We need to talk about the rise of veganism
In our latest Surge video, co-director Ed Winters gives a succinct rundown of the many reasons why veganism is on the rise. Produced for EuroNews, the video goes through everything from preventing the next global pandemic, to tackling environmental destruction.
As Ed says at the start of the video, it seems that wherever we look we see the word ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’. There are ever more products available in shops and supermarkets, and restaurants and fast-food chains are increasing their vegan-friendly options.
While commercial opportunism isn’t necessarily indicative of a rise in the number of vegans or decline in the number of animals killed per year, the fact that there is enough of a shift in perception away from animal exploitation is still hugely significant to what we do as campaigners and advocates for animal rights and the plant-based lifestyle that follows our ethical position.
Our video was produced for EuroNews, where it was published earlier this week, and they reached out to us to provide a comprehensive yet succinct overview of the factors that have led to this paradigm shift. We know it’s significant because the industries that it doesn’t serve are fighting against it with bizarre marketing tactics, as in the case of the AHDB’s ‘Eat Balanced’ pro-meat and dairy campaign that we debunked in a recent article.
It is clear that this isn’t simply a trend or a fad. Veganuary has seen its eighth year of successive increases in sign-ups since starting in 2014, with a record 500,000 accepting its 31-day vegan challenge this year. What fad could ever sustain that level of growth for close to a decade? People are trying veganism for a range of reasons, having positive experiences and that is giving rise to further interest. Some believe we are fast approaching a tipping point.
The video covers the following areas: 1) preventing the next global pandemic; 2) the ethics of eating animals; 3) the environmental damage caused by animal agriculture, and 4) health. Each of these topics deserves its own article, but for now, it is enough to simply say that rejecting animal use has a profound bearing on all of them. Please do watch and send it on to friends and family who have yet to understand, as this video is designed to be accessible for a broad audience.
Andrew Gough is Media and Investigations Manager for Surge.
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