Countering veganuary

[Sandpit Farm]

Remember sheep farming is free range*. How are we really selling that? It is an easy win.

We spread manure, why? To annoy local people with the horrendous smell?

What is that yellow flower we have in the fields? Why do we grow it? If it is good for the soil, why don't we grow it every year?

Why do cows kill people? Are they all dangerous? When are they most dangerous? Why do we put them in sheds in the winter? When do we calve?

*in 99% of the UK

 

[Bruce Almighty]

I've got 2 ideas, we have fields by a motorway where I could put signs up

"It's not vegan it's plastic"

"Shove your vegan diet up your a rse" which may be controversial, but I suspect at least 75% of the population would agree with

 

[Sandpit Farm]

I've got 2 ideas, we have fields by a motorway where I could put signs up

"It's not vegan it's plastic"

"Shove your vegan diet up your a rse" which may be controversial, but I suspect at least 75% of the population would agree with

I know this is probably in jest but if I were a vegan lobbyist, I would be thinking "Great, it is obviously p***ing farmers off and this is the best they can come up with." I am afraid these signs would lose the argument. It is like people who bate vegans on twitter or say things like 'bacon sandwich' - it just creates noise and plays into the hands of the activists.

You'd actually find that 99.4% of the population are non vegan as only 0.6% are vegan (from Kantar stats).

Weirdly, simply putting that stat up on a sign would probably have a more galvanising effect...

 

[SteveHants]

I know this is probably in jest but if I were a vegan lobbyist, I would be thinking "Great, it is obviously p***ing farmers off and this is the best they can come up with." I am afraid these signs would lose the argument. It is like people who bate vegans on twitter or say things like 'bacon sandwich' - it just creates noise and plays into the hands of the activists.

You'd actually find that 99.4% of the population are non vegan as only 0.6% are vegan (from Kantar stats).

Weirdly, simply putting that stat up on a sign would probably have a more galvanising effect...

Definitely agree - I only ever tried a Gregg's vegan sausage roll because of how angry it made Piers Morgan.

 

[Drillman]

I will let other members work the wording out because it’s not my strong point.

but as long as it’s supporting and showcasing the best of British agriculture I will happily support it.

 

[AGN76]

My former OH does seem to be unaware of all the Vegan bullsh it going on everywhere, she's on social media etc, so it really makes you wonder, do people only hear/see what they want to hear/see?

 

[Hfd Cattle]

#Lambuary

I told someone at AHDB about 5 years ago that they should run a lamb campaign in January called Lambuary.
I was dead serious. They laughed at me.

They would wonder what on earth you were on about .... I don't think they have heard of veganuary or vegetarian or such like. The AHDB probably think it some sort of computer game . I suspect even now,five yrs later, they are still puzzled by your idea ! ....

 

[Ted M]

Personally I think the more someone goes on at you that you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't eat that that the more likely people will adopt a "your not telling me how to live my life attitude" and do the opposite.
A carefully thought out approach just stating the facts and reasons behind how /why things are done and how animals are actually good for biodiversity and soil health and how everything is reliant on something else for survival.
Education and balance is the key I think.
I think schools and universities are a good place to start if possible and just counter all the bad science and dodgy facts that the likes of zerobeef and the fungus processors are peddling.

 

[Jerry]

Social media is hugely important now. It’s how those sub 30 years old consume their news, information and entertainment.

Its an area some of our industry bodies seem to ignore. I’ve asked Minette Batters face to face why they are not very active on Twitter other than their countryside magazine account which is all about lifestyle rather than factual information. She said it was not a priority at the moment.

There are loads of good accounts out there showing how it really is. I try but not great at it, though I do sell a lot of lamb through Facebook in particular.


The NFU/NSA/AHDB etc need to raise their profile in social media. They need to be more proactive and less reactive.

 

[Yale]

Simple message.

Vegansarenotsavingtheplanet.com.

And then all the evidence the website.

 

[ILovebaling]

Simple message.

Vegansarenotsavingtheplanet.com.

And then all the evidence the website.

Thought tat was maybe a genuine website so looked it up [emoji23].

Why is pig farming not getting a mention by vegans or farmers during any of the current vegan campaigning ?

 

[Dman2]

https://veganuary.com/blog/after-225000-sign-ups-veganuary-now-goes-to-parliament/

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/veganuary-2020-2/

Fair enough
Just not personally heard much or seen much on facebook

 

[onesiedale]

Simple message.

Vegansarenotsavingtheplanet.com.

And then all the evidence the website.

. . . or rather than the negative 'not' and headlining with 'vegan' why not just have farmingsavestheplanet.com and linked to a website and # across all media with simple relevant info and images..

Maybe co-ordinated big hoardings by major roads just stating "Local food grown here"

 

[DrDunc]

Save the World

Eat British

 

[Bruce Almighty]

I know this is probably in jest but if I were a vegan lobbyist, I would be thinking "Great, it is obviously p***ing farmers off and this is the best they can come up with." I am afraid these signs would lose the argument. It is like people who bate vegans on twitter or say things like 'bacon sandwich' - it just creates noise and plays into the hands of the activists.

You'd actually find that 99.4% of the population are non vegan as only 0.6% are vegan (from Kantar stats).

Weirdly, simply putting that stat up on a sign would probably have a more galvanising effect...

Fair comment, I was thinking about the lower league football match back in the spring, when the chant went
"Stick your veggie burgers up your a rse"

How does this sound

Over 99% of the population are non-vegan
Keep eating British meat

 

[melted welly]

Need to make the distinction between the raw food we produce and the over-processed crap that is on the shelves, be it vegan or non vegan. It isn't us producers who are adding all the e-numbers.

That is the fight to fight, there will never be agreement between livestock industry and vegans, so no point trying. We need to be smarter, some of the environmental and nutritional claims made by these loudmouths bear no scrutiny at all, but it's repeated often enough to seep into public opinion as "fact". Why cant we do the same - drip drip drip.

Mass-produced vegan meat alternatives are about as far from raw, wholesome food as you can get, and the fact they are produced in concrete and steel factories from dubious protein sources then textured and flavoured with a load of artificial chemicals made by multi-national money men corporations surely cannot sit easily upon their conscience. The Eatlancet report backed by a who's who of the chemical production and food processing industries should have been shown up for the propaganda it was.

I believe that this is the angle to pursue, environmental and nutritional vs hyper-processed mass produced.

 

[DaveGrohl]

Also the message needs to be put across that eating meat in reasonable quantities is absolutely NOT detrimental to your health, as that decades-old seriously flawed advice has been shown to be wrong on every level in more recent years. In fact including dairy is actually better for you than any other aspect or type of diet.

 

[MiJ]

I'd also mention the massive carbon footprint of pre-packaged food as opposed to cooking yourself. I would keep it strictly along environmental lines - If people don't want to eat meat because they don't want to kill things, then that is personal preference and really quite difficult to challenge without coming across as boorish.

There’s an awful lot of creatures killed by growing and harvesting plants.

 

[MiJ]

Oh for sure, they definitely don't want us farming livestock in the traditional sense.

But they aren't strictly opposed to the keeping of animals though either, and that was where I think some common ground may lie. hopefully build on that and begin to educate them.

PETA is opposed to even pet animals.

 

[MiJ]

If only someone would point out to the public that the filling in a Greggs Vegan 'sausage' roll is actually a fungus (Fusarium Venenatum) produced in giant heated stainless steel vats by bubbling gas through a nutrient rich soup, before heat-treatment to remove excess levels of ribonucleic acid.
Originally formulated by ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) the process was designed to produce high protein livestock feed, but now Monde Nissin (Quorn) have built a multi million pound business by convincing consumers that by eating a highly processed fungus mixed with Palm Oil that they are 'saving the planet'.

Isn’t Fusarium sp a plant pathogen?