Day #18 and I was going to talk about the dairy industry today...
Firstly, apologies for no Day #17. I really had nothing to say. But without further ado...
Welcome to Day #18 and I was going to talk about the dairy industry today. There's been a lot of articles shouting about how inhumane the dairy industry is and the 'myth of milk', etc. I really wanted to talk about it. I was thinking about how I was going to present my arguments and counter-arguments. I went out at lunch time, bought a falafel and houmous wrap from Tesco, went back to the office and sat down to write about it.
Unfortunately, or fortunately (whichever way you look at it), I put the wrap down on my desk face down and something caught my eye. See if you can work out what it is. I'll give you a clue; it's the fourth row down, second in from the right.
What the hell do I eat now? I've been living off this stuff for my dinners for almost this entire thing! Now it's contributing to what is a pretty vile industry, and that got me thinking about that instead. It completely through me off my dairy train of thought. So, with that in mind, is this even vegan friendly? Oh certainly, it's plant-based, that cannot be denied, but vegan? Let's take a look shall we?
According to Wikipedia, veganism is both the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and as associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.
Now, although it's fair and accurate to say that it is not an animal product, rejecting the commodity status of animals refers to the legal status as 'property' of most non-human animals, particularly farmed animals, working animals and animals in sport, and their use as objects of trade.
Several days ago, I talked about the palm oil industry being linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses in the countries where it is produced. These being, for instance, over 300,000 different animals being found through the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra, many of which being injured, killed and/or displaced during deforestation. Additionally, palm oil development increases accessibility of animals to poachers and wildlife smugglers who capture and sell the wildlife as pets, use them for medicinal purposes or kill them for their body parts.
Surely this, by its very essence, goes against the fundamental beliefs of veganism and, quite frankly, if you're truly practising veganism properly, it should be on the 'do not touch' list. I think this is the main difference between veganism as a lifestyle/ belief, and following a plant-based diet. Oh, palm oil is perfectly fine to a plant-based diet (if we ignore the moral implications) but veganism as a belief cannot possibly tolerate the palm oil industry because it's completely at odds with it. If dairy, honey, wool, etc. are unacceptable, even given their sustainability, surely palm oil is as well?
Now I know, I know, "But what about the RSPO certified sustainable palm oil?", I hear you say. All I'm going to say to that is, read up on it. From what I've read, it's an organisation which has no teeth; it's just 'greenwash'. Another way for palm oil companies to create the illusion of sustainability and make money. There are arguments both for and against and, obviously, it's each to their own and if you're happy to consume palm oil, then fine; it's entirely your choice. But, and this may be only my own humble opinion and a rather controversial one at that (sorry), if you're happy to consume palm oil given the lack of policing, standards and everything we know about it, you have no right to get upset about people consuming milk, honey, or even meat. The moral high ground, you do not have.
Oh, and the soya spread we've been using instead of butter also contains palm oil. I just checked.
Stay tuned for Saturday. I've got a doozy on dairy farming and I'm not going to get derailed this time.
Welcome to Day #18 and I was going to talk about the dairy industry today. There's been a lot of articles shouting about how inhumane the dairy industry is and the 'myth of milk', etc. I really wanted to talk about it. I was thinking about how I was going to present my arguments and counter-arguments. I went out at lunch time, bought a falafel and houmous wrap from Tesco, went back to the office and sat down to write about it.
Unfortunately, or fortunately (whichever way you look at it), I put the wrap down on my desk face down and something caught my eye. See if you can work out what it is. I'll give you a clue; it's the fourth row down, second in from the right.What the hell do I eat now? I've been living off this stuff for my dinners for almost this entire thing! Now it's contributing to what is a pretty vile industry, and that got me thinking about that instead. It completely through me off my dairy train of thought. So, with that in mind, is this even vegan friendly? Oh certainly, it's plant-based, that cannot be denied, but vegan? Let's take a look shall we?
According to Wikipedia, veganism is both the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and as associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.
Now, although it's fair and accurate to say that it is not an animal product, rejecting the commodity status of animals refers to the legal status as 'property' of most non-human animals, particularly farmed animals, working animals and animals in sport, and their use as objects of trade.
Several days ago, I talked about the palm oil industry being linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses in the countries where it is produced. These being, for instance, over 300,000 different animals being found through the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra, many of which being injured, killed and/or displaced during deforestation. Additionally, palm oil development increases accessibility of animals to poachers and wildlife smugglers who capture and sell the wildlife as pets, use them for medicinal purposes or kill them for their body parts.
Surely this, by its very essence, goes against the fundamental beliefs of veganism and, quite frankly, if you're truly practising veganism properly, it should be on the 'do not touch' list. I think this is the main difference between veganism as a lifestyle/ belief, and following a plant-based diet. Oh, palm oil is perfectly fine to a plant-based diet (if we ignore the moral implications) but veganism as a belief cannot possibly tolerate the palm oil industry because it's completely at odds with it. If dairy, honey, wool, etc. are unacceptable, even given their sustainability, surely palm oil is as well?
Now I know, I know, "But what about the RSPO certified sustainable palm oil?", I hear you say. All I'm going to say to that is, read up on it. From what I've read, it's an organisation which has no teeth; it's just 'greenwash'. Another way for palm oil companies to create the illusion of sustainability and make money. There are arguments both for and against and, obviously, it's each to their own and if you're happy to consume palm oil, then fine; it's entirely your choice. But, and this may be only my own humble opinion and a rather controversial one at that (sorry), if you're happy to consume palm oil given the lack of policing, standards and everything we know about it, you have no right to get upset about people consuming milk, honey, or even meat. The moral high ground, you do not have.
Oh, and the soya spread we've been using instead of butter also contains palm oil. I just checked.
Stay tuned for Saturday. I've got a doozy on dairy farming and I'm not going to get derailed this time.
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