Vegan Australia campaigns

Goals of the campaigns

The vision of Vegan Australia is to create a world where animals live free of human exploitation. The best way to help animals and to create this world is to promote veganism and so the aim of each campaign is to move towards the goal of a vegan world.

Each campaign will progress towards the following long-term goals:

• Veganism is considered by most people as being normal, appealing and acceptable.
• People understand and accept the ethical basis of veganism.
• People view a vegan diet as at least as healthy as a non-vegan diet.
• Eating and living vegan is easy and there are no real or perceived barriers to becoming vegan.

Types of campaigns

These campaigns fall into these broad categories:

• lobbying for recognition and support by government bodies and other institutions for veganism, by making representations and submissions calling for pro-vegan policies in food, health, environment, agriculture, animal rights, etc.
• campaigning through the media by responding to current issues relevant to veganism as well as promoting other Vegan Australia campaigns
• public education campaigns
• participation in and response to campaigns initiated by other groups

Practical guidance for the campaigns

• Strongly vegan. Each campaign will either specifically promote a 100% vegan world or promote a sub-goal of that end point.
• Explicitly vegan. In each campaign the word 'vegan' will be used whenever possible in printed and online material. Campaigns will not hide the word because it will 'put people off'. The words 'veg', 'veg*n', etc will not be used. The word 'vegetarian' will only be used when referring to non-vegan ovo/lacto diets.
• Positive about veganism. Campaigns will give clear, accurate and balanced information on how to become vegan.
• Based on a compassion for animals. The best way to show compassion for animals is to become vegan and to help others become vegan. Although we demand the rights of people to have access to healthy vegan food and access to education about their diet that is unbiased from the dairy and meat industries, we note that each step towards a vegan world is a step towards a world where animals live free of exploitation.
• Outward looking. There will be no infighting and no criticism of any other vegan, vegetarian or animal groups. Energy is better spent promoting veganism to the general public.

Examples of campaigns

Recent submissions

Opportunities for public comment to government bodies on matters relating to veganism arise fairly regularly and Vegan Australia will be primed to respond to each of these with expert, logical submissions. Below are some of these opportunities.

National Food Plan submission

In 2011, the national government requested submissions about the future of food in Australia. Many organisations responded to this request, including the usual suspects such as big agri-business and the supermarket chains. However there were some very positive submissions from non-government organisations, such as the Fred Hollows Foundation. They called for subsidies for food in remote areas and mention only fruits and vegetables as specific examples.

A submission on a National Food Plan on behalf of Vegan Australia was prepared by Jane Daly, Vegan Society NSW. It called for the transition to a sustainable, compassionate vegan diet to be a priority for Australian food policy. Some of the recommendations in the submission were:

• to improve the health of Australians and lower the burden on the health system by reducing the incidence of dietary related diseases.
• to use Australia's land resources more effectively and sustainably.
• to end the use of animal agriculture systems within the next 20 years by building up and supporting Australia's fruit, vegetable and grain producers.

Note that this submission did not call for half measures. It called for the government to set targets for the reduction and eventual elimination of the production of animal products. This is an ambitious goal, but it is worth stating this clearly so that people become used to the idea. A vegan world is the goal of Vegan Australia and the more this is said, the more quickly it will come about.

Submission to the draft Australian Dietary Guidelines

The Australian government issues guidelines for healthy eating, known as the Australian Dietary Guidelines. These guidelines form the basis for a wide range of decisions made by health professionals, policy makers and food manufacturers. There were a number of serious problems with this draft so a submission on behalf of Vegan Australia was prepared by Jane Daly, Vegan Society NSW, in February 2012.

The submission called for the guidelines to include consideration of the wellbeing and rights of animals and not to discriminate against the great number of Australians who for animal rights, environmental, health, religious and other reasons, have already adopted plant-based diets. The submission also called for recognition that humans do not need to consume any animal products to be healthy and are able to live a healthy life on a vegan diet. This is the position of the mainstream Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics which issues dietary guidelines in the USA.

The draft also contained misleading and untrue statements about vegetarian and vegan diets. The draft appears to have been unduly influenced by the meat, dairy and other animal industries and the research used to support the draft is biased. If the final version of the guidelines still appears to be unduly influenced by the animal industries, then Vegan Australia may use legal means to challenge the result. Pro-bono legal representation may be sought to proceed this issue.

Independent Review into Australia's Livestock Export Trade

No pro-vegan submission was made to the recent Review into Australia's Livestock Export Trade. The closing date has passed, so this was a missed opportunity. But this review is a good example of why vegans need a strong consistent voice in this arena. Of the eight submissions to the review which mentioned the words vegan or vegetarian, seven presented incorrect information or negative stereotypes of vegans and veganism.

National Government Preventative Health Taskforce submissions

Again, no pro-vegan submission was made to this important enquiry. The taskforce received over 400 submissions following the release of its discussion paper Australia: the healthiest country by 2020. Only one submission mentioned the word vegan.

Review of food labelling laws

An Australian and New Zealand Food Labelling Review was held in 2010 which called for submissions from the public. In its submission, the Australian Greens Victoria Animals Working Group said that food labels should "clearly state when a food contains any animal or animal derivative". Submissions are now closed, but Vegan Australian could have added weight to this demand by making its own submission.

Lobbying campaigns

These campaigns can be carried out by making submissions to enquiries, by producing reports and making them widely known and by communications with appropriate bodies by email or letter including direct contact with government ministers and heads of departments.

Equitable access to vegan food

Many Australians do not have easy access to healthy foods and so Vegan Australia will lobby governments to ensure all Australians have equal access to affordable and adequate fresh fruits and vegetables and other plant foods irrespective of income, including those living in regional and remote communities.

Health authorities to educate the public about vegan diet

Vegan Australia will lobby health and medical authorities to educate the Australian public about the health benefits of vegan diets and to support people in adopting vegan diets. Official dietary advice should reflect a sustainable balanced vegan diet e.g. PCRM's Power Plate. They should also implement behaviour change campaigns to facilitate a rapid transition to a sustainable and compassionate vegan diet.

Shift subsidies from animal production

Animal production industries in Australia receive millions of dollars of tax funded government subsidies. Vegan Australia will lobby governments to remove these subsidies and to assist the farming industry to move towards stock-free, plant-based farming. The full realistic cost of meat and other animal products should be passed on to consumers, such as in Japan, where meat is not subsidised and yet health levels are high. Vegan Australia will research all ways that governments support and promote the production and consumption of animal products and devise ways to influence these.

Ban advertising of processed food and animal products

Vegan Australia will campaign against advertising of processed food and animal products, starting with a ban on such advertising to children. Also ban advertising for highly greenhouse gas intensive foods. This campaign could learn much from the campaign against tobacco advertisements in the recent past. In the short term Vegan Australia may make complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau and similar bodies about factual inaccuracies, such as this complaint about untrue claims in milk advertising.

Remove discrimination against vegans in health institutions and prisons

For people in institutions and those who are unable to supply their own meals, obtaining nutritious vegan food can be very difficult. Vegan Australia will campaign against the discrimination that vegans face in hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, schools, colleges and other public institutions and work towards better and more nutritious vegan catering in all institutions.

Vegan food available at government funded functions

Vegan Australia will lobby all levels of government to mandate quality vegan food to be available at all government sponsored functions where food is served. This may begin with a campaign for local councils to adopt a pro-vegan food policy for council functions.

Healthy vegan school lunches

Vegan Australia will lobby schools and education departments for healthy vegan school lunches to be available to children.

Government to set targets to eliminate animal production

In appropriate submissions, Vegan Australia will lobby governments to set targets for the reduction and eventual elimination of the production of animal products on ethical and environmental grounds.

Government to set targets to eliminate animal consumption

Vegan Australia will lobby health and medical authorities to commit to targets for the reduction and eventual elimination of the consumption of animal products on health and disease risk grounds.

Catering education

Vegan Australia will lobby educational institutions to include adequate instruction on catering for vegans in catering courses in schools and colleges.

Professional health courses to include vegan nutrition

The level of nutritional training, including vegan nutrition, in many profession health courses is very low. This is especially true in university medical schools. Vegan Australia will lobby educational institutions to include adequate instruction on vegan nutrition in health courses, including medicine, nutrition, dietetics and other complementary and alternative medicine courses. In the statement on vegetarian diets the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada say: "Dietetics professionals have a responsibility to support and encourage those who express an interest in consuming a vegetarian diet. They can play key roles in educating vegetarian clients about food sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and any dietary modifications that may be necessary to meet individual needs."

Legal definition of the word 'vegan'

In 2010, the European Parliament made 'vegan' a legally protected term as part of new consumer food information regulations. This means that, at least in Europe, veganism has now been given official recognition. Vegan Australia will lobby for a legal definition of the word 'vegan' for food labelling in Australia. Food manufacturers would then be legally bound to meet certain standards if they describe their products as vegan.

Mandatory vegan nutrition labels

Vegan Australia will lobby for mandatory vegan information on nutrition information labels. This information will include whether products contain animal ingredients or if they were tested on non-human animals.

Vegan question in the census

Vegan Australia will request dietary preference questions be added to the census to address the knowledge gap in numbers and trends in uptake of vegan diets.

Vegan/organic methods of agriculture

Vegan Australia will request that the organic food industry use vegan methods of agriculture and label and promote products grown this way.

CSIRO and other research bodies to study stock-free farming

The shift to a 100% vegan diet will mean that animal manure will not be available as a fertiliser. This can not simply be replaced with synthetic fertilisers, due to the high energy costs in manufacture of nitrogen fertilisers and the limited supply of some other fertilisers.

Sustainable and secure agriculture will need to find efficient ways of capturing nitrogen and returning other nutrients to the soil. Stock-free rotation methods have great potential to enable this. Some demonstrations of these techniques exist, showing that it can be commercially and environmentally viable. However these methods need more development effort if we are to achieve a sustainable and secure food supply for future generations.

Vegan Australia will call on the CSIRO and university and other research centres to urgently research the most resource effective stock-free farming techniques that also minimise greenhouse gas emissions. A shift to stock-free farming will benefit farmers, Australian residents and undernourished people worldwide.

In addition, Vegan Australia may carry out its own research into planning for a vegan agricultural system. This would investigate the effect of a vegan world on the environment as well as on the economy and jobs.

Assist animal farmers to convert to plant farming

Cases of animal farmers realising the innate cruelty of keeping farmed animals are increasing. Howard Lyman and Ian Brothers are two examples. Vegan Australia will offer a service to animal farmers who are considering leaving the industry, giving them options and support.

Campaign for restaurants to offer vegan meals

To help veganism become more mainstream, vegan food must become more widely available. Good quality vegan items should be available in all places where food is sold.

In this campaign, Vegan Australia will contact all restaurants, including major restaurant chains, and encourage them to add several quality vegan dishes to their standard menu, or even have a separate vegan menu.

Some progress is being made with negotiations with a national restaurant chain to add quality vegan meals to their menu. The beginning of a Business case for vegan menu options in non-vegan restaurants was created out of this.

Lobby political parties to adopt vegan policies

Vegan Australia will lobby political parties and give them suggestions for policies leading to a vegan world. Examples of suggested policies can be found in the Vegan Manifesto of the Vegan Society (UK).

International aid to be vegan where possible

Vegan Australia will contact government aid agencies and NGOs and request they only support sustainable stock-free vegan agriculture and vegan diets in their international development projects except in parts of the world where this may be impossible due to local circumstances.

School education to cover animal rights and veganism

Vegan Australia will lobby the state education departments or the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (chairman Barry McGaw) requesting they include in the curriculum consideration of different ethical approaches to human-nonhuman animal relations, including veganism and rights-based approaches. Also included in the curriculum should be honest education about the consequences for nonhuman animal well-being involved in the production of meat, fish, eggs, dairy foods and other animal products. The curriculum should ensure that basic vegan food literacy and skills education is available in all schools in Australia.

Retailers to stock vegan products

Vegan Australia will work with retailers to increase the variety and distribution of vegan products.

Campaign for reductions in greenhouse gas intensity of foods

Vegan Australia will lobby government to introduce a maximum greenhouse gas intensity of foods, with products in excess of the standard to be removed from sale and to introduce taxes on the sale of the remaining greenhouse intensive foods.

Animal production recognised in carbon tax

Vegan Australia will lobby government to include agriculture in greenhouse gas emission schemes. This would have the effect of penalising the animal industries for excessive production of global-warming gasses.

Vegan organisations should be given charity status

The Australian tax law allows gifts to registered charities to be tax deductible. Currently organisations which mainly promote veganism and all its benefits, such as Vegan Australia, are not eligible (that is, they can not be registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient). Vegan Australia will lobby for a change to the tax law to allow this. If successful, it would open up the possibility of receiving more funds from individuals and charitable foundations to carry out its work of promoting veganism.

Research the marketing techniques of the animal industries

Analyse the marketing campaigns of the meat, dairy and other animal industries which aim to normalise consumption of animal products. In particular examine those campaigns targeted at children and look at ways these can be effectively countered.

Ban commercial campaigning in schools by animal industries

Schools should be a place where children learn the skills of thinking for themselves and critically examining the world around them. The intrusion of corporate interests into schools has become more widespread in recent years and the meat, dairy and other animal industries have taken advantage of this to unduly influence young minds. Vegan Australia will lobby to remove all commercial campaigning and sponsorship from schools.

Campaign through the media

By responding to current issues relevant to veganism and liaising with the media via press releases and statements, Vegan Australia will raise awareness within the media of vegan issues. Vegan Australia will access experts in various fields to speak to the media as issues arise. Our aim is to become known by the media as a reliable source. We will build a media rapid-response capacity, both in identifying relevant issues and in responding to them in detail.

Public vegan education campaigns

These campaigns can be carried out by direct promotion to the general public through advertising, social media, traditional media, websites, etc.

Educate the general public about the benefits of veganism

Vegan Australia swill mount public education campaigns to bring the vegan message to the general public around Australia. These will counter the propaganda of the animal products industries, the conservative health/medicine bodies and environment agencies and try to normalise the public view of veganism.

They will inform people about what veganism is, the benefits of veganism, its ethical basis and why it is a minimum standard of decency. They will

• increase the public's awareness of animal rights
• show the positive health aspects of veganism
• show the impact on the environment of animal agriculture
• describe how to go vegan in a way that is easy, nutritious, delicious and fulfilling

These vegan publicity campaigns could appear

• on the Internet, making good use of social and other media (as does GetUp)
• as hardcopy materials (pamphlets, videos, etc) for distribution though stalls and other groups
• on billboards
• on radio or TV
• in newspapers

Work directly with schools and youth

Vegan Australia will provide services to schools for vegan education. This may include creating or sourcing materials (printed, video or interactive) for use in vegan education. It may also encourage student involvement by events such as a student vegan essay competition. Other youth outreach work may be possible.

Animal abusers don't stop at animals

Vegan Australia will publicise studies showing that people who directly abuse animals often move on later to abusing other humans, including child abuse, abuse of women and other violence. An example campaign is PCRM's letter of complaint about school dissection.

Direct education of health professionals

Vegan Australia will create vegan nutrition educational material and distribute to all doctor's surgeries, nutritionists and other health professionals.

Operate or support a Vegan Pledge scheme with mentoring

Similar to the Vegan Society (UK) Vegan Pledge, Animal Liberation Victoria's Vegan Easy Challenge and the ARZone Vegan Buddies Programme, Vegan Australia will offer new vegans or those curious about veganism the opportunity to receive guided support in their transition to veganism and also the support of a mentor. Alternatively, Vegan Australia will support and publicise the existing schemes.

Working with other groups

Vegan Australia will present a strongly vegan message which would work in well with the campaigns of animal groups (whether vegan or not). It will do this in two ways. First, it will encourage people who have been affected by a specific animal campaign to expand their understanding to include all animals. Second, the stronger vegan position held by Vegan Australia may make other organisations appear more mainstream and hence more acceptable to the public.

Single issue and animal welfare campaigns

The vision of Vegan Australia is a world where the use of animals by humans has been abolished. To this end it will concentrate on the promotion of veganism and will not initiate single issue animal welfare campaigns. There are many other groups actively campaigning on single issues. When appropriate, Vegan Australia will use these campaigns to extend the reach of the campaign towards veganism. Vegan Australia will appeal to members of the public who support a particular single issue campaign and suggest to them that their concern should be extended to all animals and all animal use. While Vegan Australia does not advocate for any "improvements" to animal use practices, it will not participate in criticism of animal groups who do campaign for welfare reforms. It will use opportunities where the public's interest has been awakened to a particular cruel practice to encourage the public to look further, into questioning all animal use. It will use topical single issue campaigns as a launching point for vegan education. In this way Vegan Australia will complement the work of other groups.

How to determine if a campaign should be supported

Working with other vegan/vegetarian groups

In short, campaigns which call for any form of animal use or consumption will not be supported.

Conclusion

It is worth repeating that, although the direct aim of all these campaigns is to improve the environment for the acceptance of veganism in Australia, the indirect, and more important, aim is to bring about:

"a world in which people treat other animals respectfully, ensure justice for them and enable them to live their life free of human exploitation, use and ownership".