superb recipes for main dishes, sides, vegetables and stunning desserts. The front cover picture of this edition of Viva!life is one of them – individual little Christmas cakes. It is yours for just £1.50 plus £1 p&p (full details on page 45).

Viva! Poland has also been extremely busy and Tony Wardle writes about two recent rescues on page 38 that I promise will warm your heart. With absolute determination, our Polish colleagues swung into action when they were informed of two bears being horribly abused, one in Poland and the other over the border in the Ukraine. The fact that we have no jurisdiction in the Ukraine could have been an insurmountable problem but… well, read the outcome for yourself!

I wish everyone a compassionate Christmas and an animal-saving new year.

Juliet Gellatley Founder & Director Juliet@viva.org.uk facebook.com/juliet.gellatley

Office Manager & Supporters’ Liaison Laura Turner Beata Rzepecka-Wilk Rhiannon Bloomfield Viva!Health Campaigners Veronika Powell Dr Justine Butler Merchandise & Sales Katrina Gazley Philip McCulloch-Downs Food & Cookery Jane Easton Maryanne Hall Design Ethical Graphic Design Co Web Rhiannon Buck Ed Phillis Ana Hassel

Editorial enquiries 0117 970 4633 Advertising enquiries 0117 944 1000

General enquiries

Contact Viva! on 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri 9-6).

Email info@viva.org.uk Write to Viva! at 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

vegan is a staTe of kind Kind to you, animals and the planet life

Campaigns & Outreach Dr Jeanette Di Leo Claire Palmer Anna Bronstein Kris Townsend Liam Nolan

Database Manager Jeremy Ludlow

Yours for the animals

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Campaigns & Deputy Director Justin Kerswell

Membership enquiries 0117 944 1000 info@viva.org.uk Online viva.org.uk vivahealth.org.uk veganrecipeclub.org.uk vegans.vegetarians. for.animals vivacampaigns vivacharity Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

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lifelines Choice of superbugs from supermarkets…

A variant of the deadly superbug MRSA has been found in British pork on sale at Asda and Sainsbury’s. Three out of 97 samples were shown to have been infected by MRSA CC398, which is believed to be less virulent than the standard strain but still potentially deadly.

The new strain is widespread in Denmark where it is believed that 12,000 people have been infected.

Despite this, Danish pig meat products are still being imported into the UK. Scientists are afraid that the extensive MRSA reservoir in animals could ultimately lead to a pandemic in the human population. LA-MRSA (livestock associated) can cause serious and potentially fatal infections in humans and even more dangerous variations are emerging as the superbug evolves.

Watch Viva!’s amazing film on how superbugs are created by drug use in animal farming. viva.org.uk/swine

Free rescue is at hand!

A Vegan Rescue Pack is the latest offering from Viva!’s colleagues at the Vegetarian for Life charity, which caters specifically for the needs of older vegetarians and vegans.

The colourful, 32-page guide is designed to support, encourage and empower those who cater for older vegans.

Amanda Woodvine, VfL director, says: “Many chefs are familiar with a vegetarian diet but a vegan meal can be a bit daunting, they tell me. The Vegan Rescue Pack is a stepping stone to becoming a confident vegan cook!”

The guide covers vegan nutrition, store cupboard essentials and includes a range of delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes, as well as a 4-week menu planner – and it’s free. Get your copy from vegetarianforlife.org.uk/resources/publications, email info@vegetarianforlife.org.uk or call VfL on 0161 257 0887.

PLUS: to encourage care homes to improve food choices for their residents, VfL has also introduced the new Annual Award for Excellence in Vegetarian Care Catering – so get nominating. They haven’t yet got a team of heavies to send round to those homes that don’t improve. viva.org.uk/vivaelders

Vegetables supreme by 2020 Viva! Radio was launched on November 1, World Vegan Day. It is our new, monthly, information-packed podcast bringing you news, views and interviews from the world of veganism. With experts in each field, Viva! Radio will have something for everyone – animal rights, vegan campaigning, cruelty-free cookery and optimum vegan health. Viva! Radio will entertain, educate and inspire. viva.org.uk/vivaradio

US food industry professional Ben McKean has, after reviewing press and catering reports, reached the conclusion that vegetables will predominate on our plates in just four years.

Headlines have screamed Vegan is going mainstream; food-industry consulting firm Technomic reports that two-thirds of today’s Americans think a vegetarian meal can be as satisfying as one with meat. Food Business News published an article naming ‘vegcentric dining’ as the next big culinary trend, and Vogue (yes, that Vogue) dared to ask Are Vegetables The New Meat?

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Join us

Come on the Rovers Our good friends Forest Green Rovers from Stroud, the only vegan football club in Britain, has won an award from Sport and Leisure Catering Magazine for ‘Menu of the Year’, beating some truly big names, including the Tower of London and Grosvenor Casinos.

Dale Vince, chairman of Forest Green Rovers and CEO of Ecotricity, said: “The best part is we did it with vegan food – sustainable in all senses of the word.”

Ivory ban remains

Martin, Karin and Su

After a one-off sale of ivory to China and Japan in 2008, it was agreed there would be no further sales until 2017, when the ban would be reviewed.

At a recent conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, attempted to lift the ban but much to the surprise of the conference, their motion was defeated overwhelmingly, by 76 votes to 20. A spokesmen said: "Poaching over the last nine years has won the argument for the elephants."

It’s hard to be too sanguine when countries with elephant populations clearly want to continue exploiting them.

Members of No Herefordshire Cull and Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies dressed as badgers outside Tesco in Ledbury where they distributed leaflets and collected signatures on anti-cull postcards to be sent to the government.

There was a queue of shoppers wanting to sign.

South Cheshire Vegetarians & Vegans welcome all like-minded people to join them. Their next meeting is on Friday, November 25, 7pm at Giovannis in Crewe (a restaurant the founding members of Viva! remember with great affection).

Don’t mess with Karin!

A couple of presenters on Heart Radio Essex took a pop at vegans, saying it was hug a vegan week.

Presenter Martin (of Martin and Su) joked that it wouldn’t be possible ‘because their bones would break from lack of calcium’. Su then enlightened listeners as to just how disgusting vegan food was.

Viva! supporter Karin Ridgers (and founder of VeggieVision) leapt into action and was invited onto the show where she not only championed veganism but extracted an apology from the ignorant presenters. Good on you Karin!

n For your 20-page Deliciously Vegan Christmas booklet, see page 45 n For your free Everyone’s Going Vegan magazine, see page 31

First tofu dairy opens Tofurei is a new vegan business which has been opened in Norwich by Jenny McCann (it’s pronounced tofu-rye!). It is a vegan coffee shop with a difference – on the premises it has the UK’s first micro soya dairy, making soya milk and tofu on site. These products are then used in the soysage rolls, cakes, ice cream and pizza on the menu. On sale from the deli counter will be soysages, burgers, fresh mince and cheeses. It’s at 12 Pottergate, Norwich NR2 1DS (01603 627717) and you can check them out at facebook.com/tofurei.

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Big boys told to change their ways Share Action, a huge coalition of global investors with $1.25 trillion at their disposal, has produced a report calling on 16 of the world’s biggest food producers – including Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, Unilever, Tesco and Walmart – to cut their reliance on meat and diversify into plant-based sources of protein.

Factory farming and the over-consumption of animal products is unsustainable, says the report.

It reckons that sales of plant-based protein are set to grow by 8.4 per cent annually for the next five years. It also warns the big boys of ‘significant reputational risk’ from poor animal welfare.

On the wilde side Last year, the Wildebeest café in Falmouth, Cornwall, decided to start selling little wildebeest plush toys to its patrons to raise money for Viva!.

And they did – £245. This year they’ve continued the scheme and a further £235 has been raised. Thank you folks! Not only do you serve amazing vegan food (5-star rating on Trip Adviser) you have big hearts, too.

Wildebeest is at 13 Arwenack Street TR11 3JD. wildebeestcafe.com

Damned salmon Norway is the godfather of farmed salmon, with a huge number of farms. But a recent report describing farmed salmon as the most toxic food in the world sent the authorities into shock.

Dr. Anne-Lise Birch Monsen of the University of Bergen, Norway, blames the food they’re given: “Toxic environmental contaminants bind to the fat molecules in wild fish which are ground up to make fish meal, which is mixed with equally polluted fish oils. When you eat the salmon, these molecules then bind to your cells.

Dr. Monsen added: “I do not recommend pregnant women, children or young people eat farmed salmon. The contaminants have a negative effect on brain development and is associated with autism, ADHD and reduced IQ.”

Nick knocks meaty nosh Burly, gravelly-voiced TV presenter Nick Knowles – the man who once said he’d only consider a liquid diet if you could juice pork pies and Scotch eggs – has been creeping towards veganism for some time. He’s just returned from a month-long wellness retreat in Thailand, having dropped nine kilos in weight, taken up yoga and become a ‘vegan flexitarian’.

“I’m the last person who would ever go on a thing like this,” says father of four Knowles, 53, “but the trip made me realise I needed to sort myself out. I was worn out, overweight and I felt out of control. Going there was like pressing the reset button on my life.”

Farmed to death Farmers are the defenders of the countryside – we know because they and the government keep telling us. The recent State of Nature report by 50 big wildlife and animal organisations, including the Natural History Museum, says something different.

The UK is one of the least natural and most nature-depleted countries in the world, it claims, with more than half our natural species in decline and one in seven facing extinction – and it is farmers who carry most of the blame. Modern agricultural techniques have had a major impact on wildlife over the last four decades – and it has been ‘overwhelmingly negative’.

Tara the dog just had her 17th birthday. She is the companion of Ann Boyce from Coulsdon, Surrey and has been since she was six months old.

Since that time, Tara has eaten a vegan diet and has hardly ever visited a vet, says Ann. viva.org.uk 7

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Soldier Soldier…

Tony Wardle meets a Royal Marine Commando and talks to him about warfare, compassion and spiritual enlightenment

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idney Sharpe, it seems, is two people. He is the super-hard, Royal Marine Commando who is trained to kill with staggering efficiency. He is also the animal-loving vegan who is shocked by images of cruelty. And that, surely, is the template for a head-on, car crash of internal conflict?

I’m not sure what a member of the world’s toughest special forces is supposed to look like but I would not immediately have drawn a picture of Sid Sharpe. Very handsome, not particularly tall and with an extraordinarily warm and open face, he seems almost vulnerable, the kind of guy you immediately want to make friends with. My mum would have described him as a ‘thoroughly nice lad’ and encouraged me to ask him back for tea. She was usually right, my mum!

Born slap bang in the middle of London, in Soho in 1990, Sid is his own one-man United Nations – a quarter Irish, quarter Malaysian, quarter Native American and a quarter ‘sub-Saharan’. On top of this, he’s spent a considerable amount of time in Canada and the townships of South Africa and can speak the impossibly difficult Xhosa ‘click’ language.

His family comprises two sisters, a brother and divorced parents – and that event was truly important because it had a profound impact on him: “As a kid, I went on a visit to a Buddhist temple and that triggered a search for spirituality in me, which has always remained but at times it has just been in the background. It was very hard to grow spiritually when you’re at the kind of bloody rough school I was, with bullying, constant playground punch-ups and kids wielding knives.

“My parents divorced when I was 13 and I developed really serious anger issues.

My lovely mother encouraged me to revisit Buddhism as she thought it might help me

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control my outbursts of aggression. I did and I also went vegetarian despite all that was going on because I truly believed that all animals are equal”. You can see the personal conflicts that mark him as an adult beginning to take root.

When self-defence is the first lesson you need to learn at school for survival, it makes perfect sense that Sid wanted to be a boxer but that was squashed by his

“As a kid, I went on a visit to a Buddhist temple and that triggered a search for spirituality in me” mum, so he took up martial arts instead. Hepatitis C brought that to a painful end and for months Sid literally wasted away to a skinny little thing with a question mark over his longevity.

“Suddenly, one morning I woke up and was hungry and I could face life again. Now I just wanted to be happy and had no great ambition but I knew I didn’t want to do a 9-5 job. I left school at 16 and took a series of physical sport courses but to progress, I needed to study sports science and being dyslexic, that proved difficult – too difficult. Then along came the men’s fitness mags and the message that real men eat meat. So, I started to build my muscles and went back to eating meat full time.”

‘Building muscles’ resulted in Mr Universe type exhibitions with lots of oiled flesh and striking bizarre poses to show off pecs or six packs or biceps. As a

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professional cynic, I can’t look at them without laughing but then I’ve no doubt if I tried it, people would certainly laugh at me but for different reasons. Anyway, Sid’s search was for perfection, to be the best at something, and body building was merely a means of achieving that.

It wasn’t long before he was again agonising over what he should be eating and whether meat really was the answer to everything – a theme that was continually to recur until it reached crisis point.

Many of us can recall a single event that changed our lives and for Sid it was a party and meeting an old friend, who Sid describes as ‘very dark’. He was a Commando. It sparked an interest and when Sid looked up the Royal Marines on the Royal Navy website he saw two things that resonated with him – the claim that they were the thinking man’s soldiers and then the clincher – ‘Be the best’.

Being the best meant learning survival skills (“You can drop a Royal Marine in any terrain anywhere in the world and he will survive”), superb physical fitness, marksmanship and close combat training – armed and unarmed. But the clincher was the claim that wherever in the world humanitarian crises developed, the Marines would be there to help. The bit about tracking down our enemies and confronting them took a bit of a back seat, it seems.

you fail and you’re called ‘a pile of shit’ but then you succeed and you’re praised – ‘you’re amazing, trooper’. That makes you feel good and helps you to keep going. Fifty men started in my training troop and only eight of us survived.”

Training lasts for nearly nine months and it culminates in the notorious 30-miler – a run across the rough terrain of Dartmoor in full fighting order and carrying 32 lbs of equipment. It has to be completed in eight hours and men have died trying to achieve it.

“I kept hearing a voice in my head saying ‘you’re not going to do it, Sid’ and then the reply, ‘oh yes I bloody am!’ The finishing line was a bridge and as we crossed it we were awarded our green berets and we cried, we all cried. The passing out parade was the proudest day of my life. I had become one of them.”

Posted to 42 Commando in Plymouth, Trooper Sidney Sharpe was now a soldier proper and the work began. Yes, there were humanitarian missions, such as searching for human remains from the Malaysian Airlines MH 17 aircraft shot down over the Ukraine. But there were many more military missions and you can guarantee that wherever in the world there is armed conflict and our government perceives it has an interest, Royal Marine Commandos will be there.

“We were constantly being sent on reconnaissance jobs lasting from a few u

The over-riding principle which he now wishes to guide his life is compassion Sid maintains he wasn’t seeking glory but was attracted by a secure job in which he could progress. Not sure I buy this as I don’t think Sidney Sharpe has ever sought anything that was secure – rather he has been driven by a need to understand himself and I suspect the physical challenge, like all the previous physical challenges he’s undertaken, was the real allure. To confront the torturous training of the special forces and survive would provide a mountain of self-esteem on which to perch while postponing the troubling search for who he really was and what he truly believed.

Having served in the Royal Air Force Police, I can tell you that the forces are not democratic – you do what you’re told to do. For someone who hates being told what to do, it seemed like a pretty poor fit for Sid, as it was for me.

“This was different because although it was tough, very tough, every officer or NCO who drilled us and shouted at us had proved themselves by passing the training course and were much better than me so that made it acceptable. Yes, it hurts when

The proudest day of Sidney Sharpe’s life – his Royal Marine Passing Out Parade, with a marksman’s insignia on his sleeve

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days to a couple of weeks and it could be anywhere. You may well see Marines in uniform at trouble spots but in a way, they are a distraction as the majority of the troop simply blend into the environment and are never seen. I saw a trooper I knew out of uniform at the London Marathon and was about to say hello when a flash of his eyes told me he was working and I should ignore him.”

Sid has seen action but for security reasons is very circumspect about when and where. But what he does say is chilling: “Knowing someone wants to kill you is just fun – such an adrenalin rush that you can’t switch off. Your only concerns are for the guys around you and shooting the bad guys is like a video game. You go into battle with a ‘Marine head’ and act like a machine – like one entity. You’re not fighting for your Queen or country, you’re fighting for your mates and yes I did shoot at people but only when necessary to defend myself and my troop. Even as a Buddhist I justified it all at the time.”

It wasn’t one-way traffic and he took a bullet in the leg (again no details) and it was the long days of rehab afterwards that reignited Sid’s search for his true self. It was the event that brought the inner conflicts SMACK into head-on collision.

“I started reading lots of philosophy and meditating and stumbled across an Australian guy called James Aspey. He

Essentially under contract to the navy, Sid had to request his discharge and did so in a long and heartfelt letter to his commanding officer, which he also recorded and placed on YouTube (https://youtu.be/YjeoxiDXewI). I find it very moving as he explains at length his growing spirituality, talking of his love for nature, life and animals and his move to veganism. He talks about his desire to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, reminding us that his coveted green beret is made of wool and his boots of leather. He explains that the over-riding principle which he now wishes to guide his life is compassion and he therefore requests his discharge on the grounds of conscientious objection. It was granted.

Sidney Sharpe left the Royal Marines in April this year and as he sat with me, I felt genuinely very sorry for him – not because he wasn’t shooting and possibly killing people any longer but because the world he had worked so hard to enter was no longer what he wanted or needed.

“I realise that education is all and I hate the way children are conditioned to abuse and eat animals and I want to do something about that. But leaving the Marines felt almost like a bereavement and to be honest with you, I feel a bit lost at the moment”.

There’s an inherent bravery in Sid Sharpe and I feel sure he will find his way.

I sincerely hope so.

“I hate the way children are conditioned to abuse and eat animals and I want to do something about that”

went silent for a whole year and when he eventually did speak he was hoarse and it was difficult. He said, ‘The reason I took a vow of silence was to raise awareness for the voiceless victims of this planet – the animals’. That really affected me.

“I watched Gary Yourofsky videos about animal cruelty and the need for veganism and went on documentary overload. The result was that I decided I couldn’t be a soldier any longer and that was a huge development, both spiritually and morally”.

Top left: on exercises in Arizona. Bottom left: a lonely desert bivouac. Above: with one of his mum’s dogs, Hawthorn (nicknamed Trousers)

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ca mpa ign s l Viva!’s new campaign to save hens l 140-page report on the egg industry l Challenging new leaflets l Juliet Gellatley films shocking covert footage l See our new film at viva.org.uk/cracked

iva! has never shied away from campaigning on subjects many would rather not know about. Our new Cracked campaign is a perfect example of that. We have filmed inside different types of egg producing units and the evidence from all is that of acute suffering, misery and death. The industry tries to camouflage this reality by perpetuating myths.

Many people have been encouraged to believe that cages were banned years ago whereas almost a half of all hens are still forced to live in them.

Claims are constantly made that eggs are good for you – essential, in fact – and are produced by happy hens down on the farm. Both are untrue.

Our Cracked campaign blows the lid off this nonsense – successful nonsense as egg sales are increasing while meat and dairy consumption is falling. Around 10 billion home-grown eggs are eaten in the UK each year – 12.2 billion including imports.

That’s a staggering 33 million a day!

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An apparently dying bird at a Ridgeway Foods farm

Another ground-breaking Viva! campaign – this time exposing the cruel reality of life for egg-laying hens. Claire Palmer reports There has been a sudden surge in supermarkets promising to go cage free, including Tesco, Morrisons and Iceland, driven by the determination of young Viva! supporter, Lucy Cavanagh (see page 15). It follows similar statements from US giants Walmart and Costco while McDonald’s and Nestlé have promised to follow suit. In the UK, these promises will not be fully implemented for nine years (2025).

But even that isn’t the answer as our undercover footage from free-range farms proves. The standard of welfare for hens is sickening, right across the board, for their entire 18-month lifespan.

Enriched The sickest words used by the British egg industry are ‘enriched cages’. Right now, 18 million hens live in them, housed in huge windowless sheds, tier upon tier, line after line, so long they almost disappear into a vanishing point like a perspective drawing.

The cages are bigger, containing up to 80 birds instead of five in battery cages, and each has the ‘luxury’ of additional space – less than the size of a postcard. Oh yes, and a tiny scratching pad and a ‘nest box’ consisting of flaps of plastic hanging from the cage tops that hens must compete for – so much so that some may never lay an egg in one. The floor on which birds have to stand is wire mesh, sloping so the eggs roll onto a conveyor – great for egg collecting, excruciating for hens. u

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Chickens naturally form flocks of about 18 with a strict order of seniority – the pecking order. With 80 birds crammed together and relentless boredom, this all falls apart and weaker hens are often bullied and feather pecked, sometimes to death. As chicks, the tip of their beak is usually painfully sliced or burnt off to try and alleviate feather pecking but from what we have seen, it is ineffective.

After 18 months of this hell, cages are emptied, the birds slaughtered for cheap meat products and the process starts again with the next batch of young victims.

As part of our investigation, Viva! founder and director, Juliet Gellatley, visited several farms, including Bird Bros in Bedfordshire. You can see her emotional report at viva.org.uk/faceoff/eggs

The industrialists Viva! investigators went inside enriched cage farms nationwide for over a year, including two of Britain’s largest companies – Ridgeway Foods and Noble Foods. Suffering was present on every farm and in every cage on a scale similar to the old battery cages – extensive feather loss, live birds walking amongst the dead, beak mutilation, air thick with dust, wire floors covered in faeces and sick, stressed and dying birds almost everywhere.

Nowhere was this more acute than at a farm in Withernsea on the east coast, producing for K Fresh. They claim to be ‘enriched colony specialists’ and 20,000 birds were housed in one huge, stinking shed. The noise was deafening from cages stacked floor to ceiling despite the K Fresh egg boxes being emblazoned with grassy scenes.

It was a similar scene at supermarket favourite Ridgeway Foods’ cage farm in Wolverhampton. In their ‘enriched’ environment they can fulfil none of their behavioural needs – can’t walk or fly, run or dust bathe – they can’t even stretch their wings.

Free as a bird We also visited free-range and organic farms, including top suppliers, Noble Foods, who sell 60 million eggs a week.

Flock size was in the thousands and housed in huge sheds.

Although there are no cages, feather loss was comparable to caged hens. We could not monitor how many went outside but studies show that many hens on free-range farms never leave the shed because of high stocking densities, competition for space and fear of crossing another’s territory, access and inadequate outside conditions. Hens can be fiercely territorial and may guard the exit holes, preventing other hens from leaving!

At a farm in Spalding, supplying eggs to local retailers, the floor inside the shed was gridded metal and the air thick with dust.

Feather loss was commonplace and dead birds were filmed both inside the shed and piled up in a bin outside. These bodies were swarming with maggots and flies.

We sent our findings to veterinarian Dr Andrew Knight, who commented: “Carcasses represent both an infection hazard and also a food source for rats, which can then attack living hens, especially if ill or weak”.

On extensive feather loss he said: “An immediate consequence is an inability to thermoregulate (stay warm) unless fat and subordinate (pecked) birds might also have less access to food. Pecking can ultimately lead to cannibalism.”

Extreme loss of feathers is caused by life in a so-called ‘enriched cage’

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This is industrialised free range egg production

Cruel – AND UNHEALHY The US Department of Agriculture won’t allow egg producers to claim that eggs are healthy, nutritious or good for you – because they’re not.

Our government, however, ignores the fact that eggs can increase prostate cancer risk by 81 per cent, ovarian cancer by 80 per cent and type 2 diabetes by 77 per cent.

And then of course there’s food poisoning…

An organic free-range unit in East Sussex, is considered a ‘model’ farm and has received Compassion in World Farming’s Good Egg Award and the RSPCA’s seal of approval. Conditions were arguably better but all the same old problems were there, including filth and dead and dying birds.

At an organic, free-range farm in Wiltshire, approved by the Soil Association, there were two sheds, each housing around 2,000 hens. There were sore-looking, bald patches on some birds, possibly caused by a mite infestation.

Another RSPCA-Assured, organic freerange farm in Lincolnshire was packed to capacity, with some birds balancing on thin wire running along the rafters to escape the sea of birds below.

Sadly, most birds never see sunlight or walk on grass and live in conditions that should shame our country. They inhabit a shadowy archipelago of enormous sheds surrounded by fences, sealed off from the public.

Hours of footage painstakingly taken by our investigators at enriched cage, freerange and organic farms provides a telling snapshot of what life is like for egg-laying hens – probably the most abused of all farmed animals. No matter what the system and the hyperbole used to sell their eggs, hens lead a desperately miserable life.

The answer is simple – go vegan.

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local groups get cracking

By Claire Palmer We are so proud of Viva! supporters who took to the streets on the Weekend of Action for hens! Although one of the world’s most abused farmed animals, sadly the laying hen is also one of the most forgotten. But Viva! supporters are working to change that!

One of the groups taking part was Team Tino Animal Rights, which took to the streets of South Shields to speak out for hens and educate the public on how they are treated on British farms.

Viva! also sent Cracked campaign packs, including masks and posters, to groups across the UK. They included Patricia Solomou from Dorchester, Nottingham Animal Rights, Stand Up Cambridge, Wye Veggies and Vegans, Lincoln Animal Rights, and Manchester Animal Action. Some groups organised high

street info-stalls, and others door dropped our new Cracked campaign leaflets around their local area.

Nottingham Animal Rights hosted a creative info and food stall with Viva! materials and delicious egg-free foods being prepared and cooked up for people there and then! Food available for passerbys to try included cake, cookies, scrambled tofu and egg-free omelette.

In Lincoln, our Cracked campaign materials were handed out as part of Lincoln Animal Right’s dairy awareness action. They managed to hand out every leaflet we sent them!

On behalf of millions of hens across Britain today, thank you to everyone who took part in the Viva! Weekend of Action.

Top: Nottingham Animal Rights turn out for our Cracked campaign’s Weekend of Action.

Above and below: Lincoln Animal Rights attracted shoppers with their imaginative cookery demos. Bottom, left to right: Team Tino Animal Rights with a variety of great approaches to inform shoppers about our CRACKED campaign

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on the tube See us on the tube and share: youtube.com/vivaorg

By Claire Palmer To mark World Egg Day 2016, we launched our new Cracked video (see viva.org.uk/cracked) about the egg industry on London’s tube trains.

Wearing eye-catching chicken masks (some said scary!) we asked London commuters if they are tired of being packed in on their daily journey. We then asked them to consider the plight of millions of laying hens in Britain who are living in crammed, cruel conditions in so-called ‘enriched cages’, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for their entire ‘productive’ lives.

And this, four years after everyone was led to believe that cages had been banned. We were also able to show them that life for free-range hens is little better.

The innovative London action kick-started a nationwide Weekend of Action in which Viva! supporters across the UK took part.

Our new Cracked campaign shines the spotlight on an industry that has, until now, been relatively hidden from public scrutiny. Our high-speed tube action provided us with an opportunity to remind commuters that, four years on from the battery cage ban, millions of laying hens continue to be trapped in dark, filthy, windowless sheds. And 18 million of them still in barren, wire cages.

Mounting public pressure against the continued caging of hens has meant a recent surge in cage-free pledges by supermarket giants such as Tesco, ALDI, ASDA, Morrisons and Iceland. Yet bans will not come into force for another nine years and, as Viva!’s investigation shows, that’s nine years too long!

Our video features footage from both enriched cage and free-range farms, with a loud and unwavering message – that Britain’s egg industry is Cracked and we urge people to not support it and go vegan.

Shocking travellers on London’s tube, who showed tremendous interest in the plight of chickens

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By Anna Bronstein

Goliath

Lucy W

&

hen you’re 14, changing the world might seem like a far-off pipe dream. Not for Lucy Cavanagh, vegetarian and hen-rescuing teen from Sheffield. Her aim was to end the sale of eggs from caged hens in all UK supermarkets.

Lucy started with Tesco in February this year, gained 13,500 signatures for her petition in a week and ended with over 280,000. After a letter writing campaign, TV and radio interviews and a meeting at Tesco’s head offices, Lucy claimed victory in July when Tesco announced the end of caged eggs by 2025.

But that wasn’t the end; she took on Asda, who also made the 2025 pledge, with Iceland, Aldi and Sodexo following suit in a domino effect. Lucy has now launched a new, even more ambitious petition – to end all caged-hen farming in the UK. I travelled to Sheffield to interview this inspirational girl.

Lucy is a picture of calm confidence when I arrive. Having already done seven media interviews, she’s a professional. I interviewed her in her lovely garden where she introduced me to her four rescued hens: “When I got them, quite a few had no feathers at all. They were weak and pale and not well at all. It took quite a while for them to get back to health.”

Their thick, glossy feathers gleamed in the warm sunshine – happy, confident, beautiful individuals, what hens should be like. The contrast between them and hens from ‘enriched’ cages was stark, as Lucy

explained: “There is little space, no access to the outside world and no stimulation. I think the way they’re confined in cages is appalling”. (See Viva!’s Cracked exposé on page 11).

I asked Lucy if she felt supermarkets have a moral duty to set high standards for animal welfare? She was adamant: “They can vary the price if they want but not the way the animals are treated, that must be completely solid. I don’t want to inflict cruelty on any animal”.

Lucy fell in love with hens when she met a flock on a livery yard and adopted one – Mrs Hen. An awareness of the horrific treatment of commercial laying hens followed.

I can see Lucy is the real deal by the way she holds her hens and talks about them, telling me how inconsolable she was when one got lost in the woods at night. She clearly adores them.

“Of course, hens will still continue to suffer until 2025 and even after that, they won’t be living a happy, natural life. Most farms will move to barn production methods which are often equally dank, depressing and inadequate.”

Unfortunately, ‘free–range’ hens often fare little better but what Lucy has started is a process of raising public awareness and who knows where it will end?

Lucy, who has now been nominated for the Young Animal Enthusiast of the Year award at the Animal Heros Awards Ceremony, ended with strong words of support for Viva!.

“If you’re interested in animal welfare, follow what organisations such as Viva! do, check out their work and campaigns and support them in any way you can.”

“if you believe animals are being treated badlly then you have to do something about it” With no trace of arrogance, she seems inherently to know that she can succeed, which is probably one reason why she did!

Her advice to other young people is clear: “It’s important to hold on to your values and if you believe animals are being treated badlly then you have to do something about it – it’s important to act!”

Lucy is living proof that one person can make a difference. The petition started as her personal dream, her solitary voice but reached hundreds of thousands of others and the snowball effect resulted in her dream becoming reality.

So, will all shops eventually stop selling eggs from caged hens?

“It really looks like it now that so many have pledged to go cage free by 2025. It didn’t look possible even a year ago.

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lifeSCIENCE

Viva!Health unravels scientific research and makes it easy to understand.

Here we update you on the latest findings…

By Veronika Powell MSc, Viva!Health Campaigner

Slash your risk of diabetes A diet rich in fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

Avoiding Alzheimer’s The consumption of meat and fatty animal products is linked to Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in Western countries and it’s increasingly being linked to diet and lifestyle. This large study gathered all available data and revealed that there is a strong connection between diets based on meat, eggs and high-fat dairy products and the disease. This link has been observed worldwide and is particularly noticeable in countries that moved from traditional diets towards Western ones.

The study suggests that meat and eggs promote the concentration of certain metals in the brain as they are sources of copper, iron, cadmium, lead, mercury and other heavy metals and the saturated fats these foods contain facilitate absorption.

Animal products – and meat and dairy in particular – also increase the body’s production of IGF-1, a growth factor linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

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The paper suggests there are also other biochemical changes that Western diets can trigger in the body and further increase the risk of dementia. On the other hand, plant-based diets have been linked only to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and data from all around the world agree.

The author suggests that reducing meat consumption could not only significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease but could also cut the risk of several cancers, type 2 diabetes, stroke and chronic kidney disease.

On a practical note, low levels of vitamins D and B12 are considered a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease too so make sure to take a supplement!

Grant WB, 2016. Using Multicountry Ecological and Observational Studies to Determine Dietary Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 35 (5) 476-489.

The new UK-based study investigated the diets of over 1,500 participants for several years and found that a diet high in antiinflammatory foods and antioxidants can significantly cut the risk of type 2 diabetes. People eating diets high in fruits and vegetables but low in sugar, chips and white bread had a staggering 83 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

This study adds to a large volume of research showing that a wholefood plant-based diet can not only prevent type 2 diabetes but also help to reverse it. For more information, see Viva!Health’s diabetes resources: vivahealth.org.uk/diabetes.

McGeoghegan, Muirhead & Almoosawi, 2016. Association between an antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant dietary pattern and diabetes in British adults: results from the national diet and nutrition survey rolling programme years 1–4.

International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 67 (5) 553-561.

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Bad protein, Pulsing good protein with health The type of protein we eat matters more than we thought

The biggest study to date – with over 130,000 participants – of the effects of both plant and animal protein on human health produced surprisingly clear results.

Animal protein was associated with higher mortality, especially from heart disease, whilst plant protein was associated with lower mortality.

Animal foods that gave the highest risk of premature death were processed and unprocessed red meat and eggs. Plant protein offered protection against a range of diseases, promoting a longer, healthier life.

The paper didn’t elaborate on the exact mechanisms by which animal protein does harm but previous studies discovered that it encourages the body’s production of IGF-1, a potentially dangerous growth factor resulting in harmful acid production which encourages toxic gut bacteria. All these are detrimental to health but they can also increase levels of inflammation and undermine blood vessel health, especially if there’s already damage such as arterial plaques.

Song et al., 2016.

Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With AllCause and CauseSpecific Mortality.

JAMA Internal Medicine. [Epub ahead of print]

Pulses are a part of most traditional diets and are packed with health benefits The pulse family consists of plants that produce a pod with seeds inside. They include beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, soya beans, lupins, lotus, alfalfa and peanuts. An extensive scientific paper has just reviewed all the relevant research to find out exactly what pulses do for us.

For a start, regular consumption of pulses can increase our longevity, help healthy weight management and prevent diabetes, colorectal cancer and heart disease. When it comes to heart disease, soya beans in particular are associated with cholesterol-lowering properties. And what’s more, pulses also promote friendly gut bacteria which has many health-promoting effects on the whole body.

Pulses are an excellent source of protein, fibre, B vitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, copper and potassium. It’s true they also contain some anti-nutrients such as phytic acid that may reduce the absorption of beneficial minerals but the study highlights that traditional food preparation techniques, such as soaking, boiling, roasting, sprouting and fermenting, trigger a break-down of these anti-nutrients so we don’t need to worry about them so long as we don’t eat raw pulses.

There are also many healthy phytonutrients in pulses, including polyphenols, which have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. They are responsible for the colour of the seed so brightly coloured pulses, such as red lentils and kidney beans, have more polyphenols than white beans.

Isoflavones (phytoestrogens), found in many pulses but particularly in soya, have been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers, including breast and prostate, as well as heart disease, osteoporosis and problems associated with menopause.

Kouris-Blazos and Belski, 2016. Health benefits of legumes and pulses with a focus on Australian sweet lupins. Asia Pacific Journal Clinical Nutrition. 25(1): 1-17.

Meat as bad as sugar Meat is as much to blame for excess weight as sugar Sensational research that analysed data from 170 countries resulted in an important finding.

After adjusting for factors such as people’s activity levels, income, lifestyle and calorie consumption, meat intake was directly and significantly linked to excess weight. In fact, meat turned out to be as bad as sugar and these two food groups together explain almost all the variation in people’s body weights.

The papers describe in detail why and how meat is linked to obesity. If we eat more than enough food, the fats and carbohydrates are digested first and supply all the energy we require. Meat protein is digested later and the

body only needs to use a small proportion of it so most of the energy it provides is surplus to requirements and is converted to fat which is then stored in your body.

The authors concluded that public health strategies should be put in place to reduce people’s meat consumption.

You and Henneberg, 2016. Meat consumption providing a surplus energy in modern diet contributes to obesity prevalence: an ecological analysis. BMC Nutrition. 2 (1).

You and Henneberg, 2016. Meat in modern diet, just as bad as sugar, correlates with worldwide obesity: An ecological analysis. Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences.

6 (4) 517.

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Bringing vegan into your life

The team behind Vegan Life – the UK’s premier vegan magazine invites you to embrace the ultimate cruelty–free lifestyle with this amazing two day event in January.

Cheers

e the Brass Castle Brewery on selection of vegan beers and in

Menu

A selection of the food that will be available throughout the weekend:

South East Asian Street Dishes Trinidad Street Food Wraps Vegan Meats and Steaks Falafel Vegetable Curries Raw Chocolates Burgers Raw Food Fresh Thai Young Coconuts Mexican Street Food South Western USA Dishes Sustainable, Healthy Food Sushi Homemade Pies Mock Duck and Rice Cakes and Pastries

7 | 8 January 2017 Alexandra Palace London, N22 7AY

Featuring... ǩ The exhibitor zone showcasing everything from delicious food to incredible clothing. ǩ The product presentation area where you can try out vegan products and food. ǩ The Veganuary Room where you can attend talks such as ‘Life beyond cheese: reviews of the best vegan meats and dairy products’. ǩ Our cookery demonstration area featuring demos from the co–founder of Mindful Chef. ǩ Films in the vegan cinema. Showings will include Cowspiracy, Blackfish, Forks over Knives and Unity. ǩ Plus we will have lots of workshops such as ‘Factory farming: The greatest crime of our time?’ with Toni Shephard of Animal Equality.

and SAVE e n li n o S T E ICK Book your T

www.veganlifelive.com or call 01787 224040 We can’t wait to see you at Alexandra Palace!

Full details on how to get there can be found on our website veganlifelive.com

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Lifting the Veil on Cruelty Juliet Gellatley gives a touching explanation of why Viva! launched its new campaign n truth, Christmas day is just another day, like all the other 364 in the year. Nowhere does that realisation burn into your consciousness more than inside a factory farm where the suffering continues whatever the date or the festivals we celebrate.

It is almost impossible to convey the reality of these places in words alone or with photographs, for that matter. You need to be able to appreciate the scale of it, to have your senses overwhelmed by its alien nature, to almost imbibe it through your skin – the stench, the sounds of animals in despair, the indifference.

There is a personal toll every time we go to an intensive farm. It isn’t just the personal risk, the traipsing across fields at midnight or the hostile environment. It is the eyes of the imprisoned animals we see, questioning us and their pitiful glances stab at my heart.

They seem to say ‘why me?’ and ‘what have I done to deserve this?’ The answer is, of course, they have done nothing.

I sat on my haunches at one pig farm and I looked into the blue eyes of a sow. I couldn’t look away. She was trapped in what’s called a rape rack, a contraption designed to immobilise her for forcible impregnation.

I made her a promise – that I would tell the world what was happening to her and do everything I could to end it. It was the same promise I made to a breeding boar back when I was a teenager and I have tried my hardest to keep that promise.

It is for this reason that I launched our Face Off campaign, taking footage of our exposés and showing it to people everywhere.

The latest place we’ve chosen to expose is Sandridge Farm in Wiltshire and I picked it because of the

I

marketing hype that surrounds it. A few, free-range Saddleback pigs romp through nettle patches outside and the Hairy Bikers and Angela Rippon have been there to coo their approval. The owners talk of keeping other pigs in ‘cosy barns’.

That really means windowless sheds, discarded and rotting piglet corpses, placentas left on the floor and sows giving birth in frustration in farrowing crates where they can barely move. It means dumping living piglets in huge, concrete-floored boxes with just a little open space at one end but with absolutely nothing to occupy them. With these and other images we are showing British consumers the truth.

The truth is, animals hurt – you can’t fail to see it in their eyes. They hurt from the moment they’re born.

We have the preliminary results of a public opinion poll we’ve had done (full details next issue) and consumer ignorance still abounds. Almost a half of meat eaters don’t know the conditions in which animals are kept; almost a third think that the farrowing crate (right) is illegal; and more than 60 per cent have no idea that cows have to be made pregnant to produce milk.

What gives me heart is that when I made that first promise to an old and exhausted boar, public ignorance was far greater that this. People are learning and are changing, which is why Face Off is so important and why I ask you to support it.

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Juniper Green Organic Gin The world’s first Organic Gin Famous for aroma and flavour Smooth and delicious Winner of 20 medals since 1999 Gluten-free and suitable for coeliacs The Organic Spirits Company Tel: 01483 894650 Email: office@londonandscottish.co.uk

Registered by the Vegan Society

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HELP!

I’m addicted to cheese!

Veronika Powell no longer needs her fromage fix and gives some helpful advice on kicking the habit from the fact that cheese is high in fat and salt, which is the magical combination that humans respond to with voracious appetite. Think crisps, chips, bacon, everything cheesy, salted nuts and fried savoury foods – basically all junk food. It’s because for a major part of humankind’s history, food wasn’t always abundant so our bodies evolved to recognise fatty foods as a good energy source and developed a taste for them.

Even though most of us now have more than enough, our bodies still crave fats – and cheese is a prime example of that desire backfiring.

But how do you kick your cheese addiction?

Unfortunately, what you need is willpower! If you stay away from cheese for a few weeks, you’ll one day realise the desperate craving’s gone. To help you along the way, the naughty, salty, fatty taste might be what you’re after – I’m talking chips and crisps, within reason! Or try adding nutritional yeast flakes to savoury dishes as they give a subtle, cheesy flavour. And if your fancy is a pizza or pasta bake, give vegan cheese a go – grate it on top and blast at high heat.

Nationwide restaurant chains Zizzi and The Stable offer vegan cheese on pizzas as do many local pizza shops so don’t be afraid to ask! Go on, break the dairy cheese spell – you know you can!

Cheese addiction is real and once you break free from it, the cravings stop

Photo © Mattie Hagedorn

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f you’ve ever toyed with the idea of going vegan, you’ve probably thought (at least once) that you might not be able to live without cheese. I can relate – when I went vegan, my cheese cravings reached epic proportions and there were times I even daydreamed about cheese, as if it was a drug…

The truth is, cheese addiction is real and once you break free from it, the cravings stop. What makes it so addictive is the extremely high concentration of the milk protein casein that, when digested, results in casomorphins. And casomorphins are opioids, belonging to the same chemical family as morphine and opium which induce euphoric feelings and lower your pain threshold.

In the same way that morphine and opium are addictive, so are casomorphins and if you suddenly stop eating cheese, you might experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and strong cravings.

Why cheese and not other dairy products? It takes about ten pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese and it’s mostly water that’s lost in the process. It follows that cheese is very high in milk protein (casein) compared to other dairy products. The more casein you eat, the more casomorphins are produced and the harder it is to give it up.

Cheese isn’t as strong as other opiates but science shows casomorphins can cross the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream so eating cheese can have noticeable effects – especially if you suddenly decide to stop.

In nature, it’s only the very young offspring of mammals that drink their mother’s milk and it’s been suggested that casomorphins are nature’s way for breast milk to have a light calming effect and aid the motherinfant bond. Opiates in general also slow down bowel movements, which can be a desirable effect in newborns prone to diarrhoea but they almost always cause constipation in adults. I’m sure many cheese lovers would agree.

Of course, a huge part of our cheese cravings come

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u r o y e yes on t s a e F o u r t i s v e e f stock ! s ing filler

VIVA! COOKBOOK

Straight from the heart – Viva!’s top-selling cookbook is jammed with crowd-pleasing and easy-tomake vegan recipes.

From globally-inspired soups; fresh salads with a twist; hearty ‘meaty’ and beany mains; tasty sauces from scratch; veganised versions of your favourite cheese recipes and 45 delicious sweet recipes. Full colour picture of every recipe too!

By Jane Easton. PB, 308pp. £9.99

FREE copy of Everyone’s Going Dairy-Free! guide (including delish recipes) with every purchase of the Viva!

Cookbook FREE exclusive postcard with every purchase of POD

THE INQUEST

POD

A riveting eco thriller from awardwinning journalist and Viva!’s associate director Tony Wardle.

Numerous story lines run through this intriguing novel: love, betrayal, political corruption, misogyny, friendship – and a woman’s journey of discovery.

Driving them along is a mystery that threatens everyone but only the novel’s heroine, Jo Aldous, is aware of it – across the planet, animals have started to kill the humans who exploit them.

By Tony Wardle. PB, 560pp. £8.99

Another great novel from Tony Wardle, editor of Viva!life –in collaboration with Michael Mansfield QC, Viva! patron.

A plane crashes on London, 523 people die and a wall of silence descends. Tom Harrison, a high street solicitor, takes up the search for answers with relatives of the dead. As Tom struggles to cope with it all, and the competing demands of his clients, he allows his love life to become entangled with his professional life and the case becomes even more complicated. Despite unearthing powerful evidence as to what really happened, the system defeats him. There is just one last chance to reveal the truth – a simple inquest.

By Tony Wardle & Michael Mansfield QC. PB, 456pp. £8.95

Give the gift of the written word this Christmas!

Browse our amazing selection of veg books online from vegan cookery and health to animal matters and ethical fiction. vivashop.org.uk/books

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s i y f o e r k r l u i t f e …

A not Christmas

O

nce upon a time, middle class people would ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ at a roast goose in the centre of their Christmas dining table. For the working class it was a chicken. And then something happened and everyone fell in love with turkey meat.

As sales rocketed, a bit of macho oneupmanship came into play: “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine – a fifteen pounder!” That scramble for ‘bigger is better’ condemned turkeys to a life of constant torture – and that is no exaggeration.

It’s some years since I first went inside a turkey farm. It was a shed – a huge, windowless, B&Q-style industrial shed plonked in the countryside. Long before I reached it I knew we were in the right place because of the cloying, sickening stench of excreta, carried on what would otherwise have been a balmy night breeze.

When the moon peeked out I could see the outline of other sheds, twenty, thirty or more stretching far and wide into the dark distance.

They were owned by one of Europe’s biggest turkey producers who spent oodles of money telling consumers how ‘bootiful’ his birds were. Along with a TV camera crew, we walked through an unlocked door to see for ourselves.

By Tony Wardle Oh dear God, if you want to have an early preview of hell, go into a turkey shed not long before slaughter time when the birds are at their biggest. It was lit but dimly so – in fact sheds are lit for more than 23 hours a day to unnaturally encourage feeding but as the birds grow so the lights become dimmer to reduce aggression.

Above the constant thrumming noise of extractor fans swelled the babbles and gobbles of perhaps 25,000 voices emanating from a vast, shifting carpet of white, so dense that no bird could move without pushing his or her way between other birds. When one stretched his wings and flapped in frustration, clouds of acrid dust billowed up and hung in the air.

The stench was almost choking – a sickening, pungent, cloying, pervasive aroma from weeks of accumulated faeces soaked into the floor litter. It was a scent that would

permeate my clothes for days and laugh scornfully at applications of Febreeze.

There was nothing anywhere in the place that was natural to any living creature, apart from the rats, who came and went as they chose. The turkeys had never been nurtured by a mother – had never even seen her, just an incubator. No fresh air, nowhere to roost, never a glimpse of sunshine, no rain to splash on grimy feathers, no search for morsels to eat as the pellets in the shed-long trough were the same, day in and day out.

All this was as nothing to the state of the birds themselves. Some simply sat there looking mournful, incapable of movement, their joints crumbled from excessive weight and there they would likely die, incapable of reaching food and water. They would join the other mounds of dark, decaying carcasses who had already starved to death – the dead left amongst the living.

Top beaks were truncated, mutilated, supposedly to prevent feather pecking.

So sensitive are beaks that this procedure compares to having your fingertips sliced away.

And then there were the ammonia burns from the sodden floor; open wounds, cuts and gashes, ulcers suppurating, pus dripping silently to the floor. But most of all there was the utter dejection of intelligent animals whose only relief would be the slaughterhouse knife before decorating a table to celebrate a deity’s promise of peace and goodwill. Hypocrisy comes wrapped in tinfoil, it seems. u

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Two different lifestyles for turkeys – this photo should shame us as a nation

How did we as a species ever allow this sickening – in fact none of us had ever seen to happen? And how can politicians, and so many injured birds. those who promote the meat, peer from our I once had a bronze turkey as a TV screens and tell us we have the best companion – Gertie, probably the most animal welfare standards in the world, with famous turkey in Britain. She was the all the earnestness of a Mormon missionary. living Christmas dinner won in a church Our network broadcast of these horrendous conditions was followed not by the turkey Gertie with my son owner’s remorse but by 18 Finn, Juliet Gellatley and little Jazz months of legal warfare by a battery of his lawyers. We were, according to them, responsible for the injuries, the deaths, the damage in order to strengthen our story. Of course, people who dedicate their lives to helping animals are bound to mutilate them, aren’t they?

The outcome? An important investigation in the public interest concluded the complaints body – case dismissed. And turkey sales plummeted.

But that, of course, was then and this is now – and almost nothing has changed except that sales are still reducing. Viva! investigations have acted like an aide memoire, piercing through the conscienceless Christmas hype. Just recently, we visited farms large and small and found widespread suffering on each one.

And before you reach for a ‘free-range, organic, prize-winning bronze raffle by a vegetarian who did not want turkey’, we can speak with authority about her killed. Instead, he persuaded the that, too. It was another, different shed factory farm to hand her over to Viva! for that we visited with access to a small safe keeping amidst the glare of TV lights muddy paddock during daylight hours, and reporters’ camera flashes. Like a beproviding it wasn’t raining. There are few feathered pop star, her image appeared all daylight hours in midwinter and it tends to over Britain. rain rather a lot. It was every bit as She joined with our rescued chickens to

forage across four acres. When in need of comfort, she would approach you, lower herself to the ground, partially extend her wings and shimmer. The instruction was clear – stroke me! And when you did, she would close her eyes and appeared to be transported to turkey heaven.

Gertie was as characterful as any dog.

One afternoon, she sat in the garden and did not move and as the sun descended failed to seek the night-time safety of the stables. With an effort, I lifted Gertie into a wheelbarrow and transported her to the comfort of thick straw. In the morning she was dead in exactly the same position – her organs having given up on the thankless task of trying to service her bloated, genetically manipulated body. That is what has been done to turkeys.

Who would ever imagine that she was a very close cousin of wild birds who still live in North and Central America who can run at 25 miles an hour and fly short distances at up to 50 mph.

Perhaps when I stroked her that’s where she went in her imagination, back to being her wild self where she could indulge all those instincts that had been so cruelly denied her as she was fattened up for someone’s table. But at least she had known a kind of freedom for just a few months.

Poor Gertie – and the other 17 million turkeys who are killed in Britain each year.

But we are slowly winning the war to bring compassion to the dining table. A merry vegan Christmas to you all.

Viva! investigations have acted like an aide memoire, piercing through the conscienceless Christmas hype

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Two roasts, a caprese salad and a delicious panna cotta – kitchen wizard Chava Eichner turns her thoughts and her camera lens on some deliciously festive dishes. The roasts are a touch of tradition – but kinder – while the caprese is freshness itself and the panna cotta a pretty glassful of indulgence. More at veganrecipeclub.org.uk

Some little Christmas crackers

Tofu Caprese Salad SERVES 4 AS A STARTER Pressing tofu allows the marinade to be better absorbed and makes it easier to slice thinly.

For the Caprese n 1 block of firm tofu (eg Cauldron) n 3 tbsp olive oil n 2 tbsp white wine vinegar n Pinch of sugar n Herb salt* or sea salt and ½ tsp of dried mixed herbs n 3 tomatoes

n 1 courgette, sliced n ½ red onion, finely sliced n Basil leaves For the dressing n 1 tsp sundried tomato paste (eg Sacla) n 1 tbsp oil n 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar n Salt and pepper

1 Press the tofu overnight with a weighted board making sure excess water can run away.

2 If you want an authentic mozzarella shape, cut the tofu into thin slices and stamp out circles with a cutter (use offcuts in other dishes). Alternatively, cut the tofu block in half and slice thinly.

3 For the marinade, blend together olive oil, white wine vinegar and a generous pinch of sugar. Pour a third onto a large platter and place tofu slices on top. Spread most of the remaining marinade evenly over the tofu and season with the herb salt (see tip). Set aside for at least an hour for flavours to be absorbed.

4 Grill courgette slices. Brush with leftover marinade and season with black pepper and salt.

5 Arrange tomato slices, grilled courgette, marinated tofu and basil leaves on a big serving plate.

6 Blend all dressing ingredients together and drizzle over the salad. Serve with crackers or crusty bread. * TIP Herb salt makes a really good addition to your spice rack. My favourite is Herbamare from Holland & Barrett.

FROM THE

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Stuffed Seitan Roast SERVES 8 Homemade seitan is one of the easiest and quickest things to make. Some healthfood shops sell vital wheat gluten flour. Alternatively order online – it’s good value and you’ll soon be making other roasts and sausages!

For the filling n 1 large (or 2 small) red onions n 2 tbsp olive oil n 175g/6oz chopped apple pieces n 40g/1¼oz prunes, chopped n ½ tin kidney beans n 25g/1oz hazelnuts, finely chopped n 15g/½oz fresh coriander, chopped n ¼ vegetable stock cube n Salt and pepper For the roast n 175g/6oz vital wheat gluten flour n 1 level tbsp dried rosemary n 1 tsp garlic salt n 1 clove garlic, crushed n 2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast flakes n 250ml/9fl oz strong vegetable stock for flavour n ½ tin kidney beans n 1 tbsp tomato puree n 1 tbsp olive oil

1 Make filling by sautéing onions until softened. Add apple pieces, hazelnuts and prunes and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir in kidney beans and stock cube and cook for a couple of minutes. Mash the filling (beans particularly) roughly with a potato masher.

Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2 Combine gluten flour, rosemary, garlic salt and yeast flakes in a mixing bowl.

3 In a blender, mix vegetable stock, crushed garlic, remaining kidney beans, tomato puree and olive oil. Pour liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until the dough begins to come together. Knead for a couple of minutes until you have a soft dough.

4 Place a large piece of kitchen foil on the worktop.

Spread seitan on the foil with your hands to form a rectangle slightly larger than A4. Pinch any holes together. Place filling in middle on seitan and use the foil to help roll up the roast tightly like a large Swiss roll (or sushi). Ensure foil is well wrapped around the roast.

Twist the ends firmly together to form a nice shape.

5 Bake in preheated oven at 180˚C/350˚F/Gas mark 4 for 60 minutes. Turn the roast occasionally to ensure even cooking.

6 Serve with gravy and all the festive trimmings.

TIP Prepare roast a little in advance and keep wrapped in foil then reheat alongside the vegetables – it makes it easier to slice.

ONLINE STOCKISTS alternativestores.com; buywholefoodsonline.co.uk; realfoods.co.uk; veggiestuff.com

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FROM THE

Individual Luxury Festive Roasts SERVES 4 n 3 tbsp olive or other oil n 1 large onion, chopped finely n 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped n ½ tsp allspice or nutmeg n 30g/1oz wholemeal flour n 140ml/5fl oz vegan stock n 2-3 tbsp soya sauce n 250g/9oz mixed unsalted nuts OR 125g each unsalted cashews and hazelnuts n 85g/3oz wholemeal breadcrumbs n 8 sundried tomatoes from a jar, chopped roughly n 1 tsp dried mixed herbs n 1 bunch chopped fresh parsley

n 2 tbsp flax meal (eg Aldi Harvest Morn Golden Linseed) and 4 tbsp warm water – this makes a ‘flax egg’ n Salt and black pepper n 200g/7oz fresh or frozen (defrosted) cranberries n 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar Optional decoration n Pine nuts or flaked almonds to scatter on top, with fresh rosemary sprigs or fresh sage leaves

1 Sauté onion in the oil until tender. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

2 Stir flour into mixture and cook for a minute then stir in stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from the heat.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4.

4 Food process nuts using pulse function – you want some texture not a paste.

5 Add nuts to onion and tomato mixture with all other ingredients.

Mix thoroughly and divide into 4 or 8 portions – your choice.

6 Cook sugar and cranberries in a pan on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

7 Oil small individual containers, ramekins or even cutting rings (place cutting rings on non-stick tray or sheet).

8 Distribute nut roast mixture evenly between containers and press down with back of a spoon.

9 Bake for between 20-30 minutes. If browning too much, cover with baking paper or tinfoil.

10 Test with a sharp knife to ensure cooked through and serve with festive trimmings.

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THERE’S NO BONE IN OUR CHINA

Visit magpieline.com for cruelty free homewares Get 10% off your first order* code: vegansrock Just add items to cart and before proceeding to checkout, go to ‘my cart’ and enter the code. *Offer available till December 31st 2015

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FROM THE

Panna Cotta with Pomegranate & Raspberry Jelly SERVES 8 Delicious, light and oh so pretty!

This makes a lovely dessert for any celebration. Experiment with different berries and juices.

For the Panna Cotta n 325ml/11½fl oz plant milk, eg soya or almond n 1 sachet Dr. Oetker Vege-Gel n 250ml/9fl oz dairy-free cream (e.g. Alpro coconut cuisine or Oatly) n 60g/2oz sugar n 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste For the jelly n 500ml/18fl oz pomegranate juice (eg POM) n 50ml/1¾ fl oz water n 1 sachet of Dr. Oetker Vege-Gel n Sugar to taste n 1 punnet raspberries n Pomegranate seeds n Mint leaves for decoration 1 To make the Panna Cotta: in a pan, sprinkle Vege-Gel over the plant milk and whisk until completely dissolved – if you don’t, you might get lumps.

2 Combine milk with all remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boiling point. (If it is lumpy, pour through a sieve). Remove from heat and keep stirring until it cools a little but don’t let it begin to set.

3 Divide quickly between 8 elegant serving dishes and set aside. Use heatproof glasses or run them under very hot water to prevent cracking.

4 To make the jelly, sprinkle VegeGel over pomegranate juice and whisk until completely dissolved.

Heat to boiling point and add sugar to taste. Place a couple of fresh raspberries in each Panna Cotta dish and top with jelly. Allow to cool and then chill for an hour. Eat the same day, decorated with raspberries, pomegranate seeds and fresh mint leaves.

TIP to obtain the same effect as pictured here, use a wine glass and tip on its side after adding the Panna Cotta.

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Want inspiring recipes?

Have my nutritional needs changed?

Which care homes cater for me?

Vegetarian for Life, 83 Ducie Street, Manchester M1 2JQ Email: admin@vegetarianforlife.org.uk Tel: 0161 257 0887 VfLUK @VfL_UK

www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk

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Order Direct Online www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk 30

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Registered charity number 1120687

We have the answers!

What are we going to do now we’re respectable?

In the past decade, veganism has gone from some kind of weird Druidic cult to wam bam mainstream – almost respectable.

Like every fringe idea, like every cult band that nears the heady bright lights of success with excitement and fear, vegan is entering the choppy waters of the poisonous normal.

What once brought puzzled looks from passers by and a sneering distrust from everyone else; stale, over-heated jokes from comedians long past their sell by date; quizzical magazine health scare stories about people fasting themselves to death; dubious ‘research’ from the meat industry; and idiotic bile from the craggy-faced TV chef Gordon Ramsay et al; is fast coming in from the cold. He, of course, is still under the delusion that cooking from his own fair hand can win back lily-livered, non-meat eaters terrified of his macho swagger.

Travelling around the UK and Europe without the addictive lust of dead flesh to fill the gut – and the urge to get fleshy bits of dead animals trapped between the teeth – was once very tricky. It was like a military operation where no-one got hurt and lots of bread and bananas were the frontline in chasing away hunger.

Now it’s easy and there’s rarely a shop or a cafe without something edible – even interesting. There is choice for the non-death cult! Seventies veggie staple of quiche now looks like a strange antique – a relic from when bellyache and boils were part and parcel of bad food UK and boiled cabbage was as green as it got; like flock wallpaper or one of those weird carpets that even your parents didn't really want.

These days, 'celebrities' are tripping over themselves to brag about their vegan lifestyles, with unlikely champions like Mike Tyson sometimes calling himself a vegan, along with a host of others no-one has ever heard of. Even my mother has stopped staying ‘vaguen’ and learned how to pronounce the word properly.

We are no longer weird, we don’t wear vegan sandals and we don’t have pale skin; we are everywhere, we are normal (ish). Vegan power is even sprayed on walls on previously meat-heavy cities like Belgrade and no one blinks an eye – apart from Gorden Ramsay, maybe.

Hell, even the Daily Mail is getting on board – we truly live in strange and rather greener times…

Photo © Melanie Smith

Media man, punk-bred John Robb

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Get converting…

with our persuasive, 64-page mag Viva! supporters will already have received a free copy of our brilliant, 64-page Everyone’s Going Vegan magazine, bound to their last issue of Viva!life. In fact, every household in Britain is entitled to a copy.

So, if you feel some of your friends could do with a nudge along the way, you have wavering relatives or there’s a work mate who won’t stop asking ‘why vegan?’, then order a copy to give to them at viva.org.uk/EGV-FREE – absolutely free!

If you’re running a vegan stall, organising an event or giving a talk, we’ll happily send you a carton of 20 copies – again, absolutely free. Email liam@viva.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000.

The articles, delightful recipes, humour, advice and exposés in Everyone’s Going Vegan set out the case for diet change in detail – unarguable!

Spread it wide, spread proudly and save animals – it’s as simple as that!

viva.org.uk 31

Fre

e

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Viva!’s new vegan directory for all things vegan and wonderful

Explore hundreds of vegan-friendly places to eat, sleep and shop – then champion and share your fave finds!

Support

MY VegAn Town and help us celebrate kindness

to animals, people and the planet myvegantown.org.uk | viva.org.uk | mvt@viva.org.uk

Partnered with the Farm Animal Sanctuary in Evesham and Viva! Poland Animal Sanctuary, our scheme is the perfect way to help animals who have been abused for the food, fur and entertainment industries. Your donation is crucial to their survival – helping to feed and look after these animals, who have often suffered terribly before being rescued.

PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR ANIMAL LOVERS

Toto

Angus Georgina Each adoption pack includes: n 6x4” colour photograph of your chosen animal supplied in a cool magnetic photo frame n Personalised A5 certificate n One update a year including a new photograph

ALL THIS FOR ONLY £2p&5p) (inclusive of

ADOPT A FARM A N I M A L WITH

P O L A N D

This is to certify that has adopted Signed Juliet Gellatley – Founder & Director of Viva!

Date

Janet Taylor – Founder & Manager of Farm Animal Sanctuary

Cezary Wyszy ski – Viva! Poland Manager

Adopt a Farm Animal, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH T: 0117 944 1000 E: info@adoptafarm animal.org.uk W: www.adoptafarmanimal.org.uk

Order your adoption online from adoptafarmanimal.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) 32

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The loud-mouthed, boozy, footie-mad Londoner, Vegan Geezer – master of Youtube – urges you to…

DO something WITH W

THAT COMPULSION

e all remember that feeling – you’ve gone vegan and you’re gonna tell every soul you meet and by the end of the week, the whole world will be vegan, right? If only it were that simple! Instead you’re met with stubbornness, ignorance, anger, hate – and that’s just from the people who like you. That’s how it was for me, anyway.

I’ve always had quite a big mouth on me and then, after going vegan, I felt I’d found something that was so important it warranted the constant use of my trap! It was just about finding an outlet through which I could spread the message without

being shut down. That’s where YouTube came in.

I had watched people talk about veganism on YouTube, and that inspired me to be vegan. So I thought, ‘if they can do it for me, maybe I can do it for others’.

I had a camera on my phone, a computer, a mouth, and with passion, time, belief and practice I learned to use them all together.

My angle was to bring out the London lad, who’d grown up being loud, drinking, watching football, to show that even that person could be vegan and therefore change the stereotype.

Beyond that I wanted to incorporate raising my children vegan and especially focus on my then three-yearold son, JoJo, who, with his childhood innocence firmly intact, represented the natural, uncorrupted vegan child in all of us.

Of course, we couldn’t force a confident child to do something he didn’t want to do but with time, he gradually got involved in videos of his own accord and started to inspire others like I hoped he would.

In YouTube, I’d found a beautiful freedom and powerful platform for spreading veganism. As time went by I also realised that I was able to use my own apparent creativity as a way to communicate

veganism and I started to write provocative poetry and rhymes around certain subjects. I used well-known annual events that would trend such as Christmas, New Year and Easter and created poems about them whilst tying in veganism.

I also created a poem promoting YouTube as an effective form of vegan activism as I’d seen first-hand how powerful and beneficial it could be with its big reach.

My aim was to inspire others who had the desire to spread the vegan message but felt restricted – just as I had – and help them realise that YouTube could be an effective outlet for them through which they could inspire others.

Another thing I’ve discovered is that the simple example of living and thriving vegan in ‘normal’ society is powerful in its own right. The ability to show others how to live vegan – and live happily, healthily and be an effective functioning part of this world – normalises the whole concept of veganism.

And that makes it approachable by others.

The fact is that you can display all this to hundreds, thousands, or even MILLIONS around this world – so how could I not put my energy into it?

Vegan Geezer

But this message it is too important, it can’t just remain in your head You need an open outlet, through which you can spread This beautiful vegan message, but on a massive scale Where you meet no resistance, and there’s no chance you can fail Somewhere you can truly express, every minute, every day Everything you know about veganism, and in your own unique way But not just the freedom to speak, and to share the positivity But to be able to do it effectively, and with your own creativity So whether you’re a long time vegan, or even if you’re a newb You can tell the world about it, by getting yourself on YouTube

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Canesmith & Co Sherbet Dippers Sherbet for kids and the young at heart that packs a tangy punch and fruity fizz. Reinvented with real freezedried fruit and a homemade fruit lollipop for dipping.

Gluten-free. Flavours include Blackberry & Apple, Passionfruit & Raspberry and Raspberry. £4.99 – 50g

Biona Organic Jellies Cute shaped gummy sweets that are free from hidden nasties (gelatine, artificial flavourings and colourings) and full of real fruit juice and natural flavours. Gluten-free and organic. Flavours include Berry Burst, Cola Bottles and Sour Snakes. £1.89 – 75g

Food, glorio Sherbet dippers and jellies!

Vegan treats that are yummy Truffle delights for your bellies!

THE VIVA! SHOP’S NEW RANGE OF SPECIALTY SWEETS AND CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONS IS SO EXCITING, IT’S WORTH A SONG AND DANCE!

The Chocolatier Truffles Cutting edge confections by chocolatier to the stars, Aneesh Popat. Cacao beans and flavours from around the world are blended to create a luxurious and tastebud-blowing experience.

The truffles and pralines come in a box of 10 (125g); the box of rochers is 85g (approx 18

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pieces) and the dragées is 100g. Flavours include Rose & Raspberry Dark Dusted Truffles, Chocolate Salted Peanut Butter Pralines, Green Grape & Almond Rochers and Baked Apple & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Dragées.

From £8.99 to £9.50

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Cocoa Libre Chocolate Animals Artisan chocolate critters for adults and kids alike. Made from either silky dark or creamy rice milk chocolate. Fair-trade, gluten-free and nut-free! Choose from Milk Sheep, Milk Orange Frogs or Dark Mint Owls. £1.89 – Box of 4 (40g)

orious food Ombar Centres Raw Bars Melt-in-the-mouth raw chocolate made from a creamy blend of organic coconut cream, unrefined coconut sugar and live cultures, then filled with a surprise fruit fondant centre. Gluten-free and organic.

Flavours include Coconut & Vanilla and Raspberry & Coconut. £1.99 – 35g

Vegan Hero Bars Chunky and creamy candy bars made with rice powder and roasted nuts. Made in a dedicated vegan factory in Germany.

Gluten-free and organic. Choose from Milk Hazelnut or White Almond. £1.30 – 40g

The Viva! Shop’s ethical edibles are 100 per cent kind to animals because they never contain them! All the products featured (and more!) are available from vivashop.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri 9-6)

Fabulous Free From Factory Luscious and moreish vegan confectionery that might be mini in size but big on flavour – including Fudgee Bites, Raspberry Ice Bites, Crunchee Choc Bites and Chocovered Raisins. £1.75 – 65-75g

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Registered Charity No. 1122303

/DeanFarmTrust /deanfarmtrust.org.uk E. info@deanfarmtrust.org.uk

Dean Farm Trust actively campaigns to promote compassionate living, educating people so they can make cruelty free choices as part of their everyday living.

The Dean Farm Trust team give dedicated care and attention to ill treated, neglected and unwanted animals who arrive at our sanctuary.

Please visit our website to sign up for our free enewsletter to receive regular campaign and sanctuary updates and find out how you can help.

Happy Christmas from everyone at Dean Farm Trust & a big thank you to all of our supporters!

www.deanfarmtrust.org.uk

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Please help promote compassionate living

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Miller’s March

By Anna Bronstein

You’re never too young to start making a difference for animals – that’s Viva!’s view! And to prove the point, 11 year old vegan superstar, Miller Stott, shines like a star.

Once Miller had discovered the cruelty to which farmed animals are subjected, she did two things: became vegan and raised money for Viva! to help our campaigns.

She and her veggie friend Carmen walked a whopping 10 miles in July, fundraising for Viva!, to help us put an end to factory farming. After the gruelling cross-country trek, the girls returned to find they had raised an incredible £700 plus! An ecstatic Miller told Viva!: “Oh My God! After the first few weeks I only had thirty pounds.

Then I came back from school one morning and I had £170 – nearly twice my goal. And now this! It shows you not to give up because you could end up like me – unlucky one day and lucky the next!”

I caught up with Miller to talk about fundraising, factory farming and veganism. She began life as a meat eater, pescatarian then vegetarian. During a school reenactment of a Mayan settlement the other kids wanted to eat the pretend turkeys but Miller objected: “I said it was cruel and unsustainable and we should just take their eggs. Then I wrote a sentence in class: ‘the feathery, fun turkey doesn’t deserve to be eaten’.

But I was still eating them!”

A friend predicted that Miller would become vegan – and she did!

“Veganism means everything to me. It’s what makes me unique, keeps me healthy and gives me a challenge. It lets me know that I’m helping the world and I don’t have to worry about hurting animals or living beings.” Mum has now become vegetarian and two of her friends are on the move.

Then Miller told us: “Viva! is the first English charity that shares all my morals as I want to help end factory farming, Viva! is the best!” She told me about the wonderful time she had fundraising: “I enjoyed it so much, doing something good and, even better, my friends were with me.”

Outraged by the horrors of factory farming, Miller says she wants to live in a world where animals are not tortured, killed and punished and if you share that view, she has some advice: “If you want to help animals then help them! Change your diet, organise fundraisers, door-drop leaflets, join your local vegan or animal group and take a look at the Get Involved section of Viva!’s website (viva.org.uk) for loads of ideas such as becoming a Viva! stall volunteer”.

A new coat of paint for Viva!’s website Do you want to keep up to date, read about other people’s inspiring stories and find loads of useful info to help you live a cruelty free life? And read about compassionate celebs; have a chance to WIN competitions and get involved in helping Viva! to save animals? Well, vivaactivists.org.uk is what you’re looking for! Recently relaunched, it’s waiting for you to explore it!

youth news

The plantpowered human Viva! supporter Dan Hall, 14, decided to become vegan after researching the treatment of farmed animals and finding the truth rather unpalatable.

He dreams of writing a cookbook, opening a vegan restaurant and ultimately starting a vegan movement. He creates beautifully presented, healthy vegan nosh and blogs the results. You can find his recipes here: veganonthehorizon.com

If you’re a young supporter and would like to get involved, head to vivaactivists.org.uk for ideas on how to get started, or email us at info@viva.org.uk for advice and information. We’re always happy to help!

vivaactivists.org.uk viva.org.uk/facebook twitter.com/vivaactivists

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The Bear Necessities of Life Viva! Poland pulls off some audacious rescues to save two bears. By Tony Wardle hose of us weaned on BBC wildlife documentaries see bears as beautiful wild creatures – magnificent, awe inspiring! But not everyone shares that view.

There is still a handful of brown bears living in the Polish wild – probably no more than 30 or 40, restricted to the Bieszczady Mountains area of the Carpathians and the Tatra Mountains.

There was also one solitary bear in the town of Pawlowice – the only circus bear in Poland named, of course, Baloo.

Viva!’s Anna Plaszczyk, describes what life was like for Baloo: “The conditions were extremely harsh – kept in a very small circus cage outdoors since 2014, with little shelter or protection and fed entirely the wrong food. The only time he left the cage was to enter the circus show ring where he was made to perform demeaning tricks and, as part of the act, given junk food to eat to ‘entertain’ the audience. It was a solitary, depressing life of constant abuse.”

Viva! Poland has the legal right to seize animals who are being abused or neglected and the plight of Baloo was too extreme to be ignored – but what do you do with a bear once you’ve rescued him? In fact

T

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we’re old hands and a couple of years ago had four bears, all rescued from a similarly depressing life. They eventually went to a specialist bear sanctuary in Germany with acres of space in which to live – built by the charity Four Paws on land belonging to Poznan zoo.

It’s worth noting that Poznan zoo is not a zoo as we know them but is involved in exposing cruelty and rescuing animals, caring for them as they should be cared for. Four Paws also have another bear sanctuary at Muritz in Germany, which would be the ultimate destination for Baloo – more than 30 acres of woodland, meadows, a stream and ponds where he can wallow and hillsides where he can dig out a cavern and hibernate – the kind of environment where bears would naturally live, where eight bears were already living.

But the first stop would be Poznan zoo where Baloo could be health checked and treated before being integrated with the resident bears at the sanctuary. Only then would the psychological scars and stereotypic behaviour start to be erased.

Before any of this could happen, Baloo had to be removed from the circus! Viva!

Poland manager, Cezary Wyszynski, is a slightly built, quietly spoken man but no one should underestimate his determination. Had the owner refused, the Viva! team would not have given up but in the event, the seizure turned out to be something of an anti-climax and custody of Baloo was surrendered without a fight.

The story spread far and wide and even the UK’s Daily Express ran a series of pictures on the rescue.

But there was still another bear to save, with the same name but different spelling – Balu.

If you have ever seen the film Golden Compass you will certainly remember the magnificent polar bear, Lorek Byrnison, who was tricked out of his armour and became a drunkard and semi slave. That was Balu!

This sad and depressed bear was kept in a small cage outside a restaurant in the Ukraine to attract customers. He had no access to drinking water but was fed vodka to make him drunk, so people could laugh at his confusion – for fun. When a Viva! supporter reported his plight to us, we were determined to act, even though Viva!

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Top left: Balu and bottom left Baloo before being rescued. Right: checking out their new homes

has no jurisdiction in the Ukraine.

Staff member Sweitlana Petrenko immediately went there and joined forces with activist Muza Makhova but the restaurant owner had no intention of parting with his prize attraction. And so began a six month court battle to rescue Balu. When the court finally handed down its verdict, that the owner must surrender custody to Viva!, Sweitlana and Muza dashed to the restaurant to serve notice on him.

Balu’s cage was empty.

They questioned locals and discovered that, out of spite, Balu had been moved to a local trader just the day before and he intended to kill him and sell his pelt. Our team tracked him down and arrived just in time – Balu was still alive.

Balu has now gone to the bear sanctuary where, with other bears, he can wander through the trees, swim, hibernate and behave just like a bear should behave.

Just two little heartening stories from our colleagues at Viva! Poland who work to a

wider remit than Viva! UK. They do this for two reasons. Veganism (or vegetarianism for that matter) are not considered worthy of being granted charitable status in Poland and without that it is difficult to survive. The average donation, in what is a comparatively poor country, is about £1.50 but most people have no bank account or credit cards and transfers are made through the post office,

whose labyrinthine bureaucracy deducts 60p for the privilege.

Charities, on the other hand, have a special tax status – anyone who pays tax can elect to have one per cent of their liability paid to a charity of their choice by the government.

Gaining access to these resources transformed Viva! Poland and has made it the pre-eminent animal group in the country.

You can meet some of the animals, at our 50-acre Korabiewicach animal sanctuary at schronisko.info.pl.

Viva! was the first animal charity to go to Poland and establish an office there to try and end the live export of horses to Italy for meat – and within three years slashed the trade by two thirds. So controversial was our (at that time) vegetarian message that when we arrived at Warsaw airport for the first time we were met by three camera crews and a host of journalists and photographers. Viva! Poland has continued with the (now) vegan message and again, is in the lead in transforming Poland.

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Our fight to save animals from suffering is funded entirely by our supporters’ generosity. Without them we could do nothing.

Please think about giving us your support so we can continue to work for the animals.

Call 0117 944 1000 | viva.org.uk/join Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

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life Viva!’s media blitz for the animals

BY TONY WARDLE, EDITOR

Hock burn torture We worked closely with a news agency over a period of months to reveal the extent of painful hock burns suffered by broiler (meat) chickens. They result from the ammonia in faeces-soaked litter inside the battery sheds when chickens crouch down to rest and their lower legs are in contact with the litter.

What is particularly shameful is that this is the only place they can rest!

While the industry claims to have the problem under control, we went from shop to shop and supermarket to supermarket to show they don’t. We found hock burns everywhere. Some outlets try to camouflage the problem by cutting off the offending limb.

Given great coverage by both the Sun and Mirror, we got the problem in front of the public. A pity both papers failed to ackowledge who had provided them with the story but then we’re used to that.

The widely-read Independent on-line picked up on our egg story and gave it splash coverage. When you look at our pictures of the conditions inside ‘enriched cages’, words are almost superfluous – and that’s what the Independent thought, too.

York restaurant exposed We challenged the Regency Chinese restaurant in York as it had crabs and lobsters piled one on top of the other in a small tank while they waited to be boiled alive for restaurant customers. The Press, York, picked up our action and ran a large and sympathetic piece.

The Regency’s owners have yet to respond but we have called on diners to boycott the place and choose vegan options elsewhere. A disturbing element to this investigation is that the Regency’s actions are probably not illegal such is the lack of welfare provisions for sea animals.

Talk of scratching pads and nesting boxes are almost an insult – a cynical fig leaf with which to try and obscure the reality. These pictures reveal the life of 18 million animals in a tortuous production line which ends only in death.

Dairy’s timebomb Farmers Weekly is getting itself into a tizz as it warns that the dairy industry is facing a demographic time bomb unless young people increase their consumption of milk and dairy products.

Producers are facing a huge drop in demand, it says, as young people drink less milk than their parents and grandparents used to.

“The problem we face is that we have some health professionals who see dairy as the enemy,” it added. I wonder why that would be?

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Some simple, scientific facts from Viva!’s staggering new report on the deadly effects meat has on human health. The conclusion is stark: we kill animals, they then kill us!

By Dr Justine Butler, Senior Health Researcher & Writer, Viva!Health

T

he links between red meat, processed meat and chicken and disease are now beyond question – meat-eaters suffer more from diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Meat causes most cases of food poisoning; it was at the heart of the BSE crisis; and we can blame the emergence of bird flu and several antibiotic-resistant superbugs on factory-farming. Ranged against these chilling facts is the pro-meat crusade, driven by an industry with money and influence and determinedly ensuring the public is fed mixed messages. At last, however, it seems that public health guidelines are beginning to acknowledge the harm meat does. It is a very welcome development and long overdue.

MEAT AND MORTALITY Vegans have a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all of which are major killers in the UK. Swapping just one serving of red meat a day for healthier protein such as peas, beans, lentils, wholegrains, nuts or seeds can reduce your risk of early death. So imagine what ditching meat altogether can achieve!

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THE HEART OF THE MATTER Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest killers responsible for early death.

People who eat a lot of meat are more likely to suffer. It may be because of the saturated fat, harmful chemicals or the type of iron it contains – haem from animals as opposed to non-haem from vegetable sources.

Women who menstruate and people who donate blood regularly and therefore lose iron, have a lower risk.

DIABETES We are in the midst of a diabetes epidemic and by 2035, the NHS may be spending almost a fifth of its entire budget on diabetes. Type 1 diabetes can be triggered by proteins in cow’s milk but is also linked to breast-feeding mums eating meat. The huge EPIC-InterAct study found links between meat and diabetes among men who ate lots of red and processed meat and women who ate lots of chicken.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CANCER Poor diet is the most important avoidable cause of cancer after smoking. Big meateaters have higher rates of bowel, breast and prostate cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund and World Health Organisation reports don’t mince their words – they say meat causes cancer.

Public health guidelines need to be amended – cigarettes carry a government health warning and so should bacon.

BREAST CANCER The more meat women eat, the higher their risk of breast cancer and it starts young – girls who eat lots of meat when they are young have a much higher risk of breast cancer as adults.

Dietary advice given at mammography screenings would be an effective way of helping women to lower their risk.

PROSTATE CANCER Chicken, red and processed meats are all associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer. A vegan diet has helped patients with early prostate cancer delay conventional treatment. Despite this evidence, advice from the NHS on the links between diet and prostate cancer remains sparse.

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BOWEL CANCER It is now widely accepted that meat can cause bowel cancer. It may be the animal fat, animal protein, haem iron or the cancer-forming chemicals – take your pick!

Bowel cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among non-smokers and better dietary advice would save lives.

OBESITY Meat-eating increases the risk of being overweight or obese because of the high fat content of meat.

Supermarket chickens have been so intensively bred that they now contain more fat than protein. You are much better off replacing chicken with chick peas!

BONE HEALTH Meat and dairy increase acidity in the blood as animal protein contains more sulphur-containing amino acids, the building blocks of protein. If the kidneys can’t buffer this increased aciditity, calcium may be drawn from the bones to neutralise it. This can lead to lower bone density and eventually osteoporosis and could be one reason why most osteoporosis occurs in those countries that eat the most animal protein.

NOT designed to eat meat If you look at a carnivore’s teeth and jaws, how highly acidic their stomachs are and how short their colons, you can see we share our physiological characteristics with herbivores. When did you last see an enthusiastic meat-eater snatch up a live rabbit and tear through the fur and into the flesh with their bare teeth, or bite through the hide of a cow?

Most people don’t eat meat unless it is packaged, cooked or even flavoured with spices, herbs and seasoning. Mandy Pella’s photo of a piece of bacon with a nipple on it went viral after she posted it on Facebook with the caption: “I was going to make BLTs for dinner until I realised my bacon still had a nipple on it”. The widespread expressions of horror show how most meat-eaters are uncomfortable being reminded that meat is part of a dead animal.

Toxic shocker Cooking meat at high temperatures, by frying, grilling and barbecuing, produces dangerous cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines. Chicken is a main source and fried, oven-grilled and barbecued chicken contain even more than red meat.

FERTILITY PROBLEMS Men who eat the most meat and dairy have fewer and slower sperm. Replacing animal protein with plant protein can also reduce infertility risk in women. Couples

trying to conceive should be advised about the important effects of diet.

THE IRON MYTH Iron deficiency is no more common among vegetarians and vegans than meat-eaters.

Too much iron from meat encourages the production of harmful compounds called free radicals and N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) that can both damage DNA and lead to cancer. NOCs are also found in processed meat. People who eat 400g of meat a day might be exposed to as many NOCs as a smoker!

WHAT ABOUT B12?

Vitamin B12 is often cited as a reason to eat meat. What most people don’t realise is that meat only contains B12 because modern factory-farmed animals are fed u

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B12 supplements. Cut out the middlemen and take your own B12. Historically, humans did not have their fruit and veg washed in bleach by a supermarket and drew their water from nature and B12 was present in both and was a natural part of our diet.

BIRD FLU In the 1990s, bird flu spread through livepoultry markets in Hong Kong, infected people and caused six deaths. Before that, and for thousands of years, the virus had existed only in water birds. What changed?

Factory farming, which provides the perfect environment for a mutating virus. In the case of bird flu, it has now infected cats, dogs, pigs, tigers and humans. It is a disaster of our own making but if we stopped eating poultry, pigs and other animals we could remove the viral reservoir.

BSE AND THAT BURGER! Beef sales plummeted in the 1990s when, despite agricultural minister John Gummer’s assurances that British beef was safe to eat, people became ill and died from CreutzfeldtJakob disease (CJD), the human form of BSE. It is a brain disease caused by cows being fed the remains of other cows! CJD has not disappeared and has killed close to 200 people in the UK. This year, a 37-year-old man was diagnosed just two weeks before he died. People can carry the disease for up to 50 years before symptoms develop and we may not be through the worst yet.

THE HORSEMEAT SCANDAL Another dip in meat sales happened in 2013 when it was revealed that various ‘beef’ products actually contained

Australopithecus 4.8-1.1 million years ago

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Homo habilis 2.3-1.4 million years ago

Food poisoning One in five of us suffer food poisoning every year and meat is usually to blame. In 2015, seven out of every ten UK supermarket chickens tested positive for Campylobacter and this year, superbug strains of E.coli were found in one in four supermarket chicken samples – from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Coop and Aldi. If you undercook meat, you risk exposing yourself to bacteria which may be antibiotic-resistant but if you overcook it, you risk exposing yourself to cancercausing chemicals that are produced!

horsemeat. The scandal spread to other countries, revealing widespread mislabelling of sausages, pâté and pies. The discovery of a Spanish warehouse filled with 15 tons of dead, stray dogs added further to the scandal. The only way to be sure of avoiding horse, dog or cat meat is to stop eating all meat.

ENVIRONMENT The facts are stark – we simply can’t afford to keep on eating meat. Meaty diets require far more land, water, energy, fertiliser and pesticides than vegan diets.

Changing the way we eat could have a phenomenal effect on the environment – not changing it could be even more dramatic! If you care about the environment then choose a green diet – a vegan diet.

The World Cancer Research Fund say: “Eat mostly foods of plant origin, limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat”. That means no sausages or bacon – ever but Viva!Health goes further and says eat no meat – ever! Meat offers no benefits and harms our health.

Homo erectus 1.9 million300,000 years ago

Homo sapiens (Neanderthal man, modern man) 300,000 years ago to present

This article is based on Viva!Health’s forthcoming report Meat the Truth: How and why meat consumption is a major public health concern.

A review of the evidence.

This fully-referenced, scientific report reviews over 300 studies, bringing you the latest understanding on how harmful meat consumption is.

The global demand for cheap meat may lead us to a nightmare scenario never before envisaged. To find out more visit vivahealth.org.uk

How and why meat consumption is a major public health concern A review of the evidence

Viva!Health

By Dr Justine Butler, Senior Health Researcher,

Viva! is a reg charity 1037486

The Paleo myth We are not the same as our hunter-gatherer ancestors!

Humans carried on evolving well into the Neolithic era some 10,000 years ago. In fact, early farmers relied much more heavily on plant protein than previously thought and the entire theory behind the Paleo Diet is patently wrong.

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Have a

n ’ i C k c hristmas o R

With Viva!’s Deliciously Vegan Christmas guide

By Jane Easton and Maryanne Hall. Photographs by Chava Eichner Everything you need for a compassionate Christmas feast! Our new seasonal guide offers 20 pages of beautiful recipes – mains, sides and desserts with stunning photographs.

We have pulled out the stops to create contemporary, stunning yet straightforward menus for you.

Main courses are the magnificent Easy Mushroom Wellingtons, Individual Luxury Festive Roasts and Smoky Leek & Almond Tart.

Sumptuous sides include Red Onion & Wine Gravy, how to make perfect roast potatoes, Maple Roast Parsnips, Luxury Shredded Brussels Sprouts, adorable Mashed Potato Snowmen and a Christmas Chestnut & Apricot Stuffing.

Divine desserts – Individual Raw Raspberry Cheesecakes, Mini Tiramisus, Christmas Brandy Truffles, and not forgetting Individual Christmas Cakes.

You’ll be rockin’ around the Christmas tree, all right!

Order online – vivashop.org.uk/xmasrecipes OR call 0117 944 1000, or send a cheque to Viva! with your details and order to Viva! Xmas recipes, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

Thank you to Jane, Maryanne, Juliet and Chava + Steve & Kath for your work on this guide

Just £1.50 per guide plus £1 p&p for up to three copies; £3 p&p for 4-10 copies For more lovely, animal-free recipes see veganrecipeclub.org.uk and for more shopping tips go to vivashop.org.uk/l-plate-vegan-guide viva.org.uk 45

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Thank you very much A tremendous thank you to all of the enthusiastic and hard-working Viva! Stall Vols who helped represent Viva! at events throughout the summer and into the autumn season. We you!

Be a Viva!

Stall Vol!

❤

n John, Lisa and Brenda who helped us raise £450 at the Swansea Vegan Festival. n Clare and her boyfriend for raising £140 at the Maidstone Vegan Festival. n Richard who sold a ton of merch at the Lancaster Vegan Fair, raising over £330. n Dina who helped spread the vegan message at the Leicester Belgrave Mela. n Julie and friend who raised over £250 at the Bolton Vegan Fair. n Millie for raising £180 at the Hull Vegan Festival.

Help run a merch stall for Viva! at a veggie or vegan event near you.

There are now so many great fayres springing up that we can’t be at them all. You can help raise serious money for our campaigns and with our excellent literature, help to spread the word. For all the info you need, visit our new volunteer pages at viva.org.uk/viva-stall-vol

Clare and her boyfriend at the Maidstone Vegan Festival

UPCOMING EVENTS

NOVEMBER 19 – Bristol Viva! Vegan Festival and Southwest Xmas w/o Cruelty 20 – North East Vegan Festival 26 – Compassionate Derby 27 – Winterfest Leeds and Cambridge Vegan Fair DECEMBER 3 – Breckland Compassionate Living Fair 4 – Animal Aid’s Christmas Fayre and Ab Fab Winter Wonderland Vegan Xmas Festival 11 – Hailsham Compass Xmas Fair 18 – Swansea Vegan Christmas Market

To get your free copies of our superb, 64-page Everyone’s Going Vegan mag to hand out at your own events, see page 31 46

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Photo © Rich Lehman

Don’t miss out on veggie and vegan events taking place throughout the autumn/winter season up and down the country. See our full event listings here: myvegantown.org.uk/events. If you see a little it means Team Viva! will have a stall at this event so be sure to swing by and say Hi, or better yet, volunteer!

John, Lisa and Brenda at the Swansea Vegan Festival

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We want to keep on

exposing cruelty …but we need your support Join

today

Our undercover exposés are changing the face of Britain.

Every year, millions of people see the true face of animal farming because of us and they are changing their diet.

Meat and milk consumption are falling.

We have the brave undercover investigators who are prepared to go secretly in amongst this suffering – and we want to do more of it. By joining Viva!, your donation will help to keep up this vital work.

Choose your category Supporter – £15 waged, £12 unwaged You’ll receive our fab colourful mag, Viva!life – containing celebrity interviews, features, delicious recipes, offers, events and campaign updates; sticker and Supporter’s card (giving discounts in many outlets).

YES, I want to join Viva! as a: Supporter (£15 waged) Star Supporter (£29) Life Supporter (£200)

£5

000

v a.

org.u k

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Other: Total enclosed: £ Please make cheque/PO payable to Viva!.

OR please debit my Visa/Master/Switch/Solo card number:

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Surname:

Join Viva! for Life and really help us stop cruelty. You’ll receive Viva!life for life and all the same fabulous benefits as a Star Supporter.

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YES, I enclose a donation of:

Star Supporter – £29 You’ll receive Viva!life, supporter’s card, Not in my Name celebrity DVD (16 short films); Feeding you the Facts DVD (cookery demos and talks); 6 guides including easy, delicious recipes, 2 nutrition fact sheets, certificate and brooch.

#

…so we can keep on saving animals from suffering

www.viva.org.uk 0117 944 1000

You’ll be sent Viva! piglet tattoo, pen, posters, Activist card, animal and nutrition guides and Viva!life.

Vegan is a state of kind

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Or join online at viva.org.uk/join

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the road n o k c a B big style!

Viva! is delighted to announce that our partnership with the Northern Vegan Festival and Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival will continue into 2017, with an extraordinary array of events across Britain. So popular are they that we have had to find bigger venues in some cities.

Come and visit us and sample all the delights on offer.

Í International food tastings and the best in convenience foods Í One-to-one nutritional advice Í Free recipes and detailed factsheets Í Cookery demos to wow you – and great talks Í A host of vegan goodies – cosmetics to cuddly toys; bags, books – and chocolate – T-shirts and more!

Saturday, November 19, 2016 – 10:30 to 16:30 BRISTOL VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Saturday-Sunday, June 3-4, 2017 – 10:00 to 17:00 VEGAN SUMMER FEST BRIGHTON

Sunday, November 27, 2016 – 11:00 to 17:00 WINTERFEST VEGAN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL, LEEDS

Saturday, June 17, 2017 – 11:00 to 17:00 GREAT YORKSHIRE VEGAN FESTIVAL

Í

Í

Saturday, January 21, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 MANCHESTER CENTRAL VEGAN FAIR

Í Í

TBC Early July, 2017 – VEGAN SUMMER FEST LONDON

Í

Í

Saturday, July 15, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 MANCHESTER CENTRAL VEGAN FAIR

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Saturday, July 29, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 BURY VEGAN FAIR

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Saturday, August 12, 2017 – 10:00 to 17:00 LIVERPOOL VIVA! VEGAN FESIVAL

Saturday, February 4, 2017 – 10:30 to 17:00 CARDIFF VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL Saturday, April 1, 2017 – 11:00 to 17:00 NORTHERN VEGAN FESTIVAL Saturday, April 15, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 BIRMINGHAM VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

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Saturday, May 6, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 NOTTINGHAM VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Í Í Í

Saturday, August 26, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 BOLTON VEGAN FAIR

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Saturday, September 16, 2017 – 10:00 to 18:00 LONDON VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

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Saturday, October 7, 2017 – BRIGHTON VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

FOR EVERYONE – meat-eaters, VEGANS, THOSE aspiring TO BE vegan AND THOSE WHO JUST NEED A HELPING HAND

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO VIVA.ORG.UK/FESTIVALS

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Restaurant reviews

Rootcandi, Brighton Rootcandi fits no simple description – I think unique is the word. It’s vegan, on two floors, bustling, trendy with helpful, friendly staff and… stick with me… it’s called a tapas bar but isn’t, not really.

Starters are straight forward – fresh mint, broad bean and cashew pâté with toasted sour dough; poached tomatoes and basil on Mediterranean garlic toast or edamame beans – plus there’s nuts and nibbles (£2.95 – £4.95). But it gets a bit complicated with main courses.

There are three main menus each comprised of six dishes, designed for two people and served on something like a Victorian cake stand but with six trays. The first menu (Brunswick – £16.95 each person) is Indian inspired. The Stanmer (£17.95 each) is European – loosely. The third, and the one I shared, is the Queens (£19.95 each). Due to lack of space I’ll concentrate on this Pan-Asian delight.

1) Steamed carrot buns filled with spicy barbecue carrot paste and served with carrot hoisin sauce. 2) Marinated tofu with an orchestra of accompaniments – garlic, lemongrass, maple syrup, ginger, tamari and served on mooli, beetroot and wasabi. Oh, and samphire. 3) Gyoza with Vietnamese dipping sauce. 4) Crispy tofu with sweet Japanese sauce and broccoli and sesame stir fry. 5) Bok choy with Chinese mustard and pickled ginger. 6) Soya marinated in rice wine vinegar and host of other delights which you wrap in little pancakes with cucumber, spring onion and plum sauce.

If you’re eating solo, each individual dish is priced and you can waltz around between the three menus. I won’t say anything else but if you’re in Brighton – or anywhere near – GO! You’ll be talking about it for days after.

Copenhagen Restaurant, Valencia, Spain Valencia is the third biggest city in Spain and one of the liveliest. It has an envious location beside the sea with beaches that are wide and long, with soft golden sand well used by the locals to play sport, chill and have family fun.

Through the centre of the city runs a dry river bed which has been turned into a glorious, traffic-free park with cycle routes.

I visited this summer with my family and we were delighted to discover a small chain of vegetarian/vegan restaurants situated in the beautiful, historic old town, with its narrow alleyways, courtyards and plazas that throb with life at night.

Copenhagen was our favourite (the others are Oslo and Malmo), in the Ruzafa region, a trendy neighbourhood with plenty of cafés, arts galleries and other restaurants.

The décor is modern, minimalist, chic, the menu semigastronomic at a mid-range price. Starters included imaginative tapas – seitan and artichoke heart kebabs are unusual and delicious. One of my sons really liked the mock prawns in garlic. Too ‘real’ for me! The other devoured the mock meat vegan burger.

A delicate and tasty dish was aubergine, tofu and peppers over mashed potatoes with a cashew majada. Desserts are delicious and include vegan cheesecakes and a delectable chocolate tarte and ginger cashew nut ice cream.

You can dine inside or at a table on the pavement, watching Valencia go by. Cost for two with wine, about 50 Euros.

ROOTCANDI, 105 Western Road, Brighton BN1 2AA. To book: online at rootcandi.co.uk/book or 01273 965904.

COPENHAGEN RESTAURANT, Calle Literato Azorin 8. grupocopenhagen.com

Tony W

Juliet G viva.org.uk 49

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Gilded Gorgeousness Vegan jewellery designer, Square Hare, has welded her love of nature with a creative, celestial spirit to bring her stellar animal accessories to life. Each unique piece is evocative of the ever-changing landscape of the British countryside as seen through the eyes of our beloved wildlife; a badger dreaming under moonlight, a fox jumping giddily, a spring hare dancing amongst freshly fallen leaves. These whimsical countryside vignettes are complemented by the raw, organic materials chosen to depict them – gleaming golden brass, polished sterling silver and earthy gemstones are scratched, marked, sawn and assembled, all by hand in Square Hare’s Whitby workshop. Stunning jewellery that will resonate with anyone who wears their heart on their sleeve and their neck!

The collection includes earrings, pendants and necklaces with prices ranging from £50 to £120, depending on metal choice.

Bespoke commissions undertaken. etsy.com/uk/shop/squarehare

life Bring on the vegan bling Lifestyle’s Katrina picks her favourite pressies guaranteed to add a little glitz & glam to your ethical gift giving

Time to Shine

Glitter Girl

Train to catch? Nutroast in the oven? Keep your phone pocketed and look to your wrist! Votch, the vegan leather watch company, is here to turn the art of timekeeping into a cruelty-free and sustainably-stylish affair. London-based animal lover, Laura, launched her five-strong collection of classically-inspired watches in 2016 and like clockwork, Votch was born. Each of the high-end components – from the durable yet sleek PU vegan leather (that doesn’t snap after a few uses) to the shiny brushed metal finishes and quality Japanese GL20 movement (the heart of the watch) have all been meticulously researched and calculated to last!

Available in women’s and unisex styles in Black & Gold, Black, Light Grey, Pink and Tan. Each watch has a 38mm case diameter, 19mm strap width and 170-210mm wrist fitting. Packaged in an eco-friendly soft pouch and box. £120. votch.co.uk

The Kind Collection by Viva! showcases our brand new slogan ‘Vegan is a State of Kind’. This positively beaming statement had to be paired with something just as shiny and bright – gold glitter of course! The collection includes a trio of blinged-up merch from a women’s tee and sweatshirt to an enamel mug. Both the tee and sweatshirt designs are printed on fair-trade, organic cotton and feature a flattering scooped neck and comfy fit. Available in women’s sizes small-extra large. Tees are £16.99 and sweatshirts £25.

The Kind enamelware mug is durable, lightweight and charmingly retro! Use these sparkling beauties around the home or bring ‘em along to your next glamping adventure. Supplied boxed. Holds up to 10oz/285ml. £10 Our State of Kind mug is a web exclusive! Buy it online vivashop.org.uk

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Angelic Artisan All good things come in a gift box and Raw Halo’s Mylk and Dark chocolate collections are no exception. Artisan made and heavenly to taste, each Raw Halo bar is worth its weight in gold… wrappers. Cocoa connoisseurs fair-trade fanatics and those with a soft spot for superfoods will appreciate the distinct flavour of the raw Peruvian cacao beans; the meltingly smooth texture (beans are stone ground for 24hrs) and the invigorating properties of each carefullyselected component, from chewy sour cherries to the crystalline crunch of Pink Himalayan Salt. Raw Halo’s chocolate is free from refined sugars (coconut sugar is used instead) and is wheat and gluten-free, too!

The Pure Mylk gift box contains: Pure Mylk, Mylk+Crispies, Mylk+Goji Berry and Vanilla, and Mylk+Pink Himalayan Salt. The Dark Collection gift box contains: Pure Dark, Dark+Nibs, Dark+Sour Cherry and Almond, and Dark+Sweet Orange.

Choose from three vegan gift box options: £24.99 for 8 bars, £44.99 for 16 bars and £54.99 for 20 bars. rawhalo.com

Gold Dusted Delectables Gold-lustred milk chocolate penguins and raspberry white chocolate Scottie dogs with gold leaf collars are the edible fruits of chocolatier Chloe’s labour. After discovering she suffered from food allergies, Chloe packed her bags in the city, ventured back home to her family farm in Pembrokeshire and set-up So Sweet Couture Chocolate Boutique – armed with a mission to make free-from and fashion-savvy treats that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Behind the serious ethical commitment to use only the finest organic and fair trade ingredients is a light-hearted and fun approach to handmade vegan chocolates; chomp on skull-shaped white chocolates at Halloween or bite into itsy-bitsy gingerbread boys and girls at Christmas – all taste delish and are a delight to behold.

Dairy-free lollies are £2.50 (20g) and boxed chocolate shapes range from £5.95 (40g) to £14.95 (220g). Beautifully presented in gift packaging. sosweetcouture.com

giveaways Enter our Lifestyle reader giveaways online at viva.org.uk/competitions or send us your entry, including competition name (eg Angelic Artisan), your full name and address to Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH. GILDED CORGEOUSNESS 1 X SQUARE HARE BADGER MOON PENDANT –WORTH £70 Handmade especially for one lucky Viva!life reader, this stunning badger pendant is made from mixed metals (brass and silver) and comes with a 45cm/18” sterling silver chain.

ANGELIC ARTISAN 1 X RAW HALO VEGAN MYLK & DARK COLLECTION – £35.99 We have one complete set of Raw Halo’s artisan vegan chocolate bars (12 mixed Dark and Mylk flavours).

Angelically presented in a luxury white gift box.

TIME TO SHINE 1 X VOTCH WATCH – £120 Votch have generously offered one of their luxurious Black and Gold watches to a Viva!life reader.

The deadline to enter our Lifestyle giveaway is December 15, 2016. Winners are selected at random and will be contacted within a week of the giveaway deadline.

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V-Biz Spotlight Welcome to Viva!life’s section devoted to all that’s new and cool when it comes to veggie, vegan and ethical businesses. We believe that you are what you eat but also you are what you buy – so why not support these new businesses that are making a vegan splash in a notso-vegan ocean!

Festive Fudge Just in time for the gift-giving season, the V-Biz team were surprised to learn that the high street fudge confectioners, Fudge Kitchen, are experimenting with delicious and innovative vegan fudge flavours by swapping whipping cream for plant-based milks (soya and oat).

We sampled their Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Fudge which was moist, dense and tickled the taste buds, and the Icy Vanilla Coconut Fudge – light, aromatic and sweet tooth approved! As the fudge is

Fudge Kitchen are offering one Viva!life reader the chance to win a box set of Original Sea Salted Caramel Drinking Fudge. For more details and to enter our Festive Fudge Giveaway visit viva.org.uk/ competitions

freshly made at various locations across the UK, just ask your branch what’s on their fudge menu or simply order the dairy-free fudge box online, which retails at £16 for four large slices.

Also available is the Fudge Kitchen’s answer to hot chocolate – their Original Sea Salted Caramel Drinking Fudge. Available in a box of six sachets for £10, it makes a sweet stocking filler! fudgekitchen.co.uk

Vegan on the high street!

Here at Viva! HQ, we’re always rooting for high street chains and big brands to adopt a kinder lifestyle. We heard through the grapevine that no less than two new vegan ice cream ranges were due to hit supermarket freezers this autumn, so we got our spoons out and sampled them of course!

The first range is from gourmet truffle brand Booja-Booja – they’ve churned up six new premium, cashew-based frozen treats in the form of Caramel Pecan Praline, Chocolate Salted Caramel, Hazelnut Chocolate, Hunky Punky Chocolate, Keep Smiling Vanilla M’Gorilla and Raspberry Ripple. The Caramel Pecan Praline came out top for texture and taste and wasn’t sickly sweet, thanks to the agave syrup.

Available in 11ml for £1.99 and 500ml from £5.99. Visit

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boojabooja.com for stockists.

Soya-product pioneers Alpro have also jumped the plant-based ice cream bandwagon and unveiled three classic flavour combos: Coconut, Hazelnut Chocolate and Vanilla. Boasting a naturally low sugar and fat content with a delightfully creamy texture and light taste, we feel an ice cream tasting party coming on! Available in 500ml tubs for £3.50, from participating Tesco stores.

STOP PRESS Alpro recently made a stupid and cynical claim that animal products should be part of a healthy diet. Viva! and several hundred other people challenged them and Alpro retracted their claim. Why cynical? Because Alpro were recently taken over by Danone, one of the world’s largest producers of cows’ milk yoghurt. We have included these new products purely because they are vegan.

Calling all vegfriendly businesses Did you know we offer amazing and affordable opportunities (some free!) to help promote your brand and products? When you join our Supporter’s Discount Scheme or sign-up as a Viva! Business Supporter you are part of a positive community that works to end the suffering of our animal friends and fights for a healthier, cruelty-free lifestyle for all. Be a part of it today!

Find out how online viva.org.uk/resources/ businesses or call Katrina on 0117 944 1000

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Th e Vi va! Boo k … s d n e m m o c e r b u Cl Paper Christmas pressies for young and old, hipster to healthster!

for h ipsters

Social Animals: A Berkley Bestiary

By Ryan and Lucy Berkley. Hardback, 80pp. £15.99 American artist Ryan Berkley is beloved for his iconic portraits of animals dressed like humans, from a grizzly bear detective to a goat wearing a tie. This tongue-in-cheek, illustrated compendium features twenty-six animals and their delightfully absurd backstories, by his wife Lucy Berkley. This is entertaining animal/people watching in book form and just roars ‘stocking filler’!

for fash ionistas

The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to Beauty 125 Recipes for DIY Vegan, Gluten-Free, CrueltyFree Makeup, Skin & Hair Products

By Chrystle Fiedler and Sunny Subramanian.

Paperback, 256pp. £14.95 Learn how to whip up natural, affordable skin care that’s kind to animals and your skin with compassionate beauty junkie, Sunny. Features easy-to-follow instructions accompanied by glowing step-bystep photos.

for animal lo vers

for h ealthsters

Esther: The Wonder Pig

By Steve Jenkins. Hardback, 224pp. £19.99 Fall in love with Esther the pig in this funny, heartwarming and utterly charming story. Unlikely pig owners, Steve and Derek (from Toronto, Canada) got a whole lot more than they bargained for when the designer micro piglet they adopted turned out to be a full-sized, 600-pound sow! Follow Steve and Derek's un-put-downable adventure — from reluctant pig parents to farm sanctuary-owning advocates for animals.

for you ngsters

Vegan Goodness

By Jessica Prescott. Hardback, 160pp. £15 Sixty flavour-busting dishes that prove cooking with plants can be gutsy and fuss-free. Each recipe is artfully laid out with all the ingredients on show so readers can see at-a-glance, what they need. Take the inventive Pulled Jackfruit Tacos (that actually tastes like pulled pork!); the simple and savoury Kale Scones or the Asian inspired Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake (delicious), innovative food that everyone can enjoy and easily recreate at home.

Written in Jessica's passionate, funny and nononsense style.

Unlikely Friendships Wall Calendar 2017

By Jennifer Holland. Calendar. £10.99 The book series on which this adorable calendar is based is a firm Viva! Book Club favourite. Suitable for animal lovers of all ages, each page tells the emotional story of animals from different species that have found friendship and a bond with each other. From the gentle springer spaniel, who mothers chicks and even bottle-feeds young animals on her farm, to the abandoned piglet, goat, and lamb who became an inseparable family at an Australian animal sanctuary.

100’s more vegan reads at vivashop.org.uk/ books

Looking for more book-spiration? We review and stock hundreds of veggie/vegan titles online at

vivashop.org.uk/books viva.org.uk 53

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E

Classifieds HOLIDAYS – ENGLAND EAST SUSSEX

HOLIDAYS – FRANCE

OXFORDSHIRE Heyford Vegan Bed & Breakfast in rural North Oxfordshire. Easy access Oxford, Blenheim, Rousham, Cotswolds, Oxford Canal. Dogs welcome. WiFi available. Train station and bus routes. www.heyfordveganbedandbreakfast@vpweb.co.uk O1869 340 664 / 07773 262 099 jenny@tamblyn2.orangehome.co.uk SHROPSHIRE The Ferns B&B in the historic market town of Newport, Shropshire.

Exclusively vegetarian/vegan. Central location for touring Staffordshire & Shropshire. Period town house.

Tel: 01952 812174 www.thefernsshropshire.co.uk HOLIDAYS – IRELAND West Cork – Vegetarian self-catering apartments. Peaceful, wooded surroundings. Organic vegetables and wholefoods available. Green Lodge, Ballylickey, Bantry, Co Cork.

Tel: 0035 3 2766146 Email: greenlodge@gmail.com Web: http://homepage.eircom. net/~greenlodge HOLIDAYS – WALES Sweth Tara House – Accommodation is self-catering for 2, price £250 per week. Discount available for low wage. Stay in a newly built timber framed straw bale round house in Bronwydd village within a beautiful valley of Gwili River and steam railway. Organic box scheme available to order from the local town which is within 3miles and bus stop nearby. Handmade organic toiletries are available to buy in the premises. Beautiful beaches and castles are nearby and the famous Botanical Garden of Wales is also located very nearby. sunwheel111@gmail.com or 01267 232476 / 07583 980767

The Vegetarian Charity Vegetarians and vegans aged under 26 can apply for grants from The Vegetarian Charity. We can help with education costs and funds for exceptional needs.

Donations and legacies are most welcome to ensure that we can continue to satisfy the need for help.

Our annual fully funded vegan cookery course is open to vegetarians and vegans aged 16-25 years inc.

Further information and application forms are available on our website www.vegetariancharity.org.uk or by post from The Grants Secretary, PO Box 496, Manchester M45 0FL Registered Charity No 294767

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Les Aigles Vegan & Vegetarian Apartment Situated in rural Drome Provençal nestled between the vineyards & olive groves. Dogs welcome. Modern facilities. www.lesaigles-veggies.com bookings@lesaigles-veggies.com +33 (0)677759714 or +33 (0)475264718

Personal

Looking for friendship, love or even a new business partner? Well, Viva!life Personal is the place to come! It’s simple and effective, and good value for money with prices starting from £8 for a 20-word lineage advert.

The Followers of the Way Golgotha Skulls, Red Sea, vegetarian perspective, artist Antony Bates and Rev. Ferrier. Please send SAE. Please reply to Box 61/5, Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

Male Vegan (40s) seeking female vegan for companionship and love. I live in Glasgow. Details: giants@riseup.net

www.taxreturnonlineservices.co.uk Financial Accounts Preparation • Self Assessment Tax Returns Rental Accounts • Business Tax Advice 5% donation to VIVA!

Tel: 01485 601499

For Viva! news, info, merchandise and much more visit us online at viva.org.uk

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EXCLUSIVE VIVA! OFFER

Save 50% when you subscribe to Vegan Food & Living magazine YOUR EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIPTION OFFER Save 50% R̆ WKH FRYHU SULFH Just £14.97 every 6 issues on Direct Debit Delivered direct to your door each month

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To ogether with Ene ergy and Trransport, Food is i one of the three biggest sources of carbon emissions in Britain – that’s why campaigning for a plant-based diet is an important part of our work.

We’ve shown this through our involvement with our local football JS\I -VYLZ[ .YLLU 9V]LYZ ¶ ^P[O V\Y OLSW -.9 PZ UV^ [OL ÄYZ[ ]LNHU football club in the world. :^P[JO `V\Y LULYN` HUK IL JVUÄKLU[ [OH[ ^L ILSPL]L HUK JHTWHPNU for what you believe in. Join us now and we’ll donate up to £60 to =P]H ¶ P[ JV\SKU»[ IL LHZPLY [V Z^P[JO HUK [HRLZ SLZZ [OHU Ä]L TPU\[LZ

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