Published by Viva!, the vegan campaigning group
Of Mice & Men
life
Vegan Rocker interview
Lice-nsed to kill Fish farms plagued by sea lice
2 great new guides
For vegan parents
Issue 80 Summer 2022
Viva! Farming launches
Bird flu
A looming crisis
Blessed are the meek
…says Tony Wardle
Dale Vince Energy security is possible
Ukraine Crisis Viva! acts
h t i w n i s d i u q Be s e p i c e r r e v a s r e sup
11 & 12 June 2022 Alexandra Palace, London N22 7AY A two day celebration of all things vegan Vegan Life Live will host over 150 exhibitors and over 25 free cookery demos from top chefs; How to Cook Tofu with Jacob – Peng Vegan Munch • Sweetcorn and Red Pepper Fritters with Nourishing Amy • PL Tofu Curry with Plant Based Bloke • US Making Kimchi with Sharon Gardner • Nutritious Summer Recipes with Natalie Penny and other great chefs such as Bettina Campolucci Bordi
Vegan Food Court full of top vegan caterers offering something for everyone from pizza and burgers to salads and juices̵ Some of the caterers at the show; Frost Burgers, Brownin Foods, Pig Out, Lets Do Maki, One Planet Pizza, Chaatit plus more...
of our Th e Impa c t e s with Food Ch o ic
d Ear thlin g E
Plus FREE lectures: How To Be A Healthy Veganڳwithژ Hench Herbivore Super Power Plant Nutrition withژJuliette Bryant plus top presenters such as Monami Frost
Jake Yapp presents LIVE Vegan Life Magazine Podcast with special guest Omari McQueen
For the full schedule and to book tickets visit veganlifelive.com
VEGAN FOR ALL LIFE Viva!’s fight is a fight for life – for ourselves, animals and the planet. Humankind’s abuse and exploitation of animals lies at the heart of most of the planet’s accelerating problems. The crushing number of farmed animals slaughtered every year impacts on almost every ecosystem and is the driving force that has propelled planet Earth into its sixth mass extinction. The tens of billions of victims of this massacre are brushed aside by governments across the world. Viva!, however, is constantly revealing the abject conditions in which they are forced to live by secretly going inside factory farms. They are not only cruel but provide stinking reservoirs of disease where antibiotic resistance flourishes, deadly superbugs mutate and pandemics take root. Over the years we have captured the headlines with our exposés, triggered the decline of meat, fish, egg and dairy consumption and spurred the vegan revolution forwards. Viva! is a registered charity (1037486) viva.org.uk
Contents
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UKRAINE CRISIS Viva! and Viva! Poland act for the animals
16 OF MICE AND MEN Faye Lewis interviews Phil Manansala
18 COOKERY FOR UNDER A QUID
ON EVERY FRONT Viva! has four sections which are displayed on our website, a mass of verifiable information on why veganism is imperative to the future – everyone’s and everything’s future. Viva! Animals provides fascinating information on all the species exploited for food in the UK and fun facts about their private lives. You can, however, also witness Viva!’s brave undercover investigations that show the shocking reality of the UK’s meat, egg, fish and dairy industries. Viva! Planet explains why animal farming is the driving force behind all the world’s environmental crises. It also explores the solutions. Viva! Health is science-based and exposes the links between animal products and ill health; but also why varied vegan diets protect us. It takes you through the A to Z of diseases and the A to Z of nutrients. Viva! Lifestyle is packed with advice on how to go vegan, plus has over a thousand recipes. Our V7 and V30 programmes make it easy for anyone to go and stay vegan.
24 EXPOSÉ – LICE-NSED TO KILL Fish farm lice campaign launches
28 2 GREAT NEW GUIDES One for babies, one for older children
30 VIVA! FARMING LAUNCHES Helping farmers to change
31 BLESSED ARE THE MEEK Says Tony Wardle
35 BIRD FLU A looming crisis
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38 DALE VINCE Energy security is possible
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HOW TO GET THIS MAGAZINE Join Viva! for just £17 to get your copy of Viva!life magazine four times a year. 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, 9-5) or join online at viva.org.uk/join.
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5 Lifelines 15 Environment 21 New foods 23 Merchandise 26 Lifescience 33 TV Ad latest 36 V biz 37 Media Life 41 Lifestyle
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Welcome
It was the year 2001 when I founded Viva! Poland, just 10 years after the Soviet Union’s occupying forces were driven out of Poland by a democratic uprising that spread across the Soviet bloc and ended it. In an inexplicable act of evil, Putin’s Russian Federation appears to be set on reversing that huge democratic gain and on February 24, launched a war of pure barbarity against Ukraine, Poland’s close neighbour. The devastation, death and suffering that has been unleashed upon all living creatures is a reminder that our civilisation is fragile and often just skin deep. At the time I write this, some 14 million Ukrainians are refugees, 2.5 million having left everything behind and crossed into Poland, many of them bringing with them Juliet greets refugees and their companions at their beloved companion animals, a Warsaw’s West Railway Station suitcase and little else. They have nothing! With your generous help, Viva! UK and Viva! Poland immediately went into action to offer what help we could to these frightened people by supporting them in any way we can, offering advice and practical help with their animals – food, water, leads, collars, harnesses and so on – at the refugee centres and train stations in Warsaw. We have also rescued lost, abandoned and traumatised animals where we can, offering them safety, love and veterinary care at our 60-acre sanctuary at Korabiewicach, an hour from Warsaw. We have also obtained about 90 tonnes of animal food and ferried it to the border for our desperate Ukrainian colleagues to use in their shattered country, along with other vital supplies. We have modified, rebuilt and refurbished parts of the sanctuary to house as many cats and dogs as we can and our appeal for funds to assist in this ongoing work has been staggering, with just over £100,000 having been donated so far. You can read the full story, starting on page seven. Our work here in the UK continues unabated, however, and with a rapidly growing cost of living crisis, we are delighted to offer some delicious recipes that you can make for less than £1 (see page 18). We have also taken the findings of one of our recent undercover campaigns to the streets of Britain and shown consumers the reality of fish farming – plagues of sea lice that eat the captive fish alive (see page 24). And we’ve taken our campaign on bird flu – a terrifying looming crisis – to the national media (page 35). The media sometimes seems hell-bent on worrying the life out of ethical parents who want to bring their children up as vegans, despite it being the healthiest choice possible. Worry no more as my two new guides with co-authors Helen and Veronika – Vegan New Parents’ Guide and Healthy Vegan Kids – offer all the advice, support and reassurance you could possibly need (see page 28). Directly related to the Ukraine crisis, our government is predictably dashing around touting all kinds of energy sources we now need to pursue to ensure our energy security. On page 38, Dale Vince, CEO of Ecotricity and a Viva! Patron, explains clearly how and why all our energy can and should come from renewable sources. Yours for the animals
Juliet Gellatley Founder & International Director juliet@viva.org.uk facebook.com/juliet.gellatley
General enquiries Contact Viva! on 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri 9-5) Email info@viva.org.uk Write to Viva! at: 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH 4
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life Viva! Founder & International Director Juliet Gellatley Executive Assistant Jess Nagji-Nunn Editor Tony Wardle Managing Director & Head of Campaigns Laura Hellwig Head of Investigations Lex Rigby Head of Communications Faye Lewis Public Relations Rachel Stone, Siobhan Dolan Campaigns & Outreach Alice Short, Dani Lawton, Jasmine Clark Head of Research Dr Justine Butler Viva! Health Veronika Charvátová Office Manager & Supporters’ Liaison Laura Turner, Beata Rzepecka-Wilk, Renata Rzepecka Bookkeeping & Legacies Administrator Carla Sheppard Merchandise, Business & Events Emily Coster, Charlotte Heath, Lucy Constable Food & Cookery and VRC Maryanne Hall, Pia Werzinger Design The Ethical Graphic Design Company Ltd Web & IT Roger Peñarroya i Zaldívar, Conor Haines, Jeremy Ludlow Podcast Presenters Faye Lewis, Lex Rigby Editorial enquiries 07956 496923 Advertising enquiries 0117 944 1000 Membership enquiries 0117 944 1000 info@viva.org.uk Online viva.org.uk viva.org.uk/health veganrecipeclub.org.uk vivavegancharity vivacampaigns vivacharity Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH
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Gosh – animals can feel!
Monica Lilley is a well-known vegan activist and her athlete son has been making his mark over the years, often wearing a Viva! top. Andrew Lilley ran the Paris Marathon recently in an extraordinary two hours 38 minutes. Well done Andrew!
Lauded as a great parliamentary victory, animals are to be recognised as sentient beings under the new Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. Fancy that! Oh, I forgot, animals were already considered sentient when we were in the EU and it made not a blind bit of difference as to how they were treated. The last Queen’s Speech heralded an ‘animal welfare revolution’. In fact, things revolved so fast that we’re almost back where we started. No ban on farrowing crates, no ban on foie gras or fur imports, no stiffer sentences for animal cruelty and no ban on factory farming. ‘It’s okay Hogwood, you can carry on abusing animals!’
A LETTER TO BE PROUD OF Following our work with the very creative, Bristol-based ad agency, Skylark, to produce our Takeaway the Meat TV ad, we received this lovely communication: “Working alongside the campaigns team at Viva! to bring veganism to mainstream TV across the Channel 4 network, has encouraged discussions within the office to reflect on our own food choices. This is the kind of impact we want to achieve for Viva! to reach consumers and trigger conversations on replacing meat-based meals at home with vegan alternatives.”
Tony is a hero!
Viva!life editor, Tony Wardle, has been recognised for his direction of the documentary Hogwood – a modern horror story by being given the Shining World Hero Award by the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. This global spiritual body gave birth to the Loving Hut string of restaurants worldwide and has its own International TV station. The formal presentation has not yet taken place.
A huge thank you to our magnificent supporters in both Shropshire and Swindon who funded incredible poster campaigns for us! In Shropshire they produced a bus poster campaign which ran throughout the region and in Swindon a billboard in a prime location. You are amazing!
The magnificently talented Spanish guitarist, Mark Barnwell, kindly played a Viva! benefit concert at CICCIC, Taunton’s great community venue. The event on Good Friday evening was introduced by Viva! director Juliet Gellatley. Two days previously, the same venue put on a showing of our award-winning documentary, Hogwood – a modern horror story. It was introduced by its director, Tony Wardle.
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lifelines China’s single step…
Viva!’s shorts
l We have had requests from supporters who would like to volunteer at our Viva! Poland sanctuary. If that’s you – go to viva.org.uk/sanctuary-volunteer.
An old Chinese proverb says that a 1,000-mile journey begins with a single step. The manufacturing of mock meats in the country has started to blossom and can probably claim a couple of steps. The world’s largest consumer of meat is expected to see its mock meat market worth $12 billion by next year and to grow by 200 per cent over the next five years. It is just a start in such a huge country but China has become the fastest growing market for plant-based proteins in the world and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has, for the first time, explicitly included cultivated meats and other ‘future foods’ in its roadmap for food security – which is more than our government has done!
l iChoc, German manufacturers of utterly delicious, organic, plasticand palm oil-free chocolate is organising a fundraiser for Viva! amongst its nearly 50,000 followers instagram.com/ichoc_vegan_choc olate. We thank you iChoc. l Our sincere thanks to patron Dale Vince and to the US Animal Welfare Institute for their generous donations to our Ukraine appeal. We greatly appreciate it.
BORN FREE BACKS BADGERS
l Our great friends at Plant Based News (which has 2.5 million followers and 80 million impressions a month) have launched a fundraiser for our Viva! Poland sanctuary. We are truly grateful PBN.
The UK government’s barbarism towards badgers has seen at least 140,000 shot in a phoney attempt to control bovine TB. In reality, it is a sop to satisfy the farming industry who would sooner scapegoat badgers than reform their sloppy practices. Despite claims that the policy will be phased out, badgers will continue to be slaughtered for years to come even though the government’s own advisory body has condemned the majority of deaths as inhumane. The Born Free Foundation, which promotes “evidence-based wildlife management” has condemned the continuing badger cull as “unscientific, ineffective, inhumane and unnecessary”.
l Sales of vegan food at Aldi rocketed up by 500 per cent during Veganuary compared to the same period last year. l Dolce & Gabbana is the latest fashion house to ditch animal fur, saying they will replace it with “ethical and eco-conscious alternatives.” l The UN Environment Assembly have recognised the vital links between animal farming and the environmental crises – the first time this will be formally recognised at a global level.
. . . s r e e t n u l o v l a t i v s ’ ! a v i V hank The biggest possible thank you to all of the wonderful Viva! volunteers who have been working hard at vegan events – we really wouldn’t have a presence there without you. All your efforts in selling merchandise and handing out information help our campaigns enormously.
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• March 5, Ealing fair. Amrit Patel, Mary McHugh, Elizabeth Botelho, Kunj Krishna Sugand, Lilyana and Aaleiyah – £171 raised • March 20, Brighton Green Vegan Fair. Aby Mason and Keith – £58 • April 3, Amelia Moore-Tabb and Dean Bracher – £102.60
Fancy getting involved? Email merchandise@viva.org.uk 6
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Left: Amrit Patel, Mary McHugh, Elizabeth Botelho, Kunj Krishna Sugand, Lilyana and Aaleiyah. Above: Aby Mason
Ukraine Crisis
VIVA! ACTS R
BY JULIET GELLATLEY (VIVA! FOUNDER & INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR)
ussia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, triggering Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, with more than 4.2 million Ukrainians leaving the country and a quarter of the population displaced. As I write this, 2.5 million Ukrainians have poured into Poland, many with almost no luggage but clutching their beloved family pets. Putin’s cruel and murderous war has stolen the lives of thousands of people, injured many more and left countless numbers of animals wandering, lost and uncomprehending, their home shelled, their families gone. Viva! Poland, supported by you, our UK supporters, immediately went into action. You probably know that I founded Viva! in 1994; you may not know that I also set up Viva! Poland in 2001. Under the excellent management of Cezary (Czarek) Wyszynski and Anna Zielinska, it has grown into the foremost animal rights organisation in Poland and has a beautiful sanctuary of 60 acres near Warsaw. In March, I went to Poland to support our dedicated staff, help where I could and to report back to the UK. It was an historic and intense visit. Just after reaching our Warsaw office, Lisa Buck, a long term Viva! supporter, arrived with a van chock full of animal food and equipment after a 1,000 mile journey from her home in Norfolk. I welcomed her with open arms. Read her story on page 14. Three days later, another van arrived with more donated supplies from the UK, this time driven by Ray and Gwen of Animal Couriers. Our heart-felt thanks to them, also. I had invited our patron of 28 years, Wendy Turner Webster, and her husband Gary Webster, to accompany us as they were determined to shine a spotlight on the work Viva! is doing in this crisis. Wendy and Gary were excellent! They warmly welcomed refugees and if they couldn’t chat in English they used Google translate to make connections. Their story is on page 11. Six refugee reception centres have been set up in Warsaw and this is where we concentrate much of our work, as well as at the main train stations. Our aim is simple – to offer what help we can to refugees with animals; and to someone arriving with almost nothing, any help is precious. Viva!’s fantastic volunteers are organised in rotas, working 12 to 14 hours every day at our stall at the Western train station. They offer refugees pet carriers,
food, flea collars, leads, beds and so on. It is truly humbling meeting people who have fled with just one small suitcase and their dog in their arms and it brings home the horror of war – the horror of one man having the power to destroy people’s lives. I talked to Dori, about 10 years old, and her grandma. They had one small suitcase and their little dog in Dori’s arms. They were making their way to Germany and at least were now out of Ukraine and safe. We gave them a dog carrier and food and they continued a journey they should not be having to make. I then chatted with two young women who had been travelling for 15 long days with Muffin, a very cute and affectionate Yorkshire terrier cross in their backpack. They had been forced to leave almost everything behind and were heading to Georgia, but avoiding transiting through Russia, so they still had a long journey ahead of them. I feel such a mix of emotions even thinking about the refugees I met; fury at Putin; admiration for Zelensky and all those fighting for Ukraine; upset at all the needless suffering of people and animals who are being thrown into a dark chaos not of their making; huge respect for the refugees, forced to cope, holding it together, often women with children and animals; and for all the Polish people I met who have welcomed and opened their doors to refugees (the polar opposite to the UK government’s messy, slow and incompetent handling of refugee visa applications). My next stop was the Viva! Poland sanctuary near Warsaw – or to give it its proper name, Schronisco w Korabiewicach Viva!, run by the totally dedicated Karolina Wiewiórkowska. It is a beautiful place, 60 acres of pretty fields with big enclosures for dogs as well as cat houses with enclosed gardens. Before the Ukraine invasion, it had nearly 200 dogs and cats and 130 other assorted
Top: in almost every scene relayed from Ukraine, there is someone holding closely on to their animal friends. Middle: a young girl can now continue her long journey to safety with a carrier for her little dog. Bottom: Juliet and Anna Benchart, who is in charge of cats at Viva! Poland’s sanctuary
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Top right: so many people refused to leave animals behind, no matter what the hardship in taking them to safety. This big lad is called Borys. Bottom right: Charlie is blind and was given special care by Viva! volunteer Jo Dixon. Below: Juliet with a wriggling handful. Little four-month-old Roza is now at Juliet’s home in the UK with Lily as a doggie friend (originally from Sarajevo)
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animals – over 40 horses, some rescued from the meat trade, pigs, cows, goats, chickens and geese, who bite your bottom given the chance! There are also 14 beautiful Arctic and silver foxes and two racoon dogs, rescued from the fur trade. In fact, many of the animals here are rescued testaments to Viva! Poland’s undercover investigations and prosecutions – the lucky ones! Everything possible was done to make more space for cats and dogs, and as I write, a further 110 cats and dogs (about half of each) have been given refuge, and more puppies are on their way. They all need attention – medication, vaccinations, food and space and staff and volunteers to take care of them, including regular walks for all the dogs. One of them is Borys, a big, soft-natured, gentle boy with large brown doleful eyes, who was left in the Lviv area of Ukraine by his fleeing owner and was found wandering around, clearly lost, distressed and hungry. Veronika, entrusted us with two dogs she saved from the conflict. She travelled with them for a whole day while our activists waited for 24 hours at the Polish border to pick them up. Shortly afterwards, we received a text message from her. “My imperfect Polish language did not allow me to express all the words of gratitude to you! Sorry for the tears, I am very uncomfortable with such emotions, but have accumulated stress and fatigue. My soul is now calm for my two oldest dogs. You are wonderful people. May God save your country from war. Special thanks for vegan food, everything is very tasty.” Veronika initially said she would collect her dogs when things improved but we have now received a further, heart-breaking message saying there is no longer any hope and would we please find them loving homes. Another dog, Charlie, is blind and was found in deep despair as his ‘dad’ had died. He was being thrown scraps outside a grocery store but a Viva! volunteer knew he would not make it through the war. He is now being rehabilitated at the sanctuary and UK volunteer, Jo Dixon, cared for him during most of her stay (read
her story on page 13). In one of the cat house gardens, I found myself in the company of several Ukrainian feline refugees who were happy, energetic and playful. Anna Benchart, head of the cat section, showed me around. She clearly dotes on the cats! In the indoor area, she pulled down a ladder that led to a fantastic play room! The cat residents run around chasing each other, investigating things, scratching the scratch posts with zeal and just having a ball. I was so happy to see that most of the 50 new cats from Ukraine are relaxed and playful. But sadly not all are – some are shy and traumatised and just beginning to trust people. The staff have a huge job at the sanctuary and I’m impressed by their dedication and the tangible feeling of calm happiness that resides there. Many Polish volunteers from Warsaw help out at weekends, doing maintenance, building new pens and dog walking. A huge amount of animal food is needed and while manufacturers were happy to donate it, they wanted someone else to organise the logistics. Poland’s manager, Cezary Wyszynski, came up with the excellent idea of hiring a huge warehouse for it and then employed workers to drive the food to the border. We work closely with the Ukrainian group, Animals ID, who have created a database of 100,000 animals who need help, some in shelters but not all. Viva! has delivered some 90 tonnes of food so far (at the time of writing) but the demand is for about 400 tonnes a week! Thankfully, other groups are also helping. Through our early appeal and publicity we obtained in People, Express, OK! and Country Living, Viva! UK supporters and the public have donated just over £100,000, which will help enormously. We have also rehomed in the UK some of the Polish dogs at the sanctuary, particularly those who had been continually overlooked and had become ‘stuck’, making space for refugee Ukrainian pups. At some time in the future, we hope to report on these gorgeous dogs who have finally found love! On a personal level, when I was filming puppies for a video about the impact of the war on the sanctuary, one little girl kept beelining me. She was uber affectionate and exuberant and was accompanied by her almost identical brother. Then, one day, her brother was gone – to his new forever home and she was left alone. You’ve probably guessed the rest! I couldn’t leave her! She has come home to join my family and my other dog, Lily (rescued from Sarajevo) is thrilled as she’s always looking for a playmate.
Ukraine Crisis
SANCTUARY! The animal sanctuary at Korabicwice, a village an hour’s drive from Warsaw, is the shining jewel in Viva! Poland’s crown. We acquired 30 acres in 2012 and then in 2018 bought two small adjoining farms, houses and outbuildings, and expanded to 60 acres – providing accommodation for volunteers, vets and more pasture for cows and horses. Driving this project forward was Viva! Poland manager, Cezary Wyszynski. He describes the important role being played by the sanctuary following the invasion of Ukraine.
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n February 24, I watched the news and was shocked to see that Russia had invaded Ukraine, which shares a border with Poland. I knew instantly there would be a major problem with stray and homeless animals and started to plan what we could do. Within hours, we were receiving requests from Ukrainian sanctuaries and individuals asking us to take in their animals. It was a desperate situation. We have an excellent rehoming programme and in 2021, 557 animals had passed through Korabicwice and on the day of the invasion we were home to 182 cats and dogs and 130 other animals. I knew we couldn’t just open the doors and meet every request because we have a specific number of shelters and needed to continue caring properly for the animals we had as well as ensuring there was a sufficient number of staff to cope. Any new arrivals would have to be isolated to protect our existing residents and so I held a meeting with key staff to decide how we could maximise the number of animals we would accept – by subdividing existing shelters, building new ones and finding more volunteers. The local response was wonderful and the phone didn’t stop ringing with people offering to provide transport, food, equipment and volunteering their time. We set up a working group to organise the new volunteers while a second group headed to Ukraine to rescue animals there while a third group headed for the border reception points, which were being established to help refugees. We knew we would need vast quantities of food, leads and animal carriers – and money – so yet a fourth group sat down to hit the phones, seeking donations from individuals, companies and pet food manufacturers. Viva! UK immediately organised an appeal on our behalf which was hugely successful. We started our own fundraiser, coordinated postings on social media and worked with the Polish mainstream media to publicise what we needed. We also reached Ukrainians through our contacts there, asking them not to abandon their animals as we would take care of them. It quickly became difficult and descended into chaos as they lost power and mobile phone reception and everything went silent. We then tried WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and email.
Above: Poland Manager, Cezary Wyszynski, with little Roza. Below: new arrivals amidst a constant process of receiving and distributing essential goods and equipment
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Top left: sanctuary manager Karolina Wiewiórkowska. Top right: Juliet and Czarek helping arrivals at Warsaw station. Above: Anna Benchart, head of the cat section at the sanctuary. Right: one of the new and magnificently equipped cat play rooms
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Cat and dog food manufacturers were very generous and provided large quantities of food – so much that I hired a separate warehouse to store it all and worked with other groups to distribute it – over 90 tonnes so far. The major problem is not the food but transport into Ukraine because of the lack of fuel there and the danger of being shot. I have a responsibility for the safety of my staff and volunteers and eventually we had to hand over supplies at the border. Ukrainian activists living in Poland have proved to be vital in our dealings with their homeland. Six refugee arrival points have been set up in Warsaw and we have been concentrating on these as people arrive with their animals and are desperate for assistance. We have fed and watered the animals, provided harnesses, leads and carriers and offered all the advice and reassurance we can, including written advice in Ukrainian. They have been extraordinarily grateful to at last have some peace of mind and support. Many have continued on to other destinations but with all they need to care for their animals, making their journeys so much less stressful. All the new incoming animals have to be microchipped and we have been buying these chips and delivering thousands of them to the veterinary authorities at the border. The pace of this emergency has been frenetic and at the start of April, we had accepted 102 cats and dogs, some of them arriving in the middle of the night, some traumatised and some desperately needing veterinary attention. We have to be extremely careful to isolate new arrivals as some have parvovirus and that can be lethal to puppies. Fortunately, we have not lost a single one. We have now reached capacity and are vigorously trying to rehome some of our existing animals to good homes, including in the UK, to make desperately needed room for new arrivals. The temptation is to throw open the doors to every request but that would be disastrous for both humans and animals alike. As it is, my staff and volunteers are utterly exhausted and all the costs of our many actions, including veterinary care, are skyrocketing. You plan and manage but can never be sure how things will work out but if I had time to stop and think about it, I guess I would generally be pleased. We have achieved most of what we set out to do – but there’s no end in sight and refugees and their beloved animals keep arriving. We can’t solve every problem but we’re doing what we can.
Ukraine Crisis Wendy Turner Webster has been a hugely-valued patron of Viva! for 28 years and she and her husband, Gary Webster, are working on a long-term project documenting Viva!’s work. I asked them to accompany me to Poland on this vital visit and here she describes the experience.
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t has always been an honour to be a patron of Viva!, and I have never felt it more acutely than when Gary and I found ourselves heading to the Poland/Ukraine border for Viva! Poland. Our trip to Warsaw had one primary aim – to shine a light on the incredible work Viva! is doing for the animal casualties of war; partnering up with our friends in the media to report back on how Ukrainian pets are being displaced along with their owners and how Viva! is helping to pick up the pieces. But we also wanted something practical to do and Juliet immediately obliged. Cezary, manager of Viva! Poland, said that the veterinary border control at Przemysl train station was in urgent need of microchips and pet carriers to allow animals into Poland. Within a few hours we were off on Mission Possible. We were at the Viva! Poland head office in Warsaw, planning our route and making sure we had all the correct paperwork. Taking a break, Gary popped his head around the door of the room that had been assigned as the storage facility for donations. He recalls: “As I observed from a safe distance – not wanting to put my size nines into what was obviously a well-oiled machine – I was inspired and moved by the many staff and volunteers who hustled and bustled around, packing donations destined for refugee centres around Poland, to where displaced citizens of the free and democratic country of Ukraine had been compelled to travel with their beloved pets. What choice did they have? Russian bombs were falling relentlessly on their homes.
THE BORDERLANDS “Looking into a room that is packed to the ceiling with tins of dog food, cat food, litter trays, toys, leads, collars and transportation baskets, I saw the generosity of ordinary people who care deeply about the animals and their owners. If we were reacting to some kind of natural disaster it would make the situation more palatable but the fact that it is man-made is sickening and hard to deal with. “Many times on our trip the phrase ‘f**k Putin!’ was common currency and it left our lips like we were spitting venom. How dare he attack a fellow country to further his own warped narrative? And how dare he cause our two boys to ask us, in all sincerity, whether Russia might launch a nuclear missile. Who would have thought that a family evening at home would be spent not munching on pizza and watching crap telly, but huddled around a computer screen getting the lowdown on Putin’s nuclear capabilities?” So, it was with a strong sense of Viva! pride and ‘f**k Putin’ spirit that we set off on our journey – a 500km road trip to Przemysl train station, close to the Ukraine border. We were glad when the long car ride was over but it paled into insignificance compared to the enforced journeys of the people and pets who surrounded us. With the help of our wonderful translator, Stefan, we delivered the much-needed pet supplies to border control; delighted at how gratefully they were received.
Bottom left: from the left – Cezary, Lisa Buck, Wendy Turner Webster, Juliet and Gary Webster. Below top: Wendy and Gary delivering much needed microchips to Polish border control. Below bottom: refugee Victoria with Luna
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Above: Wendy and Gary at Przemysl by the Ukraine border. Right: Tracy pleaded with fellow refugees not to abandon their pets. Below: the procession of misery goes on but love finds a way
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Sometimes in life you don’t need words… smiles and hugs can transcend any language barrier. Inside the crowded station, it was sobering to be standing in the very place we had got used to seeing on world news and it was surreal to be chatting to the CNN news team about the situation. Hundreds of refugees were queuing for food and water, recharging their phones, searching through boxes of donated clothes to at least give their kids a change of outfit as they had little with them. Tracy had two large mastiff-type dogs; both muzzled and very stressed. One took offence at my outstretched hand and lurched towards me, the muzzle making contact with my nose and bringing tears to my eyes. Poor boy! Sitting by Tracy’s suitcase was a bird in a small carrying cage. She spoke to me with such passion – pleading with fellow Ukrainians not to abandon their pets. I admired her raw emotion and hope that she and her pets got safely to where they were going. The following day, we drove 15kms to the border crossing at Medyka. Once again, people and their companion animals were streaming through, picking up supplies from the aid points before being loaded onto waiting buses. Gary and I were wearing our Viva! t-shirts and as if from nowhere, a lady appeared and pointed at our chests, talking 19 to the dozen. Stefan translated that she had recognised the Viva! logo and appealed for some desperately needed medical supplies at a local veterinary clinic. We relayed the message to Viva! Poland HQ and the items were delivered. Mission accomplished! And here’s to the next one.
Ukraine Crisis
VIVA!’S VALIANT VOLUNTEERS Jo Dixon is one of Viva!’s most ardent supporters and whether it’s managing a stall, distributing leaflets or attending demonstrations, it’s always Jo who turns up. With plenty of experience working with animals in sanctuaries, when she rang Juliet and said she wanted to help out in Poland, we put her in touch with Cezary Wyszynski, Viva! Poland manager, and she was on her way. It seemed so simple to me – I got on a plane and went to a foreign country to do what I do here. Cezary kindly picked me up at the airport and instantly put me at ease, stopping at a supermarket so I could buy some food for my stay. When I arrived at the big, rural sanctuary I was surprised to find that everyone spoke English and they found me room in the staff house. The problem was, despite the sanctuary’s size, they were a great team and everything was so well organised, I started to wonder where I might fit in; in fact why I was there at all. And then a transport arrived with 36 dogs from Ukraine and I could then see why I was needed. Although there was a war going on across the border and this was an entirely new experience for me, everyone was so friendly and I felt entirely safe and protected. I quickly fell in with the routine and was allocated nine dogs, two of whom were blind and needed extra attention. I walked those dogs that were a little more challenging and monitored them so that we could see just what their needs were. I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to volunteer at the Viva! Poland sanctuary. The team were amazing and I was able to learn so much about the dogs. Above all else, the experience highlighted again the uniqueness of every animal and the need to coexist with them in the most respectful and reciprocal way possible. It was an amazing three weeks and I guess I must have done okay as they offered me a permanent job, which sadly I couldn’t take. But I have every intention of returning later in the year.
Cats and dogs of every shape and size keep arriving at Viva! Poland’s wonderful sanctuary and receive physical and emotional support
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Below left: Lisa Buck arriving in Warsaw met by Juliet and Cezary. Bottom right: another doggie on the way to safety. Opposite: Lisa Buck and her van-load of donated goods with a 1,000 mile journey behind them
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Lisa Buck lives in Norfolk with her husband Bill, three dogs, two horses and a rescued pig and has worked with animals all her life. Even an encounter with a protective cow that ended with Lisa sustaining a broken shoulder, sternum, ribs and serious head injuries and coming close to death before being airlifted to hospital, has done nothing to diminish her love for animals. When she heard the news of people in Ukraine running back to save their animals and being shot, she was horrified. I turned to Bill and said: “I have to do something!” I knew animals would be suffering just as the civilians were and the thought of them being hungry and homeless wrenched at my heart. I quickly decided that I would fill my van up with animal supplies and drive to the Ukraine border to distribute them and ferry animals around as necessary. I knew Viva! had a branch in Poland and so I contacted Juliet Gellatley in Bristol who thought it was a great idea. And so I posted on Facebook asking for donations of pet food and asked local shops to make boxes available for customers to drop donations in. It just snowballed and stuff just kept arriving and I had to keep repacking the van. I felt a lump in my throat from the generosity. I was given an array of dog and cat food, blankets, carriers, water drinkers. People turned up at my house in tears, giving me things that belonged to their dogs who had passed away. One lady said it was hard to part with a special blanket, but what more worthwhile cause could there be? Bill and I have cried many times. The van was so packed with stuff that I took just a single change of clothes, some overalls, a 12V kettle for
the van and some vegan pot noodles. After leaving Norfolk, I took the Eurotunnel to France, stayed a night in Germany before arriving in Poland, with no idea of where I would sleep or wash – but I’m not a princess! In fact, I was welcomed at the Viva! Poland offices in Warsaw by Juliet Gellatley and some of the Polish team. All the gear in my van was quickly taken to Viva! Poland’s supply stalls at one of the big refugee reception points in Warsaw’s busy and bustling Western station and distributed to desperate people arriving with their animals and little else. I am so pleased I was able to offer some comfort to so many people. Later, I was directed to the Viva! Poland sanctuary an hour’s drive outside Warsaw, where I was to stay and was made so welcome. It made absolute sense for me to volunteer with the horses and I was in my element. My background is with horses but I’ve never been with a herd that is so happy – their energy is beautiful. I did all the necessary things for horses – cleaning out their stables, brushing, grooming, feeding – all the usual stuff but also freeing up staff to deal with the influx of animals from Ukraine. The horses are out in the fields all day where they can display honest horse herd behaviour and it is beautiful to watch – it teaches you so much. The scale of the problems for both people and their animals in this crisis is vast and although I’m now back home in Norfolk, I hope to return to Viva!’s sanctuary very soon.
‘GO VEGAN FOR OUR PLANET’ say the experts T
BY JASMINE CLARK, VIVA! ENVIRONMENT CAMPAIGNER
wo important days have been organised by the United Nations – the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, and World Environment Day on June 5. Veganism is at the heart of both for as Joseph Poore, climate researcher at the University of Oxford, states: “Going vegan is the single biggest thing you can do to reduce your impact on planet Earth.” 2022 is also a historic milestone for the environmental movement, marking 50 years since what is often considered the first international meeting regarding the environment – the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Since then, there has been a growing awareness of the need to protect our planet and, slowly but surely, a rising awareness of the part played by our diets. Global organisations and experts in their different fields have reached the same conclusion: eating meat, dairy, eggs and fish has a severely negative global impact. This year’s IPCC report, for instance, came with a stark warning that it’s now or never if we want to save the environment and highlighted that there are clear links between livestock agriculture and the climate crisis. In their final April report, they said that greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 in order to limit warming to 1.5°C and to do that it isn’t just carbon emissions that need to decline, methane emissions must be reduced by a third too. This cannot be done without cutting out meat and dairy as animal agriculture contributes the most methane. Currently, a staggering 83 per cent of global farmland is used for animal agriculture – grazing and growing feed crops. If we all adopted a vegan diet, the land used could be slashed by over 75 per cent – freeing up crucial areas for carbon storage while reducing pressure on the world’s wildlife. Chatham House is the leading international affairs think tank and its 2021 report, written in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme and Compassion in World Farming, identified the global food system as a primary driver of declining biodiversity – the loss of plant and animal species. It’s because natural ecosystems are destroyed and turned into agricultural land – and animal farming is the worst offender. The key action needed to halt this is a global switch to a diet based on plants, not animals. Maybe not surprisingly, experts have also recognised that the health of our planet and human health are intertwined. The Oxford Martin Programme was set up to research how we could feed a global population sustainably, healthily and equitably. Their conclusion is that a change to a healthier, more plant-based diet
Going vegan is the single biggest thing you can do to reduce your impact on planet Earth will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds but also has the potential to save eight million lives by 2050! The scientific community is no longer talking into a vacuum as the number of people adopting a vegan lifestyle is growing rapidly. It’s predicted that a quarter of the UK population will be vegetarian or vegan by 2025, with the environment identified as one of the top reasons for making the switch, although ethical motivation still leads the way. International Day for Biological Diversity and World Environment Day are not just paying lip service but plans for action that we need to share with others and that plan is simple – go vegan! We’ve only skimmed the surface of the planetary benefits of veganism – check out our Vegan Now! campaign to learn more at vegannow.uk.
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Guitarist Phil Manansala discusses the new album, breaking his hands and his journey into veganism – with head of comms, Faye Lewis
…and their new album Echo I
n 1998, Phil Manansala decided he wanted to play guitar. He was 10 years old and right in the midst of the nu-metal explosion. Watching punk bands like Blink-182, Metallica, Linkin Park, Deftones and System of a Down (SOAD) was a clarion call that woke up outcast alternative kids across the world, and Phil was no exception. “Watching all those bands made me just want to play guitar,” Phil reminisces. “So, I guess at 10 years old the dream started. My mum ordered me a $25 guitar and the crappiest amp you could ever have out of the back of a magazine and I had fun,” he laughs. His beginnings may have been humble – a talent show where he performed a cover of SOAD’s Sugar – but by 2008 he was playing guitar in the post-hardcore, alternative-rock outfit, A Static Lullaby. Initially formed in 2001, in Chino, California, they were the epitome of a local circuit buzz band that had made it big, with
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major label endorsement from Columbia Records and four albums under their belt. “They were my hometown band, which was really cool. They were the band that got signed, that were playing all the big sold-out shows to 250-500 people so filling in for them was a dream come true.” While A Static Lullaby were lauded by critics for their own brand of alternative rock, it is their cover of Toxic, by Britney Spears, for which they will always be best remembered – a classic that’s stood the test of time. For Phil however, A Static Lullaby was way more than a band in which to cut his teeth. Touring led to the development of some great friendships, on which the foundations for Of Mice & Men were built. “I did three or four tours with A Static Lullaby, and that was where I met our drummer, Tino (Arteaga), who was in Lower Definition, I met Austin (Carlile, singer) who was in Attack! Attack! and Aaron, who was in
Jane is Elsewhere. So, it’s pretty insane that the story of Of Mice & Men goes back that far.” Forerunners of the metalcore and post-hardcore genre, between 2009 and 2019, the band released six studio albums, with 2014’s album Restoring Force, and 2016’s Cold World reaching number one in the US hard rock charts, while their other albums all charted in the top 10. The band also scooped up Kerrang!’s Best International Newcomer award in 2013, and in 2014 Phil won Alternative Press’ Best Guitarist award. To top this off, the band went on tour worldwide, playing international music festivals – including numerous Vans Warped Tours and Soundwave Music Festivals in 2013 and 2015. Of Mice & Men were in a period of fantastic innovation when a new generation of musicians found their own voice. Their music was part of a broader wave of metalcore and hardcore all coming from labels such as Rise, Ferret, Roadrunner, Century Media and Metalblade. The band seemed unstoppable but then disaster struck. “In 2020, I broke both my hands and had to have surgery. I had a mental breakdown,” Phil recalls. While Covid-19 ravaged the world, Phil was undertaking physical and mental therapy and for the first time, he was forced to take stock of his life. “All the years of being on the road and drinking and smoking and letting things slide – it took its toll. I broke my hands – what if I couldn’t play guitar again? Those things went through my mind when recovering from surgery. It really made me think about what’s important,” he says soberly. “When you’re living on the road and call a tour bus your home you’re used to living a certain way. The mental capacity of someone who lives like that has to adapt.” Phil emerged from his injury and therapy chastened and self-aware. But the band as a collective had also shifted their priorities and mindsets. They released their seventh studio album Echo at the end of 2021, through the record label SharpTone (parting ways with Rise in early 2020). The overall tone of Echo is more serious, more focused and, perhaps, more polished than ever. “We recorded the album on Twitch (a US form of mass live streaming). I’m from the garage scene where you wait for the drummer to kick a sick beat and then you play guitar – you hear something, you feel it, and run with it. I had to adapt from that because it’s difficult without the jam room and feeling pumped.” But adapt he did and the result is the combination of gargantuan hooks and melodies with an atypically punk rock backbone. But at its heart is a darkness which Phil attributes to the stresses and strains a long-term bout of solitude put on the personal lives of him and his friends. Of Mice & Men have come a long way from the
People need re-educating on nutrition and diet because it has been turned into a big corporation where meat owns the market and it manipulates and tricks people into thinking they need it and they don’t scrappy metalcore kids that emerged from Chino back in 2009, overcoming people’s expectations – true professionals with a solid work ethic. Phil has also matured and grown as a person, too. “I am actually really psyched to talk to you about what I really care about, which is veganism,” he enthuses. “Being an American, meat is such a huge part of the diet. It’s the base of the food pyramid, it’s everywhere and you can’t escape that. I grew up saying ‘no vegetables on my hamburger’. I was that kid.” While there is an unstoppable rise in veganism in the UK and Western Europe, Phil believes America is still behind. “In America, people need re-educating on nutrition and diet because it has been turned into a big corporation where meat owns the market and it manipulates and tricks people into thinking they need it and they don’t,” Phil counters. “It’s such a valuable market.” Phil’s wife is from the Netherlands and it was she who encouraged him to reconsider his relationship with meat and dairy. “She has always been vegetarian, but when she came to America, she said; ‘I will try meat’, and having tried it, she said; ‘Okay, I am going back to veg’,” he laughs. “She then asked me to try to see if I liked it. CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
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g n i r t s e o h s a n o s s e n s u o i c 1 £ r e Deli d n u r o f r u o v a l f f o ll u f s t s a e f l a g u fr
You may well be tightening your purse strings and searching for money-saving ideas to cut your non-essential spending at the moment. Luckily we’ve got the ultimate frugal feasts which will help you on your way – and as a bonus, they also happen to be truly delicious! They all cost under £1 per person and are very straightforward to make. Add a continental flavour to your day with our delightful breakfast crêpes – get creative with fillings for a sweet or savoury fix! Follow up with banana pulled ‘pork’, courtesy of our fabulous friends at The Word Forest Organisation, or choose a creamy sweet potato dhal as a delicious main. Our Victoria sponge comes in at just 47p per slice and our managing director Laura claims it is the best cake she’s ever eaten – win, win!
WORDS AND PICTURES BY MARYANNE HALL, FOOD AND COOKERY MANAGER
Up to 95p per person
Up to 52p per crêpe
4 Ingredient Crêpes (sweet or savoury) COST 8P PER CRêPE OR 52P PER CRêPE WITH VEGAN ‘NUTELLA’ AND BERRY FILLING TIME 10 MINUTES SERVES 6
This crêpe batter is plain and simple so can be used to make sweet or savoury pancakes! We’ve got lots of filling ideas for you too, so choose your favourites and enjoy! l 150g plain flour l 350ml unsweetened plant milk (soya or almond work best)
l ¼ tsp salt l 1 tbsp neutral oil (eg rapeseed) plus extra for frying
1 In a large bowl, mix flour and salt together then stir in plant milk and oil. 2 Heat a little oil in a crêpe pan or frying pan on a medium-high heat. 3 When the oil is hot, pour in a small ladle of batter, swirling it around so it thinly coats the pan. 4 Fry on both sides until lightly golden.
For lots of sweet and savoury filling ideas see: veganrecipeclub.org.uk/crepes
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Who Knew? Banana Pulled Pork Guest chef recipe courtesy of our friends at the amazing Word Forest Organisation wordforest.org COST 58P PER PERSON OR 95P PER PERSON IF SERVED WITH 30G COLESLAW AND TWO WHOLEMEAL ROLLS EACH TIME 20 MINUTES SERVES 2
l 4 fully ripe organic bananas l 2 tbsp soy sauce l 1 tbsp liquid smoke l 1 tbsp maple syrup l 1 tsp vegan bouillon (or ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper)
l 1 tsp garlic powder l 1 tsp smoked paprika l Splash of olive oil for frying l Splash of water (possibly)
1 Wash and dry bananas then peel. Either eat the bananas or slice them and freeze for a future ice cream or banana bread recipe – but hold on to those banana skins! 2 Cut the hard top and bottom bits off the banana skins, then trim them into strips. 3 Lay a strip of skin on a plate, inside up, and remove most of the pith by scraping with a teaspoon – discard the pith. If they start to oxidise, no worries! This will add to the final colour of the ‘pork’. It might even make them look a little more a-peeling… (couldn’t resist). 4 Run the prongs of a fork quite firmly down the length of each strip to shred it, then cut into approximately 5cm lengths. 5 Place all the skin strands in a bowl and add marinade of soy sauce, bouillon, smoked paprika, garlic powder, maple syrup and liquid smoke. Leave for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 6 Fry marinated strands in a smidgen of olive oil for 5 to 10 minutes on gentle to medium heat, adding a splash of water if it starts to stick. Cooking time depends upon how ripe your banana skins were – if brown and soft, much less time will be needed. 7 Lay a big spoonful of this sticky mix in a folded, crunchy lettuce leaf and serve with whatever salad you fancy, or serve in a wholemeal roll with coleslaw. Or you could even make our wickedly delicious Tricolour Posh Plait bread to serve with it! veganrecipeclub.org.uk/poshplaitbread
For more budget recipe inspiration: veganrecipeclub.org.uk/budget Buy our budget recipe guide here: vivashop.org.uk/budget-guide
94p per person
Sweet Potato & Coconut Dhal COST 94P PER PERSON TIME 35 MINUTES SERVES 4
Spice blend (use this whole spice blend for the best flavour but you can use pre-ground spices as an alternative) l 1 tsp coriander seeds l 1 tsp cumin seeds l 1 tsp fennel seeds l ½ tsp fenugreek seeds l Cardamom seeds from 1 pod or pinch ground cardamom l 2 whole cloves l ½ tsp cayenne pepper Dhal l 2 onions, finely diced l 2cm root ginger, peeled and grated l 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
l 2 tbsp spice blend l 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks/cubes l 200g red lentils l 1 tbsp tomato purée l 600ml vegan stock l 400ml coconut milk l 1 lime, juiced l 200g baby spinach (fresh or frozen) l Bunch fresh coriander Serve with any of the following: brown rice, vegan yoghurt, crispy onions, fresh coriander, chapati or vegan naan, roasted cashews, coconut flakes
Spice blend 1 In a small frying pan, dry fry coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, cardamom seeds and cloves until they release their fragrance. 2 Add all the spices, including cayenne pepper, to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a fine blend. Set aside. Dhal 1 In a large pan or wok, fry the onions until golden. 2 Add ginger and fry for a further couple of minutes. 3 Add garlic and fry for a further minute. 4 Add spice blend and stir through before adding tomato purée, lentils, stock and coconut milk. 5 Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft (but not too soft). 6 Stir through the lime juice and spinach until wilted.
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47p per person
Classic Victoria Sponge Cake COST 47P PER PERSON TIME 40 MINUTES SERVES 10
Cake Dry ingredients l 400g self-raising flour l 275g golden caster sugar l 2 tsp baking powder l ½ tsp salt Wet ingredients l 400ml soya milk l 150ml neutral oil (eg rapeseed) l 1 tbsp vanilla extract l 1 tbsp cider vinegar Butter icing l 75g vegan margarine l 75g vegetable shortening (eg Trex) l 1 tbsp vanilla extract l 2 tbsp plant milk l 500g icing sugar, sieved Other l Layer of jam – use as much as you like l Optional strawberries for decoration
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Cake 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4. 2 Grease and line 2 round cake tins (approx. 8” diameter). 3 In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all of the dry ingredients. 4 In a large jug, stir together all the wet ingredients and then leave for a few minutes. 5 Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined (but don’t over-stir). 6 Evenly distribute the cake mixture between the two tins. Tap the tins on the side of the worksurface (this stops the raising agents from working too quickly). 7 Place them in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and a knife/skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely. Butter icing 1 Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Assembly (once cooled) 1 Remove one of the sandwiches from the tin and spread half the butter icing over the top. 2 Add a layer of jam on top of the butter icing then place the other half of the cake on top. 3 Spread the other half of the butter icing over the top of the cake and decorate with a dusting of icing sugar and strawberries (optional).
Latest foodie news
Find out all the latest vegan foodie news with our resident chef, Maryanne!
Things I’ve tried recently that get a big thumbs up VEGAN BABYBEL There is actually an incredible likeness to the dairy version and they’ve really nailed the texture and taste. It’s got a strong flavour but not too overwhelming and luckily it doesn’t taste of coconut. Someone on social media had coated each individual disc in breadcrumbs and deep fried them – I’m definitely going to be trying that one! BOURSIN The texture is much smoother than the dairy version and the flavour not as strong. It’s still a very nice spread but not dissimilar to other vegan cream cheeses on the market, which is a tiny bit disappointing given that the original Boursin has such a distinctive flavour, fluffiness and texture. FUTURE FARM CHICK’N We love this company and their chicken pieces were good enough to rival those from THIS – a big endorsement! FUTURE FARM TVNA After some of the disappointing attempts to create vegan tuna, here is a game changer! I enjoyed this with sweetcorn, avocado, mayo and a jacket potato. KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS The taste and texture of the doughnuts was incredible, as you’d expect, but they could be a bit more generous with the filling. CADBURY PLANT BAR This chocolate bar did live up to the hype (particularly the almond salted caramel) but personally, I still prefer Galaxy.
What I’ve been cooking at home My new go-to recipe is the Vegan Recipe Club Speedy One Pot Kale, Bean & Lemon stew – it takes only 20 minutes to make and it’s healthy ingredients are full of flavour. I’ve been popping it in a thermos and taking it to work for my office lunch. The Vegan Recipe Club Easy Rocky Road is one of my new favourite desserts to make – mainly because they take just 10 minutes to prepare and everybody LOVES them! I made some for gift bags at Christmas and they went down a treat. I haven’t tried making it yet but I can’t wait to try Krimsey Lilleth’s Deep South Pasta Casserole! It’s packed full of vegetables, spice and covered in cheese. Oh, and you just put everything in a baking tray, pop it in the oven and it’s done – I think there’s a theme here…
THINGS I’M STILL WAITING TO TRY (BUT CAN’T SEEM TO FIND ANYWHERE!) The Asda vegan cookies from the fresh bakery section – they’re always sold out!
Tips If you’re cooking on a budget, we’ve got a whole section on Vegan Recipe Club dedicated to frugal feasts. It’s not about missing out, it’s about creating delicious, healthy dishes which don’t break the bank – dispelling the myth that vegan = expensive! veganrecipeclub.org.uk/budget Our paella recipe is one of the most popular summer dishes on Vegan Recipe Club! Try following the basic recipe then add your favourite veg and mock meats – it’s sure to go down well at garden gatherings and dinner parties.
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Visit our peaceful vegan haven on the beautiful west coast of Scotland We have three ensuite rooms plus two vegan friendly self-catering apartments. Escape the busy world for a while, explore the rugged landscape of Argyll and immerse yourself in nature. To find out more please visit kingsreachbedandbreakfast.co.uk or call 01546 602306.
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e s i d n a h c Mega mer y a M e e r f for MooIt’s Moo Free May so, we have decided to dedicate this page to one of our favourite animals: cows! We have picked out the best cow and dairy-themed items we have on the shop. Treat yourself or a friend who loves these gentle beings! vivashop.org.uk/collections/cows BY EMILY COSTER, RETAIL MANAGER
Vegan For The Animals Unisex Sweatshirt This is one of our favourite prints as it features a cow relaxing (as they should be) and is one of our main reasons for going vegan! This sweatshirt is soft and is a relaxed fit, made from organic combed cotton – perfect to throw on in the evenings when it gets a bit cooler. Also available in a light blue unisex tee (£16.99). Cow – Melange Grey £29.99
Black and White Cow 3D Ears Blue Tote Bag
This tote is the perfect size for a shopping trip for your vegan essentials and treats! The design features a beautiful black and white cow licking their nose and also has flappable 3D ears – very cute! This bag is handmade in the EU and printed with eco inks and has a handy pocket inside for your phones or keys! £20
Living Nature Plush Highland Cow Straight from the Scottish Islands, this adorable little fellow with soft, fuzzy hair and adorable air-brushed pointed horns. Highland cows originate from the chilly Scottish Highlands – no wonder they’re covered in fur. Our cows come in yellow, black and even white, but ginger is our favourite. The perfect gift for kids big or small as each comes with a tag featuring educational animal facts! £15.99
Milk-free treats LoveRaw White Choc Peanut Butter Cups Loveraw have succeeded in making their cups extra tasty – creamy and smooth and filled with silky peanut butter. The perfect white chocolate treat with a cuppa or on-the-go! These peanut butter cups are covered in organic Fairtrade chocolate and filled with delicious nut butters and no palm oil. A must try! There is also a tasty M:lk Chocolate version. 34g £1.99
The Big Vegan Cheese Making Kit
Perfect for people who love creating in the kitchen! Sufficient to make 20 batches and six different varieties of nut-based cheeses – Mozzarella, Ricotta, Mascarpone, Halloumi, Feta and Parmesan. Delicious, fresh and very, very tasty. You can store the ingredients in your cupboard for over a year. All you need is a blender and a pan – couldn’t be easier. Soya free, gluten free and vegan, of course! 610g £27.50 viva.org.uk 23
LICE-NSED TO KILL Parasitic sea lice are invading salmon and trout farms, feasting on the skin and blood of captive fish. Viva! took to the streets to warn fish-eaters that some lice might still be attached to their purchases. Campaigner Alice Short reports
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hroughout April, we headed to five different cities to warn the British public what’s really eating the fish they’re eating – sea lice. We travelled to Stoke-on-Trent, Sheffield, Nottingham, Exeter and Cardiff armed with a giant sea louse and some amazing vegan fish alternatives, kindly provided by Future Farm, with the aim of shocking the public and showing how delicious alternatives are! Over the last 50 years, global production of sea food has more than quadrupled and as a result, wild fish populations have suffered. In 2017, over a third of the world's fish stocks were reported as overfished compared to 10 per cent in 1974.
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To combat the dwindling supply of the world’s ‘natural resources’ the seafood industry has come up with a so-called solution – aquaculture. Aquaculture, put simply, is underwater intensive factory farming. Fish are held captive and cramped together in filthy sea cages in their thousands. As they are often fed wild fish, this adds to the pressure on wild fish populations rather than supposedly reducing it. For salmon and trout, this means they are cruelly robbed of their natural journey from sea water to fresh water to spawn. In the wild, sea lice attach themselves to salmon and trout whilst at sea but are dislodged when the fish enter fresh water where the lice are unable to survive. Factory farms in sea water provide the perfect environment for lice to rampantly reproduce, infesting captive salmon and trout to gorge on their skin, literally eating them alive. Our new sea lice video shows the natural journey of a salmon, highlights just how much intensive fish farming has disrupted the life of these magnificent creatures and the threat sea lice pose to the fish themselves and surrounding populations of fish. Infestations of sea lice are contributing to the rapid decline of the majestic wild salmon. Few of the public were even aware that sea lice exist let alone that they are feasting on their fish dinners before they make it to the supermarket. After watching the footage from our fish investigation they squirmed with revulsion. Henry from Sheffield was horrified and said it has “put me off eating fish for life”. Our video also shows the range of treatments introduced by the fish farming industry. These include chemicals, hot water baths, freshwater jets and the introduction of cleaner fish who eat the lice directly from the fishes skin. Each one poses different ethical and environmental concerns.
Left: shoppers enjoying ‘Tvna’ samples in Nottingham
Left: a salmon literally being eaten alive by sea lice (photo: Corin Smith). Below: a typical salmon/sea trout farm showing the pens where fish are held – from Viva!’s undercover investigation. Below left: grossed out by a giant sea louse
Despite these multiple treatments to rid fish of lice, the problem persists and it is impossible to guarantee that fish sold for human consumption will be lice-free. Nick from Nottingham said: “The thought that lice may be still hanging on to the fish I buy is disgusting. I’ll think twice before buying fish again.” Future Farm’s fish alternatives were a hit with everyone who tried them! Becky in Sheffield said she “couldn’t taste the difference” between Future Farm’s Tvna and the fish she would usually buy. Once Becky knew of the catastrophic damage intensive fish farms are causing to fish, the environment and surrounding wildlife, she said she would now swap her fish products for vegan alternatives! Viva! staff and volunteers were on hand to talk about our fantastic V7 meal plan and encourage visitors to give it a go! Lots of people downloaded our Vegan Recipe Club app, discovering recipes such as our delicious 10-minute Tofish and healthy ‘Tuna’ Sweetcorn Sandwich – made using almonds! A huge board of our favourite fish swaps showed the public just how easily accessible vegan fish swaps are. There are alternatives for tuna, shrimp, squid, calamari, fish fingers, smoked salmon and scampi – and the vegan options just keep on coming! Rebecca in Stoke-on-Trent had no idea there were now so many options available. She decided she would take part in our V7 pan and try vegan for a week! We would like to thank all the volunteers who made each event such a success and thank Future Farm for kindly donating their Tvna. Discover more of Future Farm’s vegan alternatives at Sainsbury’s. Find out more about sea lice’s parasitic invasions and watch our Lice-nsed to Kill video at viva.org.uk/sealice, or learn more about our salmon investigation at viva.org.uk/salmon.
Left: an interested consumer tucking into our ‘fish’ samples in Stokeon-Trent. Below: the full Viva! team at our Cardiff Vegan Action
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Viva! Health dissects the latest scientific research and makes it easy to understand. Here we update you on recent findings… BY DR JUSTINE BUTLER, HEAD OF RESEARCH, VIVA!
Diabetes in focus
VEGAN DIET HELPS WEIGHT LOSS
Long-Covid Plants to the rescue
Up to 80 per cent of Covid patients develop long-term symptoms such as fatigue, sleeping problems, anxiety, depression, stiffness and muscle weakness. Long-Covid, as it’s become known, may last weeks or months. Studies show that plant-based diets lower the risk of moderate-to-severe Covid by as much as 73 per cent. Inflammation is a key feature in many patients, especially those with severe Covid. Plant-based diets tend to be anti-inflammatory and may help improve physical and mental conditions often seen in longCovid. Storz MA. 2021. Lifestyle Adjustments in Long-COVID Management: Potential Benefits of Plant-Based Diets. Current Nutrition Reports. 10 (4) 352-363.
This review looked at seven studies in which meat-eaters with type 2 diabetes switched to a vegetarian or vegan diet for six or more weeks. They found that vegan diets significantly reduced body weight, BMI and waist measurement and suggested that this study provides evidence supporting vegan diets to help manage body weight in people with diabetes. Austin G, Ferguson JJA and Garg ML. 2021. Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Weight Status in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 13 (11) 4099.
VEGAN DIET SHOULD BE PRESCRIBED
A healthy vegan diet reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and is highly effective in its treatment. This review found that diets emphasising whole grains, pulses, fruit and vegetables, while eliminating animal products, reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In those who already have it, a low-fat, plant-based diet improves body weight, glycaemic control, blood fat levels and blood pressure, while reducing the risk of cardiovascular complications. “Health care providers should feel confident in counselling their patients to follow a plant-based eating pattern,” say the authors. Jardine MA, Kahleova H, Levin SM et al. 2021. Perspective: Plant-Based Eating Pattern for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Treatment: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Practical Considerations. Advances in Nutrition. 12 (6) 2045-2055.
Vegan diets The seal of approval
A review of current research found that eating plantbased diets and avoiding lots of processed foods is safe and effective for all stages of life, from pregnancy and lactation to childhood and old age. These diets are high in fibre and polyphenols that benefit our gut bacteria, producing anti-inflammatory compounds that combat disease. They suggest vegans pay attention to calcium, iron, vitamins D and B12. Health professionals should be familiar with this research, they say, and be able to provide helpful information. Finally, they add that plantbased diets are also more sustainable than diets based on animal products since they use fewer natural resources and produce fewer emissions. Craig WJ, Mangels AR, Fresán U et al. 2021. The Safe and Effective Use of Plant-Based Diets with Guidelines for Health Professionals. Nutrients. 13 (11) 4144.
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Deafened by silence
Scientists call out government inaction A global switch from animal foods to a plantbased diet over the next 15 years would have the same effect as a 68 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions through to the year 2100. That’s around half the amount needed to limit global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels – regarded as the minimum required to avert disastrous climate change. Given how effective ditching animal foods could be, the authors say: “It is surprising that changes in food production and consumption are not at the forefront of proposed strategies for fighting climate change.” Viva! has them up front and centre! Eisen MB and Brown PO. 2022. Rapid global phaseout of animal agriculture has the potential to stabilize greenhouse gas levels for 30 years and offset 68 percent of CO2 emissions this century. PLOS Climate. 1 (2) e0000010.
Vegan diet and re-wilding – a double dividend
It’s a win-win for the environment Over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, with livestock in 54 high-income countries being responsible for 70 per cent of that figure. Switching to a plant-based diet and allowing land to revert to its natural state, with wild plants and trees sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, would reduce agricultural emissions in richer countries by 61 per cent and capture the equivalent of 14 years of global agricultural emissions by the end of the century. This ‘double climate dividend’ could be achieved through linking land, food, public health and climate policy. "It’s a double whammy," said Dr Paul Behrens of Leiden University in The Netherlands, who led the research. Sun Z, Scherer L, Tukker A et al. 2022. Dietary change in high-income nations alone can lead to substantial double climate dividend. Nature Food. 3, 29-37.
TROPICAL FORESTS ARE COOL
AMAZON RAINFOREST NEARS TIPPING POINT
… and do more than just store carbon
Deforestation has to end
Tropical forests cool the planet by over 1°C but not just by storing carbon. Trees help combat global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space and cooling air by releasing water vapour from their leaves. Canopy roughness (think of giant broccoli) also disperses heat enabling forests to mitigate the impact of extreme temperatures. Deborah Lawrence, Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, said: “We should be working very hard to grow and maintain forests in the tropics and looking to sustainably manage forests outside the tropics.”
Deforestation and climate change have pushed the Amazon close to a critical threshold. More than threequarters of the world’s largest rainforest is at a tipping point, beyond which it may not be able to recover. There have been marked losses in forest resilience since the early 2000s, especially in areas close to human activity. Drier conditions, including three severe droughts, combined with increased human land-use, have played a crucial role in this. The south-eastern part of the Amazon has become a carbon emitter rather than a carbon sink. Risking further dieback has profound implications for biodiversity, carbon storage and climate change on a global scale.
Lawrence D, Coe M, Walker W et al. 2022. The Unseen Effects of Deforestation: Biophysical Effects on Climate. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. Volume 5.
Boulton CA, Lenton TM and Boers N. 2022. Pronounced loss of Amazon rainforest resilience since the early 2000s. Nature Climate Change. 12, 271-278.
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It’s a family affair Vegan New Parents’ Guide Viva!’s Vegan New Parents’ Guide is a must-have resource for all new parents and caregivers of children aged 0-2. This comprehensive guide walks you through every nutrient you and your child will need from pre-pregnancy to toddler. It covers the practicalities of breastfeeding and explores the safety of soya for babies; introduces baby-led weaning and suggests feeding patterns from eight or nine months on – plus some all-important survival tips! So, what other help can you expect? NUTRITION PRE AND POST PREGNANCY A balanced vegan diet provides all the nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy. It is the most natural, healthful diet and perfect for nurturing your unborn child. During pregnancy, however, it is important to be aware that your daily nutrient requirements will increase. Iron, folic acid, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, as well as vitamins A, C and D, calcium and protein, are all needed in greater quantities. This guide provides you with the dietary guidance to help ensure you meet this increased demand before, during and after pregnancy. BREASTFEEDING AND FORMULA Breastfeeding is certainly the most natural form of nutrition during your infant’s first year of life. Breastmilk is truly miraculous – the perfect baby food which not only contains every nutrient needed but also antibodies that bolster the baby’s immune system. Vegan New Parents’ Guide contains helpful information on the practicalities of beginning breastfeeding but we do understand that for various reasons you may need to bottle feed your baby. Choosing the right feed will naturally be important so learn more about formula feed options for your little one.
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WEANING In recent years, baby-led weaning (BLW) has grown in popularity. Whether you decide this is the right choice for your baby, or whether you choose to follow the more traditional route of weaning your baby using purées, this guide has you covered with useful advice and great first recipes. AGE-SPECIFIC FEEDING PATTERNS We set out suggested feeding patterns for your little one, separated into categories from four to six months, from six to eight months and from eight or nine months on. Remove the guesswork and feel confident preparing food for your young child(ren), knowing that the meals you’re providing are nutrient-dense and will set them up for a great start in life. RECIPES FOR TODDLERS (AND YOU!) Last but certainly not least, we have more than 30 pages of easy-to-prepare and delicious toddler recipes for you and your little ones to enjoy! There is also a two-week toddler menu of lunches and dinners – what more could you ask for? And once they’re a little older – check out our followon guide Healthy Vegan Kids (see adjoining page) to learn more about helping them to thrive! We also have new online resources available at viva.org.uk/children.
Order our new Vegan New Parents’ Guide to learn all you need to know about having a fabulous, healthy pregnancy and vivacious, robust baby! Go to vivashop.org.uk/ products/the-vegan-newparents-guide or call 0117 944 1000 (9-5, Mon-Fri).
Healthy Vegan Kids Viva!’s new guide on child nutrition
Viva!’s new guide Healthy Vegan Kids complements our new online resources at viva.org.uk/children and provides invaluable information and reassurance for your whole family. A vegan diet is best for healthy vegan kids. NUTRITION BASICS You’ll find out all about important nutrients, which foods contain them and how much children need. You’ll also discover which food groups children should eat daily and how to help them develop healthy eating habits. If you’re unsure about supplements, our guide will help you understand which are necessary and which are optional, based on your child’s diet and lifestyle. DISEASE PREVENTION What we eat has a great impact on our health – your child’s diet either helps them grow and develop into a healthy young person, or it can make them more likely to develop certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease. The guide will help you to understand how childhood eating habits can help prevent a host of diseases and how diet continues to affect us into adulthood. PRACTICAL OVERVIEWS We’ve included some popular features, such as an overview of what a child needs every day, the Vegan Eatwell Plate for children and nutrient summaries. It’s hard to remember everything so these handy pages serve as a quick reminder of the important facts and figures. BUILDING HEALTHY FOUNDATIONS As we all know, children can be picky eaters so the guide features some clever tricks on how to help your child eat well and how to make a variety of foods more appealing to them. There are also a few inventive-yeteasy recipes to help you boost your child’s intake of fruit and veg.
PARENT SELF-CARE While caring for your child, it’s important to also pay attention to your own diet and lifestyle so we’ve included information on diet and health for adults, too. You’ll learn why animal products can damage your health and how a wholesome vegan diet can protect and maintain it. In particular, you’ll find information on cancer, heart disease, diabetes, gallstones, kidney disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and more! WHO IS THIS GUIDE FOR? Our new guide is a handy information resource for all vegan parents and caregivers. With our help, you can be confident that you’re feeding your child (and yourself) the very best for their health and helping them to thrive.
Order our new Healthy Vegan Kids guide to learn all you need to know about bringing up healthy, vivacious kids! Go to vivashop.org.uk/products/ healthy-vegan-kids-guide or call 0117 944 1000 (9-5, Mon-Fri).
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Viva! launches farming debate
“Is the future of sustainable farming animal-free?” Oh yes it is!
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BY KERRI WATERS, VIVA! FARMING COORDINATOR
K farming is facing an uncertain and changing landscape. Issues of sustainability, justice and healthy diets are creating pressure for change from every angle. Farming is not only a cause of the problem but also the solution. For years, Viva! has been accused of hating farmers and having no economic solutions for replacing animal agriculture. Both claims are untrue but now, we are officially drawing together experts to help farmers carefully plan how to transition away from damaging animal agriculture, without going out of business. In February, we organised a panel of experts in Birmingham to discuss the motion: “Is the future of sustainable farming animal-free?” This unprecedented event brought together vegan advocates and farming experts, some of whom support animal agriculture, to find where there is common ground and discuss their visions for the future of farming. The debate marked the launch of Viva! Farming; a new project which will provide advice to farmers while still campaigning for a transition away from meat, dairy and egg production in the UK. With perfect timing, Storm Eunice struck with 120 mph winds that disrupted transport and almost brought the UK to a standstill. We went ahead nevertheless and on April 19, an online event was hosted by Viva! founder and international director, Juliet Gellatley and Viva! Farming Coordinator, Kerri Waters to bring the debate to even more people. It included a special screening of the Birmingham panel discussion and participants had the opportunity to put questions to veganic grower and expert, Iain Tolhurst. On the original panel, supporting the motion that sustainable farming should be animal free, were: Kerri
Above: Juliet Gellatley of Viva! and Iain Tolhurst, of Tolhurst Organic. Above right: the full farming debate panel in Birmingham. Right: from left, Kerri Waters, Laura Hellwig and Rich Harvey of Lazy Meadow Vegan Farm
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Waters; Juliet Gellatley; Iain Tolhurst, owner, Tolhurst Organic; Jasmijn de Boo, Vice President, ProVeg International; Andrew Knight, Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, University of Winchester; and Rich Hardy, Co-founder, Lazy Meadow Vegan Farm.
It is necessary for us all to transition towards a plant-based diet to tackle the climate crisis Those against were: Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive, Linking Environment and Farming; Richard Young, Policy Director, Sustainable Food Trust; Christopher Price, Chief Executive, Rare Breeds Survival Trust; and Dr Julia Wright, Associate Professor, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University. The basis of the motion was that animal farming, as well as being cruel to animals, is responsible for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and damaging environmental impacts, such as water and air pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and monopolising land use. Respected institutions such as Chatham House, the IPCC and Oxford University, have now warned that it is necessary for us all to transition towards a plant-based diet to tackle the climate crisis and feed a growing global population. There were many areas where the two sides agreed, for example, that factory farming has to be outlawed urgently. This is only the start of an ongoing campaign to change the face of British agriculture.
vivafarming.org.uk facebook.com/vivafarming instagram.com/viva.farming twitter.com/VivaFarming
Blessed are the meek…
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Tony Wardle takes a look at ‘us’ and ‘them’ to see what divides us – and what unites us ost mornings when I wake up, I reach for my phone and check the latest news stories. It’s the journalist in me but I have no idea why I persist as usually it makes me want to roll over and go straight back to sleep again. Is the world really in such a terrible state that it seems to slough away hope like dead skin and splash cold water on residual optimism? Yes, I know there have always been threats and turmoil and having once been a military copper on an atom bomber base in 1960’s Germany, I know the meaning of threat. Every time an alert sounded and the base leapt into action, aircraft roaring angrily into the sky, I expected to be frizzled and fried in a gigantic nuclear skillet. But crises seem to be like reality TV shows – the ending of one is immediately followed by the start of another. How and why do they happen
(crises, not reality shows)? At the heart of most crises is the failure of someone’s grand plan for a ‘better’ world – which usually means ‘better’ for them. Religion or politics are the usual sources of these grand designs although messianic individuals are also included in the mix. Whoever it is, once the plan is implemented it becomes immutable and anyone who challenges it is likely to be excommunicated – often head from body. Like most people, I have enough to do confronting the simple decisions that need to be taken just to navigate through life. It has certainly never crossed my mind that I am so gifted, so far-sighted that I can set out a plan to guide a nation – even the entire world – to the sunlit uplands. And thank heavens for that as grand plans rarely end well.
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There is, it seems, an ‘us’ and a ‘them’. ‘Us’ are people who care about living things and abhor suffering and just want a world in which all creatures are respected and valued. A world where destructive greed is outlawed, an acceptance that to survive we need to respect the natural balance of an incredible world that has grown out of billions of years of evolution. We have no grand plan just a simple plan – to live and let live which, ironically, trumps any grand plan in every regard. ‘Us’ are those who look forward to going on holiday, worry about the cost of living, our mortgages, rent, our kid’s exam results, relationships and why early evening telly is such crap. ‘Them’ are the ones whose grand plans are going to save us from these mundanities, elevate our lives and smite our enemies (that we didn’t know we had). In my lifetime alone, we’ve had a pretty chilling selection of grand plans that have been hatched by ‘them’ and cost the lives of millions of ‘us’ and spread despair and suffering for many others. Take your choice from Stalin (communism), Hitler (fascism) or ISIS (religion). To that you can add Pol Pot, Pinochet, Kim Jong-un (and his familial predecessors), Franco, Mussolini and a few others. Some got to power through force of arms, others ‘democratically’ such as Hitler but they all behaved in much the same way – erasing democracy was the first step for all of them, to disenfranchise the ‘us’. And now, of course, we have the latest ‘them’ – a former communist spy master whose whole life has been a kaleidoscope of suspicion, duplicity, violence, torture and death who has followed the dictator’s creed to the letter. His grand plan seems to be to rebuild Russia’s lost empire as if that was somehow a model to be emulated when it was, in fact, rejected by every country it embraced, including Russia itself. And so the tanks roll, the bombs drop and the soldiers shoot, while death, destruction, misery and fear spread like a pall across a country that did nothing to invite it. It is chilling! But we as a nation need to cast the mote from our own eye – just a few years ago, we did to Iraq precisely what Putin is now doing to Ukraine and with similar threadbare justifications. In the process, we tore the lid from Pandora’s box and unleashed a pestilence far worse than that which beset ancient Greece. That was Tony Blair’s and George Bush’s grand plan (and those in the shadows behind them) and like those that have preceded them, neither has expressed any doubt or regret about their actions.
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So once again, the suffering is immense and yet out of it comes scenes that bring tears of gratitude and hope to my eyes and reaffirms my belief that, if we are to survive on this planet, it is the ‘us’ who must triumph and the ‘them’ who must fail – there is no alternative. The old lady who walked for days to find safety with her disabled German shepherd on her shoulders was one of ‘us’. So were the teenage girls who carried their little Yorkshire terrier for 15 days in a back pack without a grand plan. The woman who was asked to open her bag at a check point and revealed a bunch of squirming little puppies, who she would not abandon, threatened no one. Both the man and the wide-eyed cat who peered out between his jacket lapels had no desire to change the world – he just wanted to save his beloved friend.
There are frightened people and their families fleeing to save their lives, and their families so frequently include their companion animals In almost every piece of footage I have seen from Ukraine there are frightened people and their families fleeing to save their lives, and their families so frequently include their companion animals. We have met so many of these principled, caring but frightened people on the Polish Ukraine border and at Warsaw’s refugee centres and we have offered them practical help. It is often quite small in nature – food, water, a lead, a harness, a carrier, a kind word or two – but its emotional impact is huge. They realise that there are others who care about them, their lives, their animals, their peace of mind (and that is part of what your donations have helped to produce). Since the age of 12, I have been an atheist and have not once doubted that position. Over the decades, I have observed that organised religion is too often part of the problem and not the cure. However, some of Christianity’s teachings offer hope – not least Matthew 5:5, the most well-known of the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth.” If I prayed, I would pray that this time is rapidly approaching.
I love it! Cleverly done, no violence. So well done, Viva! Clever advert in all honesty, and I’m not even vegan.
VIVA!’S TV ADVERT ‘PURE GENIUS’
This is such a compelling commercial! Thank you. It’s amazing how impactful it is within such a short amount of time. Kudos to the actors for their plausible performance. This is exactly the type of advertisement that is going to change those non vegans that refuse to watch the slaughter footage. Well done.
BY LAURA HELLWIG (MANAGING DIRECTOR & HEAD OF CAMPAIGNS)
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omments on our Takeaway the Meat TV ad, seen by 16 million people, were legion but best of the bunch was: “Absolutely brilliant! Well done and during a meat cookery show, too. Pure genius.” A huge thank you to everyone who donated to the creation and production of our TV ad. We crowdfunded £42,200 to raise the funds to distribute the hard-hitting ad and for every £1 you gave, an incredibly generous donor doubled it. Because of that, together with Channel 4’s Greenhouse Fund which doubled it again, we were able to reach over 16 million people with our very first vegan TV ad. The response has been phenomenal! It was shown almost 350 times on Channel 4 and associated channels between February 14 and March 4, 2022. Top spots were: • The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver – 1.4 million adult viewers. • First Dates IX – 804,000 adult viewers. • Come Dine With Me (daytime) – 608,000 adult viewers. • Sunday Brunch series 11 x 2 – one million adult viewers. • Countdown 2021 x 2 – 650,000 adult viewers. But our reach went much further than that. We had a huge press pick up, too! Our advertisement was widely covered by the media and discussed by readers online, including a feature which embedded the TV ad in the
world’s biggest online newspaper, the Daily Mail (twice!) and The Grocer. It reached beyond the UK and was covered on the most visited German online media platform Die Bild, which also embedded the ad, and Australian media, plus others. It certainly made numerous headlines with click-bait titles like “Showing a pig with a meat cleaver is disgusting;” “Backlash at ‘controversial’ vegan TV advert;” “Thought-provoking vegan advert to air on mainstream television this Valentine’s Day;” and “Viva! Charity mocks Just Eat and meat-eaters with new advert.” On social media, our ad made a huge splash and reached over 500,000 people, being viewed by 74,000 people on YouTube, 370,348 on Instagram and Facebook and 17,000 on Twitter. Social media vloggers discussed the ad, including Joey Carbstrong on his YouTube channel with 16,000 views. The advert was shared by many more titles such as Plant Based News (80 million global impressions a month), Mercy for Animals, Totally Vegan Buzz, and Vegan Food & Living. The positive feedback was huge from meat-eaters and vegans alike. The ad also touched the raw nerve of guilt in many people and over 300 complaints were registered with the Advertising Standards Authority. For once they acted quickly and dismissed every one, finding in favour of Viva!. Now, that’s a milestone worth celebrating!
Skylark Media, who have helped to create some of our fabulous video campaigns, have been shortlisted for not one, but FOUR of The Drum Roses Awards for their work with Viva!. The This Is Fine animation is shortlisted for Illustration/Animation, and will go up against the likes of Aardman, Disney, WaterAid and BBC Creative; while the Takeaway the Meat TV ad is shortlisted for TV/Cinema Campaign. Both received nominations in the Online Video/Film/Viral Ad category.
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BIRD FLU – hatching a pandemic V
BY DR JUSTINE BUTLER, HEAD OF RESEARCH, VIVA!
iva! have launched a new campaign highlighting the deadly risk avian influenza (bird flu) poses to human health and how this risk can be mitigated. The global spread of bird flu is considered a significant pandemic threat by experts and although it mainly affects birds, several strains have infected people, including H5N1 and H5N8. Globally, there have been over 15,000 H5N1 outbreaks in domestic bird flocks, killing tens of millions of them, while hundreds of millions of others have been killed to try and prevent the disease from spreading. Last winter in the UK, H5N1 was reported from 116 premises, over four times the number reporting H5N8 in the previous winter. Strict biosecurity measures, lockdowns and avian influenza prevention zones have failed despite all captive birds, including free-range, having been ordered indoors. Bird flu continues to spread. The poultry industry likes to blame the spread of bird flu on migratory birds when the real problem is factory farming. Wild birds may contribute at a local level but poultry farming is a major factor in bird flu’s global spread. Clusters of outbreaks in high density poultry farming indicate a likely failure of biosecurity measures and show how easily bird flu spreads. Factory farms, housing tens of thousands of birds, provide the ideal breeding ground for viruses to mutate and spread. Juliet Gellatley, founder and international director of Viva! says: “Viva! have been into these hellholes and exposed the horrific conditions birds are forced to endure. Over one billion chickens are slaughtered for their meat in the UK every year and around 95 per cent are factory farmed. With 24 billion chickens in the world, we are giving bird flu every chance to mutate and become infectious to humans.” In January 2022, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed the first human case of H5N1 in the UK (and Europe). It likely came from close contact with H5N1 infected ducks kept in and around the person’s home. There have been 863 human cases of H5N1 in people, 456 of which have died – mostly teenagers and young adults – a death rate higher than 50 per cent! Most of them had handled dead or diseased birds. So far, H5N1 does not spread easily between humans but as we’ve seen with Covid, viruses mutate and can become more easily transmissible. Flu viruses are especially prone to this and mutations occur frequently. Scientists warn that H5N1 may be just three mutations away from becoming transmissible, person to person. Writing in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, scientists said: “If this virus acquires human-to-
The resulting pandemic would be akin to a global tsunami human transmissibility with its present fatality rate of 50 per cent, the resulting pandemic would be akin to a global tsunami. If it killed those infected at even a fraction of this rate, the results would be catastrophic.” To learn more about the campaign visit viva.org.uk/birdflu and share on social media, watch the video and order campaign leaflets to door drop. Together, we need to end factory farming before it ends us!
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Eat Planted
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DISCOUNT 25% CODE VIVA!25eatplanted Like Viva!, Eat Planted believes in treating animals with dignity and love instead of exploiting them. And that’s why they’ve created a wide range of plant-based meats made from pea protein. The range includes lemon and herb ‘chicken’, pulled ‘pork’, kebab ‘meat’ and many other flavours – all the yumminess without the suffering! Viva! is proud to eatplanted.com work with like-
The latest businesses to join our Supporters’ Discount Scheme or to carry a Viva! Vegan Symbol. Join Viva! at viva.org.uk/join to get these great discounts. To claim yours in-store, take along your Supporters’ card!
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Vegan Bunny
DISCOUNT 15% CODE VIVA15 Vegan Bunny’s candles are made with natural ingredients, plant waxes and essential oils which are free from toxic artificial fragrances, zinc and pesticides. Their mission is to help create a more sustainable world with their soya candles and eco-décor – and with five per cent of their profits donated to Viva!, it’s an offer we can’t resist! veganbunny.co.uk
Kings Reach Bed and Breakfast
DISCOUNT 10% CODE VIVA10 Sean and Sara fell in love with minded people to Scotland on a romantic holiday promote a cruelty-free lifestyle and bring you the in 2014 and a vegan B&B dream latest info on vegan was born! Situated in the products and services – historic Kilmichael Glassary, with plus amazing scenic views at every turn, this is DISCOUNT 15% off orders over £50 discounts the perfect place for a getaway with friends, family, a romantic CODE 15viva15 weekend or just some time to yourself. They close October ‘til May, Patch offers a wide range of plants and plant décor to help you get your hands in the so the time is just right! kingsreachbedandbreakfast.co.uk dirt and your heart in tune with nature. With expertise in plant care on hand and a free plantparenting course available, this is the perfect opportunity to brush up your plant skills while adding new interest to your home – they even have DISCOUNT 10% CODE VIVA10 a plant doctor on call 24/7! patchplants.com Looking for an all-organic, vegan and cruelty-free moisturiser or cleanser? MuLondon and their awardwinning moisturisers claim to have only natural ingredients in DISCOUNT 10% every pot, which should help CODE viva10 pamper, balance, repair and Jenny and Gurdip embarked nourish your skin. Pure magic on a journey to help people create plant-based meals in a pot! mulondon.com without any compromise on taste. Their online vegan cookery school offers a variety of courses, e-books, meal plans and shopping lists! This is a great opportunity to hone your skills or to discover some amazing new vegan recipes you can create! rootyfuel.com
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Want to partner with Viva! to offer your vegan products and services to new audiences? See viva.org.uk/resources/businesses or email business@viva.org.uk 36
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There really was an avalanche of news generated by Viva! in the last quarter – and only one page to report it all! Go to the Ukraine article on page 8 to see the publicity this issue raised; and to page 33 to view the coverage of our TV ad.
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Viva!’s media blitz for the animals BY TONY WARDLE, EDITOR
Bird flu goes national
The Daily Express ran a huge piece from our Dr Justine Butler on the potential dangers of bird flu. She also had a large piece in Vegan Magazine on our new factory farming report, which also covers bird flu. Justine was also at work in rectifying a series of absurd claims from a retired farmer about the dangers of veganism in the Shropshire Star, also run in the Express & Star. Vegan Food & Living ran a positive piece on the work that goes on behind the scenes at Viva! while Vegan Life magazine ran an excellent in-depth interview with Juliet Gellatley.
Aggressive men and veganism The new GB News TV might have a dubious political agenda but we maintain our integrity wherever we appear on it. Juliet did a long, almost uninterrupted piece on Viva! Poland and our sanctuary, while our new managing director, Laura Hellwig, was shouted at and constantly interrupted as she gave a wonderfully calm and articulate explanation as to why veganism is so important for the world. The farmer who appeared alongside her received almost no attention at all as the aim was clearly to demolish Laura – unsuccessfully as it happens! It feels a bit like stepping back to the 70s – which just about sums up GB News. Despite being always calm and pleasant, Laura seems to get the aggressive male presenters. James Whale on Talk Radio interviewed her (shouted at her) about climate change and with him being a fullon climate change denier, you can image how it went. At one point he threated to kick her off the show. Her calm determination clearly rattled him. In one sense it was almost funny but looking at it as a journalist, it is truly shameful.
Islam, Sky and Tranmere Juliet did a 10-minute slot on Radio Islam all about Viva!, veganism and raw food versus cooked food. She also did 15 minutes live on RISE for BNT, Sky TV, with the hugely popular blogger and influencer, Sonia Poulton. The subject was Viva! and all things vegan. The story of Viva!’s tie up with Tranmere Rovers for Veganuary (featured in the last issue of Viva!life) has attracted additional coverage in The Sun, Business Green News, My Green Pod, Vegan Food UK and Einpresswire; a media distributor to more than 40,000 journalists in 170 countries in 40 different languages.
Vegan Recipe Club Through extraordinary hard work, Viva!’s VRC has surged in popularity and now has over 100,000 followers on Facebook. Now, that is a success!
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ENERGY INDEPENDENCE vital, achievable and affordable
Even before the Ukraine war, wholesale gas prices had skyrocketed due to a raft of factors. As most consumers were on fixed price contracts, gas companies were being forced to sell gas to them at less than the wholesale price, meaning they were losing money. As a consequence, many smaller companies went bust. Ecotricty wasn’t one of them and its CEO, Dale Vince, explains why we need energy independence and how we can achieve it.
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t was 20 years ago that I first heard the phrase energy independence – the idea of powering the entire country from our own renewable energy sources – wind, sun and sea – creating vast new industries, truly sustainable jobs and economic strength. Now everyone’s talking about it, even our government. It’s been prompted, of course, by the energy crisis which began last September and has now been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Although prices have remained within the new normal (aka crazy) levels since September, the war has brought an added focus – and the realisation that we depend on some dodgy people and volatile global markets for our energy supplies. Europe teeters on the edge of simply not having what it needs for life as we know it. This was always going to happen at some point in the future if we didn’t transition to renewable energy, as one day, fossil fuels will run out. Bizarrely, energy independence has been hijacked by some to call for yet further reliance on fossil fuels – a return to fracking, squeezing the last drops out of the North Sea and even a return to coal mining. Forgetting the climate crisis for a minute, it makes no sense for many other reasons. Firstly, it doesn’t matter how much oil and gas we
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produce here in the UK, it doesn’t help us financially. Fifty per cent of our gas still comes from the North Sea but that hasn’t saved us a penny during this energy crisis as we’ve been paying up to 10 times the normal price for it. Producers have made approaching £50 billion in windfall profits as a result, money that came from the retail energy sector (you and I) where tens of millions of Briton’s face energy bills they just can’t pay. The government should take that money from fossil fuel producers via a windfall tax and put it back where it came from – but that’s a digression. It also makes no sense because it’s not a long-term solution. The Oil and Gas Authority says the North Sea will be depleted by 2030 – just eight years from now. And if fracking were up and running, it too would be gone by 2030. Doubling down on fossil fuels is kicking the can down the road – but not very far. It will take a decade to get fracking up and running and the average time between exploration and production in the North Sea is 28 years, even if there are new finds. Nuclear has got Boris Johnson’s support but it can take 10 years to plan a nuclear power station and ten more to build it and another 10 before it becomes carbon neutral… oh, and it’s the most expensive electricity ever devised.
Wind and sun projects, by contrast, can be built within 12 to 24 months; they harness an energy source that will never run out and produce no pollution. In carbon terms, they break even within months and are the cheapest way to make electricity bar none. We have an abundance of potential renewable energy, enough to power Britain 20 times over, create vast new industries, truly sustainable jobs and real economic strength. Before this crisis, we were spending £50 billion a year to bring fossil fuels here just to burn them. Fossil fuel and global commodity markets set the price and right now that figure has exploded closer to £200 billion and that’s what we have to free ourselves from! If we were to spend that pre-crisis figure of £50 billion on renewable energy equipment, we could make all the energy we need. It would take two or three years at that costing but spread over about 10 years of development time to build it all. We have the technology, we have the money, we have the need and the benefits are pretty staggering. Once built, the renewables infrastructure would keep £50 billion a year kept in our economy (£200 billion at today’s costings), end the scourge of constantly rising energy bills and end energy poverty. Yes, there are challenges, the main one being keeping the lights on as renewable energy is famously intermittent. But it can be done as the ‘smart grid’ is coming and we could run on 100 per cent green electricity – and it’s not just me saying that but the national grid that runs the system. We mostly use gas to heat our homes and that is a bigger challenge and conventional wisdom (my favourite oxymoron) has it that we need to switch this heating load from gas to electricity – using heat pumps. The government talks of a national heat pump programme and banning new gas boilers but they can’t have crunched the numbers – £300 billion to replace gas with
We can make all the gas we need, keep the domestic appliances we have and retain our national grid – simply by harnessing grass to make green gas heat pumps and energy bills that will be £500 a year higher per home (£15 billion nationally). There is an answer though – grass! Comparatively simple, cheaper, faster and more sustainable! We can make all the gas we need, keep the domestic appliances we have and retain our national grid – simply by harnessing grass to make green gas. The cost is around £30 billion, one-tenth the cost of heat pumps and nobody has to change their boilers, radiators – anything. This solution would create 100 thousand jobs in the rural economy and save the burning of £9 billion a year on single use fossil fuels. Green gas made with grass is carbon neutral over a six-month lifecycle and is renewable. Energy Independence is about making the energy we need from indigenous renewable energy sources – electricity from the wind, sun and sea; gas from grass. Creating vast new industries, sustainable jobs, incredible economic strength – keeping our bill for energy in our economy. We need to take back control from fossil fuels, commodity markets and autocratic producer nations. The best part is that every nation in the world has access to enough renewable energy to do this – it’s globally available and not concentrated in the hands of a few countries and geographies. We can democratise energy and with it the world, free ourselves from the grip of dictators, cartels, commodity markets and the daily burning of foreign currencies.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 “I was always that person who said ‘no, I need fish, I need protein.’ I would laugh at people and say: ‘You’re an idiot, you need to eat a fucking steak’. Little did I know that when my wife challenged me to be plantbased, I would change so quickly,” he says. “It was hard for the first couple of months, because I had to get used to a new diet and cooking. But I bought new cookbooks, and really got into it. I found five to 10 things that I really liked and ate all the time because it made me feel comfortable.” Phil admits there are motivators for veganism other than diet. “My love for animals is a pure passionate love and it has grown. I live near dairy farms and I’m surrounded by animals. I sing to them and they run towards me – it’s so cute. But it breaks my heart because they’re dairy cows and I know what happens to them. It’s sad but I try to make them happy by singing to them which sounds really silly, but they need compassion too.” The conversation turns to how much more compassionate people would be if they understood the cruelties that animals face before they reach our plates. Phil says everyone has the capacity to understand that but they don’t make the connection. “I was driving through Texas in a van and I will never forget the smell of passing spots where cows are slaughtered. It smelled disgusting.” Phil believes that meat-eaters enjoy the taste of meat but dislike harming animals. “Being handed a knife and told to kill something, clean it and eat it; that’s terrifying for people. Humans are no longer hunter-gatherers and we choose to make decisions that don’t make sense in today’s society.”
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This meat paradox is a form of cognitive dissonance in which there’s an emotional or intellectual disassociation between meat and its animal origin. Something Phil believes can be overcome with better education. “I hope that everyone in the world gets the dietary re-education that actually benefits their body and ignores what the mainstream tells them to eat,” he states. “Maybe you start by eating meat only once a week as you’re adapting to something new. When that works, go fully vegan – being vegan is more meaningful and impactful than most people realise,” he considers. Phil is a huge advocate for veganism. For those fans looking to him as their guitar virtuoso, there’s potential to get a whole generation of people thinking about their choices and the world around them. “I’ve learned you can’t slam this message aggressively into people’s faces, it is baby step by step. When I see athletes go plant-based, it’s like ‘there you go’! That's the right education and I can’t wait for more people to join this movement which I am proud to be a part of.”
lifestyle
Sculpd Candle-Making Kit My new favourite brand, Sculpd, is a crafty brand that sells clay kits for you to make at home – no special equipment needed! Perfect if you’re crafty by nature and love making things! All products are vegan and cruelty-free. I love the candle-making kit as you can create your own candle pot and then make the soya candle to fit in it! Choose from Peony Rose, Ginger & Orange or Basil & Citrus scents. You can make any shape or design you want and the kit provides you with everything you need – just use your imagination (or the manual) for inspiration! And you can refill your candle pot forever! If candles aren’t for you, however, their pot-making kit is excellent, with everything you need to be creative – clay, tools, brushes, paint and smoothing sponge. Or there’s the Macrame Plant Hanger Kit – and everything comes with directions and video tutorials. Great to exercise your creative side or as gifts for others. £29 sculpd.co.uk
s r e k a m e l d n a c , e l p o Hairy pe waste clothing and noMy favourite picks of the month BY EMILY COSTER, RETAIL MANAGER
Teemill x Viva! Our Teemill shop is the perfect place to pick up our new exciting designs which are being added all the time! We have designs from Clare McIvor and Holly Bushnell, whose creations are really cool and inspiring! Teemill’s factory is based in the Isle of Wight, where they print on tshirts just seconds after they’re ordered, making only what people need, when they need it. All their clothing has been ethically made and is vegan – similar to Viva!’s range but with an added little bonus – anything you buy can be sent back to Teemill once it’s reached the end of its life, to be remade into new products! Nothing goes to waste in this circular supply chain. We have women’s, men’s and children’s clothing as well as some accessories too! Sizes range from; Women’s UK 8-18; Men’s XS-XXL; Kid’s 3-4y, 5-6y, 7-8y, 9-10y and 11-12y. These are just a few of our designs but we have more on our new website, so please check them out at: viva.teemill.com
We Are Hairy People x Lucy & Yak
Some of the Viva! team went to an event held at the Lucy & Yak pop up store here in Bristol where amazing artists from We Are Hairy People taught us how to paint wildlife creatures on our clothes! The class was relaxing and fun! I painted foxes on my old Lucy & Yak dungarees and now I love them even more! I’m not much of a painter but Sarah and Naomi (from We Are Hairy People) were so helpful and provided stencils and advice. They also have their own shop in Bristol where they sell custom pet portraits, hand icedyed clothing and custom requests, so you can ask for anything to be painted on your clothing! They also hold workshops where they will teach you how to paint on your clothes too! Prices start from £20 wearehairypeople.co.uk
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Registered Charity No. 1122303
/DeanFarmTrust /deanfarmtrust.org.uk @dean_farm_trust E. info@deanfarmtrust.org.uk
Visit Dean Farm Trust for a VIP Visit
VEGAN SANDALS Over 200 footwear styles, including...
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Spend some quality time with our beautiful, rescued residents for an amazing experience in their home for life. Visit deanfarmtrust.org.uk for more information and to book your visit deanfarmtrust.org.uk
Toe Strap (Gold)
Wedge (Metallic Silver)
Toe Post (Metallic Red)
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Please help promote compassionate living
Dana (Blue)
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With you on the journey
Just
£2.75
inc P&P
Vegan recipe service
0161 257 0887 vforlife.org.uk/shop
Virtual vegan lunch club
Lifestyle support
0161 257 0887 | vforlife.org.uk |
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@VfL_UK
V for Life is a charity registered in England and Wales, number 1120687
MAKE SURE YOUR ENERGY SUPPLY IS ANIMAL FREE There’s a secret, shameful ingredient in the electricity that goes to millions of British homes. Animal by-products. They can come from factory farming – animal slurry and other by-products. Four of the big six energy companies and four of the leading green energy companies all have animal waste in their fuel mix. If you care about animal welfare, this will matter to you. To nd out if your supplier is a ected, visit ecotricity.co.uk/viva. We’re the only energy company in the world certi ed as vegan by both the Vegan Society and Viva!.
VIVA! WILL RECEIVE A £60 DONATION WHEN YOU SWITCH YOUR ELECTRICITY AND GAS 0808 123 0 123 (quote VIVA) ecotricity.co.uk/VIVA
