Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a leading driver of the issue. In fact, CO2 makes up the largest portion of anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading authority on climate science. 

So how many emissions does meat production actually produce? And is it enough that we must curb our eating habits?

What is carbon dioxide?

Carbon dioxide is an acidic colorless gas that occurs naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, making it integral to life on Earth.

CO2 is harmless in small amounts, but human activity causes levels of the gas to surge. Writing for Forbes, chemical engineer Robert Rapier highlighted that global carbon dioxide emissions have tripled in the last 55 years, sitting at 32.3 billion metric tons in 2020.

Why is carbon dioxide harmful?

CO2 is a greenhouse gas, meaning it creates a cover that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. When concentrations are too high, the planet’s carbon cycle can’t process it efficiently enough. This causes global temperatures to increase, a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. 

Global climate breakdown has led to loss of sea ice, rising sea levels, and more frequent and severe heat waves and droughts, according to NASA. The government agency also highlights links between climate breakdown and stronger hurricanes, flash flooding, increased wildfires, erosion in coastal areas, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss.

“The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible on the timescale of people alive today, and will worsen in the decades to come,” NASA sums up.

What percent of global emissions comes from livestock?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “livestock” make up 14.5 percent of all anthropogenic emissions – 7.1 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalents (CO₂-eq) per year. [What are CO2 equivalents?]

There is some debate surrounding this widely accepted figure of 14.5 percent. Research published in 2021 claims that this figure is “now out of date.” The article argues that the minimum estimate for animal agriculture’s emissions should be updated to 16.5 percent. 

“Some will contest the importance of a few percentage points. Yet even the difference between 14.5 and 16.5 percent is the difference between animal agriculture being responsible for close to one in seven, or one in six of all emissions,” the article reads.

Cows raised for meat and milk are responsible for more emissions than any other non-human species, making up around 65 percent of livestock emissions, the FAO says. In 2010, a report from the FAO found that the dairy sector alone accounts for four percent of the world’s anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Food system emissions

Separate research, also from 2021, found that meat is responsible for 57 percent of all greenhouse gases from food production – nearly double that of plant-based foods (29 percent). The study’s authors looked at the entire lifecycle of food production to reach their conclusions, telling the Guardian that they were somewhat surprised at how high the emission levels were.

“You can’t just impose your views on others,” study co-author Atul Jain told the publication. “But if people are concerned about climate change, they should seriously consider changing their dietary habits.”

This sentiment has been echoed elsewhere. A webinar that took place in April 2023 highlighted the potential environmental advantages of changing what we eat. If Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh, for example, was to ditch meat and go vegan, the emissions spared would be equivalent to removing more than half a million cars from the roads. And if Stockholm did the same, the emission reduction would equal that of removing 935,000 cars.

“If we keep producing and eating the food we do today, we will not reach the Paris Agreement. The world as we know it won’t be the same,” Stockholm’s mayor Karin Wanngård commented. “Now is the time for states and cities to take a greater responsibility for the food people consume. In our city, we have nearly one million inhabitants. The schools, pre-schools, and elderly homes of Stockholm are taking a leap towards organic plant-based and locally produced food.”

Which foods have the highest carbon footprint?

In 2019, researchers published the most comprehensive analysis to date of the environmental impact of food and farming. They collected data on 38,700 farms and their supply chains, taking into consideration land use, animal feed, and the environmental costs of processing, packaging, and transporting foods, among other factors.

Researchers noted a “striking” observation: even the least environmentally harmful animal products usually exceeded the impact of vegan foods.

Food derived from cows, such as beef, cheese, and other dairy products, were identified as generating the most greenhouse gases. Meat from other animals – such as lambs, pigs, prawns, and chickens – were also linked to signifiant levels of CO₂-eq.

Not all animal-free foods come with low emissions, however. Dark chocolate and coffee production, in particular, were high on the list in terms of greenhouse gas output.

Which foods have the lowest carbon footprint?

All foods tied to low emission output were plant-based, according to the meta-analysis.

Looking at supply chain emissions per kilogram of food, researchers found that while beef emits 60kg of CO₂-eq, pea production generates just 1kg per kilogram of food. Even when assessing protein content, there were stark differences between animal products and vegan proteins. Per 100 grams of protein, beef was found to emit 49.89kg of CO₂-eq. Lamb and mutton were responsible for just under 20kg, while farmed prawns and pigs emitted 18.19kg and 7.61kg respectively. 

For context, grains emitted 2.71kg of CO₂-eq per 100g of protein and soybeans emitted 1.98kg. Peas – a common ingredient in vegan meat products like Beyond Burgers – generate just 0.44kg of CO₂-eq.

The following were pinpointed as the most environmentally friendly foods:

• Citrus fruit (0.39kg of CO₂-eq per 100 grams of food)
• Root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots (0.43kg)
• Apples (0.43kg)
• Nuts (0.43kg)
• Onions and leeks (0.5kg)
• Bananas (0.86kg)
• Peas (0.98kg)
• Soy milk (0.98kg)
• Barley (1.2kg)
• Berries and grapes (1.5kg)
• Wheat and rye (1.6kg)
• Tomatoes (2.1kg)
• Oatmeal (2.5kg)
• Tofu (3.2kg)
• Rice (4.5kg)

Takeaway

More and more research is underscoring the impact of food production on global emissions, and therefore, the potential our diets have to mitigate the climate crisis. Beef, lamb, dairy, and shrimp are among the foods that generate the most emissions. Meanwhile, citrus fruit, root vegetables, apples, nuts, bananas, peas, and soy milk have been identified as more environmentally friendly.

Even locally produced meat is damaging to the planet, in part due to emissions. As a result, many experts are calling on governments and individuals alike to shift their diets to plant-based ones. Joseph Poore, who led the aforementioned meta-analysis, is a key example. Poore adopted a plant-based diet himself after beginning his research.

“A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use, and water use,” Poore said after his research was published. He added that the impact of ditching animal products is “far bigger” than flying less or opting for an electric car.

Dr. Peter Carter, an expert reviewer for the IPCC, has made similar statements. Last year, he said that in terms of fighting climate breakdown, “global veganization is now a survival imperative.”

—

What are CO2 equivalents? Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas, but it’s the chief one tied to human activity. Researchers use carbon dioxide-equivalents (CO₂eq) to better reflect all greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, greenhouse gases are weighted depending on their global warming potential (GWP), which indicates how much warming a gas creates compared to CO2. CO2 has a GWP value of one; a gas that has a GWP of 10 has ten times the warming effect of CO2.

This article was originally published on September 12, 2021. It was last updated on June 29, 2023.

More like this:

• 5 Ways A Vegan Diet Can Help Protect The Planet
• IPCC Accused Of Burying Plant-Based Diet Recommendations: 5 Key Takeaways
• What Is The Vegan Land Movement? Meet The Group Buying Land From Farmers

The post How Many CO2 Emissions Does The Meat Industry Actually Produce? appeared first on Plant Based News.

But in an increasingly resource-constrained world, buying new presents isn’t always a sustainable choice. If you’re looking for eco-friendly vegan gifts, for Christmas or any other occasion, look no further. 

We’ve rounded up a handful of sustainable, zero-waste, vegan gift ideas to keep the people you love (and the planet) happy. 

Zero-waste vegan gift ideas

Skip the ‘stuff’

This year, why not skip the “stuff” and opt for an experience-based gift? Movie buffs might enjoy a gift card for their local cinema, while other giftees might like a museum pass, or concert or theater tickets. Alternatively, the animal lovers in your life would love a visit to an animal sanctuary.

Make a day of it by organizing the outing yourself, complete with a plant-based lunch and plenty of pictures!

Gifts that keep on giving

Sometimes the best presents are the most practical ones. If you know your giftee has been meaning to sign up to a particular gym, or grab a subscription to Spotify, Netflix, or something similar, take the initiative and pay for their membership yourself.

Bus or train credits or tickets can also be a good option, for those who rock public transportation. 

Handmade is the way to the heart

If you have a special skill, like knitting, painting, photography, writing songs, making pottery or jewellery, or anything else, put it to use these holidays with a personalized creation for a loved one.

A song about how much they mean to you? Go for it. A knitted vegan Christmas sweater? Absolutely. A painted portrait of their pet rescue rabbit wearing a top hat? Why not!

One person’s trash is another’s treasure

If you have a rough idea of what you’d like to buy someone, but are concerned about fast fashion and over-consumption, thrift stores are the way to go. Pick up some cool clothes, books, art, home decor items, or anything else your heart desires.

As well as being better for the planet, thrifting is kinder to your wallet too. 

LUSH’s naked range

For the self-care experts in your life, LUSH’s extensive “naked” range is a must. The beauty and bath giant offers a wide variety of packaging-free products, most of which are vegan (be sure to look out for the Vegan Society trademark). 

As well as its usual zero-waste, cruelty-free options, LUSH is offering Christmas-themed products this time of year. Its vegan Cinnamon Roll Bubble Bar boasts a spice mix of cinnamon and clove, and leaves bath water shimmering gold. The Snow Fairy Soap is made with rose water and Fair Trade Organic aloe vera, and vegan bath bombs in the shapes of snowmen, bells, and Santa’s sleigh are on offer too. 

Check out the LUSH website to see the full line.

Zero-waste warrior

Help your loved one help the planet by gifting them some zero-waste tools of their own. If they’re new to living waste-free, consider putting together an “essentials kit” to kick things off.

Seek out reusable and plastic-free coffee cups, cutlery, chopsticks, grocery bags, water bottles, tupperware, food wraps, straws, or anything else you can think of. 

Take things a step further, if you so wish, by adding in zero-waste shampoo and conditioner, soap, and lip balms, for example. 

Gifts like these can also make for great stocking stuffers.

Recipes in a jar (or not)

They say that the best way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. Channel that energy by gifting the foodies in your life a (plant-based) recipe in a jar. Whether they prefer sweet, savory, or somewhere in between, there are plenty of ideas online!

For instance, pictured is a drool-worthy vegan fudge dark chocolate brownie recipe by Vegan Richa. 

Of course, if you wanted to, you could pass on the jar/recipe concept and bake the treats yourself. This allows you a bit more freedom, since you can choose whatever dish you think they’ll love best. Either way, they’ll be thinking of you fondly – mid-food coma. 

PS – bonus points if you make your giftee’s pet an animal-friendly snack of their own too!

Zero-waste tips for the holiday season

Present ideas aside, here are some other ways to make the festive season a little more sustainable.

Try furoshiki gift wrapping

A beautiful way to wrap your presents, furoshiki is a traditional Japanese technique that uses fabric instead of single-use paper. The practice is centuries-old, but it’s enjoying a surge in popularity as the zero-waste movement gathers pace.

The origami-like technique follows specific folding instructions – but once you’ve done a few presents, you’ll be a whizz.

Learn the basics here.

Bokashi bins to tackle food waste

One of the hardest elements of a zero-waste Christmas is accounting for food waste. Try as hard as you like, there’s usually a style of chocolate nobody likes, a mountain of veggie peelings, and leftovers that nobody has space for. You can tackle two issues with one solution by gifting, or treating yourself to, some bokashi bins.

Another genius waste-free idea hailing from Japan, bokashi refers to a home composting method that sees food waste quickly fermenting and producing a potent natural fertilizer liquid that can be used to feed house plants and veggie crops. The bins are small and come with a tap fitted to allow easy use.

Find bokashi bins here.

Collect gifts for people in need

The cost of living crisis has brought the true meaning of Christmas into sharp focus. Instead of asking for gifts for yourself, why not collect zero-waste food items, such as tinned goods and pasta in cardboard packaging, to make a large donation to your local food bank or refuge shelter?

Ask friends and family to get in the spirit by not buying unnecessary, albeit thoughtful, gifts for you. Instead, ask them to drop in some cans of soup, animal feed, and other items that can be given to those that need extra support at this time of year. Don’t forget to include hygiene items too, including sanitary products and toiletries.

The post Eco-Friendly Gifts And Tips For The Ultimate Vegan Zero-Waste Christmas appeared first on Plant Based News.

Counties such as Sierra Leone, with eight million people and where malaria, Ebola, TB, and HIV have caused such devastation, have registered very few cases and barely any covid deaths; 123 in total, with Kamakwie district having reported just 11 cases and no deaths since the pandemic began. 

Why could this be? Have the sick simply not been counted? The Beta variant ravaged South Africa, as did Delta and Omicron, yet much of the rest of the continent did not report similar death tolls. A lack of consistent record keeping is relevant; and yet research has shown that about two thirds of the population in most Sub-Saharan countries do have antibodies to Sars-Cov-2 (78 percent in Sierra Leone) with only around 14 percent vaccination rates. This means most people will have been infected, but not have been unwell.

Diet and disease

There has been speculation that a younger average age could be playing a part (only three percent of people are 65 or older in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as high temperatures, outdoor lifestyles, and limited public transportation infrastructure.

But in India, with similar amounts of young people and high temperatures, the Delta variant caused millions of deaths – far more than the 400,000 officially reported.

It seems that lower rates of chronic disease has also been an important factor in sparing the African sub-continent – in countries where dietary patterns are whole foods and predominantly plant-based, conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma are far less prevalent.

Surgeon Denis Burkitt who lived and worked in Uganda, was the first to discuss the “fiber hypothesis.”

He noted that middle-aged people (40-60 years old) had a much lower incidence of diseases that were common in similarly aged people living in England, including colon cancer, diverticulitis, appendicitis, hernias, varicose veins, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and asthma, all of which are associated with lifestyles commonly led in high-income countries.

Burkitt attributed these diseases to the small quantities of dietary fiber consumed in places like Europe and the US, due mainly to the over-processing of natural foods. Nowadays, dietary fiber intake is around 15 g/day, which is well below recommended amounts (30g/day) and the amount of 50g/day that Burkitt advocated for, which is associated with diets from rural, southern, and eastern sub-Saharan Africa.

Fiber deficiency

Since Burkitt’s death in 1993, his hypothesis has been verified and extended by large-scale epidemiological studies, which have reported that fiber deficiency increases the risk of colon, liver, and breast cancer and increases all cancer mortality and death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases, diabetes, and all non-cardiovascular, non-cancer causes. 

Gut health and the microbiome is an area of research that has further verified Burkitt’s initial observations – we now know that products of fiber fermentation in the colon, called “short chain fatty acids” (SCFAs) suppress mucus excess, inflammation, and cancer risk in the gut.

SCFAs also have receptors outside of the gut which can affect our metabolism and reduce obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, allergy, and cancer.

A new approach

My hope is that moving into our third year of the pandemic, epidemiologists and public health physicians will be free to focus on ways to reduce mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa in ways that are most relevant to their biggest causes of mortality; through public health programs designed to combat malaria, HIV, TB, Ebola, and cancers that are linked to communicable diseases. 

In the Western world, Covid-19 has brought us face to face with our vulnerability as a society. We have endured isolation and disruption and for many, long term illness and tragic deaths.

I believe the impact of Covid could have been reduced both by an effective vaccination program, and a collective focus from government, public health campaigns, and industry on making active and healthy lifestyle choices easier for everyone.

Access to healthy whole plant foods and green outdoor spaces without air pollution should not be a luxury, they are a necessity. We have a lot to learn from the experience of the African sub-continent with Covid, especially as factory farming practices globally leave us vulnerable to the next viral epidemic. Let us make changes now, to prioritize healthy plant foods and call for an end to factory farming. Before we have to live through another Covid-19.

This article was written by Dr. Gemma Newman of Orchard Surgery Medical Clinic, author of The Plant Power Doctor. Dr. Newman has worked in medicine for 17 years and is the Senior Partner at a family medical practice where she has worked for 12 years.

The post Are Africa’s Low Covid Death Rates Really A Mystery? appeared first on Plant Based News.

They’re the social media posts we scroll over, the back of the cereal box we absentmindedly read, the advertising we walk past, the sports games we watch, the conversations we overhear, the brand of clothes we wear, our workplace’s mission, the inner voice in our head.

Stories are everywhere, and they shape how we understand the world, how we understand each other, and how we understand ourselves.

They’re hardwired into us from when our ancestors sat around the campfire, telling each other stories not merely for entertainment but to share knowledge.

It’s why children will understand and remember the moral behind stories like The Boy Who Cried Wolf more than the parental command: “Don’t tell lies”. 

Stories give our lives meaning

Stories help us anticipate what might happen next, and in turn, help us navigate the world around us. There’s a growing consensus among scientists that the brain is essentially a prediction-making machine. Without our storytelling brains, sports games couldn’t even exist. 

Stories guide our lives and give them meaning. But the power of narrative is often used as a way to divide and control us.

It’s because of stories that countries go to war, corrupt politicians get elected into office, and billionaires keep getting richer from the ‘must-have’ products they market to us. As the well-known Native American proverb says: Those who tell the stories rule the world. 

The power of storytelling

We are surrounded by stories that normalize injustice and violence in order to benefit the few. It is because of such dominant narratives – of human supremacy; of fellow animals being ‘other’ and ‘non’ and ‘less than’; of their exploitation being ‘normal’, ‘natural’, ‘necessary’ and even ‘nice’ – that we live in a world where the killing of individuals in their trillions is seen as morally neutral.

Toxic narratives of superiority and otherness underpin all oppressions, whether it’s speciesism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, or ableism.

These narratives continue to persist because they are intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Yet there is cause for hope. While stories got us into this mess, stories can help lead us out of it, too. 

Because we make sense of the world best through stories, they create empathy in a way that facts and politics can’t.

They can help us identify with those who don’t automatically fall within our ‘in-group’, pulling back the curtain on whole communities who are often invisibilized or otherized by showing the world through their eyes.

Popular culture

The anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was the first major US book to feature a Black protagonist, had a profound effect on attitudes towards African Americans and is often cited as the catalyst for the American Civil War.

Even Harry Potter has been shown to reduce children’s prejudice towards stigmatised groups. 

Despite societies being indoctrinated by harmful, oppressive myths for centuries, even millennia, these are steadily being challenged and overshadowed by healthier narratives rooted in unity, love and freedom.

As social changers, one of the questions we need to ask ourselves is: what are the narratives that could drastically shift public perception around fellow animals and show that Animal Freedom is an issue that affects all of us? 

Narrative is one of our main workstreams at Animal Think Tank, where we’re exploring which messages, stories, and narratives can connect most with others and cut across the political noise, and in turn help create lasting social and legal change for fellow animals in UK society.

It will be an extensive research project across a number of years, but what continues to inspire and motivate us is seeing how narrative change in other movements has resulted in huge leaps forward in social change.

Freedom to marry

On 26 June 2015, American history was made. The US supreme court ruled in favour of marriage equality across all 50 US states. Finally, same-sex couples had the freedom to marry. But how did this momentous change happen in a country as conservative and religious as America? 

A huge driver of the movement’s victory was in changing their narrative. After a decade of pushbacks in the courts and lackluster polling, the movement realized that the public didn’t understand that same-sex couples wanted to get married for the very same reason all couples do: love.

It was then campaigners realized that they needed to shift away from their current narrative around ‘rights’ and ‘justice’ to a narrative rooted in the heart-held values of ‘love’ and ‘freedom’.

And so the Freedom to Marry campaign was born in 2003, telling positive and moving stories of conservative fathers wanting to walk their lesbian daughter down the aisle, of religious parents wanting their gay son to marry the love of his life, of children wanting their parents to be able to celebrate their love.

These stories forged the in-roads to making marriage equality relevant to voters, taking what was once deemed a side issue and reframing it to show how it affected wider society.

Within just six months of launching the new narrative, the campaign achieved its first historic win: Massachusetts became the first state to rule in favor of the freedom to marry.

With the precedent set, it took just 12 years for the remaining 49 states to follow suit. 

Shifting the narrative

Just like the tide turned for marriage equality when the movement stopped talking ‘rights’ and started talking ‘love’, the immigrant rights movement made substantial headway when they too shifted away from ‘rights’ and centered their narrative around ‘family’ and ‘freedom’, platforming the first-hand experiences of undocumented storytellers. 

A similar narrative shift happened in the pro-choice movement in Ireland, which used the positive, inclusive framing of ‘Together for Yes’ to repeal the eighth amendment, and moved away from ‘rights’ and ‘choice’ to one of ‘care’ and ‘compassion’.

The MeToo movement flipped the narrative around male sexual violence through women reclaiming it, telling their stories in their own words, and framing themselves as survivors united in solidarity, not isolated victims who had stories told about them.

Social change

Looking further back, changing the narrative has helped usher in social change for countless historic movements.

Part of the success of the abolition of the slave trade was not just stories like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by white abolitionists, but first-person stories of freed slaves (such as The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano).

These stories allowed others to see the world through former slaves’ eyes, evoking empathy for fellow people, rather than pity for ‘slaves’, helping to break down the us/them barrier. 

Martin Luther King understood the power of storytelling more than most, and it was his iconic I Have a Dream speech that reframed the dominant narrative of the American Dream, widening who was considered worthy of being ‘American dreamers’.

His speech crafted a story of a different tomorrow, and his vision was so vivid and urgent in its depiction, it made others yearn for this fictional future over their current reality. 

Building a network of strategic storytellers

Other social justice movements show us not only that narrative matters but that movement collaboration matters. It is when a diversity of voices unify behind a shared narrative that it can begin to have traction.

To create an inclusive society that respects everyone, we need an inclusive approach to our narrative strategy. We don’t believe one organization can come up with all the answers.

That’s why, alongside our narrative research, ideation, and testing, we’re collaborating with other creative thinkers and communicators across the movement to explore how, collectively, we can accelerate narrative change for Animal Freedom. 

In February 2022, 27 of us (from faith groups to grassroots groups, to NGOs, to design agencies, to media, to think tanks) gathered in one space to discuss how we could more positively frame fellow animals in our discourse.

We explored how language and images convey meaning, and how the way in which we communicate affects how others think, feel and act. 

While this first workshop only scratched the surface of the deep work involved in narrative change, this and future collaborations will help inform the messages, stories, and narratives to be developed and tested.

Just as crucially, it has laid the foundations for building a network of communicators to bring in the very best ideas and insights from across the movement, empowering all of us to be more effective storytellers for Animal Freedom.

If this sounds like something you or your organization are interested in being part of, or just want to learn more about narrative change for social change, we want to hear from you. 

From Jaws to My Octopus Teacher

When thinking about how we can add to the narrative landscape around fellow animals, it’s useful to reflect back on how previous stories have already informed the wider narrative.

For all the damage that the likes of Moby-Dick and Jaws inflicted on our aquatic cousins by otherizing and demonizing them (which the author of Jaws now deeply regrets), there have been countless other stories that have challenged this stereotype.

Such as the recent Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher, which centered a female octopus and showed her unique personality, curiosity, and ingenuity. (We’ll need many more stories like this to help challenge plans for commercial-scale farming of octopuses.)

Or, going further back, National Geographic’s 1979 album of whale songs, distributed to all of its 10.5 million subscribers (which still remains the biggest single pressing in recording history).

This dramatically reframed whales so they were no longer seen as ‘monsters of the deep’, but as beautiful, musical, cultured beings who inspired awe and reverence in us, not terror. This seemingly small shift in narrative saw a huge rise in public support for banning the hunting of whales.

There are countless other stories that show fellow animals as the diverse individuals they are, from the cinematic beauty of Gunda, to the heart-breaking realism of Green, to the cute-ified animation of Bambi (whose mother’s killing, by a hunter known only as ‘Man’, also increased public anti-hunting morality). 

And there are, of course, the many stories and narratives we bring as a movement. We shine a light on the dark industry secrets, we show fellow animals’ resisting their oppression, and we offer hope by showing survivors living free or in sanctuary. 

As a movement, we continue to change the narrative around veganism, steadily bringing it into the mainstream by reframing what is normal, natural, necessary, and nice.

Yet while veganism and plant-based eating continue to increase in popularity, the number of fellow animals being killed also continues to rise.

And while we win occasional policy battles, these wins are always under attack and in danger of being reversed (or completely ignored, as with the UK ‘ban’ on hunting foxes).

We want to discover if other narratives can bring us closer to Animal Freedom by shifting away from ‘welfare’, ‘rights’ and ‘veganism’ to more universal values, like ‘freedom’, ‘love’, and ‘community’.

After all, it is values like family and love that the animal exploitation industry knows to draw upon when selling products that are the very antithesis of this.

How do we change the narrative?

While a story can be told, a narrative has to be understood and felt. Narratives are the deep, often invisible, ideologies that stories and messages stem from. They exist as an interconnected system of stories that reinforce the underlying ideology.

Part of our work as communicators is revealing how the dominant narratives that are currently seen as ‘common sense’ are in fact just myths that we have been force-fed for centuries.

But narrative change is not just about challenging and dismantling the toxic narratives that surround us; it is about offering a vision of a better future for everyone. At their core, that’s what popular narratives are.

Whether it’s the spin of oppressive narratives like Make America Great Again and the American Dream, or the hopeful narratives of Gandhi’s Beloved Community, King’s dream, same-sex couples’ Freedom to Marry, a future where Black Lives Matter, or people coming Together For Yes, all narratives are about inspiring hope for the future. 

With crisis comes opportunity

The old narrative – of individualism, competition, extraction and ‘progress’ – has failed us. It’s been fractured by the pandemic, the climate crisis and increasing inequality. Right now, we are in between narratives. We’re living in a time where new narratives can begin to take root in the void. 

We are at a crucial point in our history when the stories we tell matter now more than ever. People are primed for a different, more hopeful story – one of love, connection, cooperation and unity. 

While narrative is only part of the social change work that is needed, it’s a vital part. It isn’t a magic pill that will quickly topple speciesism or any other oppression; it’s a process – one that will most likely take decades.

It needs all of us to discover the narratives that will most move society towards Animal Freedom. It needs all of us to show that a different future is not only possible, it is essential.

And it needs all of us to keep our vision of the future in circulation, reinforcing it through countless different stories and via countless different messengers, until that vision becomes reality.

Those who tell the stories rule the world – that is the power of storytelling. And it’s time the story represented all of us.

If you’re interested in learning more about narrative change for Animal Freedom, want to be a part of a growing network of communicators focused on this work, or would like to volunteer with Animal Think Tank, we’d love to hear from you. 

The post Can Changing The Narrative Change Society? appeared first on Plant Based News.

A few years ago, the idea of such a notoriously meat-based company embracing veganism to this extent would have been laughable. The move comes after a recent boom in demand for meat-free options in mainstream restaurants, and it feels like a genuine milestone in the vegan movement. 

Predictably, though, the rise of vegan fast food hasn’t been without controversy. The new Burger King range – just like other recent similar launches – has been criticized by some for its perceived ‘unhealthiness’. 

This criticism stems from a common misconception of what veganism actually is. It is often believed to be nothing more than a diet, meaning the influx of vegan fast food can be seen as redundant. By labeling it as unhealthy, many have argued that it’s pointless to choose it over its meat counterpart.

But whether or not the Plant-Based Whopper, McPlant, or any of their equivalents are ‘healthier’ than their meat versions is irrelevant. Most vegans aren’t under any illusion that their fast food is particularly ‘healthy’, and neither do they care. 

Social justice movement

Veganism is a social justice movement, not a fad diet. While the overall health benefits of plant-based eating are undeniable, most people choose these options to reduce animal suffering, not to be healthy. It of course isn’t recommended to eat junk food regularly, but doing so isn’t at odds with veganism.

Just like the general public, some vegans will choose to eat ‘healthily’ all the time, some will enjoy fast food in moderation, and others will choose to eat whatever they please. 

Despite this, The rise of vegan junk food has led to an influx of misguided discussions about whether or not we should choose it over meat, and many articles on the subject have come up with what they presumably think to be damning claims about the apparent unhealthiness of plant-based fast food.

Earlier this week, a paper branded vegan meat alternatives ‘the worst junk food of all’, citing the fact that they are ‘ultra-processed food’ (it’s worth noting that many breads and cereals also fall into this category).

Criticisms

When the Plant-Based Whopper was first introduced back in 2019, it sparked a number of articles comparing it with the original. One tabloid newspaper noted its high sodium and fat content, adding: “at the end of the day, it’s no healthier than a classic beef burger”.

A dietitian quoted in the piece also ‘recommended’ opting for beef burgers due to the “GMO foods, colors, flavorings” in the vegan option. 

In an article about the McDonald’s McPlant burger, another publication described its high salt content as a “disappointing downside”. Following the launch of the Greggs vegan sausage roll, a separate article titled “Why vegan junk food might be worse for your health” described the “unseen risks” of plant-based fast food. 

Cruelty and exploitation

Claims such as these have been disputed, and a number of studies have found that vegan burgers are in fact healthier than their counterparts, but this still isn’t the comparison we should be making. When weighing up the two options, we should instead be looking at their levels of cruelty. 

Cows exploited and killed in the ‘beef’ industry are subjected to unimaginable torture throughout their terrible lives. Soon after they are born, calves will often have their ears tagged and horn buds painfully removed with a hot iron, and many cows will spend their entire lives on the concrete floors of factory farms.

When they are ready to be killed, usually when they are between 12 and 24 months old, they will be transported to the slaughterhouse. These journeys can take hours, and many cows will die on the way due to stress and lack of food and water. After they arrive, they will be forced into a stun box and shot in the head with a captive bolt.

This should in theory render them unconscious, but improper stunning is rife within the industry. This means that cows can often feel everything when having their throats cut, and are sometimes still alive when being skinned. 

Eggs and dairy

The dairy cheese in a regular burger is taken from a cow who was repeatedly impregnated by artificial insemination until her worn-out body was sent to the slaughterhouse. Just like humans, cows form powerful bonds with their babies, and will often bellow and cry out for them for days when the farmer takes them away hours after birth so humans can take their milk. 

If your burger contains mayonnaise, it comes from an industry that routinely puts newly-hatched male chicks in an industrial macerator that grinds them up alive because they’re ‘surplus’ to requirements. The female hens have been selectively bred to produce 300 eggs a year (as opposed to the 10-15 they naturally would), meaning they suffer from osteoporosis and broken bones due to calcium deficiency.

Egg-laying hens generally spend most of their lives in cramped barns with thousands of other birds, and the air will be thick with ammonia from their waste. 

When faced with the reality of where meat burgers come from, the idea of disregarding vegan versions for vague and disputed claims of their relative ‘unhealthiness’ seems absurd. 

A philosophy and way of life

If you’ve been vegan for any length of time, you’ll be well-accustomed to being bombarded with unsolicited comments about your health.

We’re all used to being told veganism will make us ill and having strangers demand to know where we get our protein from, but now we’re being asked why we’re choosing such ‘unhealthy’ junk food, not in line with our supposed healthy eating plan. This further demonstrates that, when it comes to criticism of our lifestyle, we really cannot win. 

The definition of veganism, as outlined by The Vegan Society, is “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude – as far as is possible and practicable – all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

There are, of course, people who go plant-based purely for health reasons – and this is a very legitimate route to take – but the vast majority of vegans aren’t any more interested in healthy eating than the average person. While living off nothing but vegan burgers is probably unwise, and we should of course all aim to eat a balanced diet, this criticism of our food is unwarranted and pointless. 

The post Criticizing Vegan Fast Food For Being ‘Unhealthy’ Is Missing The Point appeared first on Plant Based News.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, it’s likely that you’ve felt some guilt when purchasing meat-based pet food for your dog, especially when most of us are feeding that meat every day – morning and night. For many of us, it doesn’t sit right with our ethical beliefs; for others, it contradicts our desire to do right by the planet. 

At the same time, we’re in the midst of a health crisis when it comes to our pets. Rising cancer cases and growing rates of obesity are jeopardizing the long, active lives we all want our dogs to enjoy. And a growing number of veterinarians and animal nutritionists are telling us that a key culprit is high-fat, high-protein, meat-based dog food.

The current food system for dogs is broken. Sadly it’s estimated that one in four pet dogs will develop cancer. What’s more, as many as 51 percent of dogs in the UK overweight or obese. Overweight dogs are at risk of developing diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, kidney disease, and cancer. Research has found that those extra pounds can reduce a dog’s lifespan by 20 percent: an obese dog is likely to live up to two and half years less than a dog at a healthy weight.

Yet alternatives exist. A new generation of pet food companies are offering 100 percent plant-based dog food that offers all the nutrients your dog needs to thrive, minus the guilt, minus the obesity risks, and minus the unknown additives that may be making our pets sick. 

We believe it’s natural for dogs to eat meat: but is it really healthy?

If you look under any social media post about plant-based dog food, you’re likely to see a long list of comments asserting that it’s unnatural to deprive “carnivorous” dogs of the meat they need to survive. Yet domestic dogs are actually omnivores, just like us: they have evolved over thousands of years to digest the starches in plant-based foods and receive all the nutrients they need without meat. Later in this article we explain exactly how the biology of dogs has evolved beyond their wolf ancestors.

One of the biggest myths of modern pet food marketing is that it’s healthy to be feeding our four-legged friends the natural diet of a miniature wolf.  Phrases like “feed your dog’s inner wolf!” and words like “ancestral,” “biologically appropriate,” and “raw” persuade us that our Spaniels and French Bulldogs share the basic needs of fierce wild canids and would thrive on the same diet of meaty animal carcasses. This simply isn’t true.

A domestic dog has different nutritional needs to a wolf

Dogs actually began to evolve from gray wolves between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago; not only do today’s domestic dogs look different to wolves, their internal biology is different too. Researchers have found specific genetic “mutations” that allow dogs to digest and use starches found in plants within their bodies much more efficiently than wolves. These new genetic traits allowed even early dogs to thrive on a diet rich in plants, meaning our modern dogs are no longer strict carnivores: they have important genetic mutations that have adapted them to an omnivorous diet.

What’s more, gray wolves cover long distances in pursuit of prey and defending their pack from predators. Dogs’ wild ancestors would spend most of their day burning up calories by hunting down small mammals to eat, thus needing fatty, protein-dense meals of raw animal meat to refuel. This scenario bears little resemblance to how our relatively lazy domestic dogs receive their food.

A recent report showed that over 39 percent of dogs (that’s over 3.7 million) only get up to half an hour’s daily walk. Yet these dogs still receive at least two meals a day, placed at their paws without any physical exertion. Even when they’re walked for an hour a day, our Cavapoos and Collies don’t need all those meaty calories because they’re not living the naturally active lives of wolves.

There’s no advantage to giving dogs protein they don’t require (they can’t store the excess) and we’ve already seen that all that additional meaty fat is just making our dogs fat.  High-meat diets are generally high-calorie diets, and calories count most when it comes to lifestyle causes of weight gain. That means that we need to dramatically rethink the kind of food that we’re feeding our pets if we want them to live long, active lives. Veggie dog food contains lower fat levels and more dietary fiber, which helps your dog maintain a healthier weight. 

 The dreaded C-word

Discovering cancer in our dog is every dog owner’s worst fear but, scarily, this is now the leading cause of death in dogs. A growing number of vets are linking high cancer rates to meat-based pet foods, with dogs suffering from the subtle, long-term damage of bioaccumulation. Chemical toxins in the environment build up (bioaccumulate) in animals the higher we move up the food chain. Put simply, when our pets eat other animals, they also consume the toxins those animals ate.

Furthermore, rancid fats, often present in commercial meat-based diets, are a leading source of free radical production in dogs. These free radicals, unstable atoms that can damage cells, have been linked to the development of cancer and arthritis. Plant-based food is free of rancid fats, instead providing antioxidant, cancer-fighting ingredients like blueberries, kale, hemp and sunflower seeds, seaweed, and broccoli.

These plant-based foods deliver nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium, proven to build immunity and build healthy joints. Just ask Lewis Hamilton: he famously switched his bulldog Roscoe to a vegan diet after his dog’s arthritis worsened. On a plant-based regime, Roscoe’s swollen paws healed up and his joint pain appeared to ease. This is just one of many first-hand accounts of the positive impacts of removing meat from the dog bowl.  

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that processed and/or red meat consumption is linked to cancer in humans, urging us to reduce the amount of meat we eat. Although there’s less research on the animal side, certain cancers have been explicitly linked with high-meat dog foods.

On the flipside, a scientific study of 300 vegetarian dogs found that no dog who had been “vegan” for more than five years had cancer. All this suggests that if we take the meat out of dog food, we reduce the risk of that dreaded C-word. It’s that simple.

The hidden “extras” in commercial meat-based food

Researchers and testimonials from plant-based dog owners list a wealth of potential health benefits of feeding plant-based dog food, including fighting allergies, building immunity, and making sure your hound lives to a long, healthy old age. A 2016 study summarizes the evidence supporting the health and safety of plant-based pet food But what it all boils down to is this: by taking the meat out of pet food, you’re also taking out a lot of nasty stuff. 

Commercial meaty pet food is often made with the less appealing parts of the animal that humans can’t or don’t want to eat, like bones, fat, blood and feathers. These by-products are rendered: melted down into a meaty gruel before being dehydrated and made into kibble or mushed up with cereal and grains in cans. With rendered meat-based food you can’t see what you’re getting so all sorts of nasties can sneak in. Just Google “pet food recalls” if you want a sleepless night… 

What about raw meat feeding? According to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, raw meat pet food can introduce bad bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella and even parasites into our pets and our homes. And while the high levels of fat might make your dog’s coat shiny, they also come with obesity risks.

With plant-based food, you know exactly what you’re feeding your pet, and those ingredients won’t come with a side order of salmonella.

We believe it’s “nice” for dogs to eat meat: but wouldn’t they prefer a more varied diet?

The stereotype of a dog happily gnawing on a bone is just one of many marketing images that create a subconscious message: my dog loves meat, and he or she will be sad and deprived without it. But is your dog really less happy eating plant-based food?

Not according to the science. A recent article surveyed 2,308 owners to find out how their dogs behaved towards their food: were their tails wagging as much? Did they dash up to their bowl? Were they barking with excitement? How fast did they eat? Taking all these things into account, the researchers found “no consistent evidence of a difference between vegan diets and either conventional or raw meat diets.”

Dogs don’t crave specific foods such as chicken or beef: they crave the nutrients within them. If we can deliver those nutrients without animal meat, our dogs should love their new plant-based food just as much as their old diet. 

New plant-based startups are leading a revolution in plant-based pet food, creating food that’s tastier and more satiating than ever. And most excitingly, they’re offering a much-needed variety of tastes and textures beyond bland, meat-based kibble. After all, the images of juicy beef, fresh pink salmon or tender chicken breasts on conventional pet food packages generally have very little to do with the hard, brown kibbles or grayish mush inside.

When we consider that most dogs are eating the same meat-based meal, day in, day out – as well as meat-based treats – it’s clear that something needs to change. After all, would you want to eat the same food, every day for the rest of your life? Not only is it soul-destroying, but pet nutritionists agree that having variety is important in creating a healthy gut microbiome.

Secret sauce

How can we insist that “dogs crave real meat” when we’re feeding them animals that have been cooked and processed far beyond recognition? Why would our pets even want to eat this bland food? Well, many pet food manufacturers add a “secret sauce”: animal fat sprayed onto the food, or meat by-products treated with heat, enzymes and acids to form concentrated meat flavors.

These flavorings taste really good to pets but that doesn’t mean that they’re healthy or nutritious. After all, humans have also developed tastes for unhealthy, fatty, sugary foods but that’s not to say we should be eating them every day.

Of course, taste preference is unique to the individual: it’s unlikely that the humans you know enjoy all the same foods, so why should the dogs? We’d also get pretty bored eating the same food for every meal, day in, day out. The range of plant-based options available – from THE PACK’s “No-Moo Ragu” to HOWND’s fresh blueberry and coconut porridge – mean that you can feed your dog a variety of different flavors and textures, finding those they like best and mixing up mealtimes to keep it interesting.

We believe misinformation that feeding plant-based diets is breaking the law (not true!)

The shift to plant-based feeding hasn’t been helped by negative publicity around vegan diets after misinformed suggestions that feeding plant-based diets could be in breach of the UK’s Animal Welfare Act. This is simply not true: the Animal Welfare Act states that owners must feed a “suitable diet” meeting their dog’s nutritional needs. Absolutely nowhere are vegan or vegetarian diets mentioned as unsuitable.

To suggest that dogs, who are omnivores not obligate carnivores, need meat to be healthy, is unscientific. As veterinarian and animal welfare expert Professor Andrew Knight puts it, “The claim is that animals on vegan diets will necessarily become ill and it’s somehow cruel to maintain them, is contrary to the scientific evidence in this field and is ignorant.”

Do vegan dogs get enough protein? 

If you’re vegan, you’re probably all too familiar with the question, “but where do you get your protein?” It will come as no surprise that “vegan” dogs are often subjected to the same cross-examination. In fact, because of the common misconception that dogs are obligate carnivores, the idea of a plant-based pup is even harder to stomach. So what’s the deal with dogs and protein?

According to current nutritional guidelines for dogs in Europe, the minimum amount of protein required for canine growth is 18 percent of daily food consumption. With dry kibble, you’ll see on the labels that protein makes up 18-25 percent of nutritional composition in most complete dog foods. With wet food, it will appear less due to the additional moisture content: once you remove that, the protein percentage is often even higher.

Protein molecules are molecular “strings” made up of 20 common amino acids. When dogs eat protein, their digestive system breaks down these strings into their amino acid building blocks, which are then used by your dog’s body to make lots of different proteins: the ones needed at any particular moment to build muscle, produce hormones or fight infection. If their diet contains enough of these amino acid building blocks, dogs can make half of the 20 amino acids on their own (including Taurine).

However, there are 10 amino acids that they can’t create, which means they must be eaten. A dog food must contain all of them in adequate levels to meet the official nutritional standards which allow the food to be labeled “complete”.

Is it just meat products that contain these ten essential amino acids? Of course not. High-quality plant protein sources, just like you find in complete vegan dog food, can also contain all ten. This isn’t just theory: last year, a study in a reputed veterinary journal compared the nutritional soundness of 19 meat-based and ten plant-based pet foods. What did it find? That plant-based diets were superior to meat-based diets.

The sheer number of healthy plant-based dogs today is testament to the science. You might have heard of Bramble, a Collie who once held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog at 27 years of age. Like her owner, Bramble lived on a strict meat-free diet of rice, lentils, organic vegetables and that firm vegan favorite,”nooch”. So not only can dogs survive on plant-based food, time after time, they’ve been shown to thrive without meat. 

The future of dog food

One dog guardian has seen her 15-month Vizla, Keaton, doing just that: not just thriving health-wise, but delighting in his “vegan” meals. Happy owner Sharon tells us, “He can’t get enough quickly enough, and he has the same keenness three days later, which is impressive. Now all I have to do is teach him table manners…” 

Sharon has been feeding THE PACK, one of the leading companies in this emerging space. The London-based startup is on a mission to create the world’s most nutritious plant-based dog food that dogs love to eat. Healthy products that don’t compromise on taste is the mantra of THE PACK, which launched the world’s first plant-based meat-alternative wet food for dogs late last year.  No more invisible nasties: open a can of THE PACK and you see exactly what you’re getting: visible lupin beans, chunks of butternut squash and other ingredients, easily identifiable as real food. 

Founders Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel are pet parents who were shocked by the extent of the health crisis in dogs. Clarkson and Nadel teamed up with world-leading experts in pet food nutrition, veterinarians and scientists, and set about building a company to transform pet health for the better.

It’s just one of a number of emerging pet food companies worldwide which are revolutionizing the industry with nutritious, delicious, ethical dog food that’s more than a match for meat-based alternatives. When creating their innovative range of wet-dog food, Clarkson explains, “We set our animal nutritionists the challenge of matching the protein levels of meat products with a plant-based wet food. This process took a lot of time, but together with world-leading experts we were able to bring a high-protein wet food to the market.” 

Palatability is also something Clarkson and Nadel are obsessed with. Nadel explains: “Dogs deserve to enjoy their food! We are constantly working with experts in dog palatability to innovate on taste and create products that dogs deserve and love.” She added that the response to THE PACK’s first products available through their website www.thepackpet.com  has been amazing: “We have had so many pet parents sharing videos and images with us of their dogs loving the food. We’re even getting raw feeders as customers, who love our products for variety in their dogs’ diets.” If advocates of raw meat food are seeing the benefits of plant-based feeding, we’re on the cusp of real change.

When we consider the health benefits of a plant-based dog diet and all the exciting new options available, it seems crazy to keep feeding our dogs meat. If we can safely nourish our dogs in a way that doesn’t harm another animal, while at the same time enhancing their health and happiness, why wouldn’t we?

New meat-free dog food alternatives are popping up every day, helping us to expand our circles of compassion to give all animals a better life, not just pets. Because in the end, the purchase of each can of dog food represents a choice about how a cow, chicken, pig, or fish lives and dies.

For those of us who have removed animal products from our own diets, game-changing new start-ups are proving that there’s no reason at all to keep feeding them to our dogs – and every reason to stop.

PBN has teamed up with THE PACK to offer 20 percent off your first purchase of its meaty, plant-based wet food for dogs. Simply use the code PBN20 when you check out at www.thepackpet.com

* This is paid-for content; funds from this article help Plant Based News continue to provide millions of people around the world with free content they know and love. We only work with brands we support and use ourselves.

The post The Health Crisis In Dogs Is Here – So Why Are We Still Feeding Them Meat? appeared first on Plant Based News.

But as hateful acts ripped through the second-largest European country, after Russia, people came forward for one another, forcing light into an otherwise dark and horrific situation. 

One of those sources of light has been the public’s love for, and commitment to, animals.

‘They deserve to be protected’

Andrea Cisternino, a photographer who runs a farm animal sanctuary in Ukraine, announced he will not be evacuating the country. Instead, Cisternino says he is staying to care for his shelter’s 400 animal residents. And, that he would “rather die” than leave them behind.

“I will die here for my animals… I have to think about saving the refuge and its 400 guests who deserve to be protected at any cost,” Cisternino wrote on his Facebook page, which now has 70,000 followers.

It’s there that the animal-lover shares updates on his circumstances. One clip shows Russian military helicopters flying overhead the shelter, which is home to cows, pigs, horses, goats, sheep, dogs, and cats. At other times, Cisternino can hear gunfire outside.

“There’s the curfew from 10 pm to 7 am, we have to turn everything off,” Cisternino said, per Euronews.

“I’ve never seen a war before. This morning I was looking out of the window, one kilometer away there was a mortar hit and I smelt gunpowder,” he explained. “I was not used to it.”

He later added: “Now there are shots coming from two opposite sides, the smoke is arising from the right and left. But mainly they start from [the airport], I think. But now they’re fighting not far from here, so…”

Cisternino’s posts ceased on February 25, but a Facebook user wrote yesterday that they had spoken to his partner, Vlada. Vlada reportedly confirmed that Cisternino and the animals are safe, as well as three other people who are with them. Those interested can donate to the sanctuary here.

Devotion to animals

Similar scenes are unfolding elsewhere in Ukraine, with many people choosing to stay with their companion animals, despite the risks.

Rishabh Kaushik, a software engineering student at Kharkiv National University, intended to fly home to India with his family last week but changed his plans when he did not get clearance to bring his rescue dog, Maliboo.

“I decided then that if my dog can’t leave, I won’t either. I know that there is risk in staying on but I can’t just abandon him. Who will take care of him if I go?” Kaushik, whose family is now back in India, said to The Times of India.

“I have my family members to take care of me. But for Maliboo, I am his whole family. Nobody will take care of him if I leave him here,” he added. “I have taken his responsibility, I will take care of him no matter what happens.”

Courageous volunteers at animal rescues are making similar sacrifices.

Volunteers at Shelter Ugolyok, Happy Paw, Sirius, and Shelter Friend, for example, are working tirelessly to protect thousands of dogs, cats, and other animals amid the warfare.

These non-profits are in desperate need of food and other supplies; those interested in donating or contributing financially can head to their Instagram pages (linked above) for more information. There is another list of charities at the bottom of this article.

Kyiv Zoo employees have also stayed behind to care for the facility’s roughly 4,000 animals, with staff moving in to provide 24-hour supervision.

Nearby missile strikes and other forms of combat have been extremely distressing for the zoo’s inhabitants, which includes Ukraine’s only gorilla, Tony. Elephants and other vulnerable species are being given sedatives during the missile strikes and shootings.

Animal shelters hit

According to the Ukrainian animal rights organization UAnimals, at least four shelters have been hit by Russian shelling. Disturbingly, Russian forces were shooting both people and animals at wild animal shelter The Ark.

Further, the Best Friends Shelter has been completely destroyed by shelling, with first reports stating that more than 1,000 dogs died in the resulting fire.

It was confirmed today that workers at the facility were able to open the cages so that dogs and cats could escape (although, many of the animals stayed anyway). The dogs who left are now running around outside of the shelter amongst “constant shelling” with no food or water, UAnimals said.

Residents at the Gostomel animal shelter also suffered, with multiple animals dying from heart attacks due to nearby explosions.

Others were hit by bullets, and homeless animals living nearby the rescue have also died. Thousands more remain at risk; there are an estimated 50,000 stray animals living in Ukraine.

European Commission calls on member states to help families with pets

One million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. But due to border restrictions, among other factors, many are forced to make a decision between staying in the warzone or leaving their companion animals behind.

In an effort to help such families, the European Commission has advised all 27 EU Member States to loosen their veterinary paperwork requirements for pets, so that those with companion animals can cross borders more easily to seek refuge. 

Animal rights charity Humane Society International/Europe (HSI) commended the “precedent setting” and “compassionate” sentiment. The organization’s executive director, Ruud Tombrock, released a statement in response. 

“We are deeply concerned for the people and animals impacted by Russia’s military action in Ukraine, and so we welcome the European Commission’s recognition that people fleeing the conflict care deeply about their companion animals as beloved members of their family and will want to keep them safe,” Tombrock said in a statement sent to Plant Based News.

“Those seeking refuge will be greatly relieved to know that they can make evacuation plans to EU countries with their pets without unnecessary delay. This is a precedent-setting compassionate stance from the EU that we very much hope will be replicated around the world during similar conflict situations.

“People should not have to jeopardize their own safety in efforts to prevent their animals from being left behind to fend for themselves.”  

At the time of writing, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia have all relaxed entry restrictions in order to assist those who need it, PETA reports.

Animal charities in Ukraine, and where to donate

PETA

PETA, thought to be the world’s largest animal rights organization, is one of the many working tirelessly to assist people and animals in Ukraine. 

A team from PETA Germany traveled to the Polish and Romanian borders to provide on-the-ground assistance. The non-profit has picked up at least six refugees as well as dogs and cats. One “caring guardian” had carried her cat Crimsee more than 37 miles out of the warzone, according to PETA. The charity said that when she arrived, the woman “was so exhausted that she could barely stand.”

PETA Germany is also helping deliver supplies like blankets, and coordinating the drop-off of 40,000 pounds of pet food to shelters in Ukraine. 

The animal rights charity has also released a video report on the situation in Ukraine in collaboration with vegan streaming service UnchainedTV.

You can donate to PETA here

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) 

IFAW is providing emergency aid to Shelter Pif – located in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, which is home to more than 800 dogs – and the Holivka Shelter, located in Gorlovka in eastern Ukraine with 300 dogs. The latter rescue was recently hit by shelling, resulting in the death of one animal. Despite the damage, staff have remained at the facility to continue caring for the animals.

You can donate to IFAW here

Save the Wild

Save the Wild, an animal protection organization, manages White Rock Bear Shelter which rescues bears suffering in private zoos and circuses, for example.

The team are now working relentlessly to save as many animals as possible from the disaster in Ukraine. Lending their support to fellow rescue centers, White Rock Bear Shelter has helped transport several lions and tigers, an African wild dog, caracals, and a monkey.  

The animals were transported from Wild Animal Rescue to a Zoo Poznań in Poland for temporary shelter. It was uncertain whether the animals would make it to the Polish border, when “tragic news” emerged that Russian tanks had surrounded the convoy, the zoo wrote on Facebook.

But the animals “miraculously survived the transport through the area covered by war and fire,” the zoo said. It added that the animals “are a symbol of saving life, the value of which is enormous, especially when we witness war crimes committed against people and animals in Ukraine.”

You can donate to Save the Wild and White Rock Bear Shelter here

UAnimals

Providing support to shelters in need across Ukraine, UAnimals has sent supplies to at least 14 facilities so far.

You can donate to UAnimals here

And a list of resources for those fleeing Ukraine with their pets can be found here

The post How People Are Coming Forward For Animals In Ukraine, And Where To Donate appeared first on Plant Based News.

A group of bold women walk the streets in lingerie to raise awareness of animal cruelty in a brand new short documentary broadcast on UnchainedTV, the all-vegan streaming TV network.

The Lingerie Protest features Australian Dita Von Teese model and activist Stefania Ferrario, who wanted to draw attention to the cruelty animals face. 

In the documentary she said: “Unfortunately animals in animal agriculture have no bodily autonomy so for us to use our bodies to spread awareness was incredibly powerful.”

Fueled by the lack of news coverage about the devastation of animal agriculture, Ferrario teamed up with fellow activist and vegan influencer Tash Peterson.

They wanted to get the public’s attention and wake people up by whatever means necessary. 

Wearing nothing but lingerie and holding provocative signs, the two women brought together a group of vegan influencers who took to the streets of Melbourne to share their message. 

This started a wave of similar animal rights protests around the world.

Now women (and some men) are braving the streets of major cities in the US, Europe, and Asia in defense of animals, carrying signs with slogans such as “stop abusing animals” and “stop breastfeeding from cows.” The documentary is a collaboration between UnchainedTV and New York-based production company CaveLight Films.

To watch the Lingerie Protest, download the free UnchainedTV app via the iPhone or Android app stores. Or, enter UnchainedTV on your Roku device, AppleTV device, or Amazon Fire Stick. You can also download UnchainedTV on LG and Samsung SmartTVs.

Alternatively, visit UnchainedTV.com and click WATCH NOW.

Doing anything it takes to defend animals

This isn’t the first time these women have stood up for animals. Last year, Ferrario worked with PETA Australia on a campaign encouraging consumers to “leave wool behind.”

She appeared on billboards and in videos sharing the reality of Australia’s wool industry, where 70-80 percent of merino lambs are still mulesed, sometimes without pain relief.  

Mulesing is a surgical procedure that removes four strips of perineal skin to prevent a parasite infection known as flystrike.

In one PETA video Ferrario described the abuse at sheep shearing facilities in the country as “rampant.”

The international model has worked with some of the biggest fashion labels including Dita Von Teese, Myer, Target, and Berlei. 

She is said to have a clause in her contract stating she won’t wear any animal-derived materials in advertisements.

Meanwhile, Peterson is notorious for activism in Australia and online, where she’s known by the name Vgan Bootyy on Instagram. Peterson made headlines in 2021 after entering a Louis Vuitton store in Perth wearing nothing but panties.

She was reported to have said she was protesting against cruelty in the leather, wool, and fur industries.

Global protests

The protests taking place for the UnchainedTV mini series have already reached millions and helped spark important conversations around the world. 

Not all protestors were able to walk the streets in lingerie though. In Japan, where there is a risk of being arrested for such an act, the women participating chose to wear Santa costumes instead.

The seven-minute pilot episode, available free for subscribers to the UnchainedTV network, raises questions about animal welfare, the climate crisis, body autonomy, and woman empowerment. 

It includes high quality footage of the global lingerie protests and interviews with Ferrario, as well as high-profile protestors who took part in New York, Tokyo, and Switzerland.

Renowned vegan content

Those tuning into UnchainedTV will also gain access to classic vegan movies, including Earthlings, Countdown to Year Zero, The Invisible Vegan, and Vegucated. But also cutting-edge climate campaigns.

Viewers will find plant-based recipes and profiles for some of the world’s most successful vegan business leaders and plant-powered athletes.

Visit UnchainedTV.com to learn more.

* This is paid-for content; funds from this article help Plant Based News continue to provide millions of people around the world with free content they know and love. We only work with brands we support and use ourselves.

The post Bold Women In Lingerie Protest For Animal Rights In UnchainedTV Documentary appeared first on Plant Based News.

Vegetarian beginnings

“I was born into a vegetarian family. Along the way, I discovered my love and passion for animals, and that became a lifelong learning journey for me. And along that path, I became vegan.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

Born in Rajasthan, which is known for being majority-vegetarian, Vikas was raised meat-free from birth.

His family relocated to America when he was four years old. Subsequently, dairy became a much more prominent part of his diet. This vegetarian lifestyle ignited a lifelong love for animals, but Vikas revealed that in 2008 he began to question everything.

A family illness prompted him to start questioning his food choices. Meanwhile, an overwhelming love for his dog further deepened his connection to the suffering of animals. 

Eathlings documentary inspires change

Vikas also cites the documentary Earthlings as having an instrumental role in his life-changing decision to go vegan.

“I watched Earthlings for the first time, and it blew me away… Overnight it became really obvious that these ideas I had around dairy and leather were so misplaced.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

He describes watching the documentary as a defining moment in his life. Now, he calls his decision to go vegan his “north star.” 

Spirituality and urbanization in India

During the podcast, Vikas discusses the complex relationship between religion and animal welfare in India.

The cow is a sacred animal for many Hindus, who make up over 80 percent of India’s population. But Vikas notes that this doesn’t necessarily result in a good life for the animals.

“People in India tend to have a very romantic view of the cow, which doesn’t actually show up in the treatment of the animal.” 

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

He goes on to tell us how the vegan movement has ramped up in India in recent years. But, that increasing urbanization is driving the demand for processed foods. 

Much of the traditional Indian food eaten in the countryside is meat-free, so Vikas says focussing on increasing plant-based options in these urban areas is critical.

He now works with Humane Society International and other organizations to promote animal welfare in India.

Quits everything to focus on sustainability

In 2015 Vikas moved from the US to Singapore to pursue the next steps in his successful career in finance. However, he began to rethink his corporate path in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential elections. 

Vikas was blown away by the election of Donald Trump. Primarily, the role social media played. The communication platforms we navigate every day can be used in unethical ways, Vikas notes. But he was also excited about their potential to change the world for good. 

As such, he started to feel like his professional life as an investment banker wasn’t reflecting his values.

Mindful scrolling

He wanted to put his skills and expertise towards a pursuit that aligned better with his personal beliefs – a project that would do good and inspire social change.

“I wanted to create something that inspires people, I really felt that social media could be rebuilt into creating mindful scrolling. I really felt that the planet, positivity, and the animals deserved a voice.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

He started to dream up ways of re-inventing social media, and the idea of “mindful scrolling” took hold of him. That’s how the idea for abillion was born. And at the start of 2017, he resigned from his job to embark on this new journey.

Setting up abillionveg

Knowing nothing whatsoever about tech, Vikas rolled up his sleeves and joined a three-month coding boot camp. This is where he met his first collaborator Jonathan Ng, who later became the technical product manager at the company. 

First operating under the name abillionveg (soon to become simply abillion), the start-up was officially launched in May 2018.

Vikas’ overarching ambition is to inspire a billion people (hence the name abillion) to join the plant-based movement by 2030, as well as donate $1 billion to support animal welfare causes.

With his concept of “social media for a better planet,” his mission is to change the world one vegan dish or product at a time.

“We want to make it really easy for people around the world to discover vegan options and more sustainable options.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

The first post on the platform came from Singapore. From there, word of mouth played an important role in spreading the word about abillion and its mission.

How abillion works

Abillion aims to make it easier for people around the world to live sustainably with user-generated content in the form of reviews. 

One of the problems that Vikas sought to address is that in the restaurant industry, most online reviews often fail to mention vegan or vegetarian dishes. This is because the majority of menu items typically cater to omnivores.

So, abillion is designed to review dishes and products rather than restaurants, opening up a lot more options for the consumer. 

Abillion serves as the voice of the consumer

Users can post reviews of vegan options at their favorite restaurants, or of vegan products they use. This creates a direct feedback loop with those businesses and manufacturers. 

This can influence the way businesses interact with their customers, ultimately leading to social change on a global scale.

“We need to be really focused on the people. How can we shift from that mindless scrolling to mindfulness? How do we make that experience valuable to them so they feel inspired by these choices they’re making.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

Vikas also shares that the majority of people using the platform are neither vegan nor vegetarian:

“Sixty percent of the users of the platform are actually not vegan or vegetarian. They are meat-eaters who want to experience the lifestyle.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

Now, the platform has an ever-growing catalog of reviews from over 90 countries around the world. Its user base is rapidly growing too, particularly in places like Singapore, the US, and the UK.

“We crossed a million downloads recently. We crossed a million US dollars donated last week, which is super exciting.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

True to its underlying philosophy, the company uses the data gathered in a responsible manner to illustrate the market trends influenced directly by consumers. It also shares industry insights and advocates for sustainable choices that protect the planet.

Abillion launched a dedicated space to share these insights in an effort to help other companies, entrepreneurs, and policymakers discover the impact of the plant-based movement. And, to recognize the opportunities for social impact on a global scale. 

Creating meaningful impact

Launching the app was only the beginning. Vikas continued to seek ways in which abillion could have an even more tangible and positive impact on the world.

In 2018, the team at abillion came up with an ingenious way to redirect the company’s marketing dollars.

They began contacting farm animal sanctuaries around the world and developed a donation mechanism on the platform. That way, every time users choose to eat something vegan, they are rewarded with a donation credit they can send to one of the partner animal sanctuaries.

As Vikas shares, this feature is one of the things that is unique to the abillion platform.

“We felt very strongly that we didn’t want to spend money marketing on social media. And we wanted to really create a group and a tribe of people… That was just our way of connecting folks back with the impact.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

What’s next for abillion?

Another way in which abillion has been able to create impact is by branching out from restaurant and dish reviews into featuring consumer products and packaged food. 

For example, users can discover more about the over 15,000 options of plant-based meat alternatives from all over the world. Since its inception, abillion has grown to include reviews of all kinds of vegan products, including sustainable fashion, cosmetics, and more.

Vikas hopes to inspire and empower other entrepreneurs who want to create businesses, launch products, and help the movement. With a focus on vegan products and sustainability, in the first half of 2022, abillion will pilot the idea in a single market before working on expanding globally. 

“What I really want to do is build a platform that helps the next 1,000 or 10,000 entrepreneurs get their foot in this space. We’re creating the first ever consumer-to-consumer marketplace.”

— Vikas Garg on The PBN Podcast

“There are all of these people coming up with creative solutions… I’m a die-hard optimist and a realist, and it’s exciting how more and more people around the world are taking action.”

You can listen to the conversation in full on The PBN Podcast here. 

The post Vikas Garg Aims To Inspire A Billion People To Go Vegan With Abillion App appeared first on Plant Based News.

Vegan meat and other plant-based alternatives have come a long way since their humble beginnings. Not too long ago, shoppers would be hard-pressed to find vegan versions of many classic meals. And once they stumbled upon them, vegan food often wasn’t affordable.

Now, supermarket chains are catching up, and as a result, more people are trying out vegan and vegetarian foods. The switch has also prompted conversation, leading a growing number of people to ditch animal products altogether for ethical, environmental and health reasons. 

And the fast food sector is no exception. Major chains like McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, and Subway, to name a few, are keen to profit from consumers’ shifting habits and have launched plant-based products of their own. 

And while many diners would prefer to avoid such conglomerates (more on this in a minute), the likes of McDonald’s are best known for accessible and affordable fast food, leaving smaller plant-based brands struggling to compete. 

Ready Burger

Enter Ready Burger. The vegan fast food chain opened its doors last year with a view to rival the meat industry. And, to shake up the food system which has long pushed meat and other animal products over vegan alternatives. 

It plans to do this by offering convenient, delicious, and budget-friendly versions of the classic fast food options many people grew up with and have come to love. 

The 99p Ready Burger is a fine example of this. The burger features diced white onion, pickles, American mustard, and Heinz tomato ketchup. And, importantly, a meat-like yet meat-free patty, crafted with mushrooms, soy, and oats. 

Plant Based News’ co-founder Robbie Lockie and social media manager Giuseppe Federici went to a Ready Burger eatery in Crouch End, London, to find out how it compares. 

Does vegan fast food actually taste good?

The verdict? It’s a yes from us. 

“I really loved the burgers. A huge 10/10 from me,” Lockie said. “No animal cruelty, a considerably lower carbon footprint and super tasty to boot. I can say for sure they are a much better product in numerous ways than the global burger giant McDonalds.”

“It’s just like McDonald’s,” they continued. “The burgers themselves really taste and feel just like a regular McDonald’s burger. And the whole place, and even the packaging, is styled in a very similar way.”

The menu is equally tongue-in-cheek. Ready Burger’s Big Ready, for example, is an all-vegan take on the well-loved Big Mac. 

The plant-based food chain also offers cheeseburgers, chicken burgers, double bacon cheeseburgers, crispy chicken fillets, fries, and its Texas Stacker. The latter comes complete with two grilled vegan patties, dairy-free cheese, lettuce, pickles, crispy onion rings, black pepper mayonnaise, and smokey barbecue sauce. 

A variety of dips, classic soft drinks, and vegan soft serve ice creams are also available. 

“The food hits that classic ‘bliss point,’” Lockie said. “It’s incredible. It’s the same sensation of McDonald’s. This could easily replace conventional fast food.”

“There’s absolutely no reason why Ready Burger couldn’t grow into a huge organization, because the products themselves are so good,” they continued. 

“It offers the same experience, taste, affordability, and speed that McDonald’s does. But of course it doesn’t contain any animal products, meaning it strays away from being inherently cruel like the big fast food companies.”

Are fast food companies ethical?

Overall, plant-based launches from fast food titans have won approval from consumers. When KFC UK launched its first vegan-friendly burger in 2019, the product sold out across the country. In fact, sales of the plant-based Imposter burger were 500 percent higher than its conventional chicken burger.

The same year, KFC US trialled plant-based chicken nuggets, selling a week’s worth of chicken in just five hours. 

But not everyone is rushing to try the meatless options. Firstly, many fast food restaurants prepare their plant-based options in the same oil or on the same grill as their meat-based meals, which deters some plant-powered diners completely.

Additionally, Lockie explains that “some vegans don’t want to eat food from these huge companies because they’ve profited off animal cruelty for so long.”

McDonald’s, for instance, began as a small barbecue stand run by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in the ‘40s. 

But by 1952, the company was already plating up one million hamburgers a year. Now, it’s estimated that McDonald’s is closing in on its 400 billionth burger sale.

There are no public figures surrounding how many animals the chain slaughters to produce this amount of food. But on its website, McDonald’s reveals that due to mincing and blending processes, a single batch of its beef can contain meat from more than 100 cows. 

The mass production of animal-based foods has environmental drawbacks too. Research points to beef as one of, if not the most environmentally destructive foods on the planet, due to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and deforestation. 

An animal-free solution

Eager to sidestep these concerns, Ready Burger made the commitment early on to prioritize sustainable, cruelty-free products and processes.

As such, Ready Burger’s vegan beef requires 70 percent less water and 93 percent less land to produce compared to conventional beef. It’s also responsible for 92 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

“Regardless of your personal stance, the reality is that many people consume fast food and are just looking for easy, affordable choices that don’t compromise on taste,” Lockie said. “Ready Burger is already delivering that, but without many of the ethical implications. And I truly believe that it won’t take long for the general public to discover this too.”

Ready Burger’s Crouch End location opened in May 2021, and the team welcomed their second location on Finchley Road in London less than six months later. 

The company’s third and fourth sites are slated to open early this year. Ultimately, Ready Burger has its sights set on global expansion.

Those interested can visit Ready Burger’s website for more information.

* This is paid-for content; funds from this article help Plant Based News continue to provide millions of people around the world with free content they know and love. We only work with brands we support and use ourselves.

The post Could This Vegan Fast Food Chain, Ready Burger, Be The Next McDonald’s? appeared first on Plant Based News.

They were generally quite difficult to spot. This is because when there’s a perceived threat – like a bunch of humans in scuba gear – they rapidly mimic their surroundings by changing color. Like magic, they’d disappear. 

This action is just one of many complex behaviors observed in octopi. Researchers use it to provide evidence of sentience – which is not just the capacity to feel pain, but also pleasure, hunger, thirst, warmth, joy, comfort, and excitement.

Despite this, humans are making woeful waves in intensively farming the creatures. Here’s why it’s such a terrifying prospect…

Octopus sentience 

A recent assessment of research by the London School of Economics reviewed over 300 scientific publications and concluded that there is “very strong evidence of sentience in octopods.”

This was an important finding because, on November 19, 2021, it led to the UK government’s announcement about amending the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. 

Finally, crabs, octopuses, and lobsters were recognized as sentient beings in government policy decision-making. The bill is yet to pass as law, however.

So, on the one hand, 2021 was a great year for the octopus! On the other, however, it was not. 

Just one month later, news came to light that the Spanish multinational, Nueva Pescanova, has “won the race to discover the secret to breeding octopus in captivity.”

This was in order to “start marketing farmed octopus next summer, to sell it in 2023” – something that activists, scientists, and conservationists alike have long feared. 

Sealife, not food – surely?

Eating octopus isn’t something new. They’ve featured on menus around the world for years, including my local YO! Sushi in Bristol, UK. But as the demand for octopus dishes rises, populations of wild octopi decline. 

This feels somewhat inevitable since, despite all the warnings, we can’t seem to stop ourselves from overfishing the planet. 

According to the BBC, “an estimated 350,000 tonnes [of octopus] are caught each year – more than 10 times the number caught in 1950.”

As a result of this increasing consumer market, the food sector has been eager to find a solution to dwindling supplies. It’s turning its attention to intensive farming methods. 

However, the industry has huge obstacles to overcome in terms of how to feed and breed them efficiently. This is because octopi are an asocial and carnivorous species. 

There are also, of course, many ethical red flags raised when assessing the impact of intensive farming. This is on the foundations of animal welfare legislation – namely the Five Freedoms.

Factory farming is a modern form of farming animals that uses highly intensive methods, prioritizing profit over welfare. In this system, animals are robbed of any freedom to express normal behaviors and their lives are cut extraordinarily short as they head to the slaughterhouse at a fraction of their natural lifespans. 

They’re selectively bred with the desired traits to grow quickly and are densely packed in overcrowded units with little to no environmental enrichment, which ultimately has a detrimental effect on their overall social, physical, and psychological wellbeing. 

These conditions also provide an ideal breeding ground for disease.

What is aquaculture and why is it dangerous?

Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic animals, is a poor attempt to reduce overexploitation of wild fish populations and has become the world’s fastest-growing food production system. This is despite it being a relatively recent development. 

There are a diverse range of fish species farmed across the globe. They include carp, sea bass, tilapia, salmon, trout, and tuna – which are housed in a variety of extensive freshwater pond or sea cage systems.

These systems have stocking densities ranging from low to high (each of which has its own welfare issues). 

Worldwide, more than 1.3 trillion farmed fish are slaughtered annually and over half the seafood products lining our supermarket shelves have been intensively farmed.

The problem

Like land animals bred for food, farmed fish have developed abnormal traits relating to chronic stress. They experience increased aggression, injury, and illness which in turn, negatively impact the surrounding environment.

The following all contribute to a reduction in water quality that increases pollution. 

• Excess feed
• Fecal matter build-up
• Overused antibiotics, fertilizers, and disinfectants

Mass escapes of farmed fish have also led to hybridizations and the transmission of deadly diseases to wild fish.

One of the more concerning issues with fish farming is its reliance on wild-caught fish to feed carnivorous farmed fish, which effectively increases the pressure of fishing activities rather than reducing it.

As already mentioned, octopuses are a carnivorous species. Therefore, in a farmed setting, would require fishmeal and fish oils in their feed.

This contributes to the industry’s already unsustainable dependence on wild fish populations. And, further food insecurities around West Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. 

Ultimate self-sacrifice

By their very nature, octopuses are solitary animals, highly inquisitive and remarkably intelligent.

With their blue blood, three hearts, and doughnut-shaped brains they’ve fascinated us. With their astounding self-sacrifice to brood their young, they’ve moved us. 

Once a female octopus lays her eggs, she painstakingly weaves them together into long strands that she’ll then guard against predators.

Moreover, she provides a constant supply of fresh oxygenated water, gently wafting currents around them. 

Unable to leave her clutch to feed, she is drained by her efforts and will eventually die of starvation and exhaustion.

Ethical implications of farming octopi

For the farming industry, death before a second generation is a major challenge.

And, the impact of premature separation will undoubtedly cause a considerable welfare issue. 

Due to this and the fact that octopi are often aggressive towards each other in confined spaces, the London School of Economics review also states: “We are convinced that high-welfare octopus farming is impossible.” 

And yet, Nueva Pescanova aims to produce 3,000 tonnes of octopus per year.

So far, the company’s refused to reveal any details about the conditions in which the octopus will be held captive – “the size of the tanks, the food they will eat and how they will be killed are all secret.” 

Aquatic animals are the least protected of all farmed species and at present, there are no scientifically validated methods for their humane slaughter. 

With the explosion of plant-based alternatives on the food market, further development of animal agriculture is a clear recipe for disaster. 

To end animal cruelty, protect the planet and improve our health it’s time to divest in unnecessarily destructive practices and go vegan. Our future depends on it.  

The post Octopus Farming: Why It’s A Travesty For Animal Welfare And The Environment appeared first on Plant Based News.

Society is far from where it should be in a lot of ways – including its treatment (and exploitation) of animals. There’s no denying we have a long way to go. But here are just some of the ways humankind stood up for animals in 2021.

And, may we progress even further in 2022.

Animal testing

• The European Parliament passed a historic resolution that calls on the European Commission to develop an action plan to end experiments on animals across the continent. And, introduce animal-free research in its place.
• Mexico became the first country in North America to ban animal testing for cosmetics.
• Five US states banned the sale of animal-tested cosmetics, meaning eight in total now have such a ban in place: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, and Virginia.
• Major haircare brand TRESemmé pledged to ban animal testing on its products around the world, and gained cruelty-free certification.
• North America’s largest chocolate manufacturer, Blommer Chocolate Company, pledged to stop testing on animals. The 82-year-old company confirmed the ban after pressure from PETA.
• More than 1.3 million people signed a petition urging for dogs, cats, and monkeys to be allowed to “retire” after experiments into adoption, rather than be euthanized. The petition is still gaining traction (you can sign it here).

Animals used for entertainment and sport

• France made multiple historic decisions for animals this year. The country banned circuses from using captive wild animals. This means France’s 120 circus owners will not be able to use elephants, big cats, and bears, for example, in their shows.
  
  Further, France outlawed the use of wild animals in television shows, nightclubs, and private parties. It also banned live dolphin shows and mink fur farming, forcing the country to close its last remaining mink farm.
  
  Additionally, the French government raised the maximum penalty for animal abuse to five years in prison and a €75,000 fine. And finally, those wishing to purchase a pet must wait one week until taking the animal home. It’s thought that this measure will help prevent impulsive purchases, which can lead to the abandonment and mistreatment of animals.
  

• The UK welcomed animal rights legislation that prohibits big game hunters from bringing back the body parts of 7,000 species, including rhinos, elephants, lions, leopards, and polar bears. The bill is considered one of the toughest in the world.

• Leading travel company Expedia declared it would stop selling holiday packages that include captive dolphin, whale, and other cetacean shows. Seaside animal sanctuaries can still be advertised, as long as they do not offer interactions or performances.
  
  Further, Expedia does not allow intentional physical contact with wild and exotic animals, like bears and big cats, or attractions that use animals as props (such as for selfies).
  
  Activities centered around harming animals, like spearfishing and bullfighting, are prohibited. Expedia also banned “demeaning” wild animal performances, including for circus shows.

Legal recognition and sentience

• In a momentous decision, the UK government officially recognized various sea animals as sentient. These include cephalopod molluscs (squids and octopuses, for example) and decapod crustaceans (like crabs, lobsters, and shrimp).
  
  It came after an 80-page report reviewed more than 300 studies and found significant evidence of the animals’ sentience. Researchers defined sentience as having the capacity to not only feel pain, but experience feelings of joy, pleasure, comfort, stress, and excitement.
  

• Across the pond, in the US, animals were recognized as legal persons for the first time in a US District Court. Around 100 hippos were granted the rights to protect them from slaughter. The Colombian government had planned to kill the animals, who are descendants of the hippos imported by the infamous Pablo Escobar.
  

• Spain passed legislation that grants pets and wild animals more rights. Now, they will no longer be considered “objects.” Along a similar vein, Turkey passed a law that recognizes animals as more than just “commodities.”

Animals in the food system

• In July, Argentina became the first country in the world to effectively ban salmon farming. Environmentalists and animal rights advocates alike applauded the move, with Greenpeace naming it a “tremendous step towards protecting the ecosystem.”
  
  Faye Lewis, head of communications at vegan charity Viva!, named salmon production a “reckless industry.” Lewis noted that Argentina’s ban “sets a real precedent for the rest of the world to follow.”
  

• The UK also made waves within the seafood industry last year, when it announced a “world-leading” ban on the shark fin trade – including imports and exports.
  

• Germany’s Cabinet approved a draft law to ban the mass culling of male chicks. The legislation would avoid the slaughter of around 45 million male chicks a year, estimates say.
  

• Following a petition that garnered more than 1.4 million signatures, the European Commission announced plans to ban the use of cages in animal farming systems across the continent. This applies to cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese, to name a few. It’s expected the legislation will impact more than 300 million farm animals a year.
  

• In November, the Welsh government unveiled its five-year plan to improve animal welfare across the country. The commitments include restricting the use of cages for farm animals, and installing CCTV in slaughterhouses. It’s hoped that surveillance systems will deter workers from mistreating farm animals, and ensure that other welfare standards at met for animals during their final moments.

Fur farms

• As 2021 was drawing to a close, Italy made headlines when it announced plans to implement a permanent ban on fur farming. The ban protects animals like mink, foxes, chinchillas, and raccoon dogs from being bred for their fur. As such, the country’s ten remaining mink fur farms will be forced to shut down by June 30, 2022. Italy is now the 16th country in Europe to make such a move.
  

• The announcement followed a similar pledge made by British Columbia (BC) in November. The Canadian province said it would phase out its mink fur farming trade over public health concerns – specifically, surrounding COVID-19. The breeding of mink and keeping the animals on farms will be prohibited by April 2023. Reportedly, the delay is to allow the province’s remaining nine mink farms to prepare for closure. All operations, including the sell off of all furs, must halt entirely by 2025.

Fur in fashion

• It could be argued that the downfall of fur is most prominent within the fashion sector itself. In December, ELLE, purported to be the largest fashion magazine in the world, announced a global ban on the promotion of fur. It’s said to be the first major fashion magazine to do so. The company pledged to never again advertise the animal product via any of its editorials, websites, social media pages, or images – online or in print. The ban applies to all of ELLE’s more than 30 editions around the globe.
  

• A host of major fashion labels said goodbye to fur too. One of the world’s largest luxury fashion companies, Kering Group, dropped fur from all of its brands for ethical reasons. Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Brioni, to name a few, are all operated by Kering, which said going fur-free was “the right thing to do.”
  

• Canada Goose committed to removing coyote fur trim from its jackets, asserting that its “future is fur free.” The company added: “We believe that what we do matters, and how we do it is just as important. Also in 2021, Adidas permanently banned fur, and in doing so, became the 1,500th apparel company to join Fur Free Retailer.
  

• Neiman Marcus – owner of luxury department stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Last Call, and Horchow – promised to stop selling fur, as did Saks Fifth Avenue, Valentino, and leading Canadian department store Holt Renfrew.
  

• Further, Armani Group – which heads brands like Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani – banned Angora fur. And so did luxury fashion retailers Farfetch and Valentino.

Leaving leather behind

• Like fur, animal skins seem to be falling out of favor with the public too. In October, A-lister fashion house Altuzarra, which has been sported by names like Meghan Markle and Reese Witherspoon, confirmed a ban on exotic animal skins. The announcement followed pressure from PETA, which sent Altuzarra footage of animal cruelty in the snake and crocodile skin trade.
  

• Shortly after, Danish brand Ganni revealed it was removing animal-based leather from its collections. Instead, the company will use plant-based leather made from grapes. Ganni is kicking things off with grape leather shoes, slated for a 2022 launch.
  

• In the automotive world, Volvo ramped up its sustainability efforts when it announced it was ditching leather interiors. The car manufacturer is exploring materials made from forestry byproducts, plastic bottles, and recycled corks in its place. Further, Volvo announced it was making its cars fully electric by the end of the decade.

Honorable mentions

• At the start of June, titan beauty brand The Body Shop announced it was removing all animal products from its lineup and going fully vegan. Lionel Thoreau, global brand director of the company, said the transition to veganism was a “natural next step for The Body Shop.”
  
  “Thanks to our founder Anita Roddick, we were the first beauty company to fight against animal testing in cosmetics, and the first major global beauty brand to use cruelty-free musk in our fragrances. Vegan beauty is a critical next step in our sustainability and environmental endeavors,” Thoreau said.
  
  On its website, The Body Shop elaborates on the importance of protecting animals. It writes: “If you’ve ever said hello to a dog, seen a nature documentary or a picture of a baby goat, you’ll know that animals are pretty special. They’re living breathing reminders that this planet wasn’t made only for us.
  
  “Some of these creatures have been around long before us, propping up vast ecosystems. Lots of them know how to play, they feel fear, they suffer. Many of us understand this intuitively, but somehow animal products keep turning up in our beauty.”

• And finally, Veganuary 2021 helped start last year off the right way, when more than 580,000 people signed up to go vegan for January. As a result, more than two million animals’ lives were spared in just a month, a report by the organization found.

Veganuary 2022 is expected to be the biggest yet, and it’s not too late to join in.

Those interested can take the Veganuary pledge here.

The post Here Are Over 40 Ways Society Stepped Up For Animal Rights In 2021 appeared first on Plant Based News.

And, that animals killed for food live happy and content lives. All of which are completely untrue.

The breeding, rearing, and slaughter of animals for food is a barbaric practice that has no place in modern-day society. As a nation of animal lovers, we are shocked by examples of animal cruelty to cats, dogs, and other domestic animals.

Yet, most turn a blind eye to the miserable short lives of factory-farmed animals.

Meat industry horrors

Over 80 per cent of farmed animals spend their short and wretched lives in factory farms, crammed into filthy sheds with little or no natural light.

Bred for rapid growth, they are highly stressed and this combination of factors provides the perfect environment for pathogens to mutate and spread. It’s hard to tell which poses the greater threat from factory farming, antibiotic-resistant superbugs or a mutating virus.

Both could be the source of the next pandemic.

For over 25 years I have investigated some of the UK’s worst factory farms. I’ve witnessed the miserable lives of pigs, dairy cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and egg-laying hens. The sights, smells, and horrors I have seen have shaken me to my core and will haunt me forever.

One of the worst farms I visited was a place called ‘Hogwood’, which housed thousands of pigs crammed into colossal sheds, with more tightly packed pigs than it is possible to imagine. I tried to step carefully through them but they swarmed towards me, keen to investigate my unfamiliar presence. They were inquisitive adolescents, about three months old and wide awake, despite the early hour.

In other sheds I found sick animals left abandoned in gangways; pig’s skulls, a jaw and a hacked off lower leg, all left to rot in what looked like years’ worth of filth. A dead, blackened and bloated body of a pig being pushed and prodded by his cellmates, all covered in excreta. Mothers giving birth onto cold, unforgiving concrete, locked inside farrowing crates with little room to move forwards or backwards, let alone turn around.

Animals as commodities

This is just one example of the countless atrocities I have witnessed first-hand on British factory farms. Inside these corners of the meat industry, animals are seen as commodities and profit a priority.

To progress as a species, we must acknowledge that farmed animals are sentient beings who can feel not only pain and suffering, but also love and kindness.

I am firmer in my belief than ever before that when animals are humiliated and abused, we surrender our most basic humanity. When we force sentient beings to contend with the disgusting squalor of factory farms, we all suffer.

When we treat living creatures as a commodity to be exploited on a never-ending conveyor belt of corporate greed, we ride roughshod over the most basic ethical standards.

Viva! campaign: Takeaway the Meat

Viva! has launched a crowdfunding campaign to broadcast our first vegan TV advert, Takeaway the Meat, on Channel 4 and its associated networks in February 2022.

With additional funds secured from match-funding and a grant from Channel 4, it aims to reach a staggering 16 million viewers.

The TV advert follows the journey of an everyday meat-eating couple as they decide which takeaway meal to order. Snuggled up on their sofa, with their beloved dog, they choose pulled pork from the food delivery app ‘Just Meat’.

Viva!’s new advert encourages the public to make the connection between the animals they choose to keep as companions and the ones that are destined for their dinner table. Viewers are invited to consider the morality of eating meat, helping them to make the connection between animals and food.

The solution? Try vegan of course!

All major health bodies recommend reducing meat consumption. This is not only for your own health but for the planet too.

Animal agriculture is having a devastating effect on the environment. A varied vegan diet can meet all your nutritional needs and is the best diet for animals and the planet.

We all desperately need the human race to stop ravaging our world. Central to a behavioural shift is veganism – the understanding that the exploitation of animals causes untold damage and pain.

As peoples’ hearts and minds are changed, the growth of vegan foods will ensure that our crumbling world, riddled with the horrors of factory farming and slaughter, evolves into a vibrant world where we protect and celebrate life.

Our motto could be ‘Viva! life’.

You can find out more about Viva!’s campaign here

The post It’s Time To Take-Away The Meat And End The Industry For Good, Says Viva! appeared first on Plant Based News.

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”

In 2010, Sir. Paul McCartney lent his face and this famous quote to a PETA film that took viewers behind the opaque walls of slaughterhouses and factory farms.

Although one of the most well-known quotes in the animal rights movement, it took the team behind Planted Foods—a Swiss food tech company dedicated to ending animal suffering through tasty plant-based alternatives to meat—to run with the idea.

Convinced the food industry needed to be more transparent about ingredients and processes, Planted made this literal by building an enormous glasshouse around their production in the heart of their Switzerland-based factory.

Slaughterhouses are often miles away from urban centers, guarded by impenetrable walls and perplexing laws. To date, the primary means of drawing attention to the non-transparency¹ of the industry has been through activists sneaking out footage of terrible conditions and practices. 

“We built our production under a greenhouse with glass walls and glass ceiling because we want to be transparent in the way we make meat today,” said Planted’s Co-Founder Pascal Bieri. “Unlike the animal meat industry, we have nothing to hide.”

Open, airy, and entirely transparent, the factory and ethos is a sharp contrast to the efforts of meat manufacturers to hide the horrors of their production processes from consumers. 

As Planted goes from strength to strength, the team invites everyone to visit their glass-walled factory to take a closer look at what they do. 

Beginnings and success

While working in the USA in 2017, Bieri became excited by the potential of plant-based meat replacement products coming to market and ​​saw an opportunity to challenge the status quo of the animal meat industry.

Initially collaborating with his cousin Lukas Böni who was completing a doctorate in food process engineering, financial specialist Christoph Jenny and Lukas’ fellow Ph.D. student Eric Stirnemann later rounded off the founding team of Planted Foods. 

United by a love of food, environment, and science, the co-founders spent 2018 deep in research and development at Lukas’ research university, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Their goal was clear from the beginning: create plant-based options that could win over carnivores and vegans alike with clean, 100 percent natural ingredients and transparent processes.

In 2019, Planted received a Pioneer Fellowship, awarding access to infrastructure to fast-track small-scale production and create an early prototype of their first product, planted.chicken.  

Fuelled by new technology and a drive to provide ecologically friendly alternatives that could satisfy the cultural desire for meat, the team was thrilled by how close their plant-based product came to replicating the taste and texture of chicken.

Off the back of their initial success, Bieri and the team founded Planted in July 2019. The same year, dozens of restaurants across Zurich, Lucerne, and Geneva put Planted’s chicken on their menus. 

An injection of seven million Swiss francs powered construction of a production plant and offices in Kemptthal, Switzerland, and in 2020 Planted launched at one of Switzerland’s largest retail and wholesale companies.

Bieri believes the rise of Planted Foods is thanks to strict adherence to four core principles—natural ingredients, animal welfare, taste, and sustainability—nurtured by a team with complementary skill sets and a drive to change the world for the better.

Recently winning the top prize at the TOP 100 Swiss Startup annual awards², Planted employs over 140 people and welcomes scores of consumers, schools, and groups to their production facility every month. 

Planted is now available at restaurants and retailers across Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland. 

In the UK, products are available from the Planted webshop, and the company is rolling out its products at a range of venues, including the Elite family of pubs in Kent and Sussex. 

In October, Planted received the Best Artificial Chicken Product award at the Plant-Based World Europe Expo in London. 

“We’re super-excited about our launch into the UK market; consumer feedback has been fantastic,” Bieri enthused, “and winning the Award at the Expo makes our whole team proud too. We know that we’re on the right track and developing great-tasting products.” 

The big idea

Seeking no less than to revolutionize how meat is perceived and consumed globally, Planted is set on initiating a fundamental rethink about the food we eat. 

Aware that the need for action to reduce the devastating consequences of animal farming on the environment and the animals themselves is immediate, Co-Founder Bieri believes the solution is breathtakingly simple: skip the animal.

Instead of pouring resources and energy into animals slaughtered to access the proteins in their bodies, Planted leaves the animal out entirely. 

The Planted way spares animal suffering while massively reducing water and land consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases³, using science to create sustainable, genuinely humane meat from plants.

While the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 received heavy criticism⁴ for failing to tackle the severe impact of meat and dairy on the environment in plans to transform agriculture, Planted has been addressing this through their production from the start. 

Using analysis from Eaternity—an independent organization giving precise assessments for the environmental footprint of foods—Planted has established that their chicken emits 74 percent less CO2 and uses 46 percent less water than the animal version. In comparison, their pork emits 81 percent less CO2 and uses 43 percent less water.

While the founders freely admit loving the taste of meat, they work on the basis that while this traditional flavor can no longer come at any price, taste is exactly where Planted must succeed.

Coining their movement the #TastyRevolution, the self-proclaimed ‘non-conforming taste revolutionists’ seek to radically change the way people consume and perceive meat. Triggering a switch to plant-based alternatives is central to Planted’s drive to create a world in which the wellbeing of animals and the planet’s health are central to the choices we make. 

The food

Alongside water, rapeseed oil, vitamin B12, and spices, Planted makes products from 100 percent plant proteins (mainly pea—no soy is used) and plant fibers. Carefully choosing raw materials that provide the taste experience required without artificial additives, the company uses local ingredients wherever quality allows.

Aiming to help consumers manage the switch from animal to plant proteins without compromising taste or nutrition, Planted now offers pulled pork and schnitzel, as well as kebab meat that comes loaded onto skewers ready to be theatrically sheared in front of customers. 

The original chicken is still available and can be grilled, deep-fried, baked, or enjoyed straight from the pack in a salad or bowl. 

In 2021 the company launched its schnitzel by crafting a 119-meter long version that broke the Guinness World Record⁵ by 20 meters. Preparing for three months, the team cooked for over 10 hours⁶, used nearly 400 pounds of plant protein topped with around 130 pounds of breadcrumbs, and gave the final record-breaking schnitzel to the public for free.

A huge hit, the schnitzel is now permanently on the menu at the historic and world-famous Figlmüller restaurant in Vienna, and is served in Kipferl, a traditional Austrian restaurant in London’s Angel district.

The Planted process

Aware that traditional food approaches no longer suffice in the face of animal and climate emergencies, Planted reproduces the texture and flavor of meat with no animals involved. 

The company claims to recreate the textures, tastes, appearances, and nutritional value of chicken, pork, and beef almost perfectly through their process while leaving out cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics, and animal suffering.

The main protein used is yellow pea, which boasts a complete amino acid profile and can be grown locally in Europe without additional nitrogen fertilizers.

Sunflower protein used for the pulled pork has a subtle nutty taste and gives a darker color. Oat protein complements the amino acid profile of pea protein and helps diversify the raw materials used by the company.

Planted products also contain a high proportion of vegetable fibers, providing optimal texture and acting as essential roughage for the diet.

The protein flour and vegetable fibers are mixed with rapeseed oil and water to form a dough that is kneaded, heated, and pressed through a die in a process called ‘high moisture extrusion.’ 

Proteins arrange themselves in meat-fiber-like structures and solidify, and the team can tweak the end product to create a wide variety of different ‘meats.’ The products are shredded, ripped, cut to size, and marinated as needed before being packaged and distributed worldwide.

“To us, food should be tasty, sustainable, fun to eat, obviously animal-free and clean,” said Bieri. “We use only four ingredients for our chicken, and we do that with pride because it’s natural, reduces environmental impact, and, most importantly again, is very tasty.”

Science, innovation, and sustainability

Believing joint research is critical to rapidly improving the world food system, the work of Planted combines culinary and scientific knowledge with relentless innovation to develop products perfectly tailored to consumer needs.

A team of dedicated scientists studies the physical and chemical properties and interactions of raw materials, combining day-to-day learning with factory floor analytics, ongoing research, and the latest advances in process knowledge.

Planted works with suppliers and a range of academic and industrial counterparts to drive innovation forward, continuously assessing product quality to make their production process more efficient and minimize waste. 

In the future, Planted aims to lead in the field of alternative proteins by using naturally occurring and unmodified bacteria, fungi, and individual cells combined with their growing process knowledge to deliver the next generation of clean, plant-based foods.

Believing in a world where producers use resources in a climate-friendly manner, the team attempts to source raw materials through a circular economy approach. For example, their pulled pork protein comes from a high-quality byproduct of sunflower oil production rich in macro-and micronutrients.

At the Swiss Kemptthal site, energy from the production process heats the building. At the same time, solar panels on the roof and a nearby hill will take over from the 100 percent renewable energy the company currently buys when the panels go live in 2022.

“We are very proud of our ingredients, the tech we use, the processes we have created and adapted, and the sustainable way we use energy in our production facility,” said Bieri.

Planted also places an enormous emphasis on workplace well-being and mental health, meaning consumers can buy their products knowing they are helping people and animals alike. 

Mission and movement

As awareness of the need to protect the environment and the animals we share the planet with grows, Planted seeks to change consumer behavior, challenging entrenched ways of thinking and making the world a better place without excuses or compromise.

Planted is clear about its vision of a world where animals are respected as living beings, not commodities to be exploited at the expense of their lives and our environment. 

It remains the case that animals visible to the public—dogs, cats, bulls, foxes, and the like—enjoy privileged legal protection, compared to the animals routinely hidden away to become slaughterhouse victims.

More vocal than most plant-based food companies about their direct opposition to the animal and environmental horrors⁷ of animal agriculture, the company is openly critical of ‘slaughter madness’ and “brutally shredded male chicks and unproductive hens.” 

“Food production, especially within the protein sector, has been notoriously intransparent,” affirms Bieri. “Nobody wants to see a slaughterhouse, but other cleaner foods have not taken an interest in working on transparency about sourcing, ingredients, health, and working conditions.”

Working through Planted to end the plight of hidden animals, he believes transparency is the key to better-informed people making choices that lead to animals receiving dignity and love instead of exploitation and slaughter. 

Slaughterhouses may never have glass walls, yet through the transparent production process at Planted Foods—exemplified by the symbolic glasshouse—Bieri wants to help the public make informed choices about the food they eat. 

For Bieri, this is nothing less than the starting point for Planted to help change the world.

“We are solving the problem quite simply with love for animals. Those who love animals reduce or completely renounce the consumption of animal products. Fewer animal products, less slaughter, less animal suffering – it’s that simple.”

Planted products are available online now. Use the discount code PBN20 for 20% off if you’re in the UK. UK businesses wanting to stock or serve Planted can contact the team at hellouk@eatplanted.com. 

* This is paid-for content; funds from this article help Plant Based News continue to provide millions of people around the world with free content they know and love. We only work with brands we support and use ourselves.

Further reading

https://www.leidenlawblog.nl/articles/if-slaughterhouses-had-glass-walls

https://www.top100startups.swiss/Planted-Foods-wins-the-top-prize-at-the-TOP-100-Swiss-Startup-Award-2021

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00358-x.epdf

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/09/the-cow-in-the-room-why-is-no-one-talking-about-farming-at-cop26-aoe

https://www.iamexpat.ch/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/controversial-swiss-vegi-schnitzel-breaks-guinness-world-record

https://www.falstaff.com/en/nd/longest-schnitzel-new-world-record-from-switzerland/

https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/

The post This Vegan Chicken Factory Has Glass Walls For A Reason appeared first on Plant Based News.

Thanksgiving day typically involves serving up a holiday feast fit for a king. But for the estimated 45 million turkeys killed each year as part of the celebration, there is little to be grateful for. And that’s because many of these birds live a miserable existence, owing to the wrath of factory farming.

How a Thanksgiving turkey spends their life

These 45 million turkeys are part of a staggering 240 million slaughtered throughout the year, every year. And that’s just in the US.

They spend their days in cramped conditions, robbed of their ability to express natural behaviors such as taking dust baths, building nests, and forming long-lasting connections. Turkeys are inherently social animals, and enjoy the company of other species, including humans, according to animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS.

They are highly intelligent, playful, inquisitive and enjoy exploring, the charity adds, and can recognize one another by their voices.

Wild turkeys are “fiercely loyal” to one another, Scientific American writes. Mother turkeys raise their chicks for five months, and when they’re older, they break off into sibling groups that stay together for life.

But for turkeys in the food system, life is very different.

The suffering starts at birth. For baby turkeys (called poults), this involves having their toes and parts of their beaks cut off by workers, as revealed in an undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the US (HSUS). This procedure is completed without painkillers.

Unprotected by federal laws, baby turkeys in the food industry are subject to “routine cruelty and neglect” on a daily basis, HSUS says. They’re thrown down metal chutes, forced into machines using hot lasers, and dropped onto factory floors and left there to be crushed.

Bred for death

In the wild, turkeys can live for around 10 years. But in the animal agriculture industry, explains Animal Aid, their lives are cut short at just 12-16 weeks. Most factory farmed turkeys are bred to grow as big as possible; within a few months of life, they can grow four times the size of their wild ancestors.

This selective breeding leaves some birds collapsing, unable to hold up their own weight. It also makes them more susceptible to disease, with a higher risk of heart problems and muscular damage.

And for hundreds of sick and injured baby birds, life ends in grinding machines because they don’t make the cut. Birds considered “leftovers” are also thrown into grinders, alive like their fellow poults, simply because they are not needed to fill orders.

Other reports indicate that birds are left shackled upside down and channeled through electric baths, or left to bleed to death.

A slaughterhouse is capable of killing 360 birds per minute – and 518,000 in 24 hours, the Food Empowerment Project reports. The non-profit rightfully brands the holiday “sadly ironic” for the extreme stress and pain enforced upon innocent animals when for some people, Thanksgiving represents positivity and freedom.

‘Barbaric’

PETA director Elisa Allen stressed to PBN: “Humans are not gods but simply one species among many – a puffed-up one that rarely wants to recognise that birds are individuals with feelings and unique personalities and that they value their lives as we value ours.

“Killing them to eat is a barbaric, disgusting, and filthy practice that belies human decency and positions us as greedy, violent creatures with dirty old habits. 

“Factory farms treat these living, feeling beings as inanimate objects and breed them to grow so quickly that their legs often can’t support their grossly enlarged bodies, leaving them in pain and unable to walk or even stand.”

Thanksgiving environmental cost

It’s overwhelmingly evident that turkeys suffer at the hands of humans. And this impact is only exemplified when you look at the environmental cost of our appetite for turkey as well. 

From the emissions pumped out by industrial farming structures to the land used to install each cage and machine – it all adds up. And, the facts are shocking.

Research conducted by catering and hospitality specialist Alliance Online found that a single kilogram of roast turkey is to blame for 10.9kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This means the “production” of one average-sized turkey leads to an output of 27.25 to 58.86kg of CO2e.

For context, a full vegan dinner can be prepared for a family of six while generating just 9.5kg of CO2e, separate research points out. Specifically, feeding six people a serving of nut roast, roast potatoes covered in vegetable oil, vegan pigs in blankets, sage and onion stuffing, and vegetable gravy still results in fewer emissions than one turkey.

And, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), turkeys must eat three pounds of corn, soy, and other crops to produce one pound of weight.

Further, clearing land to grow this animal feed not only releases emissions, but places “crucial” habitats at risk, including the Northern Great Plains.

The problem of ammonia

The gas ammonia is present inside every poultry house, caused when the nitrogen found in manure is broken down by bacteria. If it builds up too high, it affects the air quality and puts the birds at risk of infections, as well as ulcers and eye problems. 

Researcher Christopher Wathes describes this environment as seething in a ”disease miasma of gases, dusts, and micro-organisms.” Moreover, this may be the equivalent of “looking through dark glasses.” Lights themselves are often dimmed inside poultry houses to stop distressed birds from plucking each others feathers out.

This is not only grim conditions for turkeys themselves to live, but also builds a concerning picture for the world we all live in.

And that’s because a 2018 study named ammonia “the greatest concern” relating to pollution from poultry production. It can harm biodiversity, from plant species to aquatic animals due to an increased risk of algal blooms.

Further, ammonia exposure can trigger health problems in humans, including issues with the eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory tract. In extreme cases, this can lead to blindness, lung damage, or death.

Cultural implications

It’s not just animal welfare concerns that have people thinking twice about the tradition; Thanksgiving has cultural implications too.

The holiday is widely considered a celebration of an agreement between the Pilgrims and Native Americans. But many argue that this narrative is strewn with potentially harmful falsities. 

“The myth is that friendly Indians, unidentified by tribe, welcome the Pilgrims to America, teach them how to live in this new place, sit down to dinner with them and then disappear,” activist and author David Silverman explained to Smithsonian Magazine. 

“They hand off America to white people so they can create a great nation dedicated to liberty, opportunity and Christianity for the rest of the world to profit. That’s the story—it’s about Native people conceding to colonialism,” he said.

According to Silverman, this version of events ignores the fact that Native people were living in the Americas for at least 12,000 years before the Europeans arrived. And, that the groups had century-long conflicts, which were “bloody” and involved slave raiding by the Europeans. 

Establishing such Thanksgiving myths, Silverman says, meant “Americans could feel good about their colonial past without having to confront the really dark characteristics of it.”

On its website, HipLatina writes that we should use this time to learn more about the real history of Thanksgiving. 

“There are lots of ways to incorporate and acknowledge the pain of the Native peoples into time spent with family. Read up about the real history of the United States and discuss it, create a safe space for people of color to talk about the difficulties they are dealing with right now, or create care packages for Native peoples on reservations who have such limited resources (particularly the school children),” the website reads. 

“For people of color, existence is resistance, and any moment we have right now to capture and share joy with loved ones should be deeply appreciated and held sacred,” HipLatina continues.

“I’m not telling you not to enjoy a shared meal with friends and family, I’m just saying that we should not allow the erasure of the real history of suffering behind this holiday.”

The post Thanksgiving: The Scary Truth Behind The Holiday That You Need To Know About appeared first on Plant Based News.

And, he says it should be made illegal…

Viva! condemns ecocide

While world leaders unite in Glasgow for COP26 to discuss the future of the planet, Viva! is raising awareness of the devastating consequences animal agriculture is having on the environment. 

Research shows that going vegan is the single biggest action individuals can take to reduce their impact on the natural world.

Carbon emissions cannot be realistically reduced in line with targets without a national and global reduction in the consumption of animal products.

As the climate emergency grows ever more urgent, there has never been a more important time to go vegan.  

So far, COP26 has managed to unite world leaders in agreeing to end deforestation. Almost 100 nations have set targets to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. And, the US has rejoined the High Ambition Coalition, with the aim of achieving the 1.5C goal.

Global COP26 pledges 

These pledges may sound like a step in the right direction, but they seem to be lacking clarity regarding exactly how they will be executed. 

For example, the agreement to end deforestation does not specifically address land clearance for animal grazing and soy crops grown to feed these animals.

Both of which are major contributors to deforestation and form a large part of our current global food system. 

To successfully end deforestation, major changes will need to be made in both the animal agriculture industry and in consumers’ diets. Will there be a hike in prices for meat? 

Will consumers be encouraged by their leaders to eradicate animal products from their diet? Will farmers be helped to transition from animal agriculture to plant-based? Viva! states that these steps are essential to save our planet. 

Methane emissions and a meat tax

The methane reduction pledge also sounds promising but considering that agriculture is the main contributor of methane and is responsible for 16 percent of man-made global warming – how will this target be met?  

Enteric fermentation and rotting liquid manure (feces and urine) in lagoons, ponds, and tanks produce significant quantities of methane as it rots. 

A vast amount of methane is created from dairy farms, cattle feedlots, and intensive pig farms. Will we see heavy taxes on dairy, pork products, and beef?  

Without drastic global change in diet and the transition to a plant-based food system, none of these targets can be effectively achieved.  

Animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate breakdown, and meat accounts for nearly 60 percent of all greenhouse gases from food production.

Criminalizing nature destruction

Mansfield’s statement calls for new legislation which would criminalize the “wilful destruction of nature,” which he describes as a “crime against humanity.” 

His suggestions may sound drastic, but given the severity of the issues our planet is facing, radical changes must be made to reduce global carbon emissions.  

As the climate crisis continues, more people are becoming aware of the severe impact animal agriculture is having on the planet. 

Published earlier this year, the IPCC’s Climate Change report revealed that human activity is “unequivocally” the cause of the climate crisis. 

This includes melting polar ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, heatwaves, floods, and droughts. And, it warns that things could get a lot worse if we don’t take urgent action now.

Extinction in the wake of the climate crisis

Humanity is edging closer towards causing its own extinction due to the climate crisis. 

Animal agriculture is the leading driver of wildlife loss and releases more greenhouse gases than the entire world’s transport sector combined. Those who are profiting from animal suffering and global destruction must be held accountable. 

World leaders must act now before it is too late.  

Mansfield offers his thoughts on the climate crisis: “I think when we look at the damage eating meat is doing to the planet it is not preposterous to think that one day it will become illegal.

“It is time for a new law on ecocide to go alongside genocide and the other crimes against humanity.”

COP26: a critical time to go vegan

Juliet Gellatley is the founder and director of Viva!.

“While I am pleased to hear the pledges made so far at COP26, I remain somewhat cynical regarding what they will actually achieve, given the historical lack of action by world leaders to tackle animal agriculture. 

“…By choosing to reduce our consumption of animal products, as a species, we can reduce the widespread degradation of critical ecosystems”.

We can also “promote a shift to more healthy, sustainable plant-based diets and actively reverse damage done to planetary functions, ecosystem services, and biodiversity.”

We must work to encourage and support farmers too, she adds, and continue promoting veganism.

She added: “COP26 is a unique opportunity to speak about these critical issues and tell the world to go vegan, now!

“COP26 may be the last opportunity for the worlds’ leaders to unite and devise a clear plan of action to tackle the climate crisis. Viva!, along with other pro-vegan groups, are campaigning throughout COP26 to ensure animal agriculture is recognized as one of the leading threats to the planet. 

To find out more about Viva!, visit its website here

This article was first published by Viva! here

The post Defense Barrister Says Destruction Of Nature Should Be Made Illegal Amid COP26 appeared first on Plant Based News.