When Katrina Fox’s eating habits come up in conversation the reaction is often the same.
“I don’t eat a lot of meat, I promise.”
Katrina, 52, is proudly vegan, and she thinks the reason she gets the above response from meat eaters is because deep down, they feel a bit guilty.
She also thinks that every now and then we need a bold action against animal cruelty – like the vegan protests staged on Monday across Australia.
Here is the trailer to Dominion, which is the documentary that sparked the protests this week. It was its one year anniversary. Post continues after video.
When Katrina and the protesters that stormed into those abattoirs and chained themselves to machinery see a piece of meat, they don’t see a juicy piece of steak.
They see a cow that’s been strung upside down and had its neck cut. They see torture, murder, and fear.
“That’s what we see when we see that steak. It’s not a product, it’s a someone and it’s upsetting,” Katrina told Mamamia.
She says last year when the documentary Dominion first came out, vegan activists went by the book - they organised planned protests and alerted police. But they barely made a mark.
"If you look at all social justice movements, like the suffragettes, they haven't come about solely through nice peaceful protests," Katrina, founder of Vegan Business Media explained.
"I hear what [people] are saying, it was annoying and it was disruptive, and that's not ideal. But the frustrating aspect of this is that when we do things by the book the media aren't interested. It took a shut down of Melbourne CBD to get the media to say what's going on? What's this documentary they're talking about?" Katrina explained.
"I guess what the animal activists were saying is - you might have been inconvenienced, but compare that to animal suffering," she added.
Katrina has been vegan for 22 years, but she stopped eating meat at 11.
Back when she joined veganism - it was hard work. The 'alternative protein' options were pretty bland. But nowadays she says there is no excuse for us not to be embracing a vegan way of life.
In fact the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietitics reported in 2016 that a vegan diet was suitable for all ages, from babies to the elderly.
"They even have amazing vegan Easter eggs, you don't have to give up traditions and enjoyment and family BBQs to be vegan," she insisted.
Katrina points out that Monday's national day of protest wasn't trying to shame anyone. The aim was to say to Australia - it's a shame what we are doing to animals.
Katrina and other Australian vegans are trying to spread the message here that animals are sentient beings, and don't deserve to be exploited, harmed or killed. They're not talking about those in the world that have to eat meat to survive, they're talking about the vast majority of western culture that have other options at their fingertips.
She points to the US and the UK, and their growth in recent years in the plant based economy. For example, a meat company has this week announced plans to build the largest plant based protein factory in North America.
"Google trends data last year showed Australia was the number one country googling vegan related topics and yet our government and industry hasn't caught up," Katrina pointed out.
Katrina sees this moment in time, and the bringing of veganism into the spotlight on Monday as an opportunity for government and the agricultural industry to sit down with animal activists and the industry and work together to transition Australia into a plant based industry.
"It will create more jobs....We aren't talking about putting farmers out on the streets. We're talking about transitioning our economy and that offers an opportunity," she told Mamamia.
Above everything Katrina hates the "us verses them" mentality that is currently swirling around in the media. She hopes there will be a percentage of people who look beyond the sensational headlines and let themselves be curious to find out more.
"It's an opportunity to get the conversation into the mainstream. I don't want veganism to be seen as this middle class hipster trendy thing. I don't want to wait 20 years to look back at this and go 'wow I can't believe we used to do that [eat meat],'" explains Katrina.
"There's always this discussion 'it's my choice as a vegan' or 'it's my choice as a meat eater' but nobody is thinking about the animals in this. They have no choice in this," Katrina said.
She likens the feeling to beating someone up in the street. "It's your personal choice yeah?" she asks. "But we've got laws against that. We just haven't got to that point with animals."
"Dogs and cats are to some degree protected by laws against animal cruelty, if we did what we do to farm animals to dogs and cats, we'd be rightfully locked up. That's what we're trying to get across," Katrina told Mamamia.
"Even if you did feel shame, I still hope that conscious minded people check out the documentary. That's the aim.
"Even if people are feeling angry, even if you think vegans are speaking rubbish... just go and look at the facts, go and watch the documentary. Educate yourself," implores Katrina.
As a vegan, Katrina is asked constantly - why are you vegan?
She has a question for you - why are you not?
Here's the other side of the story:
"I know of farmers who are living in fear": Families on the land react to Monday's vegan protests.
Top Comments
If reducing one's environmental and animal impact is the goal, then the best plan requires more nuance than the simple mantra "eat no meat" allows. While veganism is certainly a step forward in this regard compared to a meat-based, agriculturally produced diet, it does fail in two respects.
To start, veganism assumes that anything plant is environmentally friendly--hence the misconception of the "cruelty-free" meal. In fact, every plant-based food requires land to grow--land that should sustain wild plant and animal communities. But the first step in establishing ag fields is to plow under and eliminate every species capable of competing with or consuming the crops to be grown. In this manner, entire ecosystems are destroyed. Contributing to the damage is the efforts by farmers to keep their produce safe from the appetites of marauding pests, with the result that even the animals in surrounding wild lands (if any remain) are eliminated as necessary to achieve that goal. Consider the millions of acres of forest, grassland and wetland converted to exotic mono-culture serving only man; the billions of pounds of chemicals dumped into our air, water and soil, and the trillions of gallons of fresh water diverted from sensitive aquatic systems--all for agricultural purpose. It is no wonder that agriculture has become the foremost cause of extinction, world-wide, as well as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions destined to alter our environment for millennia.
Certainly, much of this impact can be reduced--hence the justification for reducing the amount of beef in one's diet. But this effort should not ignore the damage inflicted by plant-based foods. Growing almonds and cashews requires more water than growing chicken, for example. Many of the items on our vegan "favorites" list are, like beef, very destructive relative to our more responsible options. Yet, in its haste to eliminate animal-based foods, veganism completely ignores (or even attempts to conceal) this double standard. It is not only the omnivore who inflicts unnecessary harm in order to please his palate.
A second point of failure lies in the rejection of wild fish and game, taken in a sustainable manner from undisturbed lands. A deer taken from the field, for example, is immediately replaced by another of the next generation that would die if not for the resources freed by the removal of the first. Nature always breeds more animals than habitat can support and the rest perish of disease or starvation whether we consume them or not. To consume the excess in wild populations before they die of other causes inflicts no harm on these populations and, more importantly, leaves habitat intact to support future generations of game and non-game species. Agriculture, which destroys every single individual, of every species on the landscape, can make no such claim.
Certainly, wild fish and game cannot support the entire human population, but, to the extent that it remains available to rural communities, it should be used in a sustainable, well-regulated manner to ensure that our reliance on more destructive, agricultural practices are minimized.
For now, veganism and environmentalism are not exactly on the same page. Happily, many consumers are aware of this distinction and are choosing environmentally friendly foods, both plant and animal.
I was looking at vegan friendly clothes and shoes yesterday (after being on this thread), and one of the recommended best sellers on the website was a pair of shoes made out of microplastic, they actually have it in the description as if it's good thing!??
Okay, so I did it. I watched Dominion last night. I'm not going to lie, I was horrified, it is extremely difficult to watch. And I'm the first to admit, I didn't realise a lot of what happens on farms, with animals that are the wrong sex etc. I thought if it said "free range" then it was.
Having said all that, it is still not enough to convince me to become a vegan. I have however been reseaching humane and ethical farms here and will be buying from them. It is far more expensive, but that will mean we'll have to cut down on meat and dairy, which is probably not a bad thing. I will have my chickens who can live with us until they die naturally and will grow as much food as I can.
Good on you, Beebs, for taking the time to watch it, and to Felicity, there is plenty of evidence of such animal abuse - even in Australia and even in so-called ethical slaughterhouses. Do your own research until you find evidence you feel you yourself can trust - there is plenty.
As far as reporting the abuse, have you not seen news reports over the last couple of years - it is precisely undercover camera work that had been sent as evidence to regulatory bodies that had led to public outcry. Of course groups like Animals Australia report the abuse they are documenting, unfortunately regulatory bodies like the RSPCA are woefully underfunded and can investigate only a small percentage of the abuse that is reported to it (not only by activists but by anyone).
Anyhow, as I said, good on you Beebs for taking the time - I know plenty of vegans who have been unable to watch Dominion because they are plenty traumatised by watching the countless hours of abuse that has been filmed by others.
And even if it has not convinced you to become totally meat and dairy free, it is encouraging to hear of people engaging with these issues!
Also, Beebs, i wonder if, after watching such footage, you also have more appreciation for why some educated, reasonable people were motivated to protest on Monday even if many people have disagreed with their actions ...
Good question Alan, I've always said I understand why they did it. I think I would have preferred them not get in the way of emergency services, at least if the ambos had warning they could hve planned to drive another way. I actually don't have a problem with protesting in general (been on many myself).
I have to say this to you. How can it ever be considered humane or ethical when you exploit another living being for your own benefit and then murder that living being who wants to live? Wants to live just like you do. There is no humane way to kill someone who wants to live.