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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Ed Winters
Read between
September 29 - December 30, 2024
it is estimated that globally around 220 million land animals are killed for food every day,1 and when you factor in marine animals that number increases to somewhere between 2.4 and 6.3 billion.2 Every. Single. Day.
And regardless of the farming methods used, humane slaughter is an oxymoron, as it is impossible to take an animal’s life needlessly and against their will in a compassionate, benevolent or kind way
because of the feed used for animals and the fact that animal farming is the number one cause of rainforest deforestation6 and habitat loss,7 more plants are killed in the production of non-vegan foods than they are vegan foods.
The selective breeding of broilers continued to the point that they are today bred to reach slaughter age in only six weeks, a rate of growth 300 per cent faster than in 1960. In that time, they reach a weight four times heavier on average than chickens raised in 1957. Chickens have suffered hugely as a consequence of this selective breeding, with many of them dying from organ failure, suffering from immune system problems and being unable to move due to their excessive weight, meaning they are unable to reach food and water points.
perpetrator-induced traumatic syndrome, which is similar to PTSD, except it is caused by having committed violent acts oneself, instead of witnessing or being a victim of a traumatic event.
It is estimated that the land used for sheep farming alone is around 4 million hectares, which is about one sixth of the entire landmass of the UK, and yet sheep only supply around 1 per cent of our caloric intake.4 Simply put, the amount of land used for animal farming is staggering,
Astonishingly, the United Nations reports that 26 per cent of the world’s land surface is given to grazing animals.
The study showed that even though meat and dairy take up 83 per cent of global agricultural land, they only provide 18 per cent of global calories and 37 per cent of global protein consumption.10 In other words, animal products are staggeringly inefficient – there is a massive disparity in the amount of resources we put into animal farming compared to what we get back.
Only 13 per cent of the UK is now woodlands and forests with a mere 2.5 per cent being ancient woodland.11 Of that 13 per cent, only 7 per cent is considered to be in ‘good condition’,12 and half is made up of forestry plantations that support very little biodiversity. This is much lower than the average of 44 per cent in other European countries. Huge amounts of the forests of the UK have, over time, been cleared and replaced with grass pastures to feed artificially produced, selectively bred animals, all so we can produce what is an absurdly damaging product. Such a waste – of life, of
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the University of Oxford researchers discovered that if the world shifted to a plant-based diet, we could feed every mouth on the planet and reduce global farmland by more than 75 per cent. This is the equivalent of land the size of China, Australia, the USA and the entire European Union combined no longer being needed for agriculture.13
Furthermore, through the repurposing of land currently used for pasture and cropland for animal feed, we could turn huge amounts of that land into diversified arable farmland growing crops for the sole purpose of human consumption. This could also improve the self-sufficiency of some nations, which would help reduce the environmental impact of food travel and provide jobs for farmers who used to raise animals.
Even the lowest-impact beef is responsible for six times more greenhouse gases and a staggering 36 times more land usage than plant proteins such as peas.21
in the UK alone, there are around 270 bee species, with the honeybee being but one of those species. Honeybees compete directly with wild pollinators.41 They are extremely efficient at collecting pollen and returning it to their hives but they consequently remove natural resources that are needed by the wild species. Honeybees are also significantly less effective at pollination than wild bees and other pollinators42 but because they can out-compete wild pollinators, when honeybees are introduced into an area they can then force wild bees and other pollinators out of it,43 which in turn makes
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The second major reason for a reduction in emissions was due to a decrease in nitrous oxide emissions, stemming from a decline in synthetic fertiliser use.55 This is largely thanks to an increase in the amount of animal feed that is now imported, particularly soya. The UK imports somewhere around 3.2 million tonnes of soya every single year,56 68 per cent of which comes from South America.57 This soya is sourced mainly from the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado, the Atlantic Forest and the Gran Chaco. A further 16 per cent comes from the Netherlands – but as approximately 60 per cent of soya in
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Of this imported soya, at least 90 per cent of it is used as feed for farmed animals, with at most 10 per cent being used to feed humans directly.
There is also the issue of crops being used for feed as well. For example, a review study showed for every 19 grams of protein from eating farmed fish, around 100 grams of protein will have been fed to the fish, and for every 10 calories we get from farmed fish, 100 calories will have been used in their feed.
Currently, around 700,000 people around the world die each year due to antibiotic-resistant diseases, with 230,000 of those deaths coming from drug-resistant tuberculosis.125 The problem is so severe that even urinary-tract infections (UTIs) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are becoming resistant to treatment.
Right now, it is estimated that antibiotic resistance will kill 10 million people each year by 2050.126 To put that into perspective, the WHO has stated that cancer killed an estimated 9.6 million people in 2018.127
In 2020, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) listed the seven factors caused by humans that are driving the emergence of zoonotic diseases:128 Increasing human demand for animal protein. Unsustainable agricultural intensification and in particular domestic livestock farming. Increased use and exploitation of wildlife. Unsustainable utilisation of natural resources accelerated by urbanisation, land use change and extractive industries. Increased travel and transportation. Changes in food supply driven by increased demand for animal source food, new markets for wildlife food and
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Geographical life expectancy rates don’t support the position taken by the Meat Advisory Panel either. There are five areas of the world that are referred to as the ‘Blue Zones’. In these places, people live exceptionally long lives, and there are comparatively very high numbers of centenarians. One of the things most notable about those living in Blue Zones is that they eat a diet that is 95 per cent plant-based.14
Protein is made up of amino acids, nine of which are considered essential, meaning they must be acquired through diet. All of the essential amino acids our bodies need can be found in plants, with some plants such as soya (which includes foods such as tofu, tempeh, soya milk and edamame), quinoa and buckwheat being ‘complete’ sources of protein, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids. However, you can get all the essential amino acids through food combinations as well, such as rice and beans, hummus and pita bread or a wholewheat peanut butter sandwich.
There are two main forms of dietary iron: haem and non-haem. Haem iron is only found in animal products, while non-haem iron mainly comes from plant foods. Haem iron is more easily absorbed but the body is unable to regulate its take-up, meaning that it can’t remove excess amounts. This can be problematic as iron is a pro-oxidant – too much of it can lead to inflammation.
A plant-based intervention heart trial that was conducted in 2014 involved 198 people who had heart disease being put on a wholefoods plant-based diet. Of the 177 people who stuck with the diet, one of them had a stroke. However, of the 21 people who didn’t stick with the diet, 13 of them suffered a cardiac event – meaning they either had a stroke, a heart attack or a bypass operation.42
In a groundbreaking study in Slovakia, 1,000 type 2 diabetics were placed on the Natural Food Interaction (NFI) protocol, an entirely plant-based diet. After 22 weeks, 84 per cent came off their medication because the disease had gone into remission.
In 2015, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released the findings of an analysis of more than 800 different studies on cancer in humans. They declared that processed meat is a class 1 carcinogen and that red meat is a class 2A carcinogen (class 1 being carcinogenic to humans and 2A probably being carcinogenic to humans).66 While the conclusions were primarily based on the evidence of colorectal cancer, also referred to as bowel cancer, processed meat consumption was also associated with a higher risk of stomach cancer and red meat with a higher risk of pancreatic and
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High levels of insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) have also been linked to an increased risk of cancer. IGF-1 is a growth hormone that is produced by the liver and helps us to grow new tissue. However, when we have too much IGF-1, it can promote the growth and development of cancer. Eating animal products, including dairy, chicken and fish, increases the amount of IGF-1 in the body, while vegans have been shown to not only have reduced levels of IGF-1 but to also have higher levels of IGF-1 binding proteins, which are released by the liver to remove any excess IGF-1.
A 2021 investigation into ten of the biggest meat industry organisations in the world, which analysed hundreds of documents and statements by the companies, revealed that the meat industry is copying what the tobacco industry used to do and the fossil fuel industry continues to do – create confusion and doubt.
What I, and most vegans I have spoken to, have found to be the most difficult aspect of rejecting animal products is the strain it puts on your relationships with other people, especially family. The food side of things is easy – in fact, I enjoy a wider variety of foods and flavours now than I ever did before I was vegan. And the nutrients aspect is not a problem because, as I’ve shown, all it takes is a little research and you can easily obtain everything you need to not only be healthy but to thrive. The cravings go as well:
the levels of animosity directed at vegans can be startling. In fact, research has shown that only drug addicts face the same degree of stigma as vegans, with male vegans who have gone vegan for ethical reasons being viewed the most negatively.
When it comes to the meat paradox, our brains are constantly working to rationalise our behaviours, even to the point that our subconscious view of animals fluctuates based on whether or not we have just eaten animal products. This is why trying to communicate with people about veganism while they are eating or shortly after they have finished is probably one of the least effective times to do so, and why, if you are not vegan, you feel most defensive around the times that you are eating. This is not, of course, surprising. We have hardwired ourselves to deal with the feelings of discomfort
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‘The thing that’s annoying about there suddenly being a lot of them [vegans] is the nagging suspicion that they might be right. When there were hardly any vegans, I hardly ever had to think about that.’9
In the EU, 20 per cent (more than £24 billion) of the entire annual budget is spent subsidising animal farming.3 In the UK, grazing animal farmers rely on subsidies for more than 90 per cent of their profits while only 10 per cent of the annual profits for fruit farmers comes from subsidy payments.
In the USA, direct government aid to farmers rose to a record $46.5 billion in 2020, equalling about 40 per cent of net farm income. While we were being told that the pandemic was having a huge effect on farmers, these direct payments meant that US agriculture had its third most profitable year in half a century.5 They were being increased at the same time that President Trump was trying to cut funding for food stamps, which would have seen 700,000 people lose access to them during the pandemic, neatly demonstrating where our current priorities lie.
