Thanks for the resources! I’m definitely going to check out that podcast.

I’m very aware of the points that you’re raising, which are particularly true of the UK’s animal agriculture system I know — and which has been a hugely influential factor in me deciding to go vegan this January. I do think that there is some differentiation to be made between dairy and eggs which are “farmed” / part of the industry and in other places where families have their own chickens for example – particularly thinking of a rural town where we house sat in Costa Rica where the chickens ran free with the dogs, cats and other animals and weren’t put to slaughter. If they laid eggs, then there were eggs and if there didn’t, then there weren’t. Admittedly, these cases are few and far between.

I enjoyed Cowspiracy, particularly as the environment is a very big reason why I decided to go vegan this January and why I already am vegetarian and limit my dairy consumption.

Yes, it is very difficult to know how the animals are really treated, and in most cases labels like “cage-free”, “free range” etc. mean next to nothing. I guess it depends on how you define “ethically produced” dairy and eggs, but I would go so far as to say there is no such thing. Certainly there is no such thing as slaughter-free animal agriculture, as all the cows and hens involved are sent to the slaughterhouse once their production drops to the point where keeping them alive is no longer profitable for the farmer. Not to mention all the male calves and chicks who are worthless to the industry and are therefore killed shortly after their birth.
I’m glad you like the line about making a difference; it’s actually a quote from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I highly recommend her podcast, Vegetarian Food for Thought. The Bite Size Vegan channel on You Tube is another great resource. This video, for example, provides great insight into the dairy industry: https://youtu.be/Xjbt3SV5ek8 There’s no graphic footage, but it’s heartbreaking nonetheless. And lastly, be sure to watch the film Cowspiracy if you haven’t already. Best of luck with the challenge!

Hi Wendy, thanks for coming back to me on them — really appreciate it!

I’ve read/watched a reasonable amount about it already, but I’m sure I’ll end up reading much more during January as well.

Yes, I certainly understand the comparison you’re making there, although I’m still more on the side that vegetarianism plus eating ethically/locally produced dairy and eggs already does a lot of alleviate that situation, though I realise that there are still people who would claim that’s not enough. It’s very difficult to be 100% sure where any animal products are coming from and how those animals are treated.

I like you’re end sentiment and definitely think you’re right about that.

Hey Katie, thanks! You’re the second person to say about Greece being a good country for vegans in the comments here — definitely not something that I expected to hear. Unfortunately we’re not in South East Asia (I wish we were!) but I’m sure that we’ll do okay in Europe too.

Yes, very true. We’re looking forward to the challenge!

Thanks, Katie! :)

Hi Charlie, great questions! I’m sure that your lack of any desire to eat meat IS an influencing factor, and I’m also confident that, after a month of being vegan, and educating yourself (if you haven’t already done so) about the harm caused by eating animal secretions, you will be similarly turned off by eggs and dairy products.
The fear of hurting people’s feelings or making them feel awkward is something that holds a lot of people back from going fully vegan, so you’re not alone there. While I certainly don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or make them uncomfortable, when the choice is between hurt feelings vs. unnecessary torture, pain and killing, I’ll choose the former without hesitation. In practice, I find that most people we eat with are curious about our vegan lifestyle and ask lots of questions about what we eat, where we get our protein, etc. This provides great opportunities to spread awareness and influence others. I know it’s not always easy to stick out and be the one who’s different from everyone else, but if we want to make a difference, we have to do something different!