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Vegan
FAQ
What
is a vegan?
A vegan is someone who tries to avoid - as far as is possible and practical -
all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.
Vegans eat a plant-based diet free from all animal products including animal
milks, eggs, honey and gelatine. They also avoid animal products like leather,
wool and silk for clothing or other purposes.
What's
the difference between vegan and vegetarian?
A vegan does not consume any products from animals, including milk, fish, eggs,
honey, etc. Most vegans will not wear clothing from animals (wool, silk, etc)
either.
Can't I just switch to organic dairy produce?
Yes you could, of course you could. I’m
not going to tell you what to eat one way or the other.
All I’m gonna do is give you MY reasons. Those who oppose
traditional dairy farming because of the cruelty involved often think that
organic farming is the answer. However, the fundamental principles of dairying
still apply within the organic industry: continual pregnancies, unwanted
offspring, problems of disease, together with the distress of transport and
slaughter.
Not
to mention the fact that in order to comply with the strict regulations the
organic farming industry demand – many animals are not treated with medication
when they are ill.
What's
wrong with free range eggs?
'Free Range' eggs conjure up idyllic images of hens scratching in the farmyard.
The reality is often very different. They are often kept in 'Barn'-type houses
in flocks of up to 16,000 in large sheds. They are often debeaked. The birds
must have access to the outdoor range area, which can be stocked at a maximum
of 2,500 birds per hectare of land available to the hens. However, in large-scale
free range units, often less than 50% of the birds regularly go outside. As
with all commercial laying hens, after usually a year of egg production they
are slaughtered.
If
everyone went vegan, how would that affect the environment?
Contrary to popular belief, rumours and
heresy, often started by meat industries, much more land is required to
produce animal foods such as meat & milk than to produce the equivalent
amount of plant foods. So, when everyone goes vegan, the same population can be
fed on less farm land, and there will be no more need to destroy areas of
natural environment to make new farm land. Indeed, the farm land that is
already under cultivation could support a much larger human population, and
some of it could be returned to nature, and recreational use. Plant foods also
require less water and energy to produce, providing further benefits.
How
do I identify animal free foods?
It is easy to avoid meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, honey and foods listing
these as ingredients. But you also need to be aware of animal products often
contained in the ingredients of food, such as gelatine - made from anima l bones
- whey and casein, which are milk derivatives, and carmine which is a red
colorant made from crushed beetles.
There
are plenty of excellent books out there for the conscious shopper and many that
cover the subjects of veganism.
The
Vegan Society produce a pocket-sized book entitled Animal Free Shopper which
explains these names and lists many common products that have been confirmed so
far as practicable as being animal free.
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