Animals Matter Too - Vegan Ethics for Everyone

A very useful overview of the Vegan Australia business accreditation scheme in Australia.

Lately we've seen an outpouring of criticism for veganism and, possibly in response, there seems to have been a decline in enthusiasm for adopting vegan ethics. This is a real shame, given vegan ethics is the best we have if we think other animals matter.

Two of the more visible claims being made by critics are that vegans cause more animals to be harmed, on average, and that vegans are nasty. Yet neither is a genuine criticism of the principles themselves and it remains true that vegan ethics lead us to make fairer and kinder choices.

What this suggests is that when people openly criticise veganism, they cannot be serious when they claim to care about other animals. No, if they really cared, they'd adopt the ethics themselves and encourage people to apply them responsibly.

Read more at the link below.

Why Critics of Veganism Can’t Be Serious A recent surge in anti-vegan rhetoric may be contributing to an observed fall in popularity for veganism (though see here for a different perspective). While many critics might hail this as a win, …

Food and health researcher, Jens Walter, has spent years focused on the interface of evolutionary ecology of the gut microbiome and human nutrition, and he is internationally recognized for integrating ecological and evolutionary principles with controlled human studies to understand and modulate the gut microbiome. His work has advanced dietary and microbial strategies for microbiome modulation, including the development of the Non-Industrialized Microbiome (NiMe) diet.

The NiMe diet is heavily influenced by the traditional diet of rural Papua New Guineans, a diet rich in unprocessed plant-based foods that are full of fibre but low in sugar and calories. This diet, quite different from our modern industrialised diet, maximises healthy gut function, reduces risk for various chronic conditions increasingly prevalent in Western societies and features mostly plant-sourced foods.

You can read more and download their free NiMe diet book - which includes plenty of great recipes - here:

https://bit.ly/41BV0HW

An interesting article which observes new findings in athletic performance regimes - higher whole-food, plant-sourced protein and fibre intakes assist recovery and enable significant gains in training programs.

Athletes who go plant-based consistently report the same first change before any strength gain — they can train hard again the next day, and the next, and the cumulative effect over months is enormous Plant-based athletes from Scott Jurek to Patrik Baboumian consistently describe the same first change: not raw strength, but the ability to train hard on back-to-back days. The recovery-window shift shows up in inflammation markers within weeks and compounds across a season.

An interesting and wide-ranging discussion about veganism between Earthling E and philosopher Dr Jack Symes. They touch on some thought-provoking issues, too.

Veganism, Bad Arguments, and Moral Philosophy with @DrJackSymes 📚 Order my latest book How to Go (and Stay) Vegan here! https://how...

After a sudden burst of popularity in the decade leading up to 2020, plant-based diets and even vegetarianism/veganism have faced headwinds as consumers react to mixed messages about diet and sustainability. The meat industry itself has done much to manipulate markets and consumers, but there is reason to hope this may have been a brief triumph for bad actors. Alternatives to endless meat and dairy seem to be more entrenched with new options on the horizon, and recent renewed interest in the ethics of veganism may influence future buying decisions.

Steak or tofu: why can’t we stop eating so much meat? Despite health risks and environmental damage, the meat industry is working hard to safeguard its dominance

An animal welfare initiative that most consumers are familiar with is "cage-free" eggs. By phasing out use of caged systems in egg production, producers are able to claim that their product is high welfare and lull consumers into believing that they are doing better to buy eggs from these systems.

Unfortunately, this may not be true for a variety of reasons. A recent "Open Letter from Concerned Scholars" points out the unintended and even harmful consequences of transitioning from caged to cage-free systems without adequate and measurable welfare outcomes. Worse, animal advocates who support such campaigns may unwittingly be contributing to more of what they hope to mitigate.

The linked Open Letter describes how cage-free egg initiatives can be deeply flawed, highlighting welfare issues like injuries, disease, and behavioral stress, and questioning whether they reduce overall suffering or merely shift harm to larger populations. They note environmental costs, including higher emissions, and warn that labels mislead consumers. Advocates should critically reassess whether cage-free reforms truly advance ethical, ecological, and strategic goals.

(PDF) Reconsidering Cage-Free Eggs: An Open Letter from Concerned Scholars PDF | This open letter calls for a critical reassessment of cage-free egg campaigns as a central strategy within animal advocacy and food-system reform.... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Many critics believe that veganism is not growing and I have tended to agree with that gloomy outlook. As I think about it, despite advocacy FOR veganism over the past 80 years, the share of the population who are genuine ethical vegans remains dismally low.

A surge in interest in veganism as reported by Google Trend Analysis for the period 2010-2020 suggested increasing worldwide enthusiasm for veganism, however I contend this was more about self-interest than tackling animal injustice. In other words, that uptick in popularity was driven by interest in a vegan diet rather than a sudden outburst of care for other animals.

This blog post linked to below reports a detailed deep-dive into Google trends and, quite remarkably, reports on a spike in interest for ethical vegan search terms. Why this might be is hard to say but it seems matched by a more muted rise in searches for vegan dietary terms.

Has some corner been turned?

Veganism's popularity over 16 years Veganism’s Popularity: a Dietary Fad or Enduring Ethical Movement? A Google Trends analysis over the last 16 years.