Where to find more information
Being a trainee librarian, I couldn't leave you without a reading list, could I? Here are my favourite (i.e. reliable and authoritative) information sources about various vegan-related topics.
General information/multiple topics
Websites
The Vegan Society
Website of the UK Vegan Society, containing information on a range of
subject including nutrition and health, the environment, animal welfare,
travel and vegan non-food products.
CIWF
eat less meat campaign
An excellent brief introduction to the reasons for eating fewer animal
products, produced by Compassion in World Farming.
Books
The Rough Guide to Ethical Living by Duncan Clark
Not a specifically vegan book but contains information on many issues
relevant to the vegan lifestyle (such as ethical shopping, food &
drink, energy use and waste & recycling), including a chapter on farmed
animals.
Animal Welfare
Websites
Compassion in
World Farming
Leading UK-based international charity campaigning against factory farming
and for higher welfare standards for farmed animals. Authoritative source
of information on many aspects of farmed animal welfare.
RSPCA
scientific reports: farmed animals
Factual information sheets about the conditions in which farmed animals
are kept and killed.
Hillside Animal Sanctuary
Norfolk-based animal sanctuary who carry out undercover investigations
into factory farming and aim to raise public awareness of the conditions
endured by factory farmed animals. The people who discovered the Bernard
Matthews cruelty cases recently reported in the news, some of their footage
has been featured in national television programmes. This is the stuff
the industry doesn't want you to see.
Not in my name
A short film about factory farming in Britain. Produced by Viva! with
footage from Compassion in World Farming and featuring commentary from
celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Anne Fine and Martin Shaw. (Warning:
contains potentially upsetting scenes.)
Animal
Aid report: Zero grazing and the dairy industry
2007 report concerning the increasing trend for 'zero-grazing' methods
of milk production, plus undercover footage of dairy production units.
This report is also a good, clear introduction to the animal welfare problems
involved in milk production.
Animal
Aid investigation: broiler chicken production
Article and footage taken in February and March 2008 following the lives
and growth rate of meat chickens on a typical factory farm, with a brief,
informative summary of the health problems commonly suffered by meat chickens.
Animal Aid is a leading source of undercover footage of UK factory
farms.
How
do you like your eggs?
Independent on Sunday report about battery egg farming in the UK, published
27 April 2008.
Books
Animal Welfare: Limping
towards Eden by John Webster
A scientific, authoritative source of information about current practices
and developments in animal welfare. Part of a series produced by the Universities'
Federation for Animal Welfare. The author is Emeritus Professor of Animal
Husbandry at the University of Bristol.
The Pig who sang to the Moon by Jeffrey Masson
A readable study of the intelligence and emotions displayed by various
food animals. A central message of the book is that recognising animals'
emotional behaviour and intelligence is not a misguided attempt to make
them like humans, rather it is an acknowlegement of the fact that animals
do possess these characteristics but many people who do not come into
regular contact with animals will not be familiar with them.
Environment
Vegan diets are good for the planet! Sadly for the environment and people who care about protecting it, going vegan or eating fewer animal products rarely makes it into the media or the Government's top 10 "how to reduce your carbon footprint" tips, even though it's one of the most effective ways that individuals can reduce their environmental impact. Not a popular newspaper-selling/vote-winning message, perhaps?
Websites
United Nations report:
"Livestock's long shadow"
Livestock's long shadow is the most up to date and comprehensive study
into the impact of livestock farming on the environment, published by
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. This page is an
article summarising the report, with a link to the full report text at
the foot of the page.
Eating
the Earth
Factual Vegan Society booklet about the environmental impact of the production
of meat and other animal products.
Fish facts
Informative Vegetarian Society article about the environmental impact
and animal welfare issues surrounding commercial fishing and fish farming.
It's
better to green your diet than your car (New Scientist)
Going vegan reduces your carbon footprint more than switching to a hybrid
car, according to researchers at the University of Chicago.
Food
miles don't feed climate change - meat does (New Scientist)
Cutting down on meat and dairy products reduces your greenhouse gas emissions
more than buying locally-produced food, according to a study
by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Nutrition and health
Books
Plant-based
nutrition and health by Stephen Walsh
The ultimate data-buster, thoroughly researched. Stephen Walsh is the
nutritional advisor to the Vegan Society
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Review of studies into the harmful effects of dairy product consumption
on human health.
Becoming Vegan: The complete guide to adopting a healthy plant-based
diet by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis
A guide to the nutritional benefits of a vegan diet and how to eat a healthy,
balanced diet.
McCance and Widdowson's the Composition of Foods published
by the Royal Society of Chemistry
The authoritative textbook on the nutritional values of ingredients. If
you really want to know where vegans get their protein...