More and more people are becoming aware of the relationship between our food and the many pressing problems we are facing globally. As it becomes increasingly clear that a plant-based diet could provide a solution to multiple problems, the trend towards a diet and lifestyle free from animal products is rapidly gaining momentum. ProVeg supports this development and is pursuing the goal of transforming this trend into a powerful global movement.

PRO Animals

Farmed animals are intelligent, sentient and sociable creatures. They feel pain and fear, maintain friendships, and have individual personalities – just like our pets – yet they are treated very differently. In the livestock industry, animals are kept in conditions where they are not able to fulfil even their most basic needs. They endure unimaginable horrors before being slaughtered. This doesn’t only apply to meat production, but also to the dairy and egg industries.

Each year in the egg industry, millions upon millions of male chicks are culled. They are either gassed or shredded alive in a grinder, right after hatching.^[1]The Independent: (2015): Hatched, discaraded, gassed: What Happend to Male Chicks in the UK . Available at: … Continue reading This is because they can neither lay eggs nor be used as broiler chickens due to the way they have been bred. Even layer hens are killed as soon as their bodies have been exhausted and they are no longer able to lay enough eggs. Economically speaking, like the male chicks, they are then no longer of any use.

In order to be able to provide a constant supply of milk, cows must undergo regular artificial insemination, thus achieving a virtually constant state of pregnancy. In Europe alone, this happens to some 24 million animals every year.^[2]Eurostat Statistics Explained (2016): Milk and milk product statistics. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Milk_and_milk_product_statistics [02.01.2017] The calves are separated from their mothers right after birth – mother cows and calves often call for one another for days. Female calves are faced with the same fate as their mothers: being used in milk production. Male calves are slaughtered after a short fattening period to be used for veal or, in some cases, shot not long after birth. When they’ve gone past their peak performance, dairy cows are also slaughtered and used for meat. It’s not uncommon for cows to still be pregnant when they are slaughtered.

The dairy and egg industries are therefore directly connected to the meat industry. In all cases, animals are never regarded as individuals, but rather as products, judged and handled based solely on economic factors. Around 70 billion sentient individuals lose their lives in this way each year.^[3]Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2017). FAOSTAT Statistics Database. Available at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL [26.03.2017]. This doesn’t even include fish or other marine life – the number of sea creatures killed is many times higher.^[4]A. Mood & P. Brooke (2010): Estimating the Number of Fish Caught in Global Fishing Each Year. Available at: http://fishcount.org.uk/published/std/fishcountstudy.pdf.

PRO Health

High consumption of animal products is one of the main causes of the illnesses that are prevalent in our society, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, circulatory disorders, high cholesterol, and even cancer. Numerous studies have substantiated this correlation. Consequently, a fully plant-based diet can demonstrably help to minimise the risks of these diseases and, in some cases, even reverse the conditions.

A balanced plant-based diet is possible at all ages. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics includes the following in its position statement: ‘Well-planned vegan and other forms of vegetarian nutrition are suitable for all stages of life, including pregnancy, lactation, childhood, and adolescence.^[5]Melina, V., C. Winston & S. Levin (2016): Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 116, no. 12 (December 2016): pp. … Continue reading

A diet free from animal products has other health benefits as well. It can reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance and animal-borne diseases developing, the latter including BSE, swine flu and bird flu, which can all be fatal for humans. Following a plant-based diet can also significantly reduce the inadvertent intake of substances such as dioxin or fipronil – hazardous chemicals that have been the topic of recent food scandals. Not eating animal products also lowers the probability of food poisoning or infections caused by salmonella or other germs.

PRO Environment

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), livestock accounts for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide – more than the entire transport sector.^[6]Gerber, P., H. Steinfeld, B. Henderson, A. Mottet & C. Opio, eds (2013): Tackling Climate Change through Livestock: A Global Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Opportunities. Rome: FAO, 2013. ^[7]United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data [25.03.2017]. A purely plant-based diet could reduce your own nutritional contribution to greenhouse gas emissions by half.^[8]Scarborough, P., P. N. Appleby, A. Mizdrak et al. (2014): Dietary Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Meat-Eaters, Fish-Eaters, Vegetarians and Vegans in the UK. Climatic Change 125, no. 2 (July 1, 2014): … Continue reading ^[9]Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Agrarpolitik, Ernährung und gesundheitlicher Verbraucherschutz und Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Waldpolitik beim BMEL (2016): Klimaschutz in der Land- und Forstwirtschaft … Continue reading

Livestock farming also makes a significant contribution to the destruction of rainforests. In the Amazon region, 80% of the rainforest has been deforested for the purpose of cultivating animal feed.^[10]Greenpeace (2009): How cattle ranches are chewing up the Amazon rainforest. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/forests/how-cattle-ranching-chewing-amazon-rainforest-20090129 [25.03.2017]. ^[11]The Guardian (2009): Amazon rainforests pay the price as demand for beef soars. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/may/31/cattle-trade-brazil-greenpeace-amazon-deforestation … Continue reading Every minute, an area the size of seven football pitches is cleared for animal agriculture, not only for pastures but also for the production of feed crops like soy.^[12]Laurance, W. F., A. K. M. Albernaz, G. Schroth et al. (2002): Predictors of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon: Journal of Biogeography, 29, pp. 737-748.

Furthermore, the animals’ excrement pollutes soil and groundwater. The manufacturing of animal products is incredibly resource-intensive, with the production of a given amount of animal protein requiring many times the amount of resources necessary for plant protein. Water, too, is wasted in massive quantities in the manufacture of animal products. Producing a single kilogram of beef requires up to 15,500 litres of water.^[13]Water footprint Network: Product Gallery. Available at. http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/ [06.10.2016]. ^[14]Mekonnen, M. M. & A. Y. Hoekstra (2012): A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products. Ecosystems. 15, p.401–415 With a predominantly plant-based diet, one can save up to 1,700 litres of water – every day.^[15]Hoekstra, A. Y. (2012): The Hidden Water Resource Use behind Meat and Dairy. Animal Frontiers 2, no. 2 (April 1, 2012) Available at: http://www.unwater.org/statistics/statistics-detail/en/c/211807/ … Continue reading

PRO Food equality

There are currently 740 million people in the world who have no access to clean drinking water.^[16]WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme). 2015. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2015: Water for a Sustainable World. Paris, UNESCO. The UN estimates that this number could grow to 1.8 billion in the next ten years.^[17]UN Water (2014): Water scarcity already affects more than 40 percent of the people on the planet. Additionally there are currently around 815 million people worldwide who suffer from malnutrition and starvation.^[18]FAO, IFAD UNICEF, WFP & WHO (2017): The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2017: building resilience for peace and food security. Rome, FAO Meanwhile, 35% of all grain produced worldwide and some three quarters of the soy crop are used as animal feed.^[19]FAO (2017): Crop Prospects and Food Situation. No. 1. Rome (March 2017). Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6903e.pdf [26.03.2017]. ^[20]WWF (2014): Soy Report Card – Assessing the use of responsible soy for animal feed in Europe. Available at: http://www.wwf.se/source.php/1568593/sojarapporten-2014.pdf [26.03.2017]. As such, the consumption of meat and other animal products means that the available nutrition is wastefully diverted to farmed animals. Only around 10% of the protein and calories fed to animals is passed on to humans in the form of meat or other animal products – a terribly inefficient ratio in terms of food production.^[21]Worldwatch Institute (2004): Meat – Now, It’s not personal. Available at: http://www.worldwatch.org/system/files/EP174A.pdf [31.03.2017] ‘Producing’ a single kilogram of meat requires up to 7.5 kilograms of plant-based feed.’^[22]Shike, D. W. (2013): Beef Cattle Feed Efficiency. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Driftless Region Beef Conference 2013. Available at: … Continue reading

If humans were to eat all of the plant-based nutrition available directly, rather than via farmed animals, there would be enough food for everybody. The existing agricultural spaces could even be used to create enough food to feed up to 10 billion people with a purely plant-based diet.^[23]Erb K. H., C. Lauk, T. Kastner et al. (2016): Exploring the biophysical option space for feeding the world without deforestation. Nature Communications 7 (April 19, 2016): 11382. … Continue reading ^[24]The Guardian (2016): Can we feed 10 billion people on organic farming alone? Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/14/organic-farming-agriculture-world-hunger … Continue reading With a growing global population, it will be impossible to sustain the level of consumption of animal products observed in first world countries today.

PRO Taste

Most people enjoy the taste of meat because they are used to it. This is because they have grown up in a meat-eating society, where the following are seen to apply: eating animals is normal (everybody else does it), natural (we are equipped for this and have always done so), and necessary (we have to do it in order to stay healthy and vital). The acquired taste for animal products is a decisive factor in our adherence to these principles. In turn, this means that plant-based nutrition is considered to be less appetising. We call this ‘veg prejudice’. Fruit, vegetables, legumes, and other plant foods are often seen as side dishes, but never as a healthy, delicious, substantial meal. Therefore, it is of particular importance to raise awareness of the diverse flavours and appeal of plant-based products.

In this way, we can all discover completely new flavours and taste experiences.

What’s more, the alternative, cruelty-free products (such as vegan and vegetarian sausages or burgers) are getting better and better, and it is increasingly difficult to tell them apart from the ‘original’. Be it gourmets, fast-food fans, or chefs who like to experiment – the colourful diversity of vegan cuisine has something for everyone.

Plant based lifestyle is the better choice

Our dietary habits are linked to many of today’s most pressing problems. More and more people are therefore deciding to move to more sustainable dietary habits. A plant-based diet saves many animals from a torturous life, reduces one’s personal ecological footprint, and can contribute to greater social and global justice. At the same time, a plant-based diet does not only enrich our diet but can also be healthier.