0:00:04.165,0:00:06.340
So when I say the word "vegan" to you,

0:00:06.787,0:00:08.213
what do you think of?

0:00:08.381,0:00:11.542
I'm sure for many of you,[br]you think of "Oh, vegans.

0:00:11.654,0:00:13.465
Why can't they just live and let live?

0:00:13.465,0:00:16.029
I personally have no problem[br]with you being vegan,

0:00:16.029,0:00:17.865
but can you not force your views

0:00:17.865,0:00:20.964
and just respect my personal choice[br]to eat animal products?"

0:00:20.964,0:00:22.890
For some of you, you might be thinking,

0:00:22.903,0:00:26.314
"Ah, no, vegan. I could never be vegan.

0:00:26.314,0:00:28.966
I love the taste of cheese[br]far too much for that."

0:00:28.966,0:00:31.815
And some you might[br]just be confused and thinking,

0:00:31.815,0:00:33.982
"But eating meat is the circle of life,

0:00:33.982,0:00:37.015
and after all, other animals[br]eat other animals,

0:00:37.015,0:00:39.331
so why can't I?"

0:00:39.331,0:00:41.885
This is a selection of the things [br]that I used to say

0:00:41.885,0:00:44.562
when someone said the word vegan to me.

0:00:44.562,0:00:46.930
But I also used to say [br]that vegans were crazy

0:00:46.930,0:00:49.530
and that no one should ever go vegan.

0:00:49.530,0:00:51.031
But now I am vegan.

0:00:51.031,0:00:53.514
And so, how on earth did that happen?

0:00:53.514,0:00:55.213
It's a question I often ask myself,

0:00:55.213,0:00:58.447
and so to try and understand[br]why it is that I'm now vegan,

0:00:58.447,0:01:01.494
I want to go through all the main[br]arguments that I used to make

0:01:01.494,0:01:04.274
and show you why I changed my mind.

0:01:04.274,0:01:07.764
And so, the first one:[br]"It's personal choice."

0:01:07.764,0:01:10.431
Can we morally justify not being vegan

0:01:10.431,0:01:14.381
by saying it's our personal choice[br]to consume animal products?

0:01:14.381,0:01:15.713
Well, interestingly, yes,

0:01:15.713,0:01:18.801
it is our personal choice[br]to consume animal products

0:01:18.801,0:01:22.464
in the same way that it is[br]our personal choice to abuse a dog

0:01:22.464,0:01:24.182
or beat a cat.

0:01:24.182,0:01:27.516
In essence, what I'm saying[br]is that every action that we make

0:01:27.516,0:01:30.748
is a choice that we[br]personally choose to make.

0:01:30.748,0:01:34.137
And so to imply that it's morally[br]justifiable to use animals

0:01:34.137,0:01:35.880
because it's a personal choice

0:01:35.880,0:01:38.813
would mean that every action[br]that we as humans can make

0:01:38.813,0:01:40.781
must also be morally justifiable

0:01:40.781,0:01:43.999
because every action is a personal choice.

0:01:44.264,0:01:46.632
And so, is it morally justifiable

0:01:46.632,0:01:49.853
to randomly assault a stranger[br]on the street?

0:01:49.853,0:01:53.748
Is it morally justifiable[br]to go to a shelter, rescue a dog,

0:01:53.748,0:01:56.346
bring them home[br]and then abuse them yourself?

0:01:56.748,0:01:58.847
No. Of course it's not.

0:01:58.847,0:02:00.813
Because those choices have a victim,

0:02:00.813,0:02:02.579
someone who suffers negatively

0:02:02.579,0:02:05.551
because of the personal choice[br]that we have made.

0:02:05.551,0:02:06.749
And so consequently,

0:02:06.749,0:02:12.114
the inclusion of a victim removes[br]any possibility for moral justification.

0:02:12.114,0:02:15.848
And besides, one of the reasons[br]that I went vegan in the first place

0:02:15.848,0:02:17.932
was for personal choice.

0:02:17.932,0:02:22.766
The personal choice of the trillions of[br]animals who are killed every single year.

0:02:22.766,0:02:24.516
Who have granted their choice?

0:02:24.516,0:02:28.982
They would just like to live their life[br]without human inflicted exploitation.

0:02:28.982,0:02:33.665
Remember, animals don't willfully walk[br]onto the kill floor of a slaughterhouse.

0:02:33.665,0:02:36.432
They are forced there against their will.

0:02:36.432,0:02:39.282
Any notion of choice [br]has been removed for them,

0:02:39.282,0:02:42.365
and so when we cite personal choice[br]as a justification,

0:02:42.365,0:02:46.500
whose personal choice are we considering,[br]other than our own?

0:02:46.500,0:02:51.201
And if it is a choice,[br]then why would we choose to be cruel?

0:02:51.201,0:02:52.517
And so we might then think,

0:02:52.517,0:02:56.729
"Yes, but the difference is[br]these animals are bred for that purpose,

0:02:56.729,0:02:59.696
which is why your example[br]of abusing a dog is disingenuous

0:02:59.696,0:03:02.248
because that's just needless suffering."

0:03:02.248,0:03:03.508
To which I would say, yes,

0:03:03.508,0:03:06.598
but most of us find dog fighting[br]to be morally abhorrent,

0:03:06.598,0:03:11.507
yet many dogs used in fighting[br]are bred specifically for that purpose.

0:03:11.507,0:03:13.247
Does it make it acceptable?

0:03:13.247,0:03:14.768
So we might then say after that,

0:03:14.768,0:03:17.677
"Yes, but dog fighting[br]is illegal in this country,

0:03:17.677,0:03:20.464
but farms and slaughterhouses[br]are allowed under law;

0:03:20.464,0:03:22.570
they are lawful practices."

0:03:22.570,0:03:25.675
But does legality equal morality?

0:03:25.675,0:03:28.965
Is something acceptable[br]just because the law says so?

0:03:28.965,0:03:30.623
I mean, if that was true,

0:03:30.623,0:03:34.564
then dog fighting would be moral[br]in the countries where it's legal.

0:03:34.564,0:03:38.601
And if we apply that way of thinking,[br]let's take it to a human situation.

0:03:38.601,0:03:42.308
Is female genital mutilation[br]a moral and acceptable practice

0:03:42.308,0:03:44.762
in the countries[br]where it's legally condoned?

0:03:44.762,0:03:47.297
And let's take this argument[br]and this line of thinking

0:03:47.297,0:03:50.940
and apply it to the "culture[br]and tradition" excuse as well.

0:03:50.940,0:03:54.813
Is it justifiable to kill dogs[br]during the Yulin dog meat festival

0:03:54.813,0:03:57.779
because the festival is a cultural event?

0:03:57.779,0:04:01.312
Is it justifiable to slaughter [br]dolphins in Japan

0:04:01.312,0:04:05.684
or pilot whales in the Faroe Islands[br]because those events are traditional?

0:04:05.684,0:04:09.608
And again, using that example[br]of female genital mutilation,

0:04:09.608,0:04:14.631
is it a moral practice simply[br]because it is cultural and traditional?

0:04:14.631,0:04:18.264
Because the thing is if we try[br]to excuse using animals by saying,

0:04:18.264,0:04:21.771
"Well, they form part of our culture[br]and can be used in our traditions,"

0:04:21.771,0:04:23.265
we therefore have to make

0:04:23.265,0:04:27.566
every cultural and traditional action[br]and practice morally justifiable

0:04:27.897,0:04:31.847
simply because they are cultural[br]and traditional practices.

0:04:32.330,0:04:34.531
And so we might get[br]to the point where we say,

0:04:34.531,0:04:36.131
"Well, that's all fair enough,

0:04:36.131,0:04:38.934
but the thing is we need to eat[br]animal products to survive;

0:04:38.934,0:04:41.413
in fact, they are optimal to our diet."

0:04:41.413,0:04:45.608
And so, the question becomes,[br]Are animal products a necessity?

0:04:45.608,0:04:47.767
Now, the American Dietetic Association,

0:04:47.767,0:04:51.481
which is the largest body of[br]diet and nutrition professionals in the US

0:04:51.481,0:04:55.348
and is formed of over[br]a 100,000 certified practitioners,

0:04:55.348,0:04:57.230
has categorically stated

0:04:57.230,0:05:01.349
that a vegan diet is healthy, safe[br]and nutritionally adequate

0:05:01.349,0:05:07.165
for all stages of life, including[br]pregnancy, lactation and infancy.

0:05:07.165,0:05:10.471
This is also supported[br]by the British Dietetic Association

0:05:10.471,0:05:12.559
as well as the NHS.

0:05:12.893,0:05:17.264
Furthermore, there is extensive[br]and conclusive research and evidence

0:05:17.264,0:05:19.532
that links our consumption[br]of animal products

0:05:19.532,0:05:22.297
to some of our leading[br]diseases and illnesses,

0:05:22.297,0:05:24.973
including heart disease,[br]certain forms of cancer,

0:05:24.973,0:05:27.650
type 2 diabetes, strokes.

0:05:27.650,0:05:30.314
The issue of thriving on a vegan diet

0:05:30.314,0:05:33.914
is not a contentious one[br]within the scientific community,

0:05:33.914,0:05:38.863
and therefore, consuming animal products[br]will be deemed an unnecessary action.

0:05:39.768,0:05:41.990
And so let's progress[br]the argument and say,

0:05:41.990,0:05:44.709
"Yes, but you're denying us of our nature!

0:05:44.709,0:05:48.037
After all we are omnivores.[br]Have you seen our canine teeth?

0:05:48.037,0:05:49.686
And we've always eaten meat.

0:05:49.686,0:05:54.081
If your ancestors didn't eat meat,[br]you wouldn't even be alive today."

0:05:54.081,0:05:58.148
And so, to being with, many herbivorous[br]animals do have canine teeth.

0:05:58.148,0:06:00.731
Take the saber-toothed deer as an example,

0:06:00.731,0:06:05.566
which means that canines[br]don't necessarily equate to meat eating.

0:06:05.566,0:06:07.596
Furthermore, there's many people out there

0:06:07.596,0:06:10.481
that believe that biologically[br]and physiologically speaking,

0:06:10.481,0:06:13.751
our bodies are more closely aligned[br]to that of herbivorous animals

0:06:13.751,0:06:16.132
rather than omnivorous animals.

0:06:16.132,0:06:19.049
They point to the fact[br]that our intestines are on average

0:06:19.049,0:06:22.566
around three times longer[br]than that of the average omnivore;

0:06:22.566,0:06:26.021
the fact that our jaws,[br]they grind side to side when we chew,

0:06:26.021,0:06:28.002
like the jaws of herbivorous animals;

0:06:28.002,0:06:30.674
and the fact that the[br]hydrochloric acid in our stomach

0:06:30.674,0:06:35.646
is comparatively weaker[br]to carnivores but also omnivores as well.

0:06:36.249,0:06:38.715
But personally,[br]I find that entirely irrelevant.

0:06:38.715,0:06:42.133
I don't think it really matters[br]if we're herbivores or omnivores.

0:06:42.133,0:06:44.798
I mean, just because[br]we can physically do something

0:06:44.798,0:06:47.934
doesn't mean that we are[br]morally justified to do so.

0:06:47.934,0:06:52.293
And because we don't have to eat meat,[br]that means we can survive of plants.

0:06:52.293,0:06:55.348
So biologically speaking, [br]it makes no difference,

0:06:55.348,0:06:57.497
because we don't have to do it;

0:06:57.497,0:06:59.864
and therefore,[br]in the absence of necessity,

0:06:59.864,0:07:03.397
there is the absence[br]of justification as well.

0:07:03.397,0:07:06.966
And so, I also think[br]it's a little bit logically dishonest,

0:07:06.966,0:07:08.332
a bit disingenuous,

0:07:08.332,0:07:10.151
that we claim that we're somehow built

0:07:10.151,0:07:12.315
to be intrinsically designed[br]to kill animals,

0:07:12.315,0:07:16.565
yet so many of us would[br]never want to kill the animal ourself.

0:07:16.565,0:07:19.697
And so, if we wouldn't want [br]to kill the animal ourself,

0:07:19.697,0:07:23.810
why is it acceptable to pay[br]for someone else to do it on our behalf?

0:07:23.810,0:07:25.497
I've always found it interesting

0:07:25.497,0:07:28.615
when I try and show someone[br]slaughterhouse footage and they say,

0:07:28.615,0:07:31.735
"Don't show me that![br]That's going to put me off my food."

0:07:31.735,0:07:33.151
Then I say, Well, why?

0:07:33.151,0:07:36.555
Why would seeing the process of[br]how animal products arrive on your plate

0:07:36.555,0:07:37.913
put you off consuming them?

0:07:37.913,0:07:40.416
That seems to make [br]little to no sense to me.

0:07:40.416,0:07:42.366
And also, why is it that we get upset

0:07:42.366,0:07:45.365
when we see footage of animals[br]being killed in gas chambers

0:07:45.365,0:07:47.266
or animals struggling to survive

0:07:47.266,0:07:48.931
as they desperately try to flee

0:07:48.931,0:07:52.162
from the kill floor[br]they're being forced onto?

0:07:52.162,0:07:55.166
Let's take that idea of ancestors[br]and run with that for a moment

0:07:55.166,0:07:58.328
because our ancestors [br]used to do lots of horrible things.

0:07:58.328,0:08:00.782
They would rape. They would murder.

0:08:00.782,0:08:03.565
Are those actions[br]automatically justified in society

0:08:03.565,0:08:06.465
simply because our ancestors[br]used to commit them?

0:08:06.465,0:08:07.531
And besides,

0:08:07.531,0:08:11.882
why would we ever base our morality[br]on the actions of a primitive society

0:08:11.882,0:08:14.881
where modern day notions[br]of right or wrong didn't exist

0:08:14.881,0:08:16.398
and in the absence of choice

0:08:16.398,0:08:20.266
consuming animals[br]was a necessity for their survival?

0:08:20.266,0:08:21.650
Let's take that argument.

0:08:21.650,0:08:22.935
Because it's also pertinent

0:08:22.935,0:08:26.816
when we look at the "animals[br]eat other animals" excuse as well.

0:08:26.816,0:08:29.514
Just because a lion kills[br]and eats a gazelle

0:08:29.514,0:08:32.915
doesn't mean we're justified[br]to go to a supermarket and buy a steak.

0:08:33.274,0:08:34.951
Lions are obligate carnivores,

0:08:34.951,0:08:37.613
[br]which means they need[br]to eat meat to survive.

0:08:37.613,0:08:40.681
As we've already established: we don't.

0:08:40.681,0:08:41.779
And like before,

0:08:41.779,0:08:45.467
[br]why would we ever base our morality[br]on the actions of wild animals,

0:08:45.467,0:08:47.324
[br]who are consistently documented

0:08:47.324,0:08:51.765
as doing things that we would never[br]deem acceptable within our own country

0:08:51.765,0:08:55.339
or, indeed, within our own[br]society in general?

0:08:55.339,0:08:57.269
So the argument continued even further.

0:08:57.269,0:09:00.165
So let's run with the idea[br]of necessity and survival

0:09:00.165,0:09:04.065
because I'm pretty sure that if a vegan[br]was stranded on a desert island

0:09:04.529,0:09:07.014
and the only thing[br]they had to eat was an animal,

0:09:07.014,0:09:09.048
they would definitely do it.

0:09:09.048,0:09:10.898
And so, the reality is

0:09:10.898,0:09:14.346
no one knows how they'll react[br]in an extreme survival situation.

0:09:14.346,0:09:16.263
That's really the point of the argument:

0:09:16.263,0:09:18.233
to make vegans seem hypocritical

0:09:18.233,0:09:21.983
[br]if they say they might eat the animal[br]if they absolutely had to to survive.

0:09:21.983,0:09:25.566
But there's been documented cases[br]of humans cannibalising to survive.

0:09:25.566,0:09:27.364
There was a plane crash in the Andes,

0:09:27.364,0:09:29.899
[br]and the survivors of the plane crash lived

0:09:29.899,0:09:33.565
because they cannibalised on the flesh[br]of the dead passengers.

0:09:33.565,0:09:39.113
And so, cannibalism, in effect,[br]became a justifiable act in that moment.

0:09:39.113,0:09:42.998
Does it mean that cannibalism[br]is a justifiable act in everyday society?

0:09:42.998,0:09:46.086
Likewise, just because a vegan[br]might consume an animal

0:09:46.086,0:09:48.127
if they absolutely had to to survive

0:09:48.127,0:09:50.136
doesn't mean that[br]consuming animal products

0:09:50.136,0:09:54.458
is a morally justifiable act[br]in everyday society.

0:09:54.849,0:09:57.211
And so the argument presses further,

0:09:57.211,0:10:00.848
and we say, "Yes, but consuming animals[br]is part of the food chain.

0:10:00.848,0:10:02.385
I mean, it's the circle of life:

0:10:02.385,0:10:04.448
everyone who is born must one day die,

0:10:04.448,0:10:05.830
that's a natural process,

0:10:05.830,0:10:09.798
that's symbiotic and harmonious to nature[br]and the world that we live in.

0:10:09.798,0:10:11.899
And our food chains[br]are incredibly important.

0:10:11.899,0:10:17.745
They symbolise part of the natural order[br]and help maintain and form ecosystems.

0:10:17.745,0:10:19.266
Fundamentally they are there

0:10:19.266,0:10:22.749
to ensure that population sizes[br]of animals are kept consistent

0:10:22.749,0:10:26.665
and to ensure that the natural ecology[br]is just well balanced."

0:10:27.033,0:10:30.780
But what we do to animals[br]when we selectively breed them,

0:10:30.780,0:10:32.731
when we genetically modify them,

0:10:32.731,0:10:36.261
when we artificially inseminate[br]and forcibly impregnate them,

0:10:36.261,0:10:38.231
[br]when we take their babies away from them,

0:10:38.231,0:10:39.431
when we mutilate them,

0:10:39.431,0:10:42.965
when we exploit them for what they[br]naturally produce for their own species,

0:10:42.965,0:10:45.850
when we load them into trucks,[br]take them to a slaughterhouse

0:10:45.850,0:10:49.269
where we hang them upside down,[br]cut their throat and bleed them to death

0:10:49.269,0:10:52.347
has nothing to do with a natural order,

0:10:52.347,0:10:53.480
and most importantly,

0:10:53.480,0:10:58.681
[br]it fits none of the criteria required[br]to be labeled as a food chain.

0:10:58.681,0:11:02.315
You see, the food chain that we cite[br]is a human construct

0:11:02.315,0:11:03.846
created very conveniently

0:11:03.846,0:11:08.465
to try and justify[br]what is an entirely unnecessary act.

0:11:08.465,0:11:10.765
It ignores the complexity,

0:11:10.765,0:11:14.581
an interdependent web of life[br]that form our natural ecosystems.

0:11:14.581,0:11:18.064
It is an appeal to nature fallacy[br]that overlooks our ability

0:11:18.064,0:11:22.697
to make moral decisions[br]as beings who possess moral agency.

0:11:22.697,0:11:23.653
In essence,

0:11:23.653,0:11:27.599
[br]the food chain argument draws upon[br]the idea of "might makes right,"

0:11:27.891,0:11:29.934
the belief that[br]because you have the ability

0:11:29.934,0:11:32.315
to physically exploit someone else,

0:11:32.315,0:11:36.114
you're somehow [br]justified to do so as well.

0:11:36.114,0:11:37.726
And the circle of life,

0:11:38.093,0:11:42.068
all that refers to is two moments[br]of our existence that are certain:

0:11:42.068,0:11:43.415
our birth and our death.

0:11:43.415,0:11:46.498
Everyone who's born must one day[br]come full circle and die.

0:11:46.498,0:11:50.964
But what happens between those areas[br]of certainty is variable

0:11:50.964,0:11:53.980
and has nothing to do[br]with preordained circle of life.

0:11:53.980,0:11:55.832
If we run with that argument,

0:11:55.832,0:11:58.650
we'd be morally excused[br]to harm anyone at any time

0:11:58.650,0:12:01.049
[br]in any manner that we so please.

0:12:01.049,0:12:03.748
We'd be morally excused[br]to murder an animal or, indeed,

0:12:03.748,0:12:07.397
murder a human as well, [br]running with that logic.

0:12:07.397,0:12:09.812
And so let's move this on[br]to a more practical note,

0:12:09.812,0:12:14.993
because if the world went vegan, well,[br]what would we do with all the animals?

0:12:15.128,0:12:17.793
We can't just release billions[br]of animals into the wild,

0:12:17.793,0:12:20.226
that'd be devastating[br]for the natural ecology -

0:12:20.226,0:12:22.099
and of course it would.

0:12:22.099,0:12:23.537
But what we have to understand

0:12:23.537,0:12:26.850
is that animal agriculture runs[br]on a system of supply and demand,

0:12:26.850,0:12:28.833
[br]meaning that when we buy a product,

0:12:28.833,0:12:31.715
we demand that product be supplied.

0:12:31.715,0:12:35.249
Now, farmers will only breed animals [br]into existence if they can sell.

0:12:35.249,0:12:37.889
They're not going to breed them[br]if they can't sell them,

0:12:37.889,0:12:40.940
because that's just not[br]economically viable in the slightest.

0:12:40.940,0:12:43.881
And so the shift to veganism [br]would of course be very gradual.

0:12:43.881,0:12:46.448
And so as the number of vegans increases,

0:12:46.448,0:12:50.449
the number of animals being bred into[br]existence would decrease proportionally.

0:12:50.449,0:12:52.730
And if - and of course it is an if -

0:12:52.730,0:12:54.899
but if we ever get that vegan world,

0:12:54.899,0:12:56.558
that vegan world would be a world

0:12:56.558,0:12:59.915
[br]where farmers are simply not breeding[br]animals into existence anymore.

0:12:59.915,0:13:02.999
And as such, we will never be[br]faced with the dilemma

0:13:02.999,0:13:06.415
of having to either release[br]billions of animals into the wild

0:13:06.415,0:13:10.798
or take them to a slaughterhouse[br]so we simply discard their bodies.

0:13:11.797,0:13:15.159
[br]"But OK, OK, alright.

0:13:15.159,0:13:17.500
[br]I see what you're doing,[br]I see where you're going,

0:13:17.500,0:13:18.755
but this is the problem.

0:13:18.755,0:13:20.257
You see, vegans are hypocrites.

0:13:20.257,0:13:23.935
Haven't you heard that small animals[br]sometimes die in the production of crops,

0:13:23.935,0:13:27.131
and therefore, you can't even[br]be a 100% vegan?"

0:13:27.131,0:13:28.500
Now, it's true.

0:13:28.500,0:13:31.898
Animals like caterpillars and worms [br]do die in the production of crops,

0:13:31.898,0:13:35.948
and we also can't guarantee[br]that small mammals like mice and rats

0:13:35.948,0:13:38.369
don't sometimes get killed as well.

0:13:38.369,0:13:42.215
But the difference is that notion[br]of intention and certainty.

0:13:42.215,0:13:45.449
You see, when we buy an animal product,[br]we're intentionally paying

0:13:45.449,0:13:48.584
[br]for someone to cause the suffering[br]and death of an animal.

0:13:48.584,0:13:50.031
That is a certainty.

0:13:50.031,0:13:52.448
When we buy a plant product, we're not.

0:13:52.448,0:13:54.064
And so think about it this way:

0:13:54.064,0:13:58.065
[br]if you're driving down the road[br]and you accidentally run over a dog,

0:13:58.065,0:14:00.148
morally, that is not the same

0:14:00.148,0:14:03.814
as if you were driving down the road, [br]saw a dog, actively pursued them

0:14:03.814,0:14:05.870
until you run them over.

0:14:05.870,0:14:08.549
But the philosophy and ideology[br]behind the argument

0:14:08.549,0:14:11.110
that it's morally justifiable[br]to buy animal products

0:14:11.110,0:14:13.831
because sometimes small animals[br]die in crop production

0:14:13.831,0:14:16.842
adheres to the idea that morally speaking,

0:14:16.842,0:14:22.167
accidentally hitting the dog is the same[br]as intentionally hitting the dog.

0:14:22.167,0:14:23.915
"And so what about plants?

0:14:23.915,0:14:25.517
Because plants are alive as well.

0:14:25.517,0:14:29.768
So why don't we consider plants[br]within our circle of moral compassion?"

0:14:29.768,0:14:32.432
And so, plants are of course alive.

0:14:32.432,0:14:34.131
But they're not conscious.

0:14:34.131,0:14:37.268
They don't have a brain,[br]central nervous system or pain receptors,

0:14:37.268,0:14:41.464
but also more importantly,[br]it can take up to to 16kg of plants

0:14:41.464,0:14:43.932
to produce 1kg of animal flesh,

0:14:43.932,0:14:45.978
[br]which means that vastly[br]more plants are used

0:14:45.978,0:14:49.016
in the production of a non-vegan diet[br]than a vegan diet.

0:14:49.016,0:14:51.268
So, if we care about plants,

0:14:51.268,0:14:55.075
logically and morally,[br]we're still obliged to be vegan.

0:14:55.075,0:14:57.800
And this also ties in nicely[br]with what we were just saying

0:14:57.800,0:14:59.978
about animals being killed[br]in crop production.

0:14:59.978,0:15:02.799
Because if more crops are used[br]in a non-vegan diet,

0:15:02.799,0:15:06.365
that means if we care about small animals[br]being killed in crop production,

0:15:06.365,0:15:11.162
we're again logically and morally [br]obliged to still be vegan.

0:15:11.532,0:15:13.469
"But what about soy farming?

0:15:13.469,0:15:17.097
Because soy farming is devastating[br]for the environment, is it not?"

0:15:17.097,0:15:19.765
Soy farming is terrible [br]for the environment.

0:15:19.765,0:15:23.732
But that's only because 70 to 85%[br]of all the soy that is grown

0:15:23.732,0:15:25.483
is fed to livestock animals.

0:15:25.483,0:15:31.464
In fact, it's predicted that as little[br]as 6% could be used for human consumption.

0:15:31.464,0:15:33.864
And that's not even[br]about vegans eating tofu.

0:15:33.864,0:15:37.564
Because soya is ubiquitous [br]among nearly everyone's diet.

0:15:37.564,0:15:42.469
It's found in breads and cereals, sauces, [br]chocolates and so much more as well.

0:15:42.469,0:15:43.797
So then we say,

0:15:43.797,0:15:48.048
[br]"But do we have to be vegan?[br]I mean, vegetarian? I get it.

0:15:48.048,0:15:50.797
[br]But animals don't die[br]in the production of dairy and eggs,

0:15:50.797,0:15:53.766
[br]so surely being vegetarian is enough?"

0:15:53.766,0:15:56.331
Simply put - no, it's not.

0:15:56.331,0:16:00.380
In the egg industry, male chicks are[br]useless because they won't produce eggs.

0:16:00.380,0:16:04.381
They also won't grow to be the same size[br]as the chickens that we kill for meat,

0:16:04.381,0:16:06.601
which means that as soon as they are born,

0:16:06.601,0:16:10.182
[br]they're thrown into a giant[br]macerator, minced up alive,

0:16:10.182,0:16:13.848
[br]or they're thrown into a gas chamber[br]and gassed to death.

0:16:13.848,0:16:15.612
All egg laying hens as well

0:16:15.612,0:16:19.516
[br]will be sent to a slaughterhouse[br]after around 72 weeks of life,

0:16:19.516,0:16:22.880
when their bodies are fully depleted[br]from being overly exploited

0:16:22.880,0:16:25.822
[br]and they're no longer[br]profitable to the farmer.

0:16:25.822,0:16:27.166
In the dairy industry,

0:16:27.166,0:16:30.135
[br]dairy cows will only produce milk[br]to feed their children.

0:16:30.135,0:16:32.126
They are mammals, just as we are.

0:16:32.126,0:16:36.297
And so this means that farmers forcibly[br]impregnate dairy cows year after year

0:16:36.297,0:16:39.131
to ensure a continuous cycle[br]and production of milk

0:16:39.131,0:16:42.405
is there for him to sell, or her to sell.

0:16:42.405,0:16:44.864
When the dairy cow gives birth,

0:16:44.864,0:16:47.164
the baby will be[br]taken away from the mother,

0:16:47.164,0:16:50.330
normally within 24 hours of birth.

0:16:50.330,0:16:53.640
Male dairy calves are useless[br]to the dairy industry.

0:16:53.640,0:16:58.098
And so this means that approximately[br]95,000 male dairy calves are killed

0:16:58.098,0:17:01.798
shortly after birth in this country alone,

0:17:01.798,0:17:04.382
normally by being shot in the head.

0:17:04.382,0:17:06.595
This is because they won't produce milk.

0:17:06.595,0:17:10.231
And it's sometimes not profitable enough[br]to be sold on for beef.

0:17:10.231,0:17:13.423
The female cows will be raised,[br]and they too will join the herd,

0:17:13.423,0:17:16.097
where they'll be forcibly [br]impregnated year after year

0:17:16.097,0:17:20.415
and all dairy cows are sent[br]to the slaughterhouse as well.

0:17:20.615,0:17:25.650
Which means that dairy and eggs[br]are pretty much the same as meat.

0:17:25.650,0:17:29.651
But potentially even worse[br]because the animals suffer for longer,

0:17:29.651,0:17:32.848
and yet they still are killed[br]in the same way.

0:17:32.848,0:17:34.963
And so let's talk about humane slaughter.

0:17:34.963,0:17:36.494
This is something we often hear

0:17:36.494,0:17:39.893
when we talk about the killing[br]of animals in slaughterhouses.

0:17:39.893,0:17:43.814
Now, the word "humane" means having[br]or showing compassion or benevolence,

0:17:43.814,0:17:47.113
which means that humane slaughter [br]is of course an oxymoron

0:17:47.113,0:17:52.048
because you can never compassionately[br]or benevolently take the life of an animal

0:17:52.048,0:17:56.544
who does not wish to die[br]and who does not have to die.

0:17:56.821,0:18:00.281
And so that brings us on[br]to our final excuse:

0:18:00.281,0:18:02.048
taste.

0:18:02.048,0:18:05.164
And so I want to leave you [br]with a couple of questions.

0:18:05.164,0:18:09.089
What has higher value:[br]taste or life?

0:18:09.463,0:18:14.904
Do we require more than sensory pleasure[br]alone to morally justify an action?

0:18:14.904,0:18:19.149
Remember that a meal to us[br]lasts only a matter of minutes,

0:18:19.149,0:18:23.074
but that meal has cost[br]an animal their entire life.

0:18:23.074,0:18:26.982
We take their life[br]for a moment that is fleeting,

0:18:26.982,0:18:32.051
a meal that we forget about[br]almost as soon as we have consumed it.

0:18:32.948,0:18:35.481
I used to think that vegans[br]force their views.

0:18:35.481,0:18:37.031
I said this regularly.

0:18:37.031,0:18:41.131
But one day I realised[br]that nothing can ever be as forceful

0:18:41.131,0:18:44.297
as taking the life of someone[br]who does not wish to die,

0:18:44.297,0:18:48.713
taking the life of an animal[br]who does not wish to die.

0:18:48.839,0:18:51.697
And so in the end,[br]that's why I became vegan.

0:18:51.697,0:18:55.882
Because when put into perspective,[br]my arguments held no veracity,

0:18:55.882,0:18:58.381
no credibility, no validity.

0:18:58.381,0:19:01.498
Fundamentally, I called myself[br]an animal lover,

0:19:01.498,0:19:05.368
yet I paid for animals to suffer[br]and die on my behalf.

0:19:05.814,0:19:08.030
Through all of the excuses I used to make,

0:19:08.030,0:19:11.431
I realised that my values[br]contradicted my actions,

0:19:11.431,0:19:15.226
and deep down, I could [br]find no real justification.

0:19:15.799,0:19:17.458
Thank you so much for listening.[br]

0:19:17.458,0:19:20.156
(Applause)