1. For the Animals
At present, over 56 billion land animals are bred and killed every year.
(A staggering 70% of birds, and 60% of mammals are now livestock animals, with just 4% of animals living wild (humans = 36%)).
This figure does not include fish, whose numbers are too great to measure, or the millions of animals killed for other human purposes.
The majority of these intelligent, sensitive beings live terrible lives confined in small cages on factory farms, before being sent to slaughter at a very young age. ( For example, the average slaughter age for a broiler chicken in the EU, is just 5-7 weeks.)
As more people find out about the horrific conditions under which animals live and die, they are shunning animal foods in favour of kinder vegan alternatives.
2. For Our Planet
In addition to being the second largest contributor of emissions (greater than all modes of transportation combined), animal agriculture takes up approximately 70% of the world’s fresh water supply, and is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss and fresh water pollution. The damage caused by animal agriculture extends to the oceans as well, with scientists now warning that our seas could be empty of fish by 2048.
The author of a comprehensive study conducted at the University of Oxford goes so far as to state that “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification (air pollution), eutrophication (water pollution), land use and water use”
3. For Personal Health
Two of the most pressing health issues of the modern age are coronary heart disease (linked to high levels of dangerous cholesterol) and diabetes type 2.
Studies show that cholesterol levels are lower in vegans (whose diets tend to be higher in healthy fruits & vegetables, and lower in saturated fats) than in the standard population, and that vegans have a lower chance of developing diabetes.
4. For Public Health:
Overcrowded factory farms are a breeding ground for disease.
Apart from worrying increases in bird and pig flu viruses, harmful bacteria such as campylobacter, salmonella and e.coli from animal products are sickening millions of people every year. (And it isn’t just those who actually consume animal products who get sick. Cross contamination, and runoffs from factory farms are putting everyone at risk.)
Another urgent issue is antibiotic resistance. Around 80% of all antibiotics are now fed to farm animals, not just to treat infections, but to keep them alive in unnatural conditions, and as growth promoters. This reckless overuse of our most precious drugs increases the risk of antibiotic resistance, meaning increasing antibiotic failure for human diseases.
5. Food for All
At present, there are 815 million people on our planet who do not have enough to eat. Yet, over half the world’s agricultural land is used for livestock farming, and 34% of human-edible crop calories are fed to animals in the meat and dairy industries. If human being stopped using land and edible crops to raise livestock animals, we could potentially end world hunger.
Kinder to Animals, Kinder to our Planet, Kinder to humans
Choose kindness, choose vegan