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Published by Viva! the vegan campaigning group
life ocking Issue 76 Spring 2021
New Sh o s n o i t a g i t s Inve
3
• Scottish Salmon • Turkey farms • Rainbow trout
JIVINITY Influencing the influencers
The Year in Review Viva!’s achivements in 2020 Antibiotic Resistance …the growing plague
Diet and Dementia
Vegan for Health Viva!’s super new health guide
Bird flu
Stand by for next pandemic
Eating for brain health
Tofu on my mind Delicious ways with bean curd
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FREE vegan recipes
PLANTBASEDMAG.COM/RECIPE-EMAILS SIGN UP TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE WEEKLY RECIPES FRESHLY DELIVERED FROM PLANTBASED MAGAZINE TO YOUR INBOX
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VEGAN FOR ALL LIFE Viva!’s fight is a fight for life – for ourselves, animals and the planet. Humankind’s abuse and exploitation of animals lies at the heart of most of the planet’s accelerating problems. The crushing number of farmed animals slaughtered every year impacts on almost every ecosystem and is the driving force that has propelled planet Earth into its sixth mass extinction. The tens of billions of victims of this massacre are brushed aside by governments across the world. Viva!, however, is constantly revealing the abject conditions in which they are forced to live by secretly going inside factory farms. They are not only cruel but provide stinking reservoirs of disease where antibiotic resistance flourishes, deadly superbugs mutate and pandemics take root. Over the years we have captured the headlines with our exposés, triggered the decline of meat, fish and dairy consumption and spurred the vegan revolution forwards. Viva! is a registered charity (1037486) viva.org.uk
Contents
life 76
12
30 8
YEAR IN REVIEW All that we did in 2020
12 EXPOSé NO 1 The horror of salmon farming
15 JIVINITI
ON EVERY FRONT Viva! has four sections which are displayed on our new website – a mass of verifiable information on why veganism is imperative to the future – everyone’s and everything’s future. Viva! Animals provides fascinating information on all the species exploited for food in the UK and fun facts about their private lives. You can, however, also witness Viva!’s brave undercover investigations that show the shocking reality of the UK’s meat, fish and dairy industries. Viva! Planet explains why animal farming is the driving force behind all the world’s environmental crises. It also explores the solutions. Viva! Health is science based and exposes the link between animal products and ill health; but also why varied vegan diets protect us. It takes you through the A to Z of diseases and the A to Z of nutrients. Viva! Lifestyle is packed with advice on how to go vegan, plus has hundreds of recipes. Our V7 and V30 programmes make it easy for anyone to go and stay vegan.
HOW TO GET THIS MAGAzINE Join Viva! for just £15 to get your copy of Viva!life magazine three times a year. You’ll also receive a supporters’ card – giving you discounts at hundreds of shops and on services and holidays (see myvegantown.org.uk/discounts) – plus a free car sticker. Call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or join online at viva.org.uk/join.
Go vegan call to influencers
16 EXPOSé NO 2 Cruelty on three turkey farms
20 EXPOSé NO 3 Dark life of Rainbow trout
27 VEGAN FOR HEALTH
Health
vegan for
Superb new health guide
Why vegan diets are the best, how to eat well and protect your health
30 COOKERY
16
Tasty Tofutastic
35 BIRD FLU Pandemic waiting in the wings
By Veronika Charvátová MSc and Dr Justine Butler, Viva!
36 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE Plague of our own making
38 TONY WARDLE Bang bang, you’re dead
42 MEDIA LIFE Viva! in the news
48 DIET AND DEMENTIA Eating for your brain
54 NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANIMALS Brainy birds and clever cattle
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5 Lifelines 14 Viva! Poland 19 John Robb 22 Life Science 25 Universities going vegan 28 Lifestyle 41 Slash the risk 45 New supporter pack 47 Snowdon planning victory 51 V Biz 52 Vegan Easter treats 56 Book reviews 57 New business pack viva.org.uk 3
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Welcome
VIVA!LIFE MAGAzINE
What huge encouragement there is in Mintel’s latest marketing survey. All age groups are reducing the amount of meat they consume but it is women and the under 45s who are in the lead. Some 42 per cent of women are doing so and 45 per cent of the under 45s (see page 5). Could we be approaching – not too far distant – a critical mass when veganism becomes unstoppable? One thing I know for sure, our undercover exposés are making a huge contribution to this vital trend by ripping away the excuses used to defend intensive farming and revealing the stark reality for millions of animals. And yet again we report on new investigations – three of them! Exposé number one reveals the horror faced by farmed salmon in Scotland where these poor creatures are literally being eaten alive by parasitic lice (see page 12). Exposé number two was carried out just before Christmas on four English turkey farms where, amidst the institutional cruelty they have to live with every day of their lives, we filmed the roundup and crating of turkeys for slaughter and witnessed birds being violently kicked over 200 times by workers (see page 16). Exposé number three is of rainbow trout farms in Wiltshire, supplying fish to up-market stores such as Fortnum and Mason. Their conditions were appalling and again we filmed fish being kicked, left to suffocate and cruelly killed (see page 20). What these three investigations also highlight is the sheer inadequacy of the Red Tractor and RSPCA assurance schemes, both of which were involved in certifying one or other of these farms. Red Tractor is easy to understand as it’s simply an industry-financed marketing ploy but the RSPCA’s involvement is bewildering. Can you imagine the far greater impact it would have on animals if, instead of condoning animal agriculture and approving cruelty, it joined Viva! in saying, ‘Go Vegan!’ Our Year in Review on page eight is a reminder of all we achieved in 2020 and seeing it all brought together in this way – so much work, so many successes – is gratifying but also a bit overwhelming. I hope you agree. We have launched a brand new, bright, colourful and comprehensive health guide (page 27) and on the subject of health, we look at the science behind how diet can help to reduce the risk of dementia (page 48). And on page 36, Professor Emanuel Goldman explains precisely why the growing incidence of antibiotic resistance is such a profound threat to human health.
Viva! Founder & International Director Juliet Gellatley Executive Assistant Jess Nunn Editor Tony Wardle Head of Investigations Lex Rigby Head of Communications Faye Lewis Campaigns & Outreach Laura-Lisa Hellwig, William Sorflaten, Louisa Kendal, Siobhan Dolan Viva! Health Dr Justine Butler, Veronika Charvátová Office Manager & Supporters’ Liaison Laura Turner, Renata Rzepecka, Beata Rzepecka-Wilk Merchandise, Business & Events Emily Coster, Siobhan Dolan, Alice Short, Dani Lawton Food & Cookery and VRC Maryanne Hall, Dani Lawton Design The Ethical Graphic Design Company Ltd Web & IT Roger Peñarroya i Zaldívar, Conor Haines, Jeremy Ludlow Podcast Presenter Helen Wilson Editorial enquiries 0117 970 4633 Advertising enquiries 0117 944 1000 Membership enquiries 0117 944 1000 info@viva.org.uk
Yours for the animals Juliet Gellatley Founder & Director juliet@viva.org.uk facebook.com/juliet.gellatley
Online viva.org.uk vivahealth.org.uk veganrecipeclub.org.uk vivavegancharity vivacampaigns vivacharity Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH
General enquiries
Contact Viva! on 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri 9-5) Email info@viva.org.uk Write to Viva! at: 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH 4
life
vegan is a staTe of kind Kind to you, animals and the planet
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lifelines Mintel Monitors Vegan Surge
l Asia is tipped to be the largest region for plant-based food consumption in the $21bn global finished product market by 2025 on the back of consumers’ ethical, health and environmental concerns. l Global food giant, Unilever, aims to have a €1bn-a-year plantbased foods business by 2028. after success of its vegan products. CEO Alan Jope, said it was an “inexorable” trend. “We are seeing in every single country in the world, a shift towards plant-based diets”.
Vegan food product launches are now in full swing as new research from Mintel reveals a nation hungry for meat-free foods. Over the past two years, the number of Brits who have eaten meat-free foods has shot up from 50 per cent in 2017 to 65 per cent in 2019. Sales of meat-free foods have grown 40 per cent from £582 million in 2014 to an estimated £816 million in 2019. Such is the popularity of meat-free food that sales are expected to be in excess of £1.1 billion by 2024. According to Mintel research, the proportion of meat eaters who have reduced or limited the amount of meat they consume has risen from 28 per cent 2017 to 39 per cent in 2019. For women it is 42 per cent while for under 45s it is 45 per cent. Well, Viva! la vegan revolution!
Carbon calculator Professor Mike Berners-Lee has produced a fascinating carbon calculator chart for BBC Food. It adds up the total cost of greenhouse gases in what we eat by considering farming practices, the agricultural machinery required to harvest crops, methane burps, transport needed to get food and drink to the shops plus any other fuel requirements, processing and packaging. It’s something of a rough guide but nevertheless it shows just how important veganism is to combatting global warming. Values are kg of CO₂ per kg of produce.
Non-vegan
Cream (British) 5.9 Whole chicken (global average) 8.1 Butter (British) 9.8 Mozzarella (UK produced) 10 Mozzarella (driven from Italy) 10 Bacon (UK produced) 10 Cheddar (UK produced) 11 Eggs (British) 19.1 Parmesan (driven from Italy) 19.1 Lamb (UK produced) 21 Tuna (flown from Seychelles) 22 Tiger prawns (farmed Thailand) 25 Beef (UK produced) 25 Beef steak (imported from deforested land) 83.3
Vegan
Oatmeal milk, unrefrigerated (from UK) Apples (local) Potatoes and root veg (UK grown) Soya milk, unrefrigerated Onions (UK grown) Garlic (UK grown) Apples (shipped from New zealand) Lettuce (UK grown) Almond milk, unrefrigerated (from California) Bananas (shipped from Latin America) Broccoli (UK grown) Squash (UK grown) Cauliflower (UK grown) Tofu Avocados (driven from Spain) Nuts and seeds
Viva!’s shorts
Praise for Hogwood
Help us keep doing all this amazing work in 2021. Call 0117 944 1000, Mon-Fri, 9-5,or donate online at viva.org.uk/ donate
‘Just watched Hogwood. Utterly shocking that farms are run like this and it takes years on end to shut them down. One reason for this is that “Red Tractor” is simply a marketing ploy to get people to think they are eating well-treated animals. Well, this doc explains how Red Tractor was started. Yes, you guessed it, farmers and NFU! It also explains pandemics and how they all stemmed from exploitation of animals, plus the health issues and damage to the planet. Please watch it regardless of your choices – for the sake of your kids’ future, watch it. Then make your choices. (This is about a UK farm! There are NO slaughterhouse scenes).’ Hogwood now on Amazon Prime.
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lifelines Live Export Ban? Hopefully, environment secretary Mr Eustice has got one thing very right – a ban on live animal exports for slaughter or fattening. It is intended that the ban will be effective from the end of 2022 but will not apply to exports from Northern Ireland and tens of millions of breeding chicks will not be included. The number of other animals is comparatively small at 6,400 annually but the suffering can be enormous. There is speculation that Boris Johnson’s fiancée, vegan Carrie Symonds might be behind it and we have certainly stood on anti-live export platforms with his father, Stanley Johnson. We salute KAALE (Kent Against Animal Live Exports) who have harassed animal exporters at Kent ports for many years.
Goat Farm Deaths In 2007, a pathogenic bacterial disease called Q fever infected a farm of 1,700 dairy goats in an area of Holland heavily populated by goat farms. It lasted for three years and led to the culling of 50,000 goats on 55 farms. But it wasn’t just goats who were infected; 50,000 people were believed to have been infected, 95 died and many were left with complications such as heart failure. Once the disease had disappeared, goat farming rapidly expanded again. Ten years later and panic is again spreading through the same region as people living near goat farms start to develop pneumonia, with those living up to 1.5 km away showing an increased risk of 55 per cent. Other people are developing fever, chills, fatigue and muscle pain. A vaccination programme has ruled out a return of Q fever and researchers are afraid that this might be an entirely new zoonotic disease. But not Jos Tolboom of the Dutch farmers’ union: “It could be that since the Q fever outbreak, people living near goat farms are more quick to go to the doctor,” he says. Don’t you just love ‘em?
Future Imperfect The Government has set out its plans for the future of agriculture over the next three years in a grandsounding document The Path to Sustainable Farming: An Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024. Transition – from what and to what? What concerns the big UN environmental agencies is the impact that livestock for meat and dairy is having on the planet. For the WHO it’s the impact of meat and dairy on human health. So, we know what Mr Eustice needs to do – but what is he going to do? Well, improve peat lands for a start and forests, too. Oh, and find better ways of storing slurry and improve animal welfare – but not yet, that’s to be researched. CAP subsidy payments are to be phased out but we knew that anyway. And the end of factory farming, the reduction in animal agriculture or even its phasing out? Not on your life – this symphony of rhetoric doesn’t even mention it. This former PR man, UKIP candidate and Brexiteer has recently reneged on his promise to ban bee-killing neonicotinoids and they’ll pop up their ugly heads one again in our fields. Oh, useless Eustice!
Masters of Deception Masters of fox hounds and staff, representing a half of all UK hunts, took part in two webinars which the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) obtained and were broadcast by ITV. They left little doubt that hunts were exploiting loopholes in the law to kill foxes. One participant reminded hunters not to record hunt saboteurs on their normal mobile phone as if it was produced in evidence, their social media boasts about what they actually did when hunting would also be accessed. Laying multiple trails if they were being watched acted as a good smokescreen and saying you were flushing the fox to a bird of prey (which is legal) was a ‘terribly good wheeze’. Best of all, a retired senior police officer said to blame hunt saboteurs for hunters losing control of the hounds – so the kill was their fault. Forestry England has banned trail hunting, as has the National Trust, United Utilities, Lake District National Park and Natural Resources Wales as well as some local councils.
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Badger Cull Ban – Sort of! Since the government approved the culling of badgers in 2013, about 140,000 of these iconic ‘protected’ animals have been killed. It has now announced it will issue no new licenses to kill from 2022 but existing licences could carry the killing on into 2028. The problem of bovine TB lies not with badgers but with cattle and farmers. Our own investigations have shown that biosecurity is almost entirely absent; inaccurate testing frequently fails to identify infected cattle who go on to infect others and nearly 20 million cattle are shunted around the country – super spreaders! Effectively tackling any of these issues would have had a far greater impact than killing badgers. But it was never about that – it was about farmer’s votes.
VIVA! INVITES YOU TO
A Webinar on – Banning UK Factory Farming An expert virtual roundtable – should the UK become one of the first countries in the world to outlaw intensive farming methods?
Thursday April 15, 2021 14:00 – 15:15 GMT With Daniel Capurro (Chair), The Daily Telegraph, Juliet Gellatley, Viva!, Sir Roger Gale Conservative MP, Chi Onwurah Labour MP, Lisa Cameron SNP MP, Kerri Waters, Rebecca Knowles and Iain Tolhurst. Register here: viva.org.uk/ban-uk-factory-farming
Fortnums Dish Foie Gras
Viva! Veganuary From assisting with the launch of Veganuary in 2014, we have watched with delight as its influence has grown and grown, with 2021 being the most successful year yet. With 582,538 people signing up to go vegan for January, a bag full of celebrities joining them and countless companies reporting record vegan sales – it’s quite something. The latest celebs to clamber aboard are household names – Jane Goodall, Paul McCartney (veggie up until now), Ricky Gervais, John Bishop and Sara Pascoe (who seems to be on every channel), plus 10 Conservative MPs. Leon, Pret and M&S were all wowed by rocketing sales of new vegan lines while Deliveroo saw a huge increase in demand for vegan foods and this clocked up £300,000 in just the first week of the month.
After years of resisting demands to dump foie gras, posh shop Fortnum & Mason has finally conceded and agreed to stop selling ‘torture in a tin,’ one of the last big department stores to do so.
MEPs Launch Kangaroo Ban Campaign Members of the European parliament (MEP’s) discovered the brutal reality of the kangaroo trade when the film KANGAROO – a love hate story was screened in the EU parliament. Juliet Gellatley, Viva! director, makes an important contribution to the film. The outcome was that some MEPs joined with the groups Kangaroos Alive and Eurogroup for Animals to try and end Europe’s involvement in the trade as it is the largest importer of kangaroo body parts in the world.
China Protects Pangolins The world’s most trafficked animal has finally be given the highest form of protection, similar to that of pandas, and its body parts removed from the list of approved medicines by the Chinese government. Pangolin meat is bought to show off because of its cost and its scales are used to supposedly treat a variety of ailments. The ban applies to both wild and captive-bred animals and is effective immediately.
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the Year in Review … and what a year it was
In the year that brought us a devastating global pandemic and much uncertainty, we have continued our fight for animals – launching a major documentary, innovative campaigns, and incredible 13 investigations of factory farms as well as releasing an exciting new seven-day vegan meal programme to help people make the change.
BY JULIET GELLATLEY
VIVA! ANIMALS
Viva!’s billboard campaign In March, Viva! launched a huge billboard campaign across the East Midlands which asked people to question their food choices and choose vegan. The messaging was simple and direct, intended to make people stop and think. It caused a social media storm and reached six million people. I carried out back-to-back interviews with 12 radio stations promoting the campaign and discussing the benefits of veganism.
Everything you need to know about Covid-19 Animal farming is
killing us
By late March, the coronavirus pandemic gained enough momentum to virtually shut down the entire country. Having already published numerous articles on the links between pandemics, the trade in wildlife and factory farming, we pulled our resources together and released a comprehensive Covid-19 section on our website.
Calvesley Farm investigation
HOGWOOD: The Film Release In February, we announced the release of our now multi award-winning documentary, HOGWOOD: a modern horror story, directed by associate director, Tony Wardle. Since its launch, HOGWOOD has racked up an impressive accolade of awards and reviews and broadcast the vegan message far and wide. Seven-times world F1 motor racing champion (and vegan) Lewis Hamilton shared our trailer to his 21.3 million Instagram followers! Both Jerome Flynn (narrator and Viva! Patron) and I conducted back-to-back radio interviews to promote the film, including Sky News, BBC Scotland and BBC Leicester. After more than two years of relentless campaigning, Tesco dropped the farm as one of their suppliers. The film is streaming across Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google Play, watch and share – it really helps people go and stay vegan.
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As lockdown restrictions began to ease in May, our brave investigators set off to work and captured disturbing footage inside two farms supplying pig meat to Morrisons – Calvesley and Whiteshoot Farms. Workers were filmed brutally killing young piglets, mutilating others and leaving dead animals in the open. The investigation reinforced our claims that regulatory bodies, supermarket welfare claims and the Red Tractor ‘assurance’ scheme are nothing more than a façade to disguise the horror of intensive factory farming. In this case, Calvesley Farm was suspended from the scheme. Morrisons refused to acknowledge that either farm supplied them but the Yattendon Estate office, who own the land Calvesley Farm is housed on, confirmed they were launching legal proceedings to “get the buildings [at Calvesley Farm] vacated in the quickest time possible” – with the rumoured intention to demolish the entire Calvesley site. What a victory!
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Salmon investigation In September 2020, our investigators visited a number of salmon farms in the Highlands of Scotland. They discovered a hidden industry that forces salmon to live in overcrowded pens where they are being eaten alive by sea lice. The exposé gained the national coverage it deserved and was run as an exclusive in the Daily Mirror. (For the full story, see page 12).
Turkey investigation As another plank of our important campaign, End Factory Farming Before It Ends Us, our intrepid undercover investigators exposed turkey farming of major operators, Gressingham and Avara Foods, who supply most UK supermarkets. Viva! revealed shocking scenes of suffering and a total disregard for animal welfare, incuding birds being ruthlessly kicked more than 218 times while being herded for slaughter. It earned an exclusive in The Independent just in time for Christmas. With thanks to our Head of Investigations, Lex Rigby, for all her work on investigations this year. (For the full story, see page 16).
Flat House Farm investigation Hot on the heels of the Morrisons exposé came another, more shocking look at ‘high welfare’ pig farming in the UK, which launched our long-term campaign to End Factory Farming Before It Ends Us. Our undercover investigators captured a catalogue of horrifying scenes and secreted hidden cameras at Flat House Farm in Leicestershire. Animals had a range of serious and painful ailments and some had simply been abandoned to die. Our exposé was covered by the Daily Mail, The Sun, BBC News and our head of investigations, Lex Rigby, was interviewed on regional TV News and national radio. Red Tractor (again) suspended the farm and claimed to be ‘appalled’ by what we had exposed and even admitted on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today admitted that their reputation had been damaged by Viva!. I confronted the owner of this place who denied it was his farm but our film of its horrors, The Flat House Factory, reached over two million people. viva.org.uk/eff
3 in 4 campaign launch
We began work on a new campaign, called 3 in 4, to spotlight the shocking statistic that three out of every four of the world’s new or emerging infectious diseases come from animals. The number is increasing directly due to the way animals are exploited for food and wild habitats being encroached upon. We launched five videos viewed by almost five million people! We published a one minute video on the origins of coronavirus which was viewed 1.1 million times. A second video, Shocking Facts about the Origins of Pandemics, made the connection between eating meat, the decimation of wildlife, factory farming and disease outbreaks. In just two weeks it was viewed by 1.5 million people. What Have Pandemics Got to do with Animals? then won an award. Spurred on by the incredible reach of our 3 in 4 campaign, we made a further two videos, Confined in Lockdown and the Cost of Lockdown – with a further one million people choosing to watch them throughout. The Independent published our open letter, signed by 10 scientists and campaigners, warning that factory farms and wildlife markets provide the perfect conditions for disease to thrive and transmit to humans. I wrote an opinion piece urging more people to go vegan; and we gained coverage from the Daily Mail, the biggest online news platform in the world. viva.org.uk/3-in-4 l Our digital photocall to help spread the word went viral and we were thrilled by how many people took part in the social media storm, including Viva! Patrons and celebrities Heather Mills, Peter Egan, Jasmine Harman and Wendy Turner-Webster. l We set up an appeal to Boris Johnson, backed by comedian Ricky Gervais, urging the government to End Factory Farming Before It Ends Us. l To help people go and be vegan during lockdown, we launched weekly cookery demonstrations by Helen Wilson, of Viva!’s Vegan Recipe Club – DIY Indian takeaways to a masterclass on tofu.
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VIVA! health Zoonoses report In May we published our Zoonoses report, written by Viva!’s senior researcher and writer, Dr Justine Butler. It explains how most new and emerging infectious diseases come from animals, including SARS, MERS, Ebola and AIDS. It reveals why factory farms could be the source of the next pandemic and raises the hot topics of antibiotic resistance and avian influenza. viva.org.uk/3-in-4
Zoonoses
a ticking time bomb
Emerging diseases origin ating in animals and their impact on huma nity By Dr Justine Butler, Viva!
Slash the Risk
Juliet Gellatley Juliet Gellatley Wins P.E.A Award I was honoured to receive the ‘Vegan Award’ at The People, Environment, Achievements (P.E.A) Awards – the UK’s biggest green award that celebrates sustainability heroes from every sector. Jarvis Smith, co-founder of the awards said: “Juliet has been leading the charge for the vegan movement for over 25 years. As a vegan myself, and witnessing the unconscious cruelty to animals, especially in factory farming, Juliet is a HERO for being a pioneer in making this a mainstream issue”.
Our New Website A big part of 2020 was taken up developing and launching our superb new website – a huge undertaking! Packed with vibrant and beautiful photography and practical information on all elements of veganism, it presents the four key areas of our work; Viva! Animals, Viva! Health, Viva! Planet and Viva! Lifestyle. This mega project involved our whole staff but special thanks go to Roger Penarroya zaldivar, web manager, and Conor Haines and Nick Hallows, our web content editors. Thanks also to Roisin McAuley and Louisa Kendal for her social media support throughout the year. viva.org.uk
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Following the success with our thought-provoking billboards in spring, we knew more was needed. Neither the media nor government were telling us of one easy way to help protect ourselves from severe Covid-19, so we stepped in. In November, our Slash the Risk campaign launched with 80 billboards around the country. It was a two-pronged, message: You can slash your risk of severe Covid-19 by going vegan; we can slash the risk of future pandemics by ending factory farming. Our website lists the risk factors for Covid-19 and provides the scientific evidence why going vegan can help. Alongside Viva! Health researcher Veronika Charvátová, I hosted a lively Q&A session on zoom with 100 participants and gave almost 20 radio interviews! Fifteen experts signed a letter in the Sunday Times calling for the government to promote veganism as the cheapest and most effective way to stop pandemics and reduce the risk of severe Covid-19. viva.org.uk/slash-the-risk
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Viva! Lifestyle While the nation was in lockdown, Vegan Recipe Club’s Helen Wilson used her culinary skills to deliver a tantilising series of live cookery demonstrations on Facebook, including Best DIY Burgers, Tofu Masterclass and Homemade Indian Takeaway. Maryanne Hall, VRC’s manager, sent out weekly recipes for lockdown and as those restrictions eased, in October we launched our exciting campaign V7 – a brand new, one week food challenge, led by our PR Manager Siobhan Dolan. Users sign up to receive a complete vegan shopping list with seven days of super recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Daily emails show you how incredibly easy and delicious vegan food can be. Designed specifically for meat-eaters, meat-reducers and those interested in trying veganism but don’t know where to start – V7 is so easy. So, if you know someone who wants to try veganism for just seven days, sign up to V7 at viva.org.uk/v7.
Viva!’s V7 Lockdown Challenge Feed the Homeless Over the course of November, Viva! teamed up with Million Dollar Vegan to provide and distribute 2,000 vegan meals. As the country went into a second lockdown, Viva! was dropping off meals at various different charities and shelters to help people who had been severely impacted by the pandemic.
Gifts for Life and Viva!life
Vegan Recipe Club – Vegan on a Budget Throughout the year, the Vegan Recipe Club has pumped out countless delicious recipes and cookery demonstrations – designed to help the public go vegan during lockdown, with thanks to Maryanne Hall and Helen Wilson. A new leaflet – Budget Guide to Eating Vegan shows that veganism need not be expensive. The guide sits alongside our popular Student Guide to Eating Vegan, perfect for students who don’t have the time or money to prepare meals from scratch, featuring quick meals like 10-minute one-pot Pad Thai. We also launched a video promoting our Deliciously Vegan Christmas Guide, which has been watched by over 57,000 people on YouTube alone. Go to the Materials section of vivashop.org.uk.
e Student guid budget guide
to eating to eating vegan vegan A handy guide for anyone cooking vegan on a budget
ts, including tasty A handy guide for studen t essentials vegan recipes and produc
Throughout lockdown, we were determined to send your orders out promptly and our merchandise staff worked exceptionally hard in challenging times. A big thank you to Emily Coster, merchandise manager, and her team, Alice, Dani and later, Renata. And a huge thank you to office manager Laura Turner and her team for coping so well in challenging times in sending out thousands of packs and information. We kept in touch with you – our supporters – throughout the year with our popular magazine, Viva!life, edited by Tony Wardle. Join Viva! to become a subscriber at viva.org.uk/join. Veganism is continuing to explode in popularity and for many, the global pandemic has caused them to question the undeniable relationship between our health, the way we treat animals and the wellbeing of our planet. Our plans for 2021 are bigger and more exciting than we could have ever imagined. The vegan revolution is well under way and Viva! is paving the way for a kinder, more compassionate future. Please help us make 2021 even more spectacular by supporting Viva!’s work today!
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Viva!’s undercover investigations are vital in helping people to understand the cruelty of modern farming and persuading them to change their diet, the only guaranteed way to save animals. We have been extraordinarily busy since the last issue of Viva!life, with three more important exposés that have gained national publicity
exposé no.
1
BY LEX RIGBY – HEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS
FaAnctory Farmed
n o m l a s
environmental and welfare disaster W
as that really the alarm going off at 4:30 am? It took my brain a few moments to register, not only what the alarm was for – but where the hell I was waking up. “We’re in Scotland. We’re here to film salmon farms,” a voice inside me yelled. I threw myself out of bed and got the kettle going. My co-investigator and I had been out on a reconnaissance the previous day to select which of the seven farms we could film. We needed good weather, calm water, steady nerves and a heap of good luck to boot. It was mid-September so the grey was setting in, temperatures were dropping and winds were picking up. Weather reports were looking great and so we set off for the parking spot we’d selected but there was a vehicle
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already tucked in – likely an early morning fisher. Dammit! Further up the road, we found a little forestry track and we parked there, completely out of sight. I knew it took seven minutes to pump up the kayak but I didn’t know there would be swarms of biting midges. By the end of the morning, I had itchy red dots framing my eyes and covering my forehead – but it was worth it. With our life jackets strapped on, our cameras clipped in and our paddles at the ready, we ran across the road. A two-person, bright orange kayak is not the stealthiest piece of equipment in an investigator’s toolkit but it was all we had. We launched straight off the beach, just as the sun was rising to reveal our target.
Bottom: salmon are amazing creatures whose life takes them from ocean to river and back again and whose extraordinary homing abilities we haven't even begun to understand yet they are confined in overcrowded pens for life simply so people can eat them
Photo © Corin Smith
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Without being able to see them, I knew the salmon were there because I could hear them leaping into the air and splashing back into the water in futile attempts to dislodge parasitic sea lice. Sea lice are naturally occurring parasites that feed on skin, mucus and blood. While adult wild salmon are well-adapted to coping with the odd louse, the intensification of salmon farming has led to frequent invasions. They have devastating effects, causing skin lesions, loss of scales, secondary infection – and ultimately death. Lice that escape into the local marine environment also have a dramatic impact on wild salmon and sea trout smolts (young). Their fragile skin is not yet ready to cope with parasites on this scale and they can be completely wiped out as a result. We pulled our kayak alongside the first cage and I carefully rolled onto the circular walkway. I lifted the net – in place to keep birds out – just enough to get my camera into the water and started recording. Apart from the leaping salmon, it was impossible to see what I was filming as my diving light had limited
penetration. We captured thousands of tightly-packed salmon swimming in monotonous circles and the presence of lumpfish – small, cleaner fish that breed in their millions to feed on the lice. We had about an hour before staff arrived and worked quickly, moving from cage to cage before calling it a day. As we landed back on the beach, we could see the workers’ boat heading to the site. Back at the hotel, we reviewed the footage and had our fears were confirmed – fish in putrid conditions and parasitic lice everywhere. Over the next few days, we got the drone up and filmed the shocking use of hydrolicers and thermolicers – non-medicinal lice treatments that either fire freshwater jets at the salmon or pass them through heated water to remove sea lice. Between 2016 and 2019 around half a million salmon have been killed in these machines but millions more have surely suffered. The debate about whether fish feel pain has gone on for years and despite research consistently finding that they do, still the doubters continue. In 2019, a new review concluded that it is highly likely that fish experience pain and specifically that salmon exposed to water temperatures above 28ºC (less than the temperature in a thermolicer) behaved as if they were in pain – swimming faster, crashing into tank walls and shaking their heads. Like all factory farming, modern aquaculture is highly intensive and prioritises profit over welfare. It causes serious animal suffering, widespread habitat destruction, and potential drug-resistant superbugs. This industry is also threatening the wonderful wild salmon. Not only are they succumbing to the onslaught of lice but the frequent escape of farmed salmon into the oceans is helping to destroy them. Farmed salmon have been selectively bred for size and quick growth and are much weaker than wild salmon yet they can still breed with them, weakening the wild strain. Research shows that this poses a serious threat to the survival of wild Atlantic salmon. As fish rarely attracts as much concern as mammals we were delighted to get an exclusive in the Daily Mirror, with a stark headline: ‘Putrid’ salmon farms infested with flesh-eating lice threaten wildlife in oceans. The London Economic then picked up the story as did Totally Vegan Buzz and Plant Based News. I also wrote a long feature for Sentient Media (see page 42). When Viva! says End Factory Farming Before it Ends Us, it couldn’t be more literal.
Above: wherever you look in salmon pens you can see the lice attached to fish and the damage they have done Inset: this tiny little creature is a sea lice and modern fish farming methods have allowed it to prosper and spread and eat alive the captive fish Bottom left: overcrowding leads to plagues of sea lice that feast on the skin and blood of the captive salmon. Mechanical methods of heat and water jets fail to solve the problem but cause huge distress to the fish and kill many
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Ducks Starved to Death – Viva! Prosecutes
‘No Surrender’ on Poland’s Fur Ban The law banning fur farming in Poland has been halted but the fight goes on and Viva! closes fur farm We reported in the last issue of Viva!life how our Polish colleagues had led a decade-long battle to get fur farming banished from the country. It culminated in an historic and overwhelming vote in the lower house of parliament to do just that but the Deputy Leader of the ruling Party prevented the Bill from proceeding. Highlighting just how cruel the fur industry is and how urgently a ban is needed, Viva! Poland carried our yet another investigation into mink farming near Łódź and once again filmed shocking footage of blatant cruelty. Animals were shown being dragged out of their cages by their tails, being hit and slammed against the concrete floor, being stamped on and forced into tiny cages. The supposed regulations for slaughter were ignored, leading to acute suffering. Viva! filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office and the farm was closed down. While other European countries
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slaughter mink because they harbour Covid-19, there is a fear that the Polish government is holding fire because it believes that they will have an advantage in the fur market once Covid-19 is under control. Anette Boklund, an epidemiologist and veterinarian at the University of Copenhagen, has tried to find the source of Covid-19 in mink. Her team tested numerous species of wildlife but the only positive sample came from a seagull’s foot. Infected farm workers are the most likely source, Boklund concluded. We haven’t given up on the ban and so displayed banners across Poland saying that the animals cannot wait any longer. Holograms were displayed in front of the houses of parliament and the headquarters of the ruling party urging national politicians to demand the implementation of the ban they had passed. The Bill is now believed to be frozen and its status remains unclear.
At a farm in Western Poland around 4,000 dead ducks were discovered who had died of starvation. Viva! joined the investigation and the farmer was arrested and prosecuted. Because in Poland we have the ability to instigate prosecutions for cruelty, Viva! stood alongside the state prosecutor as part of the prosecution team. It transpired that the ducks had been neglected over a period of one month and were provided with only a fifth of the rations they needed. The farmer’s excuse was heavy debts but poor management was the overriding cause and he could have avoided this appalling outcome. He was found guilty, sentenced to a year’s imprisonment and banned from any involvement with animals for four years after his release. While the sentence would have been far greater had the animals been cats or dogs, the verdict was nevertheless an important step forward in protecting farmed animals – and particularly birds, who have tended to be ignored.
Our first series of street actions to stop climate change visited Polish cities with the message ‘zostan Wege’ (Go Veg) and end factory farming. They highlighted the links between animal farming, global warming and environmental destruction
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n a g e v o g Please
Vice President Harris Women from across the world who have realised that going plant based is essential for all our futures, are calling on US Vice President Harris to go vegan in 2021 and to move towards a plantbased economy
Viva! is joining the initiative of JIVINITI Women’s Coalition in calling for Kamala Harris to take a plant-based approach, not just to tackle Covid-19 and any future pandemic but to address global food insecurity, chronic illness, racial and gender structural inequality and climate change. JIVINITI is part of the Virsa Foundation, a US non-profit foundation which advocates for women’s empowerment, especially women of colour in deprived communities and low-income women who suffer from structural inequalities. What a wonderful coalition to be part of! In an Open Letter, we’re asking Vice President Harris to: 1 De-industrialise animal production and consumption; 2 Employ the best scientific tools for medical research rather than animal testing; 3 Issue urgent pandemic nutrition guidance advocating a wholefood, plant-based diet. Viva!’s founder and director, Juliet Gellatley, said: “I founded Viva! – Europe’s largest vegan campaigning charity – 26 years ago to fight for animals and to create a vegan world, which will help humans as well as animals and save our planet. The past year has starkly shown us that the exploitation of animals must end, before it ends us. “Covid-19 has taken countless lives and its collective trauma will take generations to process. This pandemic was caused by the extreme exploitation of animals. Time and time again, the people who are most adversely affected by humanitarian crises are women, particularly women of colour, all around the world. The quickest and simplest way of dismantling the lucrative animal industries is to radically reduce demand for animal products. And that means going vegan. I whole-heartedly support JIVINITI Women’s Coalition and invite Vice President Kamala Harris to become plant-powered”. Our long-standing patron, entrepreneur and media personality, Heather Mills, supports the call along with Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, and youth activist and Marvel superhero, Genesis Butler, who called for the Pope to go vegan for Lent. You can sign the petition at change.org/p/kamalaharris-plant-powered-kamala-harris-for-a-healthyhappy-hopeful-america to support the #plantpoweredKamala campaign. How do you think our PM Boris Johnson would react if Viva! asked him to go plant-based for his country? We remain cautiously optimistic considering the influence of his environmentally-savvy fiancé, Carrie Symonds, and his father, Stanley, who has been speaking out against factory farming for decades. We’ll see!
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BY LEX RIGBY – HEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS
christmas
exposé no.
2
r o r r e t y e k r tu
Shocking suffering on three farms – Red Tractor involved again W
hat is it about Christmas that makes so many people treat turkeys like Santa Claus – they’ve got to make an appearance. Peace and goodwill celebrated with pain and suffering. Just before Christmas, Viva! carried out undercover investigations at three British intensive turkey farms approved by Red Tractor – East Farm, Norfolk, and two Gloucestershire farms: Clearwell and Strawberry Hill. At all of them we filmed shocking scenes of suffering and abject animal cruelty. East Farm is operated by UK poultry giant Gressingham, who annually produce over eight million turkeys, ducks and chickens. Both Clearwell Farm and Strawberry Hill Farm rear turkeys for Avara Foods. These are not rogue operators as Gressingham and Avara are two of the UK’s biggest food producers and
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supply most of the big retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons and Ocado. The blatant suffering we filmed is only the end product of a rearing system that is itself inherently cruel and ensures that every bird suffers. Forced to live inside cramped sheds, these turkeys never see the light of day and are mechanically fed, watered and continually weighed to ensure maximum growth and profit. They suffer from stress, boredom and frustration, which manifests in severe pecking, bullying and cannibalism. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that on all three farms, we found numerous
Top left: we counted turkeys being violently kicked over 200 times during the ‘round up’ process
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r birds suffering from severe injuries. Providing ‘environmental enrichment’ to help counter boredom doesn’t make these systems remotely acceptable but it does help to reduce the number of casualties. Dying birds were found with devastatingly bloody wounds caused by other birds pecking out their feathers and which appeared to have gone untreated for a considerable time. It is rare for us NOT to find these kinds of injuries but still Red Tractor trumpets its high welfare standards and Avara, who are supplied by this farm, say: “Our birds would rather peck at the drinkers, feeders, or other pecking objects than each other”. Oh really! The birds are forced to grow unnaturally fast and this frequently leads to leg disorders, joint degeneration and heart disease. We found birds so overweight they struggled to stand after falling over and found great difficulty in reaching the food and watering points. Of course Red Tractor say that birds should be inspected regularly but at Strawberry Hill Farm we found birds with broken wings – one with a bone sticking out of necrotic tissue. How could you miss those in a welfare check? At just 132 days old, turkeys at Strawberry Hill Farm were filmed being caught ready for slaughter, forced into crates and loaded onto a transport truck. We filmed workers ruthlessly kicking the birds more than 218 times while herding them for capture. When they were then forced into small transport crates, it was done carelessly, some birds having their wings trapped and left sticking out of the crates. Of course this violates Red Tractor’s code but what’s the point of regulations if there’s no one there to enforce them?
“The welfare of these turkeys was compromised in several ways. Particularly disturbing was a turkey with feather loss and a severe, raw wound, over most of its back. Some others were similarly affected. One was literally thrashing around on its back, unable to right itself. These birds were clearly severely lame or injured, and in need of veterinary care”. Professor Andrew Knight (veterinary expert). The Independent ran an exclusive picture story under the headline Turkeys kicked hundreds of times and left wounded at farms supplying Sainsbury and Asda, including showing our video footage. The Ecologist, Plant Based News and One Green Planet also ran the story (see page 47).
Top right: birds were packed without care with wings being trapped outside the containers. Above and below: turkeys simply abandoned to their fate
see Exposé No. 3 page 20
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Obituaries
We were saddened to hear of the deaths of Eileen and Jon and deeply grateful for being remembered in their wills
Eileen Clarke
Jon Wynne-Tyson
I knew Eileen Clarke for many years and she devoted her whole life to campaigning for animals. A vegan for many years, she fundraised from a local stall, attended many demonstrations, often travelling long distances, and created wonderful protest banners for such campaigns as anti-live exports, hunting and the fur trade. The last demo she attended was to highlight trophy hunting, which Virginia McKenna of Born Free organised in 2016. The five feral cats that Eileen rescued and loved for eight years are now at Celia’s sanctuary in Hastings. Despite having a heart condition, Eileen refused valve replacement surgery because it would have meant an animal part being inserted into her. Friends held a dedication for her in the garden of her London home where some of her poems were read and quotes from animal loving authors and her favourite music was played. Eileen was a true champion for animal rights. She died on 23 March 2020 aged 88. Sharon Hopkins
Jon died in March 2021 at the age of 95 after a fascinating lifetime of idiosyncratic publishing through his oneman company, Centaur Press, and of fast cars, squash, sailing boat racing and an enduring friendship with Noel Coward. Oh, and he was King of an uninhabited, guano-covered Caribbean island called Redonda (that’s a long story). Jon’s passions were vegetarianism and pacifism and he published wonderfully eclectic titles such as The Letter-Box: A History of Post Office Pillar and Wall-Boxes. He turned down a few books that became best sellers, including JP Donleavy’s The Ginger Man. He asked Dodie Smith to write a book about her beloved Dalmations. She didn’t but two years later, Heinemann published it under the title One Hundred and One Dalmations and the rest, as they say, is history. One of his best-known books is certainly Food for a Future: The Ecological Priority of a Humane Diet (1975). It was followed by The Extended Circle (1985), an anthology of quotations in support of animal rights that ranged from Dostoevsky to Doris Day. In 2004 he wrote his memoirs under the title Finding the Words: A Publishing Life. Jon Wynne-Tyson was born in 1924 and died in March 26, 2020. He was twice married and had two daughters. Tony Wardle
Registered Charity No. 1122303
/DeanFarmTrust /deanfarmtrust.org.uk @dean_farm_trust E. info@deanfarmtrust.org.uk
Give the gift of compassion this Easter and sponsor a hen like Tufty, who was rescued from the egg industry.
Sponsor Tufty or one of her friends at www.deanfarmtrust.org.uk/sponsor www.deanfarmtrust.org.uk
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Please help promote compassionate living
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Government’s inaction can no longer be tolerated One by one, big international bodies have condemned meat and dairy eating for the environmental disaster it is. The latest is the prestigious Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “The world is being put at extreme risk!” says the report, and we must shift to plant-based food systems because livestock have the greatest impact on the environment. This would free up existing land to restore native ecosystems and increase biodiversity. It would allow us to farm organically and less intensively. It would help to tackle the ill health suffered by three billion people who have either too little or too much to eat. “Politicians are still saying ‘my job is to make food cheaper for you’, no matter how toxic it is”, says Prof Tim Benton of Chatham House. “We must stop arguing that we have to subsidise food in the name of the poor and instead deal with the poor by bringing them out of poverty.” One example it quotes is that if a switch was made in the US from beef to beans, 42 per cent of its cropland would be freed up for rewilding and more nature-friendly farming. In another example, the report says that if all permanent pasture that was once forest was returned to forest, it would absorb seven billion tonnes of carbon, roughly equivalent to seven years of global emissions from fossil fuels. It you think this reads like a Viva! manifesto, you’d be absolutely right – we’ve been saying exactly this for over 20 years. But the sting in the tail tells you it’s not by us. “The report is not advocating that all people should become vegan, but should follow healhy diets that are much lower in meat”. And that runs counter to everything said in the report. Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, Benton, Bieg, Harwatt et al Food Systems’ Impact on Biodiversity, Chatham House, February 2021.
Just caught in the moment Pandemic stained, endless days where the weather is more than a thousand shades of grey and we are pinned down by strands of rampant RNA. That abrupt tear in life’s fabric of the Covid years, which have become the kind of life defining epoch that the Second World War must have been to my parents. I was thinking back to a time when the news was not a dense avalanche of stats and virus stories, a time when social networking was not conspiracy babble and a time when you saw human beings in fleshy life instead of 2D on a screen. We may have the capability to save ourselves if we take on the green and eco ideas and switch to a vegan diet to avoid the sixth great extinction. But even if we bring it on, the planet will still pick itself up like a punch drunk heavyweight and continue on another path, like it did when the dinosaurs were crushed by an asteroid 66 million years ago or after the other four great extinctions. The fragile balance of life was tilted by tectonic plates and new mountain ranges in the first great extinction – the Ordovician-Silurian of 444 million years ago. Not long after was the Late Devonian extinction, perhaps caused by plants. And then the biggie – the Permian-Triassic extinction of 252 million years ago when nearly everything went in a volcanic blaze of glory. If that wasn’t enough, then came the TriassicJurassic extinction of 201 million years ago. Each time the planet bounced back. The dinosaurs were the most successful species of all time – we are mere pinpricks but they went and planet Earth recovered. It will do the same without us and perhaps the octopus or dormice will suddenly become the dominant species! The planet will explode into a riot of colour and life and fight its own battles. Nature is both beauty and violence, the hunter and the hunted, but generally finds its own fulcrum which we have stomped all over. If we have triggered the sixth great extinction, it would make us the first instigators who knew exactly what they were doing and did fuck all to stop it! Maybe this human period was an example of what happens when one species gets the upper hand and the balance is tipped but the capacity for human greatness is still there and small gestures are having a big effect. We have just got through Veganuary and the people always ask if they are doing enough. If you have managed to replace your beloved bacon with a piece of vegan plant-textured protein and one smart and sentient pig has not died because you fancied a snack, then it’s a giant leap forward in your life. We may really want that bacon sandwich but what makes us unique is that we can deny it and that very idea gives me a warm glow – that amidst the madness and carnage, the human race is capable of small yet wonderful and powerful decisions like this…
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Photo © Melanie Smith
Meat consumption – a danger to our planet
Media man, punk-bred John Robb
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High Welfare
BY LEX RIGBY – HEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS
exposé no.
3
t u o r t w o b n i ra Just more factory farming B
ritain’s chalk streams are extraordinarily beautiful and almost unique. There are just over 200 in the world and most are in southern England, with just a few in France. What makes them so unique is their crystal clear waters that well up from underground chalk aquifers and then run over flint and gravel beds, providing a near constant flow even in mid-summer. They are home to many iconic species such as kingfisher, salmon, brown trout and grayling. Those words, ‘chalk stream’, are so iconic that they are commercially bankable and companies selling farmed trout have cashed in on it, using that imagery to sell their fish. We decided to find out how the imagery compared with the reality. Between June and November 2020, Viva! investigated four rainbow trout farms in Hampshire supplying ‘luxury’ food retailers, including Waitrose, Abel & Cole, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason. Instead of crystal-clear chalk stream water, the rainbow trout, which is not a native species, were found severely overcrowded in filthy
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ponds suffering from extreme stress, abrasive injuries and predation. Our video footage from a Test Valley Trout farm in Romsey, endorsed by top chef Jamie Oliver, captured workers throwing live trout, kicking them in frustration and hitting them around the head with a wooden priest – a short, blunt baton. It is an extremely ineffective way to kill fish and is likely to result in a prolonged and painful death. Companies selling rainbow trout from chalk stream waters have never failed to boast of their sustainability and high welfare standards. Our investigation raises serious questions about the day-to-day practices across multiple sites. Yet again, claims of high welfare by ‘assurance’ schemes, this time the RSPCA and Quality Trout UK, appeared to be meaningless, with numerous clear breaches of their codes. Some trout were too weak
Factory farming breeds contempt for animals whatever the species and whatever the ‘assurances’ offered. Beautiful rainbow trout condemned to filthy pens (bottom left), riddled with disease (bottom right) and discarded like trash (inset)
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t to swim against the flow of water and were filmed, pressed against the outlet grilles gasping their last breath. Once dead, many were left to rot on the surface or sank to their watery graves in various stages of decomposition. The extent of fungal build-up indicated that some dead fish had been left for considerable periods of time instead of being immediately removed to prevent the spread of bacteria – as the codes demand. Such disregard for basic hygiene poses a threat to public health and it raises serious questions about the muchvaunted water quality producers boast of. Promoted as a ‘sustainable’ solution to overfishing, modern fish farming (aquaculture) confines thousands of fish together in unnatural environments, causing widespread suffering and creating a breeding ground for disease. As a result of high stocking density, poor handling practices and attacks from predators, physical damage to tails, fins and eyes were widespread. These abrasive injuries remove protective mucus from the skin, leaving
fish open to infection from parasites, bacteria and secondary fungal infections. Despite defensive netting to keep out herons, corvids and gulls, we saw several large gaps, allowing birds to strike the fish, injure them and cause unnecessary distress. We filmed workers handling fish at a grading station where they’re sorted by size for slaughter. They threw live trout and kicked them as they flapped on the ground. We saw one fish writhing around for several minutes. Trout deemed unprofitable were discarded, ineffectively culled and left to slowly die of asphyxiation. Heavy-duty machinery pumps fish between ponds during their life-cycle, causing immense stress and disorientation as powerful water jets force them through large pipes but the sporadic flow deprives them of oxygen and causes abrasive injuries. At one of the farms, workers removed fish from the water for long periods of time to weigh them, causing suffocation, stress and anxiety. Our exposé had a profound impact, with The Times running a powerful exclusive feature. They were followed by the Southern Daily Echo, Andover Advertiser and Plant Based News. (See page 42).
Top left: kicked, abused, left to suffocate and inefficiently killed – that’s the fate of these rainbow trout. Top right: dead and dying fish are trapped by the water flow against gratings
RSPCA Assured issued the following statement: “Our specialists have viewed the footage and we are all deeply upset. It is totally unacceptable for fish to be treated in this way. We have launched an investigation and suspended three of the sites in the video”. “The entire series of photos cries neglect. I’d be willing to bet there are rampant bacterial infections and the water quality looks terrible.” Professor Culum Brown (Head of TheFishLab at Macquarie University) “Strong evidence exists that fish feel pain similarly to ourselves. It is cruel to leave seriously ill or injured fish to die, to suffocate in air, or to strike them with poorlyaimed rods. Such treatment of fish is inhumane.” Professor Andrew Knight (Founding Director of the Centre of Animal Welfare and EBVS European and RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law) Modern fish farming prioritises profit over welfare, causing extreme stress and unnecessary suffering. It’s time to End Factory Farming Before It Ends Us.
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lifeSCIENCE
Viva! Health unravels scientific research and makes it easy to understand. Here we update you on the latest findings… BY DR JUSTINE BUTLER, VIVA! HEALTH MANAGER
Meat makes kids wheeze Cooked meat is linked to childhood asthma Inflammatory compounds in cooked meat have been linked to childhood wheezing in a study published in Thorax. Over 4,000 children, aged between two and 17, took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) programme. They found that a higher intake of compounds called ‘advanced glycation end-products’ (AGEs) was linked to an increased risk of wheezing, so bad that it disrupted sleep and exercise and required prescription medication. Higher intakes of meat were also linked to wheezing in the same way. AGEs are produced by high-temperature cooking, such as grilling, frying and roasting, and meat is a major dietary source. This may help explain the rise in asthma cases seen in recent decades in US children. Wang JG, Liu B, Kroll F et al., 2020. Increased advanced glycation end product and meat consumption is associated with childhood wheeze: analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Thorax. Epub ahead of print.
Best weight loss diet Vegan diet offers double weight loss benefits Being overweight increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and other diseases. This study adds to the large body of evidence showing how a vegan diet can help you lose weight. They found that a low-fat, plant-based diet helps not only by reducing the amount of energy (calories) you eat but also by increasing how fast your body burns that energy after you have eaten (postprandial metabolism). This, they say, helps reduce fat levels in your liver and muscle cells and so improves insulin sensitivity and lowers the risk of diabetes. Kahleova H, Petersen KF, Shulman GI et al. 2020. Effect of a low-fat vegan diet on body weight, insulin sensitivity, postprandial metabolism, and intramyocellular and hepatocellular lipid levels in overweight adults: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open. 3 (11) e2025454.
Vegans diets have staying power Vegan weight-loss diets easier to stick to Weight-loss diets are notoriously hard to stick to and even when people lose weight, they frequently put it back on afterwards. This study found that, compared to vegetarian, Paleo, gluten-free and weight loss diets, it was the vegan diet that most people were able to stick with over time. Those who saw their diet as an important and positive part of their identity and were confident in their ability to adhere to it were more likely to succeed, while those just motivated by a desire to lose weight were less likely to. Cruwys T, Norwood R, Chachay VS et al. 2020. “An important part of who I am”: the predictors of dietary adherence among weight-loss, vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, and gluten-free dietary groups. Nutrients. 12 (4) 970.
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Beat the blues Polyphenols from fruit, veg and chocolate help Links between depression and disease are well established in adults. Depression is often observed in people with vascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, circulatory disorders and heart disease. This study looked at the effects of polyphenols on mental health status in 99 adults aged 40-65 with mild high blood pressure. Polyphenols are health-promoting compounds found in fruit, vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine, fruit juice, seeds, nuts and dark chocolate. Results showed those who ate six portions of fruit and veg (including berries) and some dark chocolate every day for eight weeks had fewer depressive symptoms and better general mental and physical health compared to those who ate two or less portions of fruit and veg and no chocolate. Kontogianni MD, Vijayakumar A, Rooney C et al. 2020. A high polyphenol diet improves psychological well-being: the polyphenol intervention trial (PPhIT). Nutrients. 12 (8) 2445.
Metabolic syndrome Cut the risk with a plant-based diet Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions that are all linked to diet and which, taken together, can double the risk of heart disease and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes five-fold. One in four of all adults worldwide are estimated to have metabolic syndrome, making it one of the most important global health problems we face. A review of the current evidence shows that vegetarian diets reduce the risk of the condition. It may be the combination of nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals, which result in a decrease in body weight, fat mass, blood pressure, unhealthy fats in the blood, oxidative stress, insulin resistance and inflammation. The authors suggest that patients suffering from metabolic syndrome should be given nutritional support and a plant-based diet. Pinheiro C, Leite JC, Negrão R et al. 2020. Vegetarian diets as a possible therapeutic approach to patients with metabolic syndrome: A brief review. Porto Biomedical Journal. 10, 5(6) e098.
DNA Methylation Flagging up why a vegan diet is best The DNA that makes up your genes is often referred to as the blueprint of life because it contains all the instructions needed for you to grow, live and reproduce. Our genes don’t change when we change our diet but the way the body interprets them may. Our bodies use a process called methylation to regulate which genes may be read or not read (gene expression). Such modifications can affect the development of chronic, autoimmune or agerelated diseases. Researchers interested in seeing if methylation patterns differed between vegans and meat-eaters looked at participants in the Adventist Health Study-2 and found that, yes they did. This discovery may go some way to helping understand the mechanisms underlying how a healthy vegan diet, containing plenty of fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods, lowers the risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Miles FL, Mashchak A, Filippov V et al. 2020. DNA methylation profiles of vegans and non-vegetarians in the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort. Nutrients. 12 (12) 3697.
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Students
Paving the way to a vegan future
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BY WILL SORFLATEN, VIVA! SENIOR CAMPAIGNER
t’s hard to remember those carefree days when we were able to walk down the high street, pop into a café or choose a restaurant for the evening’s outing – or maybe just amble along people watching or window shopping. Cast your mind back to those pre-Covid times and you might remember that popping into town was always a great way of checking out all the vegan innovations that are changing our world. Ten years ago, places like KFC and McDonald’s would most likely have laughed you off the premises or told you to wash your mouth out with soap if you dared even mention the V word. How times have changed and now those places are shouting out loud – ‘hey, look at us, we’ve got plant-based options!’ There is, however, an equally bold transformation taking place across Britain but it’s out of the sight of most people because it’s happening in universities and it’s been growing over the last five years. Around half of all 144 UK universities have introduced events dedicated to cutting down on animal products. Some have opted for Meat-Free Mondays, while almost a third now boast completely vegetarian or vegan food outlets on their campuses – and that’s expected to reach well over 50 per cent in the near future. Cambridge University banned beef and lamb in 2016 across several of its catering services. Three years on and the university has calculated that their decision has led to a 33 per cent reduction in carbon emissions and a similar reduction in land use (per kilogram of food bought). And the ban is still firmly in place and proving highly popular.
Not wanting to be outdone by its rival, Oxford University Student Union also proposed a ban on beef and lamb and it was approved with a two-thirds majority. Almost a dozen more universities have banned certain animal products and there’s no doubt that these trail-blazers will be followed by others in 2021 and beyond. Best of all, the drop in animal-based options is being replaced by a vibrant range of vegan foods. So where is all this change coming from? Students themselves and they’re making it quite clear that they don’t think their institutions are doing nearly enough for the planet. Their generation is very much aware that the current demand for animal products is destroying their future – and they’re not prepared to put up with it. Viva! has played its part in this varsity revolution with its extensive network of university connections. We’ve given dozens of talks and virtual webinars exploring the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of going vegan and we’ve held workshops on how to become a vegan activist. I’ve given dozens off talks to students and they’re invariably inspiring. You’re reminded that a kinder, more sustainable future is not only possible but feels like it’s just about to burst out of the seams. In January, we had the pleasure of giving our first talk officially sponsored by a university rather being invited by student societies. And so I’d like to offer a huge thanks to Swansea University for taking the initiative – and we’ll be encouraging more universities to step up to the mark and officially endorse veganism as the way forward. I know that 2021 will see even more successes for animals and the planet across the nation and universities need to play a huge part of that change. If you work or study at a university and would like to arrange a talk with one of our campaigners, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at campaigns@viva.org.uk.
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VEGAN
DELI
FLIP, in Bristol, was created to support change to a better way of living. It has become one of the UK's foremost vegan delis. FLIP offers a quality experience of contemporary vegan food, making a vegan diet accessible by providing great quality freshly made food, carefully chosen ingredients and offering expert advice on dishes to prepare. For 10% off in store, show your Positively Vegan supporter discount card.
Instagram: flipfoodbristol Twitter: @FlipFoodBristol Website: flipfood.co.uk phone: 07795 445633
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Discount for Viva! members
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It’s here – the great new, easy-to-read health guide that can improve your life…
Vegan for Health If you want your vegan diet to be the best it can be, this guide has everything you need to know. Packed with fascinating facts, great guidance, top tips and perfect practical advice. You need never again doubt your choice or wonder if you’re doing it right – Vegan for Health will give you all the reassurance and confidence you need. You’ll see how to provide all your family’s nutritional needs while lowering their risk of diseases – all with the healthiest vegan diet. Our new, easy-to-read Vegan for Health summarises all the health benefits you’ll gain from eating a tasty vegan diet. It shows how when well-planned it provides everything you need to thrive and prosper while reducing your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. What is ‘healthy’? – Vegan for Health will spell it out for you, provide a guided tour of all the nutrients you need as well as taking you on a trip around the body, showing how and why we are naturally vegan.
Find out:
l What you need to eat each day l What the nutrition essentials are l Do you need a supplement
Read what the experts say about why and how vegan diets are the best for the entire family – and yes, that includes children of all ages and babies. Read the experts’ official endorsements of a vegan diet. Learn about many health issues, from cholesterol to eye health, and find out why factory farming threatens you and your family with antibiotic resistant superbugs and future pandemics. And we take an honest look at vegan junk food! Myth-busting facts, eye openers and a few surprises along the way – Vegan for Health will convince you that vegan is the way to go for health and protection. Essential reading! And if you’re vegan for the animals, this guide gives you lots of ammo to help others change.
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lifestyle
New ha2b1iłs for 20
BY EMILY COSTER
‘New Year, new you?’ this saying is said every year and it’s such a cliché – but why wait for a new year to start a new habit! Sometimes it’s good to change old habits and adopt new ones, especially when they’re vegan, cruelty-free and help the environment! Here are some routines I’m doing differently for 2021
New Beauty regime
Plastic Free Safety Razor
CLOCKFACE BEAUTY – THE FACIAL CLEANSING BALM 20ML / £32.00 A new brand I am using is Clockface Beauty. They use natural, organic ingredients and are vegan and crueltyfree! I have recently tried their Facial Cleansing Balm to remove my makeup and help fight the skin-drying winter months. And it has really helped – welcome back soft skin! Clockface Beauty is science led skincare and use nutrient rich ingredients to leave your skin glowing! The Facial Cleansing Balm is a rich cleanser, made up of 12 oils and butters. It gives you a deep and thorough clean that leaves your face feeling hydrated and conditioned! What more could you want? It’s suitable for all skin types and removes all makeup and dirt, cleaning deep into your pores. Clockface Beauty use transparent labelling, don’t use water in their products and their packaging is 100 per cent recyclable or up-cyclable. What’s not to love! clockfacebeauty.com
UPCIRCLE £24.99 I’ve made the switch to this safety razor as I was looking for ways to cut down my plastic use and this was an easy switch to make! Rather than chucking away multiple plastic razors, this safety razor is made from chrome with replaceable razor blades. It so easy to use and not scary at all! Simply hold the handle gently and let the weight of the razor-head glide over your skin for your smoothest shave ever! It can be used on the face as well as the body so both women and men can use them. Once the blades dull, Upcircle have a razor blade return scheme where you send back the old ones to be disposed of or recycled and every five blades returned, you’ll get £1 off your next refill pack. A super-easy swap to help reduce your plastic consumption and get the best shave ever for smooth skin! upcirclebeauty.com
Natural deodorant WILD DEODORANT – DEODORANT CASE £7 & INDIVIDUAL SCENTS (43G) £5 I’ve been searching for a natural deodorant that actually works for ages now and, hands down, this is the best for me! I’m converted and love the scents and packaging plus it’s plastic-free with a re-fillable aluminium case. The scents have packaging which can be home composted as it’s made using bamboo pulp. There are five scents to choose from: Bergamot Rituals, Orange Zest, Lavender
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Haze, Coconut Dreams and Mint Fresh; and limited edition scents are introduced throughout the year. Scents can be bought as and when needed or you can set up a subscription and they’ll be delivered every three months. Wild don’t use parabens, aluminium or sulphates in the deodorants but claim to use the best natural ingredients and essential oils, which leave my pits smelling great! They’re easy to use, I love ‘em and my search is over! wearewild.com
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New Workout – Yoga with Adriene I do not enjoy working out but I have found yoga to be really enjoyable, especially during lockdown – it’s relaxing and helps you to unwind. With so many videos and apps to choose from, I have found the best ones for me are Adrienne’s videos. Adrienne has 9.33 million subscribers on YouTube which is a great indication of how popular her videos are! There is a range of videos for different types of people. New to yoga, PE, stress relief, bedtime yoga, yoga for back pain, weight loss – anything to do with yoga, Adriene is the person. Yoga with Adriene has a free 30-day yoga challenge, which you could team up with Viva!’s 30-day vegan, where you receive daily emails with meal plans, recipes, nutrition, health and inspiration. The perfect healthy combo – yoga and vegan food! yogawithadriene.com viva.org.uk/lifestyle/30-day-vegan
New wardrobe
New Diary THREESIXFIVE – STONE GREY 2021 DIARY £32.00 Keep track of all your new routines with a luxurious vegan leather diary from ThreeSixFive – a company created to provide a luxury alternative to leather. It all started when the founder went vegan but still wanted luxurious accessories that didn’t harm the environment. Their entire range is made from vegan leather and recycled paper. ThreeSixFive also sell bags, travel accessories and phone cases! You can personalise most products with your initials to make them that bit more special. three-six-five.co.uk
As well as checking out the Viva! shop for our clothing range, as in the photo (vivashop.org.uk), I’m always looking at ways I can shop without contributing to the fast fashion industry, as a lot of the garments are being made cheaply and are not long lasting. The apps which I have been using to find second hand items now are Depop (depop.com) and eBay (ebay.com). They are a great way of finding preloved designer, vintage or high street garms and are a perfect way to keep clothing out of landfill. Obviously, you can’t try them on but if something doesn’t fit, it’s super easy to list it on one of these sites and re-sell it onto someone else. And if you have things to sell, this is a great way of making space in your home and earning some money. I love finding vintage dresses and styling them to go with my vegan Dr Martens. Finding vintage or well-made clothing usually means they will last a long time and will be a well-loved item in your wardrobe. Also some brands sell their seconds, on Depop, like Lucy & Yak! I love their dungarees (as do most of the Viva! staff). They regularly list items which have some imperfections or are end of a design, so you will always find a bargain! If you’re really into designer brands but can’t afford to buy them, Vestiaire Collective (vestiairecollective.com) is another great site to check out – vegan leather handbags by Stella McCartney or cute designer skirts. Vestiaire Collective authenticate and do quality control checks on all designer goods they sell.
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c i ł s a t u Tof
French Toast, Vegan Style Serves 2-4 | 20 minutes
l Half a pack of firm silken tofu (approximately 175g/6oz) l 120ml unsweetened plant milk l 1 tbsp vegetable oil l 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes l Salt and black pepper, to taste (for a more ‘eggy’ taste, use black salt – Kala Namak) l 4-6 slices of bread, medium thick l Oil spray or oil to fry
Sweet serving suggestions: maple syrup, a sprinkling of cinnamon, vegan yoghurt, berries, fresh mint Savoury serving suggestions: vegan rashers, spinach, mushrooms, lightly cooked cherry tomatoes
1 Blend tofu until almost smooth. 2 Add plant milk, yeast flakes, salt and pepper and whizz again. 3 Heat a non-stick frying pan until hot. Spray with oil. 4 Depending on pan size, coat 1-2 slices of bread with mixture and place in pan. 5 Cook for several minutes on each side until crispy and golden (not soggy). 6 Repeat the process until the mixture is used up. Serve hot.
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BY MARYANNE HALL, FOOD AND COOKERY MANAGER
We love tofu! There are so many incredible ways to cook with this versatile and nutritious food. It’s a great source of protein as it contains all nine essential amino acids, as well as omega-3s, calcium, B vitamins and iron. Looking at a little white slab of it in front of you, you’d never think it was a nutritional powerhouse. If you’d like to spice-up your Saturday brekkie then have a go at our French toast recipe using silken tofu – you won’t believe how much this tastes like the non-vegan version! Enjoy it sweet with a drizzle of maple syrup or go savoury with some delicious meat-free rashers. Other super-popular tofu recipes on Vegan Recipe Club include our delicious spinach and potato rostis and our leek, mushroom and blue ‘cheese’ quiche – a Viva! colleague reckoned this was one of the nicest dishes she’d ever eaten! Wow! Our guest chef for this edition is the fantastic TJ Waterfall who’s shared a quick, healthy and incredibly tasty recipe with us – crispy, sesamecoated baked tofu! Go on, cook up a soya storm! veganrecipeclub.org.uk
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Spinach & Potato Rosti Serves 3 | 15 minutes
l 500g potatoes, peeled and grated l 200g firm tofu l Handful of fresh spinach or rocket, roughly chopped (or use frozen, defrosted) l 3 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour, mixed with 3 tbsp warm water in a small bowl l 2 tbsp plain flour l 1 tsp cumin or caraway seeds l 2 tbsp vegetable oil l 1-2 tsp salt l 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (optional) 1 Pat dry the tofu before crumbling into a mixing bowl with the grated potato. 2 Add spinach/rocket, gram flour mixture, cumin seeds, plain flour, salt, pepper and stir. 3 Shape the mixture into six round rosti, be firm but don’t over-handle. If too wet, add more flour. 4 Add a little oil to non-stick frying pan and fry on medium heat, turning half way, until golden. Press down the rosti with fish slice but keep their shape. Serve with side salad or leaves, tomatoes and a tablespoon of hummus.
budget guide
to eating vegan A handy guide for anyone cooking vegan on a budget
This recipe comes from our fantastic Budget Guide to Eating Vegan vivashop.org.uk/budgetguide
Tofu ‘Egg’ Mayo Sandwiches Serves 2 | 10 minutes l 1 block (225-250g) firm tofu, crumbled l 1 red onion, chopped fine l 1 tsp wholegrain mustard l 1 tsp turmeric l 3 tbsp vegan mayo l 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes l Salt and pepper, to taste (black salt/Kala Namak gives a more eggy taste) l Cress, chopped chives or rocket 1 Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste. 2 Spread onto ‘buttered’ bread and top with the chives, rocket or cress.
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Leek, Mushroom & Blue Cheese Quiche Serves 8 | 50 minutes
Pastry l 1 sheet ready rolled shortcrust (eg Jus-Rol or supermarket own brands) Filling l 2 medium leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced l 150g mushrooms, sliced l 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped l 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (or use dried) l 350g firm tofu l 150g vegan cream cheese l 110ml plant milk l 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
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l ½ tsp turmeric (or more for a yellower colour) l 1 tbsp lemon juice l 2 tsp vegan syrup (eg agave or maple) l 1 tbsp Dijon mustard l 1 tbsp cornflour l 1½ salt (black salt/Kala Namak actually has an eggy taste) l Pinch black pepper l 250g vegan blue cheese (eg Sheese, supermarket brands, Violife, Green Vie – we used Bute Island Sheese French Style)
1 Preheat oven to 190˚C/375˚F/Gas Mark 5. 2 Roll out the pastry to fit large flan dish (25-28 cm/10-11 inch). Spread evenly with thumb and fingers. 3 Run rolling pin over the top of pastry case to remove excess. 4 Refrigerate while preparing filling. 5 Heat some oil in a large frying pan with lid, on a low-medium heat and add leeks. Pop the lid on and leave for 5 minutes. 6 Remove lid, add mushrooms and turn up heat. 7 Stir frequently for a few minutes. 8 Add garlic, parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for a further couple of minutes and turn off heat. 9 Blend tofu, cream cheese, milk, nutritional yeast, turmeric, lemon juice, syrup, mustard, cornflour, salt and pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning or ingredients accordingly. 10 Remove the pastry case from fridge and spoon in a little leek/mushroom mixture. Crumble half of the blue cheese over the base. Add half of the tofu mix and evenly spread. Repeat until all vegetables, tofu mix and cheese have been used, layering some cheese and veg on top. 11 Cover quiche with foil or baking parchment and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil/baking parchment and bake for a further 1520 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
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GUEST CHEF RECIPE: TJ WATERFALL
Crispy Sesame-Coated Baked Tofu Serves 2 | 35 minutes l 1 block firm tofu (350g) l 5 tbsp cornflour l 5 tbsp unsweetened soya milk l 125g golden or panko breadcrumbs l ½ tsp onion powder
l ½ tsp garlic powder l 1 tbsp nutritional yeast l 3 tbsp sesame seeds l Olive oil spray (optional) l Spring onions (scallions) for garnishing
1 Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. 2 Remove tofu from packaging, shaking off excess liquid and gently squeeze over the sink. 3 Slice tofu into small squares or triangles. 4 Prepare coating mixture by making three dipping bowls. To the first, add cornflour. Second, the soya milk. Third, mix breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder. 5 Toss pieces of tofu in the flour to coat, dip in the soya milk, then press into the breadcrumbs, coating generously all over and place on baking tray. 6 Repeat for all the tofu pieces. Spray them lightly with olive oil to help browning (optional). Pop the tray into the oven for approx. 20 minutes until coating is crisp and golden. 7 Garnish with spring onions and enjoy on their own or with your favourite dipping sauce!
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As well as bringing you top-notch, tasty recipes, our resident chef Maryanne Hall has been out and about (virtually) to bring you the…
s w e n e i d o o Lates ł f Things I’ve tried recently that get a big thumbs up Papa John’s Vegan Works pizza, Marmite & Cheese Scrolls and Not-Chicken Bites – all delicious! Even one of my Marmite-hating colleague’s loved the scrolls!
Things I’m still waiting to try (but can’t seem to find anywhere!) The new Topic and Bounty vegan chocolate M&S Vegan Salt Beef Roll (apparently they sell one of these every thirty seconds – no wonder we can’t get our hands on one!)
Vegan Lindt chocolate – oh yes! Both the cookie and hazelnut flavours were to die for but the cookie topped it for me. As I’m writing this, a lovely colleague’s mum has just sent over the salted caramel version from Germany and THIS is now my new favourite. Frankie & Benny’s Oreo cheesecake has the perfect consistency – light, fluffy and very creamy. I will definitely be indulging in this one again. Cadbury Bournville Fingers – beware, it’s seriously possible to devour a whole box in under five minutes!
Elmlea Plant Double Cream – this is a bit of a game changer as it whips up really well – try it out in our new no bake light and fluffy vanilla cheesecake (see our ‘new recipes’ section on Vegan Recipe Club). There’s also a new Oatly whippable that we’re looking forward to trying.
What I’ve been cooking at home To keep my immune system boosted, I’ve been drinking the Vegan Recipe Club chocolate gateau smoothie nearly every morning (with all the healthy added extras). I just can’t get enough of the Vegan Recipe Club spinach and ricotta cannelloni – it’s pure indulgence and the ultimate comfort food at this time. All I can say is… Rebel Recipes beetroot dhal – just add beetroot and coconut milk to your basic dhal and it transforms it into a delicious, colourful, and hearty dish with a hint of natural sweetness (check out our guest chef section on Vegan Recipe Club). veganrecipeclub.org.uk
Champs Diner, New Yor
k
Places I’ve been daydreaming about Whilst writing the travel pages for the new Viva! website, staff members provided me with their top foodie destinations from around the world. There were so many incredible suggestions but I’ve found myself fantasising about Bali, Budapest and New York – never been to any of them but the food looks amazing – fingers crossed…! Give Café, Canggu, Bali
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Tokmag Café, Budapest
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Bird flu
…waiting in the wings
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BY JUSTINE BUTLER, SENIOR RESEARCHER AND WRITER, VIVA! HEALTH
t’s not just people who were cooped up in lockdown this winter, all captive birds were ordered to be kept inside, too, during the UK’s biggest ever outbreak of bird flu. In December 2020, an avian influenza prevention zone was declared across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All bird keepers, commercial flocks or just a few birds in the garden, were required by law to keep their birds indoors. A month earlier, a low pathogenic H5N2 bird flu virus had been found on a small farm in Kent and just under 500 birds (chickens, geese, ducks and black swans) were culled to prevent it spreading. Over November and December, a further 12 outbreaks in poultry followed and three in other captive birds. All were caused by a highly-pathogenic H5N8 virus and in mid-December, a highly-pathogenic H5N1 virus was reported in backyard chickens in North Yorkshire. Bird flu viruses are described as being low or highly pathogenic depending on how lethal they are to birds. Tens of thousands of birds were culled, including 13,500 broilers in Cheshire, 46,000 in Herefordshire, 10,500 turkeys in North Yorkshire and 30,000 more in Norfolk. In January, two outbreaks of H5N8 in Northern Ireland resulted in more than 110,000 birds being culled. There have been similar outbreaks in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. Larger outbreaks have been reported in India and South Korea, where almost 15 million poultry have been culled. Bird flu viruses spread within and between countries in a number of ways, including the movement of poultry and poultry products, of live birds for trade and of migratory birds. In England alone, over 250 wild birds
have tested positive for bird flu viruses over the winter, mainly mute swans and Canada geese, but also a number of buzzards, a peregrine falcon and a grey heron. The poultry industry likes to blame this spread on migratory birds but the RSPB says that yes, while wild birds may contribute to its spread locally, commercial activities, and particularly those associated with poultry, are the major factors responsible for the global spread of bird flu. The 2007 H5N1 outbreak in Sussex, for example, was traced to the trading of hatching eggs, birds and poultry products between the UK and Hungary. It’s not just poultry we should worry about as pigs are susceptible to flu infections from birds, humans and other pigs. These viruses can then combine in them to produce entirely new ones. That’s what happened when the 2009 swine flu pandemic emerged from pigs in Mexico, following the trading of live pigs internationally. Viruses naturally mutate as they replicate and lowpathogenic strains can mutate into highly-pathogenic ones. Factory farms provide the perfect environment and this has been documented in Mexico, Canada, Italy and the Netherlands. Fill a filthy shed with stressed animals of low immunity and you have a perfect storm. In December, 2020, H5N8 joined the growing list of bird flu viruses that include H7N9, H5N6 and H5N1 that have made the jump from birds to humans. Outside the UK, around 860 people have been infected with H5N1, mostly by handling live and dead poultry and over a half died. Luckily, H5N1 is so far not easily caught or spread between humans but if it mutates and becomes capable of infecting humans, is easily spread and has a high death rate, a catastrophic pandemic could follow. If you think Covid-19 has been hard to deal with, imagine a pandemic that kills half of all those infected! Scientists have been warning us about this for years and governments have done nothing. It’s time to end factory farming before it ends us!
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Factory farming and
Antibiotic resistance ne of the great miracles of modern life is our ability to cure diseases that ravaged generations before us. The Black Death plague that killed half the population of Europe in the middle ages would have been cured in a day with antibiotics. But we are on the brink of losing that incredible protection because of the desire of so many humans to eat animal flesh. The reason is, that to produce this animal flesh, massive amounts of antibiotics are used. These antibiotics kill some of the target bacteria that cause illness to the animals but some are naturally resistant to being killed, including bacteria that may cause serious, even fatal, diseases in humans. When we, in turn, are infected by those same bacteria, the pathogen’s resistance to our antibiotics means our doctors have nothing left to fight them with. In order to have sufficient animal flesh available for those who want it, farms have to become ‘factories’, with animals crowded into confined areas to maximize the amount of meat per unit of space. In this crowded environment, disease can spread like wildfire. But if the animals are routinely fed antibiotics, bacterial diseases that could decimate them are prevented. Thus, antibiotic use makes possible the existence of factory farms. Animals on these farms need to have plenty of flesh to harvest – no one queues up to eat meat from a skin and bones creature – and again, antibiotics are the key. In the early days of animal agriculture, it was noticed that continuous low doses of antibiotics promoted the
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The links between the two are clearly spelt out by Emanuel Goldman, Professor of Microbiology, RutgersNew Jersey Medical School, Newark, USA – and his conclusions are stark
animals’ growth by 10-20 per cent. Thus, antibiotic use makes higher yields possible. While this makes the cost of flesh affordable, society’s true bill for this type of production has yet to be reckoned. Medical costs of trying to treat diseases made untreatable by antibiotics have to be factored into the calculus. The human costs of disability and deaths from untreatable diseases must also be included. And if you or a loved one falls victim to an antibiotic-resistant pathogen, you wouldn’t even think Treat with of putting a antibiotics monetary value on it. In the wild, Antibiotic bacteria are resistant normally sensitive variant Bacterial to antibiotics growth Population of bacteria because there is a cost of energy and materials to the bacteria in maintaining its antibiotic Antibiotic treatment resistance. If there selects for are no antibiotics to antibiotic-resistance resist, the bacteria prefer to not pay Population of that cost. However,
antibiotic-resistant bacteria
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Plasmid containing antibiotic-resistance gene
when a bacterial population is exposed to an antibiotic, most of that population is killed. A few that have managed to develop, or acquire, resistance survive and repopulate (see figure). This is Darwin’s theory of evolution in practice – survival of the fittest. When there are no antibiotics around, the fittest bacteria do not harbour resistance because they would be less fit if they did. The equation reverses when antibiotics are introduced because then, the fittest bacteria are the ones that can resist the antibiotic and it is those that survive. The most obvious problem arises with those antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause food-borne diseases, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, E.coli O157:H7, and Vibrio cholerae, among others. They are all contracted from animal food sources and all can be fatal to varying extents. Sometimes even vegetables and fruits become contaminated by these bacteria but in every case examined, the origin of the contamination has been traced to animal agriculture, namely manure runoff into the water that irrigates the vegetables and fruits. For many years, the animal food industry resisted admitting that there was a relationship between antibiotic-resistant bacteria from factory farms and the antibiotic-resistant bacteria responsible poisoning humans through food. Researchers took on the challenge of proving the connection and demonstrated that the same antibiotic-resistant pathogen in farmed animals turns up as an antibiotic-resistant pathogen in animal foods consumed by humans. They accomplished this by examining microbiological characteristics, as well as DNA analysis, using forensic science methodology. There are numerous mechanisms by which bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics. The most alarming danger for humans is when genes for resistance to one or more antibiotics are deployed on genetic elements called ‘plasmids’ – they are small, mobile and can relocate from one bacteria to another, sometimes across different species (see figure). What this means in the context of factory farming is that antibiotic resistance generated on the farm can be transferred to bacteria unrelated to food sources without harming them and these can cause serious disease when they are in the wrong part of your body, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis. They can also pass into pathogens that cause diseases such as tuberculosis, plague, gonorrhea and anthrax, among others. If someone becomes ill because of one of these organisms, antibiotics may no longer be able to treat them. Indeed, recent years have seen the advent of so-called ‘superbugs’ that are resistant to all antibiotics in clinical use. While we don’t have the smoking gun to blame animal agriculture for the appearance of these superbugs, we do know that there is a connection between the antibiotics used on the farm and the antibiotic-resistance found in infected people. For example, in Denmark a sharp decline in antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus species followed the ban on using the corresponding antibiotic in food animals. Numerous scientific and medical journals and organisations have called for the end of antibiotic use in animal agriculture but the practice remains widespread
regardless. In Copy of plasmid Western countries, for transfer people need a prescription for antibiotics but the factory farms are Antibiotic-sensitive usually allowed to cell use them as they wish. This irresponsible abuse of antibiotics is endangering Antibiotic-resistant Antibiotic resistance cell humans from our is passed from one precious last line of bacterium to another defense and devastating pandemics may be the consequence of the hunger for inexpensive meat. The future for us and the next generation is at stake. Will those antibiotics remain effective to protect us – or not? Is it really worth losing the protection of antibiotics just so meat is made affordable?
It’s really up to us – public and consumers – to adjust our behavior and vote with our feet by giving up eating animal products It would be nice if there was a political will to put the public interest ahead of short-term economic concerns but it’s really up to us – public and consumers – to adjust our behavior and vote with our feet by giving up eating animal products. We are not far removed from a shortened life expectancy and susceptibility to all sorts of diseases. If we fail to tackle this now, by the time we are plagued again it may be too late.
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‘Bang bang, you’re
dead!’
id you know, there are three times as many guns in the US as there are microwave ovens? That’s 270 million versus 90 million. It would seem that killing is a hell of a lot more popular than cooking. With 40,000 people over there being killed by guns every year, maybe that’s not as facetious as it sounds. To say there’s a gun culture in the US is a bit like saying that Brits like beer. To see a near-army of macho, obese, bearded blokes dressed for battle with enough high-powered hardware to re-fight the second world war was, let’s say, sobering. The fact that they claimed they were doing it to protect democracy while trying to overthrow a democratic election was even more sobering.
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Tony Wardle takes a look at our class-ridden society and says it’s time the nobs stopped nobbling things Now, I ought to declare an interest – I’m pretty good with guns, obtained marksman status in the military and spent a good deal of my service with a fully-loaded .38 Smith & Wesson revolver at my hip. However, I’ve never been seduced by guns because I know what they can do. I had also received a shotgun for my sixteenth birthday and very quickly realised in the ‘bang bang, you’re dead’ games we played as kids, death lasted only seconds while in reality it is horribly permanent. All the posturing by armed men and their ‘sport’ of killing living creatures is often excused as being a primeval need to exercise our hunters’ instincts. It’s tosh, of course and few of the men or women in Britain ever feel the need to go out and kill things. Killing is a culture not a life force and in Britain that culture has overlays of class and wealth. You only have to read the Protection of Song Birds Act (1954) to realise that. It divides birds into three categories – the first are those we regularly see in our garden, such as blackbirds and finches, robins and linnets, the ones we would identify as song birds and these are protected at all times. The second category has no protection at all and you can kill them whenever the fancy takes you, even during nesting season. They include familiar names such as wood pigeons and house sparrows, corvids and cormorants and the big gulls. Pests, that’s what they are! The third category you can also kill, but only outside the nesting season and with authority – a land-owner’s authority (here’s a clue). These birds may be lacking in the choral department and deliver rather more mundane quacks and honks, peeps and twits, but is that any reason to kill them? Seems to me a bit like an X-Factor where those contestants who fail and get more than two Xs are taken outside and shot (might reduce the audition queues, though!). Birds in this group are some of the most beautiful there are and include the teal and a whole range of other ducks, wild geese and golden plovers, the elusive snipe and woodcock, even the village pond coot. Then, of course, there are pheasants, partridge and grouse (and that’s your second clue). Yes, these birds were excluded from the list of protected birds for no other reason than the ruling class
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like to shoot them. Dear god, hardly anyone has ever seen a snipe or a woodcock so they’re hardly pest status. Perhaps it’s not surprising that Winston Churchill was prime minister when the discriminatory act was introduced. That’s gun culture for you! Driven game bird shoots are the big attraction – and big business to boot, worth £2 billion a year and offer ‘significant conservation benefits’, according to the Countryside Alliance, the High Church of slaughtering things. Let’s forget for the moment that heather is burned, natures balance is screwed by releasing thousands of birds into the countryside prior to the shoot (our own version of canned hunting) and anything that might devour an egg or a chick is often quietly and illegally disposed of – including birds of prey and even hedgehogs. ‘Driven’ means the birds are driven forward by beaters right over the guns so they don’t even have to move. If you want to participate in a good shoot, it will cost you up to £3,000 for a day’s outing and for that you’ll get lunch and a loader. You will of course need a flat cap, a Barbour jacket and Hunter wellies and, if a newbie, your copy of Shooting Etiquette. What century are we in? The high priestess of this organised slaughter is the Queen, with all her family having been inculcated into it as little more than toddlers, along with a battery of dukes and earls barons and marquises. So, as the countryside degenerates in front of us and wild bird numbers collapse, the aristocracy (and increasingly big business people) see no contradiction in turning it into a bird charnel house all for a bit of a jolly. Why is it important? Well, I love a good quote and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels hit the nail on the head when they said: “The ideas of the ruling class are, in any age, the ruling ideas”. They were right. It’s why middle class Victorian families laid their table with silver-plated cutlery, to look like the solid silver of the ruling class but at a fraction of the cost. I don’t care how hard working the Queen is, in this regard she is telling the country that slaughtering animals is a pleasant way of spending a day – encouraging them to ‘do as I do’ (if you can afford it). It sanctions and applauds slaughter. And as for her children and grand-children – well, if it runs, chase it seems to be their motto. One of her grandsons seems to be on the cusp of breaking free from this incestuous legacy and don’t the tabloids hate him for it? How dare he upset the Queen! But for Will and his wife, it’s still shotguns at dawn. He cries tears over disappearing rhinos and elephants and then defends trophy hunting. But something big is happening and for the first time in history, we don’t have to wait for the ruling class to initiate vital change – I think we are in the process of answering one of Albert Einstein’s greatest concerns.
After the first atomic bomb had been tested at Alamogordo, New Mexico, he said: “The release of atomic power has changed everything except our way of thinking … the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind”. Well Albert, I think the heart of mankind is finally beginning to change and it’s the young (although not exclusively the young) who are in the vanguard. Conscience is their motivation and social media are their tools.
Their betters and elders have let them down big time It is they who have shamed the ruling and political classes over their inaction on the environment (thank you Greta for all you’ve done); it is they who (increasingly) look at Viva!’s shocking exposés of farmed animal cruelty and are changing their diets; it is they who shame the shooters and trophy hunters; it is they who are most avidly rejecting the phrase ‘your betters and elders’ because their betters and elders have let them down big time. The opinion makers and shakers need to wake up and join the new revolution in thought or they will be stranded on a grouse moor somewhere, the last survivors of an irrelevant cult.
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…Covid-19 advice plastered on billboards Roisin McAuley gives an update on Viva!’s Slash the Risk campaign and wonders why something so important has been ignored by government In November, we launched Slash the Risk – a vital new campaign which warned of the dangers of intensive farming for public health and urged the public to slash their risk of developing severe Covid-19 with dietary change. We didn’t mess about and our team placed 80 massive billboards across the UK, which were estimated to be seen by a whopping 12 million people. The powerful billboards had two key messages. You can slash your risk of severe Covid-19 by going vegan. A vegan diet can help you lose weight, reverse diabetes, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, all of which will reduce your risk of developing severe Covid-19. We can slash the risk of future pandemics by ending factory farming. Not only are factory farms cruel, they are rife with disease, making them ideal environments for creating future pandemics. The response to the billboards was phenomenal. Our founder & director, Juliet, gave 14 powerful back-toback radio interviews about the campaign, which were estimated to reach a further one million people! The billboards appeared all over social media, with local people sharing the message far and wide and we sent out over 40,000 campaign leaflets on request, using the power of our supporters to share the message far and wide. But we didn’t stop there. Our open letter, signed by 15 leading doctors and experts, was published in the Sunday Times and made clear the connection between obesity and severe Covid-19. It presented veganism as the most effective and cheapest way to stop pandemics and reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19. To round off the campaign, Juliet hosted an exclusive live Q&A alongside Viva! Health researcher, Veronika
Charvátová, which was attended by 100 participants. It was an engaging, insightful event and the full video is available to watch on our YouTube channel. In January, we commissioned a new poll which found that nine in 10 Britons want an immediate ban on intensive farming amid concerns over killer viruses. The poll, conducted by One Poll, surveyed 2,000 adults in the UK about their opinions around factory farming and their dietary choices. It revealed that some 85 per cent want to see an end to factory farms whilst 31 per cent indicated they plan to eat less meat or to go vegan altogether in 2021. The new research hit the media with a bang – gaining coverage in the Business Insider, Yahoo! and regional papers in the South West. This research strengthens our Slash the Risk campaign, demonstrating a demand for the end of factory farming and building pressure on the government to take urgent action. The pandemic has presented many challenges and our Slash the Risk campaign has shown that even under these circumstances you can still fight for animals, the planet and our health. However, it does beg the question, why is the government so silent on this hugely important issue? And why is it a left to a charity to try and safeguard our future? As we expected, a complaint has been made to the Advertising Standards Authority that our claims are inaccurate and misleading – by whom I wonder? We’ll keep you informed. Many supporters have been in touch asking how to extend the billboards to their local area. If you would like to bring Slash the Risk to your hometown, get in touch with Jess on jess@viva.org.uk.
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Viva!’s media blitz for the animals BY TONY WARDLE, EDITOR
We’ve reached millions of ordinary members of the public in the last few months. In an extraordinary period of activity, our investigations team has lifted the lid on three more types of factory farming that should shame any nation but rather than shame, they were emblazoned with RSPCA and Red Tractor logos telling the world how wonderful the conditions were. We gave the Daily Mirror an exclusive on the liceridden Scottish salmon farms and they were followed by the London Economic, Totally Vegan Buzz, Plant Based News and Sentient Media. What must be one of the first exposés of rainbow trout farming provided the Times with another exclusive, followed by Plant Based News, Andover Advertiser, Southern Daily Echo, Romsey Advertiser and Sentient Media. Several farms were filmed, three of which were RSPCA approved. Not just one but three turkey farms, all with shameful things taking place and all with Red Tractor approval. An Independent exclusive was followed by the Ecologist, Plant Based News and One Green Planet.
More Good News Dr Justine Butler’s article on the need to go vegan to avoid future pandemics took top spot in the Ecologist. Will Sorflaten’s piece on veganism’s link with world issues such as wildfires grabbed five pages in World Vegan Magazine. Will’s interview with Soyoi was considered important enough to take up almost half their online magazine. Dr Butler, our senior researcher and health writer, had a long article in the Metro with a scientific perspective on – where factory farming goes, diseases follow. She and Viva! health writer, Veronika Charvátová, kept up their constant contributions to other vegan health publications. The big animal rights online group, Surge, nominated our Hogwood documentary as a must watch film.
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Flathouse Hits Home
In the last issue of Viva!life we reported on our shocking exposé of Flathouse pig farm and the confrontation with its owner and manager. The film we made of this despicable place epitomised everything we have ever said about ending factory farming before it ends us. Consequently, we put this film and its trailer out on social media as adverts with excellent results. The one-minute trailer reached 107,000 people and 1,247 linked to our website within one week. The 11-minute film reached over 286,000 with nearly 4,000 linking to our website in the same time span. The average ‘engagement’ on YouTube – people who watch at least 30 seconds or link to you – was nine per cent. For our films it was 32 per cent. You can watch them on the following links. Trailer: youtu.be/FbvQKs_zpzU Whole film: youtu.be/g3B-q8sN1s8 If you want to donate to ensure we keep reaching new audiences, please go to viva.org.uk/donate.
No Excuses Left A superb, long article in the Guardian by Damian Carrington , Environment Editor, was entitled Why You Should Go Animal-Free: 18 arguments for eating meat debunked. And that’s precisely what it did. From the claim that free-range animals sequester carbon, to soya for vegan products is destroying the rainforest; that consuming almond milk/quinoa/avocados is destroying the environment to cattle’s methane emissions are short lived and therefore don’t count.
Meat Eaters’ Psy Ops In a similar vein, The Psychologist devoted a whole issue to exploring a vegan future but on a more academic level. It started with how the media justifies meat consumption, allowing us to rationalise animal exploitation; and ended with a rationale for how sustainable diets could help us reach our carbon reduction goals.
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#slashtherisk
of Slash your risk 9 severe Covid-1
Slash the Risk Results As part of our Slash the Risk campaign, our letter to the editor was published in the Times. Calling for an end to factory farming, it was signed by 15 notable experts. Juliet Gellatley then went on do to publish an op ed in the Scotsman encouraging Scotland to become the first country to outlaw factory farming. Our public opinion poll carried out by OnePoll, of 2,000 people, found that nine in 10 British people want factory farming banned because of their fear of future pandemics. You might think this was highly newsworthy, as did much of the world but our own national dailies shrugged and ignored it. As well as in UK regional papers, the story ran in the European Business Magazine, Yahoo Finance, Germany’s Finanznackrichten and Rohstoff International, California’s Newswire, the huge distribution agency Cision, Lisbon’s Euronews, the 20-language PR Newswire, the New Delhi Times, the global reach Business Insider. Juliet followed it up with 14 back-to back radio interviews across the UK.
Ditch anim eat plants - sim als, ple! A healthy vegan diet can help you weight, reverse type 2 diabet and protect heart health, reduclose ing your risk of severe Covid-19. es Protect yourself viva.org.uk/slasht herisk
Hogwood Hard for Wendy
The Daily Mail ran an intimate interview with Viva! Patron Wendy Turner Webster. After viewing our Hogwood documentary and then accompanying Juliet and our investigations team onto the disgusting Flathouse Farm, Wendy revealed that the emotional toll of witnessing such suffering was profound and affected her deeply. Wendy is always jolly and so it is sometimes hard to judge the true effect on people of the horrors we expose. She was also stricken by Covid-19 and hospitalised but fortunately she is now up and about again.
Podcast Epidemic
Covering a range of topics, Juliet was popping up on podcasts everywhere. The Christian Animal Welfare body SARX was one. The online organisation Healthification was another while on Apple Podcasts, our lovely friend Peter Egan and filmmaker and director Andrew Telling discussed with Juliet the fascinating topic ‘Now that we’re here, how do we get out?’ I loved Peter’s comment: “Juliet is a brilliant, intelligent, and affable orator who is most definitely part of the solution”. She also did an hour long discussion on Facebook with Ecotricity boss and Viva! friend, Dale Vince, about his new book, Manifesto, and Viva!’s vital campaigning work – both seeking a sustainable vegan future.
More Nonsense
Meat Almighty
I have for long despaired of some so-called ‘health’ journalists. They either can’t read science, can’t be bothered to read it or are only interested in grabbing a controversial headline that may or may not be true. The two latest crackers are that a vegan diet can result in vitamin deficient children and it may make you deaf in one ear! What about a plague of locusts and death of the first born? Dr Justine Butler quickly responded with real science to show what April fool’s day nonsense it was.
At the start of the year, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board launched a £1.5 million TV advertising campaign extolling the virtues of meat, showing a free-range cow with the claim that all you need to grow meat is grass and rain. There followed a series of even more outrageous claims on health and the environment – and this by a Government department. In February, the NFU and its Red Tractor brand joined the party by swamping social media with adverts proclaiming the ‘benefits’ of red meat, again with a series of health claims that contradict all the world’s major health advisory bodies. Of course we’ve registered complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which they are still considering, as the campaigns run their course. We know from experience that the ASA will bend over backwards to find some obscure point on which to reject our claim but the Government’s involvement shows that despite health and environmental emergencies it will still go to any length to support its most loyal supporters – and to hell with the rest of us!
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n i g o g v e d g e an came with a manual? h s i w r e v E
t d i o e s w o n (and it’s free!)
Whether you’ve been vegan for five days, five years or just fancy giving it a go – this pack is for you
Help... I want to try eating vegan Hmm, I’m already vegan and pretty sure I know all but don’t know where to start! It’s not uncommon for new vegans to feel a little of this stuff overwhelmed – sifting the facts from the fancies. What will I eat? Will I get enough protein? What about cheese?! Is soya bad for you? Questions like these swirl around and fortunately, Viva! is here to give you all the answers. Get prepared – in this super pack we give you the best vegan life hacks, practical nutritional information and top delicious recipes. This pack has all you need to make trying vegan a breeze.
Start your vegan journey right with the FREE Vegan Super Pack
Greetings fellow vegan. You’ve probably been using nooch for years, perfected the art of crispy tofu and know all about TVP. So why do you need this pack? Well, we’ve designed the content so it makes your life simpler. Even as a longstanding vegan there are always new skills, recipes and information to discover. The ‘egg-free replacer’, ‘Are you a baby eater?’, ‘Calcium-rich sources’ and ‘What I need to eat each day reminder’ charts are all pull-outs that can be kept in a convenient place as reminders. Alternatively, why not order a pack and gift it to someone you know who has expressed an interest in veganism but hasn’t yet made the first steps?
Order your pack today and you’ll receive:
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l Wallcharts – never miss out on iron, protein or calcium with these super helpful wallcharts. They list everything you need to stay healthy. Keep them on your fridge, kitchen cupboards or walls l 13 pages of deliciously mouth-watering recipes l Discover why vegan is best for your health, the planet and the animals l Animal farm – the undercover truth about the animal agriculture industry l The Veganiser – your favourite dishes made vegan l Why you don’t need dairy l Top tips for new vegans l Everyone’s a winner – great vegan athletes l Answers to the most irritating questions l Health quiz
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BY DR JUSTINE BUTLER, VIVA! HEALTH MANAGER
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We’ll keep a Welcome in the Hillsides Viva! joins Welsh environmentalists to defeat shocking planning application BY SIAN JAMES
We live in a beautiful and ecologically significant area – the Cwm Nantcol Valley, in the foothills of the Rhinog mountains, part of Snowdonia. A planning application had been made to place an animal carcass storage facility close to our homes, our river, ancient broadleaf woodland and four sites of special scientific interest. It is a rich habitat of ancient woodland, bats, birds, lichen and foraging mammals. The site is only small, about half an acre, but it occupies a strategically important position. Directly below it is the river Artro, renowned for its otters, dippers and brown trout and salmon. There is already unlicensed drainage directly from the site into the river, a fact ignored or denied by regulatory authorities until we proved it. This little piece of land has seen much suffering over the decades. It first held kennels for a fox hound pack and then offered a slaughter service for diseased farm animals before an incinerator was also built there. Planning approval had not been applied for but in 2005, during the foot and mouth epidemic, it was granted retrospectively by Snowdonia National Park. A catalogue of horrors followed – of diseased animals waiting for days alongside baying fox hounds, some of which were in a state of distress, wandering in search of food. Scab and other diseases infected nearby sheep flocks and there were particular concerns about the foulsmelling smoke that could hang over the valley for hours. Yet the retrospective permission was granted. Residents continued to register complaints – to the county council, the RSPCA, police and the government’s APHA agency. Nothing happened and APHA (as
always) ignored freedom of information requests. In 2019, an animal waste company, Cymru Lan, filed a planning application to develop the site for stock carcass storage, relying on the 2005 approval as a precedent. We immediately formed an opposition group CCNF (Cyfeillion Cwm Nantcol Friends). It became one of the most objected-to applications in the park’s history and Llanbedr council backed us. The planning officer who had approved the 2005 application refused this time. CCNF knew from experience that this wasn’t the end and in 2020, another, much more complex application was made but this time pushed by an agent. This is where Viva! enters the story.
‘Cyfeillion’ is Welsh for friends, and Viva! and Will have certainly been good friends to our community Right from the outset, Will (Sorflaten, Viva!’s senior campaigner), came into the situation with energy, expertise and enthusiasm. He read lengthy documents and explained them, helped shape our YouTube videos, used his experience from other applications, answered all our queries promptly and, in short, Will and Viva!, were a source of guidance, strength and energy at a time when we were in great need of it. CCNF helped to raise 171 objection letters – about a third of the population affected – and blitzed local media with stories. And at the end of it – permission was refused. ‘Cyfeillion’ is Welsh for friends, and Viva! and Will have certainly been good friends to our community. The final words from the developers was: “We’ll be back!” And yes, we’ll be waiting!
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Dementia the Diet Link
BY VERONIKA CHARVÁTOVÁ MSC, VIVA! HEALTH VIVAHEALTH.ORG.UK
We used to think that dementia just happened to some old people, like hair loss and wrinkles. We now know that the right diet can reduce your risk
WHAT IS DEMENTIA? Dementia means permanent or recurring loss of memory, language skills, problem-solving and other cognitive abilities, making it difficult for someone to cope with daily life on their own. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia but there are several other types and over 850,000 people in the UK have one form or another – and the numbers are remorselessly rising. The disease is progressive so once it develops it is expected to get worse over time. BAD DIET AND DEMENTIA Research shows that, apart from genetic factors, the risk of dementia increases with rising blood lipids (cholesterol and other fats in the blood), blood pressure, body weight and diabetes. Multiple studies have shown that being obese in midlife can increase your risk of dementia. One long-term study puts that increase at 74 per cent while being overweight increased it by 35 per cent. Having higher cholesterol levels in mid-life also ups the likelihood of developing dementia by a massive 50 per cent, according to science. Yet another study found that a blood pressure reading of 130 or more in systolic blood pressure (the top number in your reading, diastolic being the bottom number) at the age of 50 was associated with an increased risk of dementia. All these health issues are tightly linked to diet – in particular to a Western-style diet high in meat, dairy, eggs, processed and sugary foods. And this kind of diet also has an undeniably negative impact on gut bacteria. That’s important because lacking ‘good’ gut bacteria and having more of the ‘bad’ ones means your gut wall may be letting dangerous molecules and metabolic by-
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products through into the bloodstream. These molecules then activate the immune system and may cause chronic inflammation. Modern science has increasingly linked poor gut health and chronic inflammation to cognitive decline. All in all, meaty, fatty, sugary diets are bad news for the nervous system! GOOD DIET AND DEMENTIA A vegan diet that’s naturally high in antioxidants, fibre and low in saturated fats helps to protect your cognitive health and can lower your risk of dementia. Of course, this may be because vegans are much less likely to be overweight or obese, have lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure compared to meat-eaters but that’s not where it ends. When examining the link between diet and cognitive function, one study found that people whose mid-life diets were characterised as healthy – high in plant-based foods, low in saturated fats – had a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life compared to people with unhealthy diets rich in meat and dairy foods. The difference was staggering – people who ate the healthiest had an 86-90 per cent decreased risk of dementia and a 90-92 per cent decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared with those whose diet was the least healthy. A healthy vegan diet also has anti-inflammatory effects and supports the ‘good’ gut bacteria, which helps to protect the nervous system and supports the immune system. Over time, researchers pinpointed several foods and nutrients that seem to have a particularly protective effect on our cognitive health. •
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Vitamin E – from foods, rather than supplements. Healthy food sources include nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables and wholegrains. B-group vitamins – from wholegrains, pulses, green leafy vegetables and nutritional yeast. Take a reliable source of vitamin B12, such as a supplement providing 50µg daily or 2,000µg once a week. Omega-3 fats – from ground flaxseed, chia or hemp seeds (two tablespoons daily), walnuts, rapeseed oil or algae-derived supplements. Green leafy vegetables – an excellent source of Bgroup vitamins, vitamin E, antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals. In one study, people who consumed one or two servings of these vegetables daily, experienced a slower cognitive decline – equivalent to being 11 years younger compared with those who rarely or never consumed green leafy vegetables! Berries – fruit with a very high flavonoid content – a group of natural compounds found only in plants and which research indicates have a neuroprotective (brain protecting) effect. People who regularly consume berries have a significantly lower risk of dementia. Plant sources of protein – pulses (beans, peas and lentils), nuts, seeds and wholegrains are not just healthy sources of protein, they are low in saturated fat and high in fibre – exactly what you need to lower your risk of cognitive decline!
It’s likely that monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados) and vitamin D supplements also have a protective effect on your nervous system but more research is needed. We should all take a vitamin D
supplement, at least over the winter months because we just don’t get enough from sunshine, regardless of our diet. Making it a part of your daily routine could be a good strategy in general! It’s important to note that if you’re using multiple supplements, choose those without iron and copper as high intakes of these minerals can have a negative effect on your cognitive health. Take iron supplements only when advised by a medical professional to avoid a dangerously high iron intake.
If you base your diet around fruit and vegetables, pulses, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, and add vitamin B12 and D supplements, you can’t go wrong OTHER WAYS TO REDUCE RISK Regular physical activity is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and people who are active tend to fare better in preserving their cognitive health into old age. You don’t have to become a professional athlete but make sure you at least take a brisk walk or dedicate 30 minutes to exercise on a daily basis. Insomnia also negatively impacts cognition – as you probably know if you suffer from it – and if it’s chronic insomnia, it may increase your risk of cognitive decline to some degree. However, this is depends very much on the individual. FEED YOUR FUTURE Being vegan means you probably already consume most, if not all, of the foods and nutrients from the ‘good’ list. With a skyrocketing rise of vegan junk foods, however, it’s good to remind yourself what your body truly needs. If you base your diet around fruit and vegetables, pulses, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, and add vitamin B12 and D supplements, you can’t go wrong! Viva!Health is a part of the charity Viva!. We monitor scientific research linking diet to health and provide accurate information on which you can make informed choices about the food you eat – vivahealth.org.uk
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We should all be born free And have the freedom to explore freedom to love and nurture freedom from cruelty and exploitation And crucially, the freedom to not be abused and slaughtered
Freedom is so precious Yet our society takes it away simply because it can
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V-Biz
The latest businesses to join our Supporters’ Discount Scheme or to carry a Viva! Vegan Symbol. Join Viva! to get these great discounts at viva.org.uk/join To claim your discounts at shops, take along your Supporters’ card
Viva! Supporter’s Discount Here viva.org.uk
Conscious Candy Company
Just Wholefoods All vegan and all organic, Just Wholefoods have been providing us with store cupboard vegan essentials since 1989! As the name suggests, each product is based on wholefoods, meaning there’s no unnecessary artificial rubbish! If you have a sweet tooth, look out for their range of gummy sweets, dessert mixes and baking mixes for brownies, pancakes and more! For those looking to take the stress out of cooking, there are falafel, sausage, burger and soup mixes too. Treat yourself to a shelf restock that will bring more ease to the kitchen. justwholefoods.co.uk 20% OFF WITH CODE VIVA20
The Conscious Candy Company offers 100 per cent vegan pick and mix delivered straight to your door! Choose from 200g, 500g, or whopping 1kg pouches that contain a huge, random assortment of colourful sweets, available in fizzy and non-fizzy. They also sell marshmallows, chocolate selection bags, chocolate buttons and fudge – all vegan, of course! You’ll be able to find all of the old classics, including the UK’s first vegan fried egg gummy sweet! consciouscandy.co.uk 10% OFF WITH CODE VIVACANDY10
LoveRaw
LoveRaw have recently hit the headlines by producing a vegan version of Kinder Bueno, called Cream Wafer bars. They also produce delicious nut butter cups and chocolate bars based on vegan ‘milk’ chocolate flavour rather than dark! Their chocolate has been described as game-changing and they’re on a mission to become the best chocolate out there, for vegans Viva! is proud to and non-vegans alike. Their ingredients are stated to be ethically work with likeand sustainably sourced, and as their chocolate is based on nuts minded people to rather than dairy, it gets the green light from us! promote a cruelty-free eatloveraw.com 20% OFF WITH CODE VIVA20 lifestyle and bring you the
Mighty Pea
latest info on vegan products and services – plus amazing discounts
Have you tried pea milk yet? Compared to cow’s milk, it is higher in calcium and protein with less sugar as well as having added iodine, vitamins D and B12. Pea milk also boasts a much lower environmental footprint than dairy – it uses less water, less land, creates less emissions and harms less wildlife. AND it’s perfect for anyone with allergies to nuts or soya! Mighty Pea milk is truly impressive! Their classic range is based on yellow split peas, and they also offer oat milk, a barista blend, and flavoured shakes. mightypea.co.uk 10% OFF WITH CODE MIGHTYVEGANTOWN10
Doisy & Dam
If dark chocolate is your bag, you will adore Doisy & Dam chocolates! They are not only delicious but also sustainably and ethically sourced. Colombian cocoa is used to make their dark chocolate and all their items are vegan and palm oil free. Choose from a range of chocolate bars, featuring enticing flavours such as Maple Toasted Rice and Pink Salt, plus sharing bags and nut butter cups too! doisyanddam.com 15% OFF WITH CODE HELLOVGNCARD
Veyou
Pulsin
All your favourite vegan chocolate brands in one place. Veyou’s growing inventory is rapidly making it the one-stop shop for chocoholics, featuring popular brands including Vego, BoojaBooja, Love Raw and Jeavons. Go on, have a browse! veyou.uk 15% OFF WITH CODE VIVAFRIEND
Popular fitness brand, Pulsin, was created by three passionate friends looking for high quality, healthy products that tasted good, too! They started by making energy balls and soon expanded into healthy snack bars, protein powders and flavoured shakes. Not all their products are vegan but a huge selection is! Be sure to select the plantbased range when browsing. pulsin.co.uk 30% OFF WITH CODE VIVA30
Want to partner with Viva! to offer your vegan products and services to new audiences? See viva.org.uk/resources/businesses or email business@viva.org.uk viva.org.uk 51
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t n e l e c g g E Vegan Easter Treats BY EMILY COSTER
We have the best vegan Easter treats to choose from here at the Viva! Shop. All profits made go to Viva!. So eating chocolate helps saves animals! Divine 70% Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs Great for the dark chocolate lover in all of us, these 70 per cent dark chocolate eggs are a superb snack to enjoy over the Easter holidays. Bold and rich in sharp, dark chocolate flavour. 10-15 eggs per bag – 152g £5.45 FO6089
Cocoba Easter Egg Hot Chocolate Bombes Three hot chocolate Easter egg bombes made from 55 per cent dark Belgian chocolate, with veganfriendly mini marshmallows hidden inside. Combine with hot, vegan milk to create the perfect Cocoba hot chocolate and watch the mini marshmallows escape. 150g £10.99 FO6085
Montezuma’s Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs Soft-centered, bite-sized and very addictive! These chocolate mini eggs with peanut butter now come in a deliciously moreish dark chocolate, made by artisan chocolatiers Montezuma’s in the UK. We can’t wait to get our hands on them this Easter! 150g £4.50 FO6090
Moo Free Bunnycomb Vegan Honeycomb Egg
Cocoa Libre Rice Milk Easter Chicks 10 gorgeous little rice milk chocolate chicks. Made with rice milk as a creamy and delicious alternative to dairy. A perfect gift for a loved one at Easter! 100g £4.35 FO6084
With a skip, jump and a hop, along comes Cinder, the beat boxing bunny, sprinkling vegan honeycomb into Moo Free’s Rainforest Alliance ‘milk’ chocolate to create this wicked dairy free Easter egg. A perfect Easter gift for kids plus an egg-citing surprise inside! 95g £2.99 FO6091
Mummy Meagz Vegan Chuckie Egg Back in stock on the Viva! Shop is the Mummy Meagz Chuckie Egg! A best-selling, tasty treat filled with a sweet creamy gooey ‘yolk’ surrounded by a creamy chocolate shell. Free from dairy and palm oil, this vegan treat is what we’ve all been waiting for! 40g £1.49 FO5799
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Booja Booja Hazelnut Crunch Truffle Easter Egg A gorgeous wrapped painted egg packed full of melt in your mouth truffles. This is the perfect Easter gift for chocolate connoisseurs, and indeed anyone who enjoys a little stylish pleasure. Award-winning truffles with sweet, roasted Italian hazelnuts, made from 55% cocoa (so not bitter) and coconut oil. 34.5g £10.99 FO5797 The exquisite egg shells are hand painted by artists in Kashmir and come in 6 different designs! We choose the design to send out according to availability on our shop. Also on our shop is the Almond & Sea Salt Caramel Truffle Easter Egg – small for £10.99 FO5798
not a fan of chocolate? Don’t worry, we have other Easter gifts to give to someone or to treat yourself! Viva!’s clothing is ethically sourced and printed. All our fashion is Fairtrade and mostly organic. For full sizing information, visit vivashop.org.uk or call us for advice on 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9-5)
Fluffy Easter Chick, Easter Bunny or a Lamb plush toy Explore the gorgeous farm and woodland animal toys from Living Nature, the world’s most realistic soft toy brand. Attention to detail is everything to ensure these soft toys look as realistic as possible. Most have a swing tag with facts about the animal’s behavior and habitat! Fluffy Chicks in white or yellow £7 GI4946 / Plush Rabbit £9 GI5374 / Plush Lamb: in white or black and white £9 GI5375 / Plush Lamb £9 GI4782
Love Animals? Don’t Eat Them Collection Our new collection and a brand-new slogan! Love Animals? Don’t Eat them. Simple really! This cool print comes in Black or White, in Men’s and Women’s t-shirt fits and a unisex black hoody, making them easy to wear and makes a statement at the same time. They are 100 per cent combed, organic cotton and climate neutral. Available in sizes S,M,L Jumper £29.99 / T-shirts £16.99 Hoody – Black – CL5941 Women’s Rolled Sleeve T-shirt – White – CL5939 Women’s Rolled Sleeve T-shirt – Black – CL5940 Men’s Rolled Sleeve T-shirt – Black – CL5938 Men’s Rolled Sleeve T-shirt – White – CL5937
and there’s more
See more Easter-themed goodies and shop our huge range of the best and most delicious chocolates, sweets and ethically made clothing at vivashop.org.uk, or call 0117 944 1000 (9am-5pm) to place an order. viva.org.uk 53
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Animals
Never underestimate them Pigs
BY WILL SORFLATEN, SENIOR CAMPAIGNER
A pig’s sense of smell is 2,000 times more powerful than ours. They can smell a human up to a quarter of a mile away (uuumm – with some people, maybe further) and can locate roots and tubers deep underground with their snouts. New-born piglets learn to run to their mother’s voice and she will sing to them while nursing, making grunts in a continuous pattern which get faster until the milk stops flowing.
Cows Cows make different noises to address different cows in the herd, just like people use different names for different individuals. Cows can self-medicate, choosing to eat certain plants when they’re unwell – equivalent to us using herbs. Cows can play hide and seek, although they’re rather too big to be good at the game!
Chickens Chicks talk to their mothers before they’ve even hatched – at the embryonic stage, they emit little calls to let their mother know when they’re cold or when they’re happy. Chick brothers and sisters also communicate with each other whilst still inside their egg shells and synchronize their hatching. Just think – it takes human babies up to two years to learn to talk! Chickens have tetrachromatic vision, which means that they see a greater spectrum of colours than humans, including UV light. Clearly, they knew about psychodelia long before we did!
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We invoke the names of farmed animals to insult people, says Will Sorflaten. If you’re a chicken, you’re a coward; if you’re a sheep, you mindlessly follow the mob; and if you’re a pig, well, you’re a greedy slob Funny thing is, these supposed insults tell us a lot more about humans who use them than they do the animals. Society, it seems, is deeply anthropocentric and constantly places humankind above all else. Of course, there’s so much more to these amazing animals than we ever give them credit for and our campaigns team was reminded of that when researching facts about farmed animals for our new website. We’re very proud of this easy-to-navigate website, which now reveals some extraordinary sides to farmed animals that few will know about and others overlooked. We’ve really enjoyed doing it and would now like to give you a taster of just how extraordinary farmed animals are and how complex their characters can be. One thing is certain – ‘pig’ should be a compliment, not an insult. viva.org.uk
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Turkeys Turkeys don’t just say ‘gobble, gobble’, they have over 30 distinct vocalisations, including ‘yelps,’ ‘purrs,’ and ‘kee-kees’ and can recognise each other by their unique voices. They love music and will cluck along with songs and they can hear extremely well, even though they have no ears! Turkeys are extremely intelligent and are really good at geography, capable of learning every detail of very large areas, returning to good feeding spots a year or more later.
A standard made for humans Fish A small goby fish can memorise the topography of a tidal pool in one go by swimming over it at high tide – a feat few, if any, humans could achieve. Clownfish are hermaphrodites and able to change sex. When the female at the top of the hierarchy dies, the most dominant male changes sex and takes her place.
Lobsters Lobsters have a special enzyme, telomerase, which means that they keep growing throughout their life, becoming stronger and more fertile the older they get – something almost no other animal on the planet can do, and certainly not humans (how long before telomerase is on sale alongside little blue pills?). Lobsters regenerate almost every part of their body, from their shell to their digestive tract, hundreds of times over a lifetime.
Goats The mountain goats of North America are perhaps the most famous of all wild goats, roaming high-altitude habitats, withstanding temperatures of – 46ºC and winds that roar at almost 100mph. They thrive where we would be lucky to survive. Goats are some of the best climbers in the world. Even from a young age, ibex can whip up and down vertical slopes such as dams with ease, a skill just a handful of humans can achieve and only after years of practice.
Bizarre, isn’t it, that only those things we happen to be good at seem to matter – perhaps comparisons with animals would induce inferiority complexes! All animals have evolved to live in specific environments with all the accoutrements that requires, including very specific intelligence – they wouldn’t have survived without it. And yet so many of us judge them solely by our capabilities and our intelligence (or lack of it – don’t get me started on conspiracy theorists). Of course they’re not the same as us because they’re not human, but boy, do they have what it takes to survive as chickens, pigs, cows or turkeys! Who knows, perhaps animals have their own way of measuring intelligence or lack of it. Perhaps a pig who is used to locate a prize truffle deep underground looks at his or her handler and thinks – ‘Blimey, you’re a bit dim’. Maybe those species of fish who swim effortlessly across mighty oceans look at us splashing around in our bikinis and Speedos and laugh their scales off at our incompetence. Who was it, I wonder, who decided that only our intelligence was the yardstick by which we would judge someone else’s? If aliens came down to Earth looking for examples of pure strength, they wouldn’t give humans a second glance. If they wanted an inbuilt guidance system, they’d choose pigeons before us. If it was sheer determination they were looking for, the finger would point at salmon. If they glanced around the world and saw the damage we’ve done, they’d laugh at the name we call ourselves. Homo sapiens means ‘Wise Man’ – oh really? – and it is our own arrogant description of ourselves. OK, they might say, then navigate us across continents, find water in the desert, spin an almost invisible yarn many times stronger than steel. The human view of what makes an animal intelligent needs a little reconsideration. They can do amazing things, magnificent things that we can only dream of. Yes, we might be in awe of a humpbacked whale but the farmed animals much closer to home are wondrous, fascinating creatures and we should always remember it.
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More Plants Less Waste – Max La Manna New kid on the block Max La Manna is a zero-waste chef and climate activist. His first cookbook, More Plants Less Waste, is perfect for eco-conscious souls and those wishing to cook a little more mindfully! Recipes are interspersed with a plethora of eco hacks for the kitchen and home, and the recipes themselves encourage you to make full use of what you have, such as by swapping ingredients and using the whole of the vegetable. La Manna really thinks outside the box to bring recipes such as Broccoli Stalk Soup, Leftover Veggie Nachos, and Seed to Skin Squash and Sage Pasta. We love how ecofocused this book is, and I’m sure we can all take a leaf out of La Manna's book and live a little more mindfully with our food choices, such as buying more plastic-free and seasonal items. At the end of the book, there is a 21day challenge to eat more plants and produce less waste with a different tip for each day. How well do you think you would fare with your current habits? More Plants Less Waste showcases an increasingly relevant and important topic for our ever-challenged world. £20 BK5929
Speedy Bosh! – Henry Firth & Ian Theasby From Henry Firth & Ian Theasby the duo behind Bosh! Their newest book: Speedy Bosh! contains 100 brand new and super quick recipes that are incredibly easy and of course all vegan. You can cook them in 20 mins or less, with really simple ingredients you can pick up at your local supermarket. The very definition of BOSH! This book shows you how to create fragrant curries, hearty stews, comfort food for cold nights (just have a taste of the Ultimate Vegan Mac and Cheese!), indulgent puddings, delicious rice and noodle dishes, and one-pan wonders. No fancy kit, no out-there ingredients. You’ll be able to get all the bits and pieces you need from your nearest store. Bosh! Also includes speedy hacks, including how to create less food waste, cook quicker and prep in no time at all, making meal times easier! £22 BK5968
PACT Animal Sanctuary Poetry & Prose – PACT Sanctuary The book is compiled from a collection of submitted poems, stories, memories and illustrations celebrating 25 years of the PACT Animal Sanctuary. The Friends Not Food chapter contains some incredible animal rights poetry, including the very powerful Born to Die and Talk, Cow, Talk, with a clear message of why you should be vegan and is in memory of Chris Rockingham, co-founder of PACT. Makes a great read or present for an animal or poetry lover! £15 BK6065
Manifesto – How a maverick entrepreneur took on British energy and won – Dale Vince Dale Vince never intended to start a business but was driven by a passion for sustainability. In his first book, he writes the memoirs of his journey and how he left school at the age of 15 and became a New Age traveller, living for free in a wind-powered double decker bus. After building his first wind turbine, he realised that to change the world he needed to be on the grid, not off it. Ecotricity was founded in 1996 on the principles of social, financial and environmental sustainability, and forged a new path for green energy. Fast forward to now and Dale has since been appointed UN ambassador for climate issues, is the owner of Forest Green Rovers, the first-ever vegan football club, and amassed a fortune built on sustainability. In this book, he shares his unique and fresh approach to business, with lessons learned from experience that will speak to any beginner entrepreneur. His story in Manifesto shows how his unwavering mission to help save the environment pushed him to the top and shows how others can change the world. £20 BK6052
Ethical Vegan – A Personal and Political Journey to Change the World – Jordi Casamitjana This book tells the story of Jordi Casamitjana journey to veganism and the legal case which secured the protection of ethical vegans in the UK and explores the history of the concept and philosophy of veganism. “Veganism is not just a diet. Not just an opinion, nor a trend. It is a 21stcentury revolution which began 20 centuries ago.” From the activist, scientist and animal welfare consultant whose employment tribunal changed the law forever comes a timely, personal polemic on the nature of ethical veganism. This very interesting book explores the choice many feel is the answer to today’s global crises. Written with urgency, humour and a strong personal narrative, Jordi Casamitjana’s book is about a political engagement and not just a lifestyle choice. Ethical Veganism covers more than just food, Jordi also explores how it possible to dress ethically, travel according to vegan principles, to work responsibly, as well as eating mindfully. £12.99 BK6053
All Viva! Vegan Book Club choices are available from vivashop.org.uk/books Tel: 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm) 56
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Vegan business is Boost your brand with Viva!’s Business Supporter Packages Gone are the days of bad vegan cheese and chips being the only vegan option on the menu! Today, the sheer range of vegan offerings in supermarkets, online and restaurants is incredible. Even as I write, more brands are branching out and cashing in on the plantbased explosion. Veganism is well and truly in the mainstream. Much of Viva!’s brilliant campaigning work has been supported by well-known vegan brands and we’ve worked with companies such as V-Bites, Oatly, Vego and Ecotricity – just a few of many! We’ve joined forces in order to save animals. Here at Viva!, we understand that vegan brands are in the forefront of the vegan revolution – without them, who would make our vegan leather, vegan cheese or cruelty-free candles? Viva! supporters are a curious (and committed) bunch and are eager to discover the latest, most exciting vegan products. And this is where we can help your brand grow. Working with Viva! provides the perfect opportunity for your brand to reach new audiences and help us save animals. Viva! Business Supporter packages offer a range of opportunities for brands. Choose one that’s right for your business or get in touch if you’d like to discuss a personalised package.
For more information visit viva.org.uk/businesssupporter Email siobhan@viva.org.uk to sign up or find out more. BENEFITS
“Viva! is a charity with ethics close to our hearts. Our collaboration with them demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding the planet. We’ve got big plans for 2021 and beyond and we see Viva! helping us reach new audiences.” Essential “Working with Viva! has been a fantastic way to promote our vegan beer subscription service. It’s been great working with an organisation who can reach such a targeted audience and who always deliver on their promises.” Beer52 VIVA! BUSINESS SUPPORTER £100 ANNUALLY
VIVA! BUSINESS FRIEND SUPPORTER £250 ANNUALLY
VIVA! BUSINESS LIFETIME SUPPORTER £500
Use of Viva! Symbol on products for one year 1 x social media post promoting your brand Opportunity to promote your vegan products/services in the Lifestyle section of Viva!life Receive magazine Viva!life 100 word advertorial in Viva!life magazine Your brand featured on our vegan directory My Vegan Town An exclusive Viva! Friends Mug Option to join the Viva! Supporter Discount Club Feature interview on Viva! Podcast to promote your brand Lifetime Supporter Certificate Lifetime use of the Symbol 10% discount on advert bookings in Viva!life magazine viva.org.uk 57
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‘I’m goIng to JOin viVa!’s UNdeRcoVer TEam!’ Cynthia’s a realist and knows her time is now limited. She has always supported Viva!’s campaigns against animal cruelty but with few resources. When she finally goes, Cynthia knows she’ll leave some decent money and wants to use some of it to save animals from suffering. That’s why she intends to support Viva!’s exposés of factory farming. Viva! is changing the face of Britain and Cynthia still wants to be a part of it – wherever she is.
Please remember Viva! in your will so we can go on saving animals For information on leaving a Will, see viva.org.uk/legacies or ring 0117 944 1000 Check out our campaigns on viva.org.uk/campaigns
The woman pictured is a model but we want to thank Cynthia Harper for her extraordinary generosity. viva.org.uk 58
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Meal support for vulnerable vegans and veggies
Contact V for Life for your FREE copy
vegetarianforlife.org.u
Dinners to your door k
Sponsored by
Whether you’re houseb ound or simply don’t w ant to cook, have ready-m ad food delivered to your e vegetarian and vegan door!
0161 257 0887 | vegetarianforlife.org.uk
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Registered charity number 1120687
Across the UK companies are offering to send a variety of mouth-watering main meals, sides, soups and puddings to your door. V for Life’s 12-page guide, Dinners to your Door, shows it’s possible to enjoy the convenience of these meals without having to compromise your vegan or vegetarian principles.
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RE VOLT ING
You might check the menu for a vegan option. Maybe you only buy cruelty-free cosmetics. But have you checked the ingredients in your energy supply? Millions of British homes are powered by electricity and gas made from animals or their by-products. They can come from factory farming, which means animal slurry and even body parts.
Join Ecotricity, the world’s only officially vegan energy company and make sure you’re not supporting the animal industry with your energy bills.
VIVA! WILL RECEIVE A £60 DONATION WHEN YOU SWITCH YOUR ELECTRICITY AND GAS 0808 123 0 123 (quote VIVA) ecotricity.co.uk/VIVA No animals were harmed in the making of this advert