AACT strongly encourages it's
members to make a vegan lifestyle choice as it is only through veganism
that we stop contributing to the suffering of non-human animals.
The links from this page
will provide you with information about the dairy, egg, honey, and
wool industries so that you may make an informed decision. There
are also links to organisations that can support you in adapting
to a vegan lifestyle, which include links to some recipies to get
you started.
Below is an article by an AACT
member that will introduce you to the lifestyle concept of veganism.
VEGANISM
by AACT member Ben Payne
Veganism is a diet and lifestyle
which involves not eating, wearing, or using any products or by-products
produced by animals. This means vegans eat a plant-based diet free from
any animal products including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. Vegans also
do not wear fur, wool, leather, or any other animal fabric and choose
products that have not been tested on animals. Veganism is vegetarianism
taken to its logical conclusion, and the most practical and beneficial
way to implement the theory of animal rights in your life.
Veganism recognises the need
for the abolition of our use and exploitation of non-human animals, and
is the most significant and effective method for bringing about social
change regarding their moral status. More than simply a diet and a lifestyle,
veganism is the most powerful method of activism for the animal rights
movement and serves as a consistent application of the animal rights ideology.
Veganism is not concerned with
making the exploitation of non-human animals more ‘humane’,
but instead leads the way in a revolution of our attitudes towards them.
Veganism does not ask that we have bigger cages or greener pastures but
that we revaluate our use of non-human animals and understand our role
in creating a better society through the
rejection of that use.
Many people concerned with
our use of animals quickly give up eating meat, but few immediately realise
the connection between the institutionalised exploitation of animals and
other animal products such as dairy and eggs. Animals raised for milk
or egg production are exploited longer than their meat counterparts and
all end up in the same slaughterhouse when their production capacity wanes,
after which we consume their flesh. There is no logical difference between
supporting animal agribusiness though eating meat or through eating dairy
or eggs. Buying ‘free range’ eggs or ‘humanely produced’
pork will not change the moral status of non-human animals either, but
simply serves to further entrench our use of them.
Taking a principled stand against
animal exploitation involves refusing to support it by buying and consuming
animal products, and carrying this into every aspect of our lives. By
becoming a vegan and educating others about veganism we can begin to make
a difference for nonhuman animals and our planet.
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