Interview with a Meat-Eater

Many times during this blog (and specifically in the last post) I have championed the importance of civilised dialogue and argued that we must overcome assumptions and defensiveness if we’re ever to make progress in our conversations with others about veganism. And yet, despite wanting this open discussion, I never question my friends about their attitudes towards meat-eating. This is partly because my close friends are extremely supportive of my veganism, I’m grateful for this and don’t want to rock the boat, and partly because I’m scared – scared of sounding confrontational, preachy, or like I’m judging them in some way (which is the last thing I’d ever want to do – I love my friends to bits, they’re incredible people!).

And yet, surely, if anyone is going to give me the time for a proper discussion about this, with all stereotypes out of the window (as we already know, like, and respect one another), it should be my friends. But it takes someone pretty special to sit and be challenged about their meat-eating.  I have a friend who always listens to my rants about conversations I’ve had with meat-eaters and never takes it personally – she can separate my frustration with the meat industry from my friendship and view of her, and more often than not she gets just as angry as me at the nonsensical arguments people present to defend their diet.

With all this in mind, asking her for a more personal conversation about this subject felt like a risky move, as I might lose my neutrality with her on this issue and consequently lose a most precious sounding board forever!

However, a video was released yesterday that made me put these reservations aside and realise that this issue is so big and urgent that I need to stop being hung up on conserving the image of the friendly vegan and just tackle this problem head on. The video features undercover footage taken from a British, Red Tractor ‘Quality Assured’ farm in Norfolk (though Compassion in World Farming have recently spoken out about the deceptiveness of the Red Tractor logo). The footage was some of the most shocking I have ever seen. That this is going on in an ‘animal loving nation’ is staggering, but the most sobering fact is that our animal welfare standards are among the highest in the world. We’re supposed to be leading the way for Europe.

The footage contains graphic images and is extremely upsetting, but this is why it is so important that it is seen. As one commentator wrote, ‘If it’s good enough for your stomach, it’s good enough for your eyes as far as I’m concerned,’ and I echo that sentiment. Anyone who buys pork has a moral obligation to see the brutality their money is funding. If you can’t watch this, how can you eat this?

When I see these images, I feel appalled, devastated, and heartbroken. And I am also astounded. Astounded that anyone I know can watch this video and not consider switching to a vegetarian diet. As I’ve said before, this isn’t a situation complicated by politics, governments, war, or drought – this is a simple exchange of money for meat. If we stop funding this cruelty, it will stop happening. The scale is just incomprehensible. 60 billion animals slaughtered every year for food. Every single year. And we are paying for it.

So, what's a vegan to do?  I realised that I needed to understand the thoughts of someone I love and respect who eats meat. I wanted to know what is stopping them from becoming vegetarian. Why does this video have a different effect on me than it does on them?

My friend is by far one of the most intelligent people I know, someone who I respect and admire, and I wanted to understand her reasons for supporting the meat industry with her hard-earned cash (okay, not too hard earned – we’re both PhD students, after all!). And, above all, I wanted her to be able to be honest and extensive in her answers. (Something that just can’t be achieved over a dinner table in a wine-fuelled heated debate…)

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried at all about asking her to give me hand with this. She gave me a hug and said she’d be happy to help, confidently asserting that ‘You shouldn’t hold views that you’re not prepared to defend.’

Finally. Some actual dialogue where both sides want to hear what the other has to say.

This interview is an attempt to grapple with the barriers that divide veggies and meaties, and investigate the issues we’re trying to overcome when we engage in a dialogue about animal rights and vegan living.

I showed my friend the video above and asked her some questions. I was genuinely interested to hear what she had to say, and I hope you are too.

Here are her honest and open answers…

Could we have some background on you?

I'm 25, and I've eaten meat all my life. That felt pretty weird to write, actually. Especially considering the number of times I've asked my veggie friends "how long have you been a vegetarian?".

When Hayles asked me to contribute to the blog, I was delighted. This is an issue that has been on my mind a lot over the past couple of years – for several reasons. However, I was also slightly dubious – am I here as the big bad wolf (carnivore)? Hopefully, what this post will be is a chance for me to reflect upon my own decisions, choices and lifestyle (something which is always healthy to do) and perhaps temper the "us vs. them" trajectory of most debates between vegetarians and meat-munchers.

Some background about my meat consumption: We try and buy our meat from a local and award-winning butcher, and I've chatted to him in the past about how he visits the farms that supply him – and would never get meat from a farm that he hasn't visited. I always feel much more comfortable with this type of supply chain than buying supermarket meat. When we do buy meat from the supermarket, we buy products marked free-range, freedom food and/or outdoor reared.

What is your initial response to the video?

The video is horrific. I did think about prefixing that sentence with "obviously it goes without saying", but I didn't, because, actually, that is what needs saying. And vegetarians and meat-eaters alike need to be standing up and saying that. In fact, especially meat-eaters. We are the ones whose cash is going to keep farms like that in business, so we need to be clear to farmers, butchers, abattoirs etc. what welfare standards we demand from them. Meat eaters need to be angrier about this video than vegetarians are – because it's us that are being sold a lie. British pork's recent advertising, and the Red Tractor campaign in general, have tried to present British farming as having higher welfare standards, and, whilst one has to be wary about generalisations based upon limited evidence, it's obvious that in this case this is simply not true.

I think the two most shocking things for me were the complete sense of sport in violence that many of the workers seemed to display, and the clear ill-health of many of the animals. In the first instance, whilst I find the behaviour abhorrent and inexcusable, I try to understand that that violence is symptomatic of wider contexts – firstly, the context of their work environment, which is obviously a depressing one, possibly the context of a socio-economic climate in which these workers feel powerless, and finally, the context of a world in which this violence to animals is pre-determined by the very structures of the food supply chain. With regards to the second point, this is another reason why meat eaters should be angrier about this than vegetarians. You guys might be appalled to see animals diseased, decaying, infected – but I'm appalled and I might have eaten that!

When you eat meat, do you make the connection between the product and the living animal?

This was one of the very first things that struck me after watching the video – how easy it is in our society to completely disconnect from the meat we are eating and the living animal that it once was. It is (purposefully, by the meat industry and supermarkets) made so difficult to see that slice of ham in your lunchtime buttie as one of those abused piglets. I know that I am very guilty of this, and it's something that really hit home to me this week as I was watching BBC1's Super Smart Animals over a plate of (really very delicious) chicken and chorizo traybake. I actually turned to my partner and said, "if they show a chicken on this programme and it's really clever, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to finish this meal." I did finish it. We can have a debate about the complete hypocrisy of this position in the comments, if you like.

What I suppose I'm getting at here is a culture that encourages this divorcement between animals and meat, and one which I willingly follow. Why? Partly out of habit, routine, tradition. Convenience. Enjoyment. Ease. I suppose the issue is that I have yet to feel strongly enough to actively force myself to make that connection, against the grain, each time I eat meat. I think that's one thing that vegetarians are up against when they are fighting to convince people to change their diets. You've already made that connection, and, once you've forced yourself to make it repeatedly (every meal, in fact, as you actively choose not to eat meat), it must be easy to forget how ingrained the disconnect is. I'm not saying it is an easy transition for anyone, but that, once achieved, you are perhaps coming at the issue from a very different subject position that makes a successful dialogue with meat-eaters about their diets and choices quite difficult. It's hard to empathise with a position that you have previously worked to force yourself out of.

Do you think you could kill an animal yourself?

Yes, I do think I could, and actually I think I'd be more comfortable eating meat if I had killed it myself. It would depend upon what the animal was, though. Sorry, I'm species-ist! I wouldn't necessarily describe myself as an animal-lover, although I don’t like to see or like the thought of animals suffering, which is why do try and make buying choices that purport to have offered animals a more pleasant life.

How would you feel about your siblings/future children working in a slaughterhouse?

I think everyone wants better for their children than this, but I would work in a slaughterhouse myself if necessary – again, I actually think it would be more legitimate for me to continue eating meat having experienced the process first-hand (if I wanted to, after that!). I grew up in farming-land, and one of the best local rumours was about the abattoir, where they allegedly doubled your pay if you lasted longer than two weeks! I never had this confirmed, but it does suggest rather a grim picture. Again, though, I would feel more fully informed in my decision either way if I'd actually experienced the environment. It's another way in which culture/the industry conditions that disconnect.

What is the biggest thing stopping you from becoming vegetarian?

I'm not sure there is one single issue – it's more like a complex entanglement of lots of mini-issues. Partly, they are logistical – but what would I eat?! *pictures self living off chips and toast* In a way, I know this is rubbish, because we try and have a meat-free day each week anyway, and have in the past done a week of all-veggie meals. And no one starved!

I'm also worried about health – one of my colleagues was a vegetarian and broke her leg pretty badly (like, basically shattered the thing to bits, bless her). The doctors couldn't figure out why it wasn't healing, until they finally quizzed her on her diet, and strongly recommended she try eating meat again, which she reluctantly did. The leg then healed, and she has since been fearful of being veggie again. I would worry that I wasn't giving my body all it needed. To address the obvious counter-argument here, yes, I am aware that there is no way that we physically need to eat as much meat as is currently the norm in British society. My point is just that I would be wary of eliminating meat altogether for that reason. Equally if I became pregnant or ill, I'm not sure I would want to be veggie during those periods.

Also, it would be amiss of me not to write another major reason just because I'm worried about sounding selfish – but I do love the taste of meat. Me and my partner are real foodies and we love cooking and trying out new restaurants and exploring local foods when we're on holiday. There you go. It's not a very intellectual or noble reason, but I suppose it is a big one for a lot of meat-eaters, me included.

What is the second biggest thing?

Another consideration is the impact that it would have on those around me, and their reactions to it. My partner has always been receptive to the idea of veggie-days and veggie-weeks, but I would worry that I was making him miss out on something he really, really loves if I were to go veggie. I know that he would support me no matter what, so that wouldn't be a concern, but I'd hate to feel I was depriving him through my own choices. Obviously he could continue to eat meat as he wished, but since we cook together and eat the same thing, we'd either have to change that or he be mostly veggie!

Lots of my friends are veggie, so that wouldn't be an issue…in fact I'm guessing some would be positively delighted. (Just a hunch, Hayles!) I think that my family, however, would have a harder time understanding. And would rip the piss out of me no end. There's a lot of banter in my house. I know that they would definitely respect my decision and not judge me for it, but there is a part of me that would worry about feeling left out of things like roasts and BBQs (both big deals in my house!).

Do you feel that there would be anything that would change your mind about the issue?

If my partner wanted to, I would definitely do it. If it became impossible to buy high-welfare meat, I couldn't bring myself to buy the supermarket stuff, so I'd have no choice!

I wanted to write down some things that I think would be good about becoming vegetarian, so this might be a good place:

• I wouldn't have any guilty moments re. eating meat.

• There are some great veggie foods which I think it would be legitimate to increase my consumption of, i.e. chips, chocolate, mushrooms, and Linda McCartney lattices.

• Hayles would be so, so happy!

If you were in the minority, and 95% of the world were vegetarian, would you still continue to eat meat/support factory farming?

No. As I've said, I think it's mostly a cultural thing, so no.

If your partner went vegetarian, would you?

Yes, excepting any health issues.

And lastly, what do you think is the main reason people have become so defensive about this issue?

I suppose eating meat is a big part of our culture, and people see vegetarianism as somehow a threat to it. Also, eating meat in the presence of a vegetarian exposes some uncomfortable conflicts that I think a lot of people feel but don't necessarily think about unless forced – hence the defensiveness.

So there you go! The floor is open. Please leave a comment (and give my friend a round of applause for stepping up to the podium…luckily, there are no lambs to the slaughter here!)

Peace and love to you all.
xxxx

West Midlands Vegan Festival 2011

As a vegetarian/vegan, I think it's really important to regularly meet up with like-minded people and remind yourself that you're not alone.  Being a vegan can be somewhat isolating at times; many people view it as an extreme (and incomprehensible!) stance, whilst some see it as a position to ridicule.  There's always a sense of relief, as I've discussed in previous posts, when you go to a veggie restaurant and are surrounded by people that care about animal rights issues/environmentalism as much as you do.

So, with all this in mind, this year I thought I'd cut my Saturday lie in short and visit the West Midlands Vegan Festival.  It was great - you couldn't move for vegans!  (How often do you find yourself in that situation?!)

There were tonnes of food stalls, companies selling vegan products (I tried Kara milk for the first time, and I'm now definitely going to try to switch to this from soya), and lots of animal rights groups/animal sanctuaries providing information on the causes they were representing.


Change Kitchen

 

Forget-Me-Not Animal Rescue get extra points for effort!



Such yummy sweets!! Look them up (link below), they're great.



Goody Good Stuff - anything endorsed by a koala is fine by me.



I also got chatting to a woman who ran a sanctuary for rescued farm animals (author of ...And a Calf Called Reg), and she really emphasised the individuality of the animals she cared for.  Hearing her talk about the animals she'd saved (most notably the story of a mother cow and her calf, who were inseparable because the mother had had all her previous calves taken away from her after only a few days), really confirmed in my mind that I want to do something similar one day.  Though when I told Wenda this, she said to me:  'Make sure you live your life first, because it'll never be the same once you've committed to something like this!'  I found her story and her passion really inspiring (and I also appreciated her advice!).

Another thing the festival encouraged me to think about was the approach that we take as vegans when communicating our values to others.  There was a noticable difference between the majority of stalls, which were cheery and positive, and then those few which had 'meat is murder' t-shirts and bracelets and were offering leaflets with horribly graphic images on them.  I must admit, I found the latter stalls really off-putting, and I didn't stop to look at them.  I just don't think that that kind of aggressive approach does the cause any good, and in fact I wonder how much damage it does to the reputation of veganism - that 'angry vegan' sterotype came from somewhere, afterall.  If people think that becoming a vegan means wearing pictures of mutilated animals on their tshirts and passing out leaflets littered with aggressive slogans, then I can fully understand why more people aren't warming to the idea!

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for bringing the truth to light.  It's so incredibly important that people understand the extent of suffering and brutality in the animal industry, and that they don't close their eyes and ears to the pain they are inflicting by monetarily supporting factory farming.  Nothing is more annoying than someone refusing to hear what you have to say because 'it's too upsetting', ending the conversation with you and then making a trip to Tesco (boooooo!! You know how much I hate Tesco...) to buy burgers for that night's dinner.  As I discuss at length in my post 'The Urgency of Unity', the solution to this problem is so simple: Vote with the pound.

So, I totally sympathise with the frustration that most vegans feel.  Animal suffering is happening on such a huge scale that drastic and aggressive action seems the most obvious route to take.  However, it's in human nature to be drawn to positive imagery and ideas rather than negative ones, and thus it's common sense that charities bear this in mind when communicating their ideas.  Stories of what switching to a vegan lifestyle can achieve, images of happy rescued animals in sanctuaries, the availability of exciting food and fashionable clothes and cosmetics are all much more likely to draw people towards considering veganism as a compassionate, attractive, and practical way of life than bombarding them with upsetting images.  Most charity websites have now changed their approach.  The majority of the images used on the WaterAid website, for example, are positive ones that show the changes the charity has made to the lives of those it has reached.  That's something people want to be associated with and support.  When people are repulsed or upset by images, the natural reaction is to avoid everything to do with that image.  When people experience negative emotions when confronted by graphic images, they associate the distributer of that image with the same feeling.

But still, I know that those upsetting images do have their place and that they need to be seen.  But in what forum?  I guess it's all about having a sensitive and nuanced approached.  It's an incredibly complex topic, but one that I've been thinking more and more about lately.  I feel like veganism desperately needs an image makeover to make it more user friendly!  Ideas/thoughts on a postcard/in a comment, please, my lovely veggie readers.

Peace and love to you all.
xxxx

The Urgency of Unity

I usually try to keep the tone of my blog quite light and reflective, despite the serious issue it grapples with, and rarely do I offer more than a friendly ‘nudge’ towards those who have not yet taken the plunge and become vegan themselves. I have also been careful not to sound too impassioned, lest I come across like the proverbial ‘angry vegan’ and scare away random web-surfers (and possibly even friends!). Mostly I have achieved this with the addition of numerous pretty pictures alongside my musings, and with a cheery sign off that leaves both you and I happy with the state we’ve left things in.

But, (note this post’s lack of an accompanying illustration...), this entry is going to be a bit different, because never before I have felt the frustration I’ve experienced these past few days. It has become apparent to me that the majority of Christians (and for that matter, the majority of people) will argue almost anything – anything, offering the most ridiculous explanations one could imagine – to defend the fact that they eat meat. They know the horrendous cruelty of the industry, the impact on the environment, and on our fellow human beings. They know that God calls us to be compassionate, loving, and selfless. They know that we are stewards of creation, and also that the Bible reinforces a message of peace and mercy and justice over and over and over again. And yet, they defend their meat-eating to the last. I cannot express in words, as a member of both the Christian community and the human race, just how sad and angry this makes me.

If I was to talk about issues such as homelessness, drug addiction, poverty, the sex trade, domestic violence, famine, disease, or war, people would support me in my passion for trying to ease the suffering of others, and for trying to expose the truth behind these issues. But start talking about animal cruelty, about factory farming, about the environmental impact of meat production, about the way in which third world hunger is being worsened by the movement of grain out of countries to feed livestock instead of people, and no one wants to listen. In fact, they will actually argue against my passion for this issue. They will try and somehow argue that eating factory farmed meat is okay, despite knowing the incomprehensible cruelty involved.

This is not a discussion about whether eating meat is in itself right or wrong, it is a discussion about cruelty towards God’s creatures, living animals that feel pain, feel fear, and have the capacity to suffer. It is a discussion about the effect on our environment, and the injustice of food distribution. It is a discussion about the need for compassion.

And yet most people I have spoken to claim not to care, or make childish jokes that would be inexcusably offensive if I was discussing something like cruelty towards children.

It’s something I’ve struggled with repeatedly over the past few months, and I've come to the conclusion that the reason for this response lies in the fact that the solution to the problem of cruelty in the animal-industry is so incredibly simple: People need to transition to a vegan diet, and stop buying products tested on animals. We have the amazing ability to begin a revolution, to change the way people view life, and we can begin this peaceful campaign by doing something as simple as changing our shopping habits and diet; the solution is literally being handed to us on a plate. If people stopped buying meat and dairy, animals would stop being tortured and slaughtered on a mass scale. It really is that simple. But maybe people find this simplicity threatening, as it makes changing their lifestyle a reality as opposed to a theoretical response. It demands that individuals change, that they sacrifice a few foods they enjoy, and that they check labels before they buy things. And for some reason, a reason which I just can’t understand, people refuse to make this effort. This is what it really comes down to, and this is the tragedy of the whole situation.

I watched this 5 minute interview with the director of ‘Earthlings’, an award winning documentary about animal cruelty (which is considered the definitive animal rights film and is nick-named ‘the vegan-maker’), and it really brought home to me our capacity for violence and evil. Never is this capacity more evident than in how we treat those who are weaker than us, those who can’t speak out, those who are completely at our mercy. I have yet to watch 'Earthlings', but my instinctive reaction whilst watching the brief clip at the end of this interview was a heart-felt cry of ‘God, forgive us’. The enormity of the crime we are committing against God’s creation, and the pain and suffering we are inflicting on each individual animal that is treated as nothing more than a product for our consumption or use, is just beyond human comprehension.

‘We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.’ This has really stayed with me, and whilst I usually tend to avoid graphic images of animal cruelty because I find them so distressing to watch, I am beginning to appreciate that they have an important place in getting people to see with their eyes what words just cannot communicate.

As Christians, who believe that there is wonder and value in everything to which God has given life, how can we feel anything but sorrow and righteous anger at our fellow creatures being treated this way? Animals have no voice, they cannot defend themselves, and they are entirely at our mercy. According to the Bible, we have been entrusted with them. Anyone can see that that trust is being abused most horrendously.

Throughout history we can see injustice and prejudice being fought against by the few, with people giving their lives to fight racism and sexism. And all we have to do to fight the speciesism that is hardening our hearts towards the beauty and diversity of God’s creation is change our shopping habits. The victory that could be ours is so great, so beautiful, and of such magnitude, that I can’t understand why we aren’t fighting for it with all our strength, and as a community. St. Francis of Assisi said that 'If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.' I firmly believe than in fighting for the rights of those weaker than ourselves we are fighting for the essence of our own humanity. Leo Tolstoy also made this link, writing that:

Flesh eating is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to moral feeling: killing. By killing, man suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity, that of sympathy and pity towards living creatures like himself, and by violating his own feelings becomes cruel.

Our hearts seem to have been hardened towards suffering in all its forms, but especially towards the suffering of those animals intended for meat production. Those who eat meat do worse than ignore the violence and suffering caused by factory farming; they are complicit it in. It could not happen without the constant supply of money that funds this mass cruelty, and despite knowledge of this fact, people still continue to vote with the pound and keep the industry going.

In a sermon on the World Day of Prayer for Animals on the 4th October 1986, Rev. Dr. John Austin Baker, Bishop of Salisbury, said that:

‘the saddest of all fates, surely, is to have lost that sense of the holiness of life altogether; that we commit the blasphemy of bringing thousands of lives to a cruel and terrifying death or of making those lives a living death -- and feel nothing ... It is in the battery shed that we find the parallel with Auschwitz ... To shut your mind, heart and imagination from the sufferings of others is to begin slowly, but inexorably, to die. Those Christians who close their minds and hearts to the cause of animal welfare, and the evils it seeks to combat, are ignoring the Fundamental spiritual teachings of Christ himself.’

The Church should be leading the way on this issue, and yet, despite the biblical support for a vegetarian diet (not to mention the fact that this is an issue about cruelty, suffering and injustice, which we shouldn’t need to think twice about), most Christians are still supporting the meat industry and refusing to embrace a more peaceful way of living. Why are so many people closing their minds and hearts to this issue?

The urgent and pressing nature of animal and human suffering makes taking the 'softly softly' approach seem hopelessly inefficient. But at the very core of veganism is a philosophy of non-violence, and for me as a Christian it is just as important to be gentle with others as it is to be clear and strong in my faith and beliefs. Throughout history there has always been a battle against the majority when fighting for an oppressed group without a voice, and as vegans we must keep our spirits up, keep fighting for what we know to be right, and keep speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, without losing faith in the hope that eventually people will begin to listen.

Every creature has a right to live out its God-given behaviours and enjoy its time on earth. We are all stewards, and I believe that we will all be held accountable for how we have cared for what is so precious.

When feeling overwhelmed at the enormity of the journey ahead, I always think that it's important to focus on the positive things that have been achieved along the way. Today I watched some videos that reminded me just how gloriously unique and precious that these animals are that we are fighting to save. There’s nothing quite like watching a lamb frolic to cheer yourself up! These are stories of rescue and hope, and we should cling onto them as we press forward.

Billy's Story: A Calf's Life is Saved by Compassionate Act.

Angelo's Story: Lamb born in slaughterhouse-bound truck delivered to safety.

I hope that these make you smile, and maybe make you consider redefining your relationship with creation if you haven’t already done so. We can each play such an incredible part in preserving something beautiful. Let's never give up hope that things can change.

Psalm 145: 9
The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all he has made.

As always,
peace and love. xx

The red pill or the blue pill?

Today I’ve been thinking about how our attitudes towards each other and our fellow creatures are often tainted by either wilful ignorance or a worldview that has been imposed on us since childhood. We accept eating animals that have been cruelly treated before slaughter as a ‘normal’ part of everyday living, and not something worth kicking up a fuss about. After all, surely all the nice people we know wouldn't eat meat and dairy if there was really something morally wrong with it.

People lavish love and attention on their pets and then sit down to enjoy a bacon sandwich, eating an animal that scientists now recognise to be at least as intelligent as a dog. Why is it that we view one animal as food and another as friend? Quite simply, because we’ve been taught to, and until now we haven't thought to challenge it. If we find a wounded bird in the garden, we nurse it back to health. Unless that bird is a chicken, in which case, we eat it. This behaviour is totally irrational, and yet feels entirely natural and normal to us. We have grown up with images of idyllic farms full of happy pigs and hens laying fresh eggs, and cows that are free to roam in the sunny fields.

This idyllic farm is a lie that the industry is clinging on to with all its might, even in the face of rising awareness over conditions. There may be the odd farm that operates like the fantasy farm portrayed on the Muller advert (I feel like screaming at the telly when this one comes on! What a load of rubbish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCHWJb8i2tk&feature=related ), but they are unfortunately a rarity - the majority of our meat and dairy in this country comes from factory farming. Because we eat so much meat, it would be impossible to run ‘ethical’ farms and produce meat fast enough to meet our insatiable appetite for it. The greed involved really is quite sickening, and indefensible.

I have lost count of the amount of meat eaters who refuse to watch documentaries on the conditions of factory farming, because ‘it’s too upsetting’. Indeed, when I spoke to one friend about it she insisted that she didn’t want to know and that she was ‘quite happy living in the dark, thank you very much.’

Well, what’s a vegan to do? People clearly feel compassion towards these animals or they wouldn’t find it upsetting, and yet they don’t realise, or refuse to accept, that they hold within themselves the key to stopping it. Our agency as consumers is the most powerful thing we have in the fight to end the suffering of billions of animals. Even just making more compassionate choices when we shop can make a huge difference in the message we send to our supermarkets. You probably wouldn’t find this link on many vegan blogs, but if you are a meat eater who is still unconvinced that becoming a vegetarian is necessary but does feel called to make a stand against the appalling conditions in factory farms, please visit Compassion in World Farming, a charity that is not about convincing people to be veggie, but is dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals.

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/

They have a great site, and if you have questions, do email them! They are a huge organisation but they got back to me really quickly.

Although I’d love everyone to be vegetarian or vegan for the many reasons I discussed in my first post, I must admit that the primary motivation for my veganism is to fight against the incomprehensible scale of animal suffering currently happening in our world. If animals were allowed the freedom and space to act out their God-given natural behaviours, the ethical issue of choosing to eat meat or choosing not to eat meat would entail a far different discussion to the one we find ourselves having today. Surely meat eaters and vegans alike can agree that all animals, regardless of the situation they are born into, whether it be domestic pet or farm pig, deserve the right to live their lives free from suffering at the hands of human beings.

In The Matrix (you can watch this clip on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te6qG4yn-Ps) Morpheus offers Neo a choice between knowing the truth about the state of the world and returning to his previous state of ignorance. He says to Neo:

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

I’d urge you to take that red pill and see how deep the rabbit-hole goes. Stop hiding from animal suffering, and joyfully embrace the fact that you can play an enormous and valuable role in ending it. Then maybe together we can make a Wonderland we’d all prefer to live in.