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210- What do you call a vegan at the Texas State Fair?
106 Plays18 days ago
Lost? An activist maybe? Or perhaps, chef! This week our newest contributor Shane tells us about the first all-vegan food vendor at the Texas State Fair, as well as a particularly non-vegan list of the other activities on show. Shane is also joined by Ant, Julie & Dominic to review nine other stories from the week's vegan & animal rights news, including the sad passing of Jane Goodall.
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Enough of the Falafel is a community of people who love keeping on top of the latest news in the world of veganism & animal rights. With the Vegan Week podcast, we aim to keep listeners (& ourselves) informed & up-to-date with the latest developments that affect vegans & non-human animals; giving insight, whilst staying balanced; remaining true to our vegan ethics, whilst constantly seeking to grow & develop.
Each week we look through news stories from the past 7 days in the world of veganism & animal rights.
If you spot any news stories that might catch our fancy, or have an idea for a discussion topic, get in touch via enoughofthefalafel@gmail.com.
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This week's stories:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/tobias-ellwood-warns-britain-sleepwalking-war-raf-vegan-uniforms-5HjdDXf_2/ and https://veganfta.com/articles/2025/10/02/raf-to-provide-vegan-uniforms-after-sustained-campaign/
https://www.theanimalreader.com/2025/09/23/influencer-jeremstar-disrupts-bullfighting-in-france/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/-serious-losses-loom-if-iceberg-diseases-go-unchecked-experts-warn_67316.html
https://www.animalrising.org/post/animal-rising-campaigners-plead-not-guilty-to-dairy-criminal-damage-charges
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/state-fair-of-texas/vegan-food-vendor-makes-state-fair-of-texas-history/3925685/?os=ios&ref=app
http://koreabizwire.com/south-korea-declares-first-ever-animal-welfare-charter-joining-global-movement/333895
https://www.hja.net/news-and-insights/press-releases/criminal-defence/animal-rights-activists-cleared-over-protests-that-delayed-start-of-aintree-grand-national/
https://www.theanimalreader.com/2025/09/29/mayor-adams-pushes-to-ban-horse-carriages-in-new-york/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0457dw26ro
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/oct/01/jane-goodall-world-renowned-primatologist-dies
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Thanks everyone for listening; give us a rating and drop us a message to say "hi"; it'll make our day!
Julie, Shane, Dominic & Ant
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Transcript
Introduction to Vegan Week
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello everybody, if you are looking for vegan or animal rights news, you need look no further. You are in the right place. I'm Anthony, joining me for this episode of Vegan Week are Dominic, Julie and Shane.
00:00:13
Speaker
But that is enough of the falafel, it is time for Vegan
Vegan Stereotypes and Humor
00:00:17
Speaker
Week. So I think vegans go looking for trouble even when they're not looking for trouble. That's not what butter's used for. Brrr! Take your flat roll meat elsewhere.
00:00:27
Speaker
We're not doing that in the state of Florida.
Show Format and Host Introductions
00:00:30
Speaker
What about your protein and what about your iron levels? Should I call the media and say, hi, sorry. They're arguing like, oh, poor woe is me. Hang on a minute.
00:00:38
Speaker
You always pick the
00:00:44
Speaker
of social injustice has connection another. That's just what people think vegans eat anyway. As long as you didn't get the wee brunions with the horns, you'll be alright. Does veganism give him superpowers?
00:01:00
Speaker
I cannot fly around the city. I don't have laser vision. and Oi, oi, oi, oi! My name is Dominic and as always, I'm super happy to be one of the folks here on this show. Thank you so much everyone for choosing to listen in today.
00:01:17
Speaker
Top stuff! Hello everybody, it's Julie here. Thank you for joining us in Vegan Week. This is our news show where we look through last week's vegan and animal rights news.
00:01:30
Speaker
And this is Shane. Enough of the falafel. Let's hear what's been going on in the news this week.
00:01:38
Speaker
For more details on the upcoming news stories, including links to our original source material, check out our show notes for this episode available on your podcast player.
Vegan Uniforms in the UK RAF
00:01:50
Speaker
Well, we're starting off this week's show with breaking news, especially if you are from the UK. This is fundamental, existential stuff. The ah RAF, the Royal Air Force, they're getting distracted. Our security is under threat.
00:02:06
Speaker
Why is this... Because they are focusing on providing vegan uniforms. That has been the tabloidy headline. It's been covered in GB News Daily Mail.
00:02:17
Speaker
if you If you can name a trashy UK tabloid, they will have covered it in those terms. We've also got it covered from Vegan FTA for the animals.
00:02:28
Speaker
They've given a bit more of the insight from their the vegan perspective. So basically the news is it happened ah in last month, actually in September 2021. the UK's Royal Air Force announced it would now issue vegan uniforms to personnel who request them.
00:02:42
Speaker
So it's not vegan as standard, but they just basically need to inform their chain of command for appropriate non-leather, non-wool, alternatives to be surprised. But Dominic, obviously that's not going to make that many people interested.
00:02:56
Speaker
Vegans and conscientious people will be thinking, well, that's a step in the right direction. But the main headline on GB News and everywhere else has been, goodness me, why are they focusing on this? This is this is the most stressful time for UK security since 1945. We've got Rear Admiral Philip Mathias questioning priorities of military leadership.
00:03:18
Speaker
What's your take on it, Dominic? My take is I'm sure that all they do is talk about strategy and preparing for war. And there's never any other consideration or red tape or paperwork or anything like that. I think this is the first time ever a matter that is directly not connected to war has ever happened ever.
00:03:43
Speaker
and Of course, I mean the exact opposite of that. Like, What an excellent thing. The obvious vegan argument for if you don't want to waste your time having more than one choice is just make all of be and your my it Make all of it vegan! And then...
00:04:02
Speaker
there's no division of time. ah We live in very troubled times, don't we? Like the talk of conflict between different folks is never far from the headlines. And I can't help but feel that there's agendas to to everything. And I mean, to to really like, big up like, oh, but what about the Russians? You know, like,
00:04:25
Speaker
It's terrible. It's terrible. But as you say, it's not the biggest shock in the world that the trashy papers are not being like, oh, what a good thing, you know.
00:04:36
Speaker
maybe Maybe, maybe perhaps they might be more celebratory if, um I don't know, like they were letting certain members of the RAF, you know, choose to paint a red cross on a roundabout if they so desired. Maybe, maybe that would, good, good, let them stand up for their rights. Yes, yes, perhaps. I don't know, Anne. I don't know. Yeah, no, it's an interesting one. I genuinely would be interested, I'm not being at all sarcastic here, if any listeners know of anybody in the armed forces who is vegan.
00:05:10
Speaker
I mean, there must be so there must be people because of of this article. I'd be genuinely interested to have a conversation with them ah but ah about sort of, in the one sense, it seems really contradictory, but they they must be able to square it for themselves, mustn't they?
00:05:24
Speaker
um interesting final yeah go on on no no you go on you go on sir you go on i was just gonna say there's an interesting little easter egg in this article from vegan fta and that is authored by geordie casim and jana who is the person who fought for the right for veganism to be a protected belief and so now there's sort of anti-discrimination laws in the uk that came from his case so it's interesting that he's a He's working as an author for this organisation now. Great minds think alike, Ant. That was the point to which I was going to you know draw us to. So, yeah.
00:06:04
Speaker
It's always like vegan power. Yeah, vegan aura. Vegan energy. I think we're going to make everyone sick, Dominic. We need to make everyone sick for someone else now.
Animal Welfare in Farming
00:06:15
Speaker
yeah This next story comes from Farming UK. It is a negative sounding headline. Serious losses loom. If iceberg diseases go unchecked, experts warn. I genuinely thought this was about lettuce, but it is about sheep.
00:06:29
Speaker
And obviously, from a non-animal rights perspective... the the threat is going to be losses, financial losses, product losses, belongings losses.
00:06:41
Speaker
Obviously, from an animal rights point of view, we would look at it from a different point of view. But there's been ah a big survey conducted at the Wales Veterinary Science Centre, where they've been looking at iceberg diseases in sheep. And interestingly, nearly half of respondents said that this this has caused losses to to their flock.
00:07:01
Speaker
But almost three quarters of them Admitted that they do not routinely screen for such diseases. Sheep farmers, this is. Julie, I couldn't get my head around this. I mean, ah obviously, we're not going to expect people who make money from from using sheep's lives.
00:07:19
Speaker
We're not going to expect this to be expressed in any term other than financial loss. But the fact that they didn't really seem to be interested in in looking for this disease that is is causing significant harm, I couldn't understand why that was.
00:07:34
Speaker
Well, I'm not sure what this Do Me Little article is trying to sell, really. It will be trying to sell something. I would point out it's come off the back of a student placement project, if you read it. You know, I did a few of them in my time. They were really quite kind of random. It'll be quite easy to pick. Just pick a topic, you know, that'll be quite...
00:07:57
Speaker
good to write up yes i think annabelle o'reilly's got herself into a bit of hot water there hasn't she this the student in question won't invite her back Well, so I wouldn't put too much on it. Farmers don't routinely screen for these five diseases that are the, you know, the pillars of the iceberg disease community because there isn't a blood test for all of them or a poo test for all of them. So how does one screen?
00:08:25
Speaker
And they're kind of unusual diseases. They don't show up immediately. until an animal is just is an age by which they're probably not even alive. and Some of them are quite rare.
00:08:37
Speaker
You know, they're they're so they're slightly obscure diseases and they're very hard to screen and to do a sort of differential diagnosis on. You know, that's part of the reason. So that's it, really. That's that's what's going on. This article does feed into this terrible tradition of if a sheep looks the least bit not very well, it's ah justifying to just cull it there and then. And this adds fuel to that argument because, oh, well, it might have one these iceberg diseases and infect the whole flock when actually, do you know what? It's just got a bit of a, you know, it's lost a tooth and it's gone off its food and lost a bit of weight or something. do you know what i mean?
00:09:18
Speaker
So I think it kind of feeds into that kind of cull any sheep that looks a little bit off... ah Because they're really, farmers and vets are obsessed with sheep just being kind of walking carcasses.
00:09:31
Speaker
That's what they are. They're just always looked at in that sort of sense of that's all about the carcass. And even when they're talking about one of these particular iceberg illnesses that causes great big abscesses,
00:09:45
Speaker
The reason that they don't want them happening isn't because it's horrible for the sheep. It's because in the slaughterhouse, you've got to spend extra time and money cutting around the abscesses of certain size.
00:09:57
Speaker
But believe me, meat eaters, some of the abscesses are small enough and they get right through the system and into yours. ah they're allowed a certain size of abscess so there you go but yes it's about that really yeah but and and these things are obvious in even tiny details where if I'm going to give a sheep a subcutaneous injection I go where there's body fat but if I was a vet or a farmer I'd do it in the neck where it's all muscly which is sore for the sheep and really
00:10:30
Speaker
inefficient but it saves the carcass it's just all about that but what is quite it's not funny but it nearly is farmers at the moment do go to great lengths to quarantine new sheep because their sheep are all shifting around and they go to all these desperate measures to keep them separate when they're new and to dose them with loads of chemicals to make sure they've not got this, that and the other but when an agricultural show rolls by and they're taking their sheep to a show they're all in pens right next to each other for days on end at times and they're all in the show ring together all sniffing noses and nosesies and oh ah nobody gives a toss it's hilarious almost just how, you know, oh but there's a show on
00:11:15
Speaker
Don't look for logic, jack really. But I would like to see veterinary students looking at more progressive topics relating to sheep. Thanks very much. No, thank you for that one, Julie.
00:11:26
Speaker
And talking of shows, our next story is featuring the State Fair of Texas. Why are we covering the State Fair of Texas? I
Vegan Food at Texas State Fair
00:11:35
Speaker
wonder. Well, NBC are telling us, and they've got a whole two-minute feature video that you can watch if you follow the link in our show notes.
00:11:43
Speaker
ah NBC are telling us that some vegan food vendors are making State Fair of Texas history because the Cole brothers who have founded vegan vibrations are the first exclusively vegan vendor at the state fair of Texas. You follow the link through, you can watch a little video on all the food they're providing and they seem really pumped up about it.
00:12:05
Speaker
And there's only one person we can ask about this, Shane, that our Texas vegan expert, What like, this seems like it's a really big deal. Like, did that surprise you that this is the first ever vegan, exclusively vegan vendor at this state fair? Or is it surprising you that it took this long?
00:12:26
Speaker
No, i'm not I'm not surprised at all because the Texas State Fair is not a vegan event at all. So I'm surprised that these vegans would, I mean, I'm not surprised. I think it's great, but it's not somewhere that you would expect to see vegan food.
00:12:41
Speaker
I have never been to the State Fair of Texas. It's in Dallas. And that's, I'm in Houston. That's about five hours north of me in northern Texas. My parents have been though, and I've asked them about it. And it's basically a lot like what we have in Houston is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
00:12:56
Speaker
And I've protested at that many times. But what the state fair does, which is similar to what the rodeo does, is they have a lot of concerts where they bring in big names. I mean, like Elvis performed at the at the rodeo in Houston in the 70s. So they bring in very big names. They have a carnival. They pretend that they're really great for the community because they have scholarships um for all of these kids who raise animals and then sell them for slaughter They say they have education for kids because they have breeding tents and they have you know exhibits where they show chicks being hatched.
00:13:28
Speaker
It's just a horrible, horrible event. you Some of the events at the rodeo that they have are calf roping, which is where they ride around and chase a ah calf, ah young a young cow, and they lasso him and jerk him down to the ground and tie his legs.
00:13:42
Speaker
They have steer wrestling. They have bull riding, bronc riding, these horrible events. Why these guys say that they, are the guys from Vegan Vibrations, say that they're doing this is because they want to plant seeds with each encounter.
00:13:56
Speaker
And they're hoping that that they're not the last people. I just don't think there's probably a lot of vegans out there. Even ah even they say in their article, in the article, they say, well, it's fun because people walk up to the booth holding a turkey leg, eating it while ordering a Crunchwrap from us.
00:14:10
Speaker
So I don't know why that's fun, but um it's great to have these these things on offer. It's basically vegan junk food. It's vegan crunch wraps, burgers, nachos, things like that.
00:14:21
Speaker
But this is this is not a vegan event. I don't think there's probably a lot of vegans going to the Texas State Fair. No, and and it's not even a sort of subtly or secretly vegan vendor, is it? I mean, you you get vegan junk food stores that will not actually make a big deal of the fact that they're vegan. But like if you see their trailer, it is bright green and it says vegan vibrations. Like you're not mistaking that for anything else. So kudos to them. Goodness me, what ah a brave first step and like you say, hopefully the first of many ah for that event. It sounds like it might take a little while, but that's that's fine.
00:14:55
Speaker
That's fine. We've got time. Thank you for that one, Shane. Right. So we've we've heard about Texas vegan stuff from Shane. We've heard about sheepy stuff from Julie. So really it's only fitting that we talk to Dominic about a big attention seeker just getting in the middle of the stage and spoiling everyone's fun. This comes to us from the animalreader.com.
00:15:18
Speaker
ah the The headline, influencer Jerram Star, I had to look him up. don't know if any listeners know about Jerram Star. um He has disrupted bullfighting in France. Well, good for him.
00:15:29
Speaker
um He was arrested on Friday after jumping into a bullfighting ring in France. Yes, it does happen in France too, listeners. ah The action was organised in collaboration with PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, their French division. And it was at the opening bullfighting event um in Nîmes.
00:15:47
Speaker
I think the most striking thing reading this story was that it was as the bull was being stabbed in the arena when Jerem Stahl ran into the ring, he held a sign that read, Fuck la corrida.
00:16:00
Speaker
um And the protest apparently stopped the event for a moment before security tackled him to the ground, dragged him out, and and he was subsequently arrested and taken into custody.
00:16:10
Speaker
I mean, Dominic, it's made the headline. I think it would have made the headlines even if it... wasn't a quote influencer but the fact that it's someone with a bit of profile bit of following will help and it's not the first time he's done something like this it's good to see amidst the the horror of this terrible tradition is a horrible terrible tradition i don't quite know my reaction to this on one hand i really dislike the whole concept of influencer. And I think, why why is that the first word in the article? that like you know
00:16:47
Speaker
but Why that title? Protester. you know Why not just call him that? Because I'm an old fuddy-duddy who doesn't understand what the kids are into. So the other hand, the other argument, I guess, is like...
00:17:01
Speaker
I can remember when I first went ah vegan and I remember some people who weren't vegan saying to me, oh you know, you're a good vegan, Dominic, because you're doing it because you've really thought about
Animal Rights Activism in France
00:17:15
Speaker
it. What I can't stand, Dominic, is these vegans who just do it because it's fashionable.
00:17:21
Speaker
And i was like, yeah, but a good action is a good action, isn't it? You know, I said with awareness that I was speaking people who weren't vegan. i was like, In some ways, does it matter? Does it matter to the animals? Does it matter to the animals your philosophical belief? What matters to the animals is your actions.
00:17:38
Speaker
So if I take that stance, I guess it doesn't really matter whether Jeremstar, with his silly name... And his silly title, just call yourself Jerome the Protester. Now, what awful thing for me to say. can call himself whatever he likes. Of course he can. Of course he can. Just, ah yeah yeah ah so some some yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:18:08
Speaker
He's doing a really good thing. And the fact that he's got, you know, the the integrity to see it through to to being arrested, that's massively admirable.
00:18:18
Speaker
what a Good thing Ant is my final conclusion to my old man tirade. Absolutely. And perhaps once he's out of custody, he can head over to the the Texan State Fair and and get some vegan food because from my research, it doesn't seem to show him actually following a vegan lifestyle himself.
00:18:38
Speaker
Although, i like I say, he has done several PETA protests before, including Paris Fashion Week and things like that. So yeah, absolutely. He can look at his plate as well, can't he, once he's got out of custody for this very noble act. Well done him.
00:18:54
Speaker
Let's move on to our next story. It comes to us from Animal Rising. It is a press release that they have released because um some of their campaigners have been in court over the last week.
00:19:04
Speaker
ah This is something that the the incident itself happened in September 2022. Listeners might remember it. It was called Stop the Supply. This was the campaign.
Animal Rising Campaigners in Court
00:19:15
Speaker
ah They blockaded dairy giant Muller's Depot in Willenhall. Nine campaigners have been charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage. They entered not guilty pleas at Wolverhampton Crown Court on the 29th.
00:19:31
Speaker
of September. They're accused of causing up to 80,000 pounds of criminal damage. And the response from Animal Rising cited the harmful impact of animal agriculture on the climate crisis, as well as the inhumane treatment of cows in the dairy industry as justification for their actions.
00:19:50
Speaker
I've to say, Julie, I don't hold out much hope for those defences, being in the culture that we're in But nonetheless, like we've we've got ah and got to hope that things go as as well as they can for these campaigners who are but they're not going to be in court until May and September for the actual trial.
00:20:10
Speaker
I have done a tiny bit of research on this. There were 11 people charged. One has pleaded guilty and another one was in court.
00:20:20
Speaker
It says here on the 3rd of October, so that would have been Friday, yesterday, and in our time, so whatever day people are listening to this. On the 3rd of October, one of them was in court. I haven't heard how that went.
00:20:34
Speaker
But yeah, you're absolutely right. They were quite right, I think, to... to plead not guilty because then it will go to trial and however spurious you might think their case might be at least they're getting ah public place to talk about why they're doing what they're doing it's like getting a you know spot at a conference look at it that way it's you know it's good news for the animals in a way it's it's good publicity some people might say well actually
00:21:08
Speaker
that's taking it too far, actually causing damage. You know, they have drilled holes in tyres. They didn't just get those little... but I would have just done the wee valves, you know what mean? Just let the air out.
00:21:21
Speaker
But and they did get drills and drill holes in the tyres. The damages of £80,000, it was 200 tyres that they drilled. That's £400 a that' four hundred pounds a ti They've either got a really shit-hot lawyer there, these Muller people, or a really expensive rip-off of a garage. I don't know.
00:21:47
Speaker
But yeah, 400 quid a tyre. Very glad I don't own a truck anyway. But good on them for what they're doing. They are definitely getting people talking about what they're trying to prevent and why. Absolutely amazing.
00:22:03
Speaker
What I really didn't um agree with was one of the reports of this a action in another newspaper, I think it was, said that their action that was leading to milk shortages across the nation. just thought, what an exaggeration.
00:22:26
Speaker
Yeah. You talk about, mean, you know, how many trucks? Well, mean, it's a fair number of trucks. But anyway, milk shortages across the nation. You talk about water shortages and you talk about food shortages sometimes because these are essential to life.
00:22:48
Speaker
Cow's milk is never essential to human life ever. It wasn't a milk shortage. No, I mean, it maybe not one to cite in the court case, but in terms of Animal Rising's PR, if they can you you know clip that quote and say, look, look, look what we contributed to towards, ah even though they, like you say, well will know that that was not the case.
00:23:12
Speaker
But yes, we obviously wish all of those who are in in the trial the very best and hope that they can continue getting good press from it. Yeah. Enjoy your day in court.
00:23:24
Speaker
Literally. Dress smartly. Okay. One more story before we listen to picks of the week. We've given Shane quite an unusual story to start the show. And this is another quite unusual one. It comes from South Korea from koreabizwire.com.
South Korea's Animal Protection Charter
00:23:40
Speaker
There's a publication we've not referred to before.
00:23:43
Speaker
And if you follow the link through, there's this very Korean looking poster. There's a child on the floor playing with what looks like a hamster and there's a newt following a ball of wool that's being held by a parrot and lots lots of happy animals.
00:23:57
Speaker
There's a picture on the wall of a cow, a pig and a horse. Just it's it's that classic farm where there's only one of each type of animal and they're all smiling. They're all happy. What is this poster about? Well, that is for koreas first South Korea's first animal protection day.
00:24:14
Speaker
And part of that, last week, they have declared their first national charter on animal protection. Now, this is symbolic. There's nothing legally standing here at all. But...
00:24:27
Speaker
proponents of it are saying that this is a landmark step in recognising animals as living beings rather than property. Shane, I'm interested in your take on this. There's obviously lots of contradictions if we are if we are to look at, just say, that poster, for example, and the fact that it's not legally binding means that we could argue it's not having much effect.
00:24:51
Speaker
However, is it the first step towards or the next step towards a situation that we would be happier to see? Yeah, I think it is a good first step. And the article makes a big point of talking about how this charter aligns Korea with international precedents. And they mentioned how the United Nations issued a Universal Declaration of anapol Animal Welfare in 78. The European Union enshrined animals as sentient beings in 2009.
00:25:18
Speaker
Britain codified the five freedoms in its 2006 Animal Welfare Act. So they're saying that Korea's charter is doing the same thing, that they're saying that animals are not mere possessions, but living creatures deserving respect.
00:25:29
Speaker
I think that all of us would probably agree, though, that these charters for the United Nations and the EU and Britain haven't really changed anything for animals. So I don't really expect that this charter that Korea has done will change much for their animals. But I think it is a good first step.
00:25:48
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's one of those where i i kind of feel a bit uncomfortable being too critical of it in that, you know, I'm not from South Korean heritage or or living in that culture. So to be too critical of it when we've obviously all in know our own home countries, we've got plenty of contradictions. Like you say, you know, although we might have put these things forward first, it's had naff all of that. But i would it be fair to say we'd rather this was there than not there?
00:26:18
Speaker
Oh, 100%. And I think that one of the things the article talks about is how this will help interagency cooperation and dealing with some of the the pressing issues that they're having with animals, animal testing, breeding farms, ah shelters facing eviction, so that maybe this will help them address those challenges.
00:26:36
Speaker
Yeah, there's some really interesting insights into the the challenging challenges facing South Korean animal shelters. it it It sounded like they almost had no rights at all. They could just be kicked off their land of effectively, yeah which was really sad to hear.
00:26:52
Speaker
Definitely a step in the direction that we want to see. Thank you for that one, Shane. Right, we have heard our first six stories of the week. We've also, as usual, asked Dominic, Julie and Shane to pick a news story each to be their pick for the week. And that is coming up after this break.
00:27:08
Speaker
They come from the following hard-hitting news institutions. The BBC, The Animal Reader and Hodge Jones and Allen's solicitors. As well as producing these audio-based shows, our podcast hosts at Zencaster also provide the written transcript for each show.
00:27:26
Speaker
This is AI generated, so it might not always be 100% correct, but nonetheless we hope that this will increase the accessibility of our show. So to access any of these written transcripts, head over to zencaster.com forward slash vegan week. I'm going to spell it all for you. Zencaster is Z-E-N-C-A-S-T-R.com and then a forward slash and then the word vegan, V-E-G-A-N, then a hyphen and then week.
00:28:00
Speaker
zencaster.com forward slash vegan hyphen week. And then each transcript is embedded with any of the shows that you click on.
00:28:11
Speaker
Okay, we've got to start with Hodge Jones and Alan's solicitors news from the week because we've never featured them before. It's Dominic's pick for the week. Dominic, listeners who are tuning in for the first time or maybe people who've only just become vegan or are not vegan yet, they could be forgiven with our Animal Rising story and this next one, to think that really to be a vegan, you have to be being charged for some sort of misdemeanor in court. Otherwise you're not doing a job properly.
00:28:38
Speaker
That may or may not be the case, but do you want to tell us a bit more about this one relating to a some activists who were at the Grand National a couple of years ago? Certainly Ant. To those hypothetical vegans you just mentioned, I am someone who...
00:28:54
Speaker
rarely directly is involved in activism. So when I read stories like this one, I am full of admiration. Animal rights activists have been cleared over protests that delayed the start of the Grand National. Six of them who were charged over their parts their protests, they were cleared in court. The group were among 54 people arrested by police for allegedly climbing over fences and attempting to get into the famous race course in April 2023. The commotion held up runners and riders for almost 15 minutes at the start the steeplechase, which is something that's notorious for its high number of equine fatalities.
00:29:40
Speaker
On that particular race, one horse subsequently did die during that race and that takes the total of deaths to over 60 since the year 2000.
00:29:51
Speaker
two thousand Following this trial that took place at Liverpool Crown Court, ah the sick ah the protesters the six protesters were cleared of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance.
00:30:06
Speaker
And I'm going to name them. I'm going to name and celebrate them. So we've got Callum Marshall, Sarah McCaffrey, Lewis Elliott, Marcus Emerson, Imogen Robertson, and Zara Varit.
00:30:22
Speaker
So I think that's really inspiring. And ah not a single one of them, to my knowledge, has called themselves an influencer. So extra points from me. The last.
00:30:38
Speaker
Maybe they're closet influencers. The irony being they've influenced me. They've influenced me. Yeah. What a good story, Abe. What good story. Well, especially coming off the back of that story that Julie was commenting on a few moments ago where I i'm i think I'm becoming more and more sensitive like over time.
00:31:02
Speaker
to to people being charged for things. And my brain just goes to, oh no, like if they get put in prison, that that's terrible. That's not great. That's obviously awful for them. That's not great for the animals because they're theyre not able to continue advocating on behalf of them. So the the fact that they've been cleared by the brilliant Hodge Jones and Allen solicitors, i think is I think is really good news. I don't think you can understate it.
00:31:27
Speaker
Overstate it. You can't overstate it. You could understate it. I do think, going back to your original point, that there's so many different ways that we can act positively and passionately for the animals.
00:31:42
Speaker
And I'm someone who is really confident in some areas of my life, but the idea of following in their footsteps, that would fill me with anxiety.
00:31:53
Speaker
What I do think I could do, and equally I say with respect that some people might be like, that's not something I could do, Dominic. But if you could have integrity to your veganism in a truthful, not aggressive way, just truthful when it comes to, I've said this in previous shows, like you know I've been in jobs in the past where people have said, oh, we're going to the horses for a celebration and to say, oh, I'm not going to go to that and to to to really stand your ground.
00:32:24
Speaker
That's a really powerful thing to do. That's a really, really powerful thing to do. Listening to this podcast is powerful too. Yay for that. Yay. Indeed.
00:32:35
Speaker
Shane, can I ask you a question in terms of like horse racing in your part of the world? Like I know it, know it goes on. I'm just interested, like we've spoken on, on the show about kind of the sort of quite,
00:32:48
Speaker
elitist way that horse racing is is looked at and horse sports are looked at and they're quite entrenched in our society so kind of disrupting them like this like feels like a really big deal it's like yeah screw you like how is I'm asking you to a generalize a nation of 300 million people here but like what's what's the perception of horse racing in the U.S.?
00:33:10
Speaker
I wouldn't say it's an elite sport. I mean, obviously, the people who own horses and are racing them are wealthy. But I feel like it's kind of just viewed as an entertainment. There's a horse.
00:33:20
Speaker
I don't know if they're still racing horses. They might be just racing dogs now. But there is a horse track in Houston. And I know that my dad used to go to it just on a Saturday just for fun. You know, it was like, Oh, I've going to spend a few hours there. They have food, they have drinks, they have special events to bring people in.
00:33:37
Speaker
So I think it's just considered fun. I don't think there's a whole lot of activism around it. There is a track in California. I think there's been some activism around because a lot of horses have died there in recent years.
00:33:48
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's as that's really interesting. and obviously, like with all with all actions, we have to kind of weigh up, well, what are we protesting against? Like what current impact is there that we want to stop, but also how much coverage will it get? And I think what these activists in in your story, Dominic, like that the the Grand National is like one of the biggest quote sporting events of of the year. So to delay it by 15 minutes is is a very big impact for quite a small action.
00:34:17
Speaker
Thank you for that one, Dominic. We are now going to come on to Shane's pick for the week. So ah your pick of the week, Shane, comes from the Animal Reader, who we know and love.
00:34:27
Speaker
if It features Mayor Eric Adams, who we've featured on the show several times before. He is pushing to ban horse carriages in New York. He's called on the city council to pass a law that would ban carriages in the city.
00:34:39
Speaker
And he wants to replace them with electric carriages. It's like the perfect bit of PR and hopefully outcomes for animals. what Why is this your pick for the week? Well, first, I think it'd be amazing if this actually happened. This has been something that New Yorkers have been working toward for years and years and years. And in fact, the article talks about how more than 70% of New Yorkers do not favor horse-drawn carriages.
NYC's Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban Proposal
00:35:05
Speaker
I think if New York was able to pull this off, it would also be great for the rest of the country because there's horse-drawn carriages in New Orleans, in Houston, in San Antonio, and um all of these horses are in danger of the same things that are happening in New York with it with the extreme heat and the the issues of that.
00:35:23
Speaker
Now, I will say that it's interesting that Eric Adams, who he does say he's a vegan, but when he was elected, he was against getting rid of horse-drawn carriages.
00:35:35
Speaker
he was He was for them. So the industry has claimed that the reason that he has changed his stance is because the other candidates in the election, Andrew Cuomo, zohann roman Zohan and Curtis they are all in support of banning the carriages.
00:35:55
Speaker
So Adams has now dropped out of the race. In fact, the day this article was published was the day that he dropped out. So it's wonderful that all the other three people running are in support of banning these carriages. And I hope that they are able to get that through.
00:36:11
Speaker
I will say that in New York, they have been fighting this for a long time. For whatever reason, the city council is against it. Bill de Blasio was the mayor in New York from 2014 to 2022. And he said on his first day in office, he was gonna ban horse-drawn carriages.
00:36:26
Speaker
And he was not able to get that done in all those years. so And I do wanna just say one more thing about this, if people don't know, that these horses who are in New York, They don't go to a barn or a stable when their day of pulling carriages or their night, because a lot of times they're pulling carriages at night when they're done.
00:36:45
Speaker
They live in these old multi-story buildings, apartment buildings, and they have to go upstairs or ramps to upper floors to access their stalls. So they don't, at the end of the day, they don't go out to graze. They don't see grass or pasture. They have to go up these ramps.
00:37:01
Speaker
which is, of course, going to be difficult for older horses, horses that are very tired. And then one criticism has been that these are really fire traps, because if there's a fire in one of these buildings, how are you going to get all these horses down the stairs, down the ramps? It's not you just open a door and they run out.
00:37:15
Speaker
So in addition to the dangers of the heat, of traffic, of of cars and buses and everything in New York City, and there's also the issue of where these horses are housed. Gosh, that really adds an extra dimension to it. And I wonder that this story quotes 70% of New Yorkers supporting a ban on horse carriages.
00:37:34
Speaker
I wonder if that 30% that wants it to remain, I wonder if that would make an impact if if they were to know that. Do you know what I mean? Because I think if you're, presumably you're in, you feel like you love horses if you want to see horse, horse-drawn carriages, though that's of course a contradiction.
00:37:51
Speaker
Those living conditions and what's inherent in that deal, if you like, to to make that the case. Goodness, well, But like you say, it it sounds like the powers that be are in in the right ballpark to to make this happen. So well we'll keep our eye on this to see if this actually actually gets pushed through. Because again, like you say, it it could have a real knock on effect on other cities too. So potentially lots of horses lives being improved if this happens.
00:38:20
Speaker
Thank you for that one, Shane. Goodness me, Shane. Goodness me. We're lucky to have you on your show. This is like a wealth of information. Can't believe it. It's amazing. It's your first show with us. It's brilliant. what What interesting stuff to hear. Thank you. of course.
00:38:38
Speaker
Fantastic. Fantastic. Right. Not so fantastic is Julie's pick for the week. Although, although the horrid practices that are detailed in this BBC News article have been detailed in a BBC News article and Cranswick Farm have once again being accused and highlighted of doing all sorts of horrible things.
00:39:01
Speaker
Julie, do you want to tell us some more? Yes, indeedy. So this is another pig farm that supplies one of the UK's largest pigs.
Animal Abuse Investigation at Pig Farm
00:39:12
Speaker
so-called food producers, the stuff they produce, I wouldn't call it food, but never mind, Transwick PLC, they have been busted again by Animal Rights Group, the Animal Justice Project.
00:39:27
Speaker
So the Animal Justice Project, this is the third time in five months that somebody or some people from their organisation has managed to secure employment first of all, and get through their rigorous screening process and actually work in this place and do some undercover filming for five, no, sorry, i think it was four days in July earlier this year.
00:39:58
Speaker
So they have collected this footage, what they have found, they've put on their website, look at it, If you have the guts, I've watched it, it is absolutely horrific.
00:40:13
Speaker
a But if you need day anything to sort of really, really motivate you to speak up for animals, that will do it for sure. a But to kind of let you know the kind of things you'll see, this a thing, it sounds more it sounds awful but not as bad as it even is. It's called piglet thumping when they take little piglets that are deemed not commercial, you know, they're too small or too sickly or whatever, up by the back legs and slam their heads against the concrete floor
00:40:46
Speaker
until they look a bit dead, but they're not usually, they just get left to die like that and it can take them up to 20 minutes to die. There was nine cases of that that they filmed in only four days, probably lots more was going on.
00:41:01
Speaker
An example of physical abuse towards a sow, which is really galling, you know, who ends up dead but it takes days of physical abuse for I don't know why they were doing that I mean I don't know why they do any of the things they do but I don't know why it was a sow that couldn't get up they took her piglets away and they basically kicked her to death and stamped on her and stood on her for four days until she died that's in the video as well
00:41:33
Speaker
I would also say if you have any friends who are the kind of mmm bacon, oh but bacon or anything like that, if you have any friends like that, see if you can get them to watch this footage. It would take only a few minutes.
00:41:50
Speaker
Don't even just surprise them with it or whatever. But if they can still have the mmm but bacon attitude once they've seen what goes on, to produce the food that they are eating and they're still okay with that.
00:42:04
Speaker
I'm scared for you and your pal. I really am. You know, think it would be a huge deterrent. So that's what's happened. And as usual, because we've reported on this twice already, the Cranswick...
00:42:18
Speaker
head honchos have come out saying they're very disappointed that this has happened in their farm. You know, understatement of the year, what a load crap. And then talked about training and sacking these individuals and all the rest of it.
00:42:33
Speaker
But the fact of the matter is that the footage shows more than just this absolute direct violence. It shows sick and injured animals left untreated to die among those that are supposedly healthy.
00:42:48
Speaker
And it shows utterly squalid conditions and flies everywhere and mess everywhere and and animals kept in confinement, you know, with far too many a other ones beside them. It just shows overcrowding and just horrible conditions for the animals. So it's not the actions of a few individuals.
00:43:12
Speaker
And I think it's important to point out that this piglet thumping, this slamming piglets to death, it used to be standard practice in these farms, believe it or not.
00:43:23
Speaker
It has only relatively recently been banned. and So I think it's very likely... that these employees were not doing that just because they couldn't be bothered disposing of these animals in the way that they'd been told. I think they'd been told to do that.
00:43:41
Speaker
They do it with absolute dispassion as well. They just pick them up and, you know, do the thing and then just walk on. it I think it looks like that's just, they're carrying out orders to my eye. But anyway, this has been reported in the independent newspaper really well.
00:43:58
Speaker
And I really commend them. They think they are They're on the side of the animals. You don't expect that from a mainstream newspaper, but there you go. So it's been reported there, which is great. And apparently Tesco, Asda and Morrisons have suspended trade with this particular, well, farm. Maybe with Cranswick as a whole, the article wasn't clear about that. Whatever.
00:44:23
Speaker
Cranswick are saying is that they've put cameras in the farms that supply all of their meat and they're being monitored by AI apparently and that's been trained to pick up on behaviours towards pigs that are outside of the practices that their employees have been trained to use but it's just them monitoring themselves and then saying oh yeah we've got cameras well you know it's not working is it It would be great, though, if an undercover investigator could pair their device with some of these cameras in there so that they could get access to what these cameras are showing. in The Animal Justice Project has reported their findings to the Trading Standards and to the Animal and Plant Health Agency, but Cranswick are saying that these folk have been in already and said that everything was fine.
00:45:17
Speaker
i They're all in cahoots with each other, I think. The Animal Justice Project is calling on Angela Eagle, the Minister for Food Security and Rural rural Affairs, to remove Cranswick's non-executive chair, Tim Smith, from his position on the Food Strategy and Advisory Board and as co-chair of the Food and Drink Sector Council.
00:45:42
Speaker
because So he's a Cranswick baddie and he's then a government advisor. And who wants that? You know, that is bad news for the animals. So in conclusion, what the heck can we do about this? What can we do about Cranswick? Because I don't want to give you bad news and not give you some kind of hope of action.
00:46:04
Speaker
Go onto that website, Animal Justice Project. It's a UK animal rights organisation. And if you like, sign their petition to get this Tim Smith man out of this government advisory role. It takes seconds. It's a really quick petition to sign. And while you're there, you can buy some leaflets if you want to educate your pals about pig farming and other animal ag issues.
00:46:32
Speaker
So that's quite a good thing. You can also leave a donation if you're able to do that. But that's a start. And just share this story. I told somebody at Parkrun about this this morning.
00:46:43
Speaker
You know, just talk to people about it. and Your animal loving friends, let them know what they're funding if they're buying products from mainstream supermarkets like Tesco and And when they're shopping or when they eat out, because Cranswick's everywhere. And it also includes the food they might be feeding to their dogs and cats in their life. Because Cranswick absolutely rely on giving the bits and bobs that they cannot legally sell to humans and sweeping them up and stuffing them in and pet food.
00:47:18
Speaker
So yeah, all the sort of those bits go in pet food. And i remember seeing an article somewhere about the fact that their meat sort of production it wouldn't survive without that.
00:47:29
Speaker
They are reliant on that as their revenue. Get this story shared, I would say. Thank you, Julie. I think we've got to be suspicious of any industry that on the 28th of July this year has has only just put a ban on piglet thumping across all its farms. like what Why does that need to be a rule?
00:47:51
Speaker
Do know what mean? even Even if you can say, oh, that's such a shame because we just put that rule in place and someone was breaking it. like i I run a a setting for children and young people. If when I'm showing around a parent next week, I say, don't worry, we've got a no punching the children rule.
00:48:07
Speaker
So you don't, that's fine. think That's, that's covered. just over the summer yeah yeah We're just trialing it. Yeah. Ridiculous stuff. Ridiculous stuff.
00:48:19
Speaker
Well, Thank you, Julie. Thank you, Dominic. Thank you, Shane, for your comments on all of those stories. We've heard what the four of us think, but we love so hearing what you think. And sending emails into enough of the falafel is great, isn't it, Shane?
00:48:34
Speaker
It's a fun fantastic thing to do. Yes, I've said it. Exactly. Shane's done it. All the cool kids are doing it and you can do it too. Here's how to get in touch. To get in touch with us, just send us an email at enoughofthefalafel at gmail.com.
00:48:52
Speaker
We see ourselves as a collective. Our listenership stretches all around the world and everyone's opinions, questions, feedback and ideas are what helps shape the show.
00:49:04
Speaker
Go on, send us a message to today. enough of the falafel at gmail dot com Okay, last story for this week's show. Literally, whilst I was doing the research for for this week's show, it popped up on my news feed on the BBC to say the sad news that Jane Goodhall had died at the age of 91.
Remembering Jane Goodall
00:49:25
Speaker
I'm sure...
00:49:26
Speaker
most listeners will know exactly who Jane Goodall is. But just to summarize a few things that she's she she did with her life, she was a ah primatologist and sort of made her name researching free living chimpanzees. So not chimps in a zoo, but free living chimpanzees in Tanzania in the 1960s.
00:49:46
Speaker
She did things a bit differently in terms of um when she was writing down her ah observations and things like that, as opposed to most ah conventional scientists and primatologists, I suppose, of the day. She gave them names um as opposed to a subject number 43 or what have you. And when she passed away last week, she was actually in the middle of a tour. She she spent andt most of her time, even in her early ninety s touring the world, speaking about the dangers of our current ways of living on the environment and on animals and speaking a lot about conservation of, again, the environment and animals.
00:50:26
Speaker
I haven't had a television set since I was a child, but I remember as a child watching Jane Goodall and seeing her interacting with chimps and other primates and things like that.
00:50:42
Speaker
So I knew of her in a fairly limited way. So I sort of thought of her as the chimp lady and that probably a lot of people know her in that way. But I wasn't as a aware at all of her, it sort of makes sense though doesn't it, of her environmental credentials and all the work she's done with children and things like that.
00:51:06
Speaker
The Goodall Institute is a charity that operates in England and Wales, it doesn't have a presence in Scotland where I live though So that's part of the reason. Well, I think in a way now that she has passed away, sadly, there will be a lot of people like me who didn't hardly know anything about her, who will look her up now.
00:51:28
Speaker
And actually, all the things that she wanted us to engage with and find out about and get interested in, we're sort of doing it now after the event, if you like. But at least we're doing it. And I've since watched some interviews with her and I've listened to her speaking about her death and what she wants people to do and, you know, after her death and all the rest of it. So ah it it was my cry of the week, actually.
00:51:55
Speaker
I was really, I was kind of expecting to think, oh, hang on a minute, you are obviously a very privileged person and of an older generation. You've probably got quite old fashioned ideas about animals and some of it I like and some of it I really won't.
00:52:14
Speaker
aim And I didn't, to begin with, like the way she kind of muddled up plant-based and vegan and all the rest of it. But I must, she totally won me over and she got me in tears.
00:52:27
Speaker
So there we go, cry the week. My big shock of your report, Julie, is that you claim to only have one cry of the week. I think what for me it's that. My cry of the hour has been this particular reaction.
00:52:45
Speaker
ah It's interesting you mentioned that that kind of um vegan and plant-based bit in there because it it does seem like that that was sort of how she lived her life towards the end of her life. But I was thinking that, Shane, when I was i was looking through this and thinking about you know what we've said this week about the, I've forgotten his name already, the the French influencer and saying, well, what's he doing disrupting bullfizing? He's not even vegan himself.
00:53:10
Speaker
Like in a sense, whether or not Jane Goodall's lived most of her life as a vegan or not. The fact that she's popularized this notion of actually animals have personalities and are individuals, like that's huge for animal rights, isn't it?
00:53:30
Speaker
Yeah, that was a huge criticism that scientists had of her when she first started her work, which was in the early nineteen sixty s was that she named them the chimps, she showed empathy for them, and she just sat and observed, which was a lot different than research had been done before that. They would capture the animals and study them and captivity or they would kill them and study them that way. She's always been a role model for me. I think she's a role model for for women because when she went to Africa, she was only about 26, 27 years old.
00:54:01
Speaker
Women were not allowed to travel by themselves. Her mother had to go with her. in order for her to be able to go and to do that research. And so she was really stepping out of what was the custom at the time.
00:54:15
Speaker
She was also a huge advocate for ending animal testing. Just about six months ago in March, she published an op-ed in the New York Times, which is arguing against using dogs and animal testing and pointing out the cruel practices that are happening at Ridgeland Farms, ah which is a facility that houses about 3000 beagles and um tests on them and also sells them to other researchers. And this is in ah Madison, Wisconsin.
00:54:39
Speaker
And ah so she was advocating against that. So she's she's definitely been an advocate for animals as well as the environment. Incredible, incredible legacy, really, isn't it? Finally, Dominic, would would you say on the balance of the evidence that we've heard there, that um Jane Goodall could be described as an influencer?
00:54:56
Speaker
Yeah.
00:55:00
Speaker
I think she would have warmly embraced the term. I think that, you know, some of our listeners will know that I'm a poet. I look up to poets who are older than me. A great example, the British poet Michael Rosen.
00:55:14
Speaker
ah He was successful when I was a kid and he's still going now into... what is his retirement age, he's still touring, and I've thought, I want to be like him, i want to be like him.
00:55:24
Speaker
Before I was a poet, one of my many, many jobs was being like a middle manager in a shelter accommodation for older people, and I was really struck by some of the big life changes that people made when they were 70, It was such an education for me seeing, you know, how false the phrase a leopard doesn't change its spots You know, people learn all through their lives.
00:55:56
Speaker
And I think that's what keeps us really vibrant. And, and and you know, Jane Goodall exemplifies that, you know, so passionately engaged woman.
00:56:07
Speaker
with touring and speaking. And I don't think it's a bad thing at all, like talking about coming to veganism or plant-based diets later in life. I think that's a fantastic thing. That's fast because how often do we excuse people and say, oh, it's their generation. Well, my granddad would never go vegan. It's just his age. And it's like, well,
00:56:35
Speaker
you know, no, actually, no, we are capable. It's inspiring to see people who are already really wise in so many areas still on their own journeys of discovery. And I really think that that's who Jane was.
00:56:53
Speaker
And that really influences me. Yeah. Thank you, Dominic. Yes, my mum will very, very rarely send me an article for for the show, but the the um Jane Goodall's passing was one that she she sent me this week because, yeah, her her influence is wide. And thank goodness for people like Jane Goodall advocating on behalf of the environment and animals.
00:57:23
Speaker
Well, that's us. That's us done for this week. We hope you've enjoyed the show. If you have regular listeners and know what I'm going to ask, if you're here for the first time, here's Kate and Carlos to tell you something.
00:57:37
Speaker
If you've enjoyed today's show, we'd love it if you could take just a few seconds to share it with someone else you think might enjoy it too. We don't have a marketing team or a budget to spend on advertising, so your referrals are the best way of spreading the free Enough of the Falafel Joy further still. And if you haven't already, we'd be really grateful if you could leave us a rating on your podcast player.
00:58:02
Speaker
That will also help the show pop up when people search for vegan or animal rights content online. Thanks for your help. Folks, if this wonderful podcast had the you know cameras turned on, you'd see I'm wearing a hat with vegan tri-brit on it. And that's so much how I feel being part of this podcast. It's so great feeling like-minded people are speaking with me on it and also listening to it. I want to say a really big thank you to everyone for listening.
00:58:39
Speaker
So thank you for listening. And our next episode will be a Going Vegan episode. It's available from Thursday, the 9th of October. It will feature Anthony, Dominic, and Richard discussing whether we need to evolve our language use to better advocate on animals' behalf.
00:58:56
Speaker
Anyway, that's enough of the falafel for this episode. Thanks to Shane, Anthony and Dominic for your contributions. Thanks again everyone for listening.
00:59:08
Speaker
I've been Julie and you've been listening to Vegan Week from the Enough of the Falafel Collective.
00:59:20
Speaker
This has been an Enough of the Falafel production. We're just a normal bunch of everyday vegans putting our voices out there. The show is hosted by Zencaster. We use music and special effects by zapsplap.com.
00:59:35
Speaker
And sometimes, if you're lucky, at the end of an episode, you'll hear a poem by Mr Dominic Berry. Thanks all for listening and see you next time.
01:00:01
Speaker
This episode may have come to an end, but did you know we've got a whole archive containing all our shows dating back to September 2023? That is right, Dominic. There's over 100 episodes on there featuring our brilliant range of different guests, people's stories of going vegan, philosophical debates, moral quandaries, and of course...
01:00:22
Speaker
around a dozen news items from around the world each week. So check back on your podcast player to hear previous episodes. And remember to get an alert for each new episode, simply click like or follow and also subscribe to the show.
01:00:37
Speaker
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