Vegan News August 17, 2024

TOP NEWS

Mussel Farm Raises Ethics Questions: A UK mussel farm is being praised for restoring historic shellfish reefs, but this highlights the ongoing ethical issues around aquaculture. While the farm may benefit some marine animals by creating habitat, it fundamentally exists to exploit sentient beings. The study celebrates how lobsters and crabs use the farm structures, overlooking that mussels themselves are sentient creatures being bred for human consumption. This reflects a common bias where environmental benefits are used to justify animal exploitation.

Brian May Documentary Exposes Badger Culling: Queen guitarist Sir Brian May’s new documentary “The Badgers, the Farmers and Me” challenges the UK’s controversial badger culling program. The film reveals how badgers are killed under the guise of controlling bovine tuberculosis in cows on farms, when alternative solutions exist. May’s investigation shows that proper care of cows combined with badger vaccination successfully eliminates TB. The documentary airs August 23rd.

Why Bees Make Honey (Not for Us): A comprehensive look at honey production reveals how bees make and use honey for their own survival, not human consumption. Worker bees spend their lives collecting nectar and converting it to honey for winter food. It takes 12 bees their entire lifetime to make just one teaspoon of honey. Commercial beekeeping often harms bees through practices like smoking them out of hives, crushing bees during honey collection, and killing entire colonies for economic efficiency. While some claim taking honey doesn’t harm bees, replacing it with sugar syrup deprives them of essential nutrients. This reinforces why honey isn’t vegan – it’s both food made by bees for bees and an industry that directly harms these sentient beings. Read the story on VegNews.

SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT

Pro-Hunt Group’s Bizarre Ethnic Minority Claim

In a concerning development, pro-hunting group Hunting Kind claims hunters should be protected as an ethnic minority under UK equality laws. This attempt to co-opt civil rights protections to defend animal cruelty shows how far hunting advocates will go to preserve their harmful practices. The group’s chair Ed Swales attempts to frame opposition to hunting as discrimination, while dismissing legitimate animal welfare concerns as “uneducated.” This reflects a broader pattern of hunting advocates trying to reframe their choice to harm animals as a protected right. Read the story on The Guardian.

QUICK BITE

Anti-Inflammatory Oat Milk Shaken Espresso: Create this Starbucks-inspired drink at home with just espresso, oat milk, and warming spices. Combine freshly brewed espresso with cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom, then shake with ice and oat milk. Add sweetener to taste. A perfect refreshing pick-me-up that’s completely plant-based! Find the recipe on Sweet Potato Soul.

DID YOU KNOW?

The First Animal Protection Law Wasn’t About Protection: England’s 1822 Martin’s Act, often cited as the first animal protection law, only regulated “unnecessary” cruelty to certain animals used as property. This reflected the law’s true purpose – protecting human economic interests rather than animal welfare. It would take another century before laws began acknowledging animals’ intrinsic worth rather than just their value to humans.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

When Tradition Meets Ethics

The fox hunting group’s claim about cultural heritage raises an important question: Can tradition ever justify causing harm to others? Throughout history, many harmful practices were defended as “cultural traditions.” How should society respond when cultural claims are used to defend animal exploitation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Stay informed and keep advocating for a more vegan world. See you next week with more updates!

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