How many vegans are there in the Republic of Ireland?
A Bord Bia report from 2021 gives a figure of 2% of the population.
Why do vegans avoid honey?
Vegans avoid honey for the same reasons they avoid meat, dairy, eggs and fish. Another good reason to avoid honey is biodiversity. Farmed honey bees out-compete wild bees when it comes to food sources such as flowering plants. So, while farmed honey bees are thriving, wild bees are dying out.
What about small animals in the fields who die when grains are harvested?
It is true that small wild animals are killed by pesticides and inadvertently by machines during harvesting. It should be noted that the majority of the grain grown worldwide is used to feed animals – not humans. So going vegan would help to reduce the number of small field animals killed in this way. If
Animals in the wild kill other animals so why shouldn’t we?
See previous answer.
Isn’t it more important to help people than to waste time helping animals?
The original founders of the vegan movement were keen to emphasise the benefits of this way of living to humans - not just to animals. They had just been through World War 2 which had a horrific and profound effect on them. They wanted to bring about an end to the violent tendencies of man,
What alternatives are available to farmers who want to switch from animal farming?
Vegans would like to see farmers making a just transition to plant-based farming and other alternatives. This can only happen with government support, incentives and training. Options for farmers include tillage, horticulture, greenhouses, vertical farming, forestry, rewilding, eco tourism, solar and wind farms - to name just a few.
What about the parts of the world where people cannot grow crops, such as parts of the developing world and polar regions?
The fact that some parts of the world have hostile climatic and soil conditions should not be used as a justification for those of us who do have a wide choice regarding the types of food that we eat. Modern technology now allows food to be grown anywhere, regardless of the soil quality.
What would happen to all the farm animals if everyone went vegan?
The world will not convert to veganism overnight. It will happen gradually over many years. As the demand for meat, dairy, eggs and fish declines farmers will breed fewer and fewer animals. Animals such as chickens, pigs, sheep and cows were domesticated by humans using selective breeding techniques over many generations. Compared to wild animals,
Humans have always eaten meat. Isn’t this natural?
According to archeologists our prehistoric ancestors started off on a plant based diet. They would not have been able to tear flesh or hide with their hands or teeth. With the discovery of fire and the use of tools our ancestors ate modest amounts of meat during periods when plant foods were unavailable. Humans, unlike
