GOVERNMENT

HARRIET MARSDEN: The EU aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 – but has been investing four times as much money into carbon-intensive livestock farming than growing plants, research has found. More than 80% of subsidies given to farmers through the bloc's common agricultural policy (CAP) went to animal products in 2013, according to a study published last week in the journal Nature Food: 38% directly and 44% for animal feed. The "vast majority" of CAP subsidies are going towards products that are "driving us to the brink", said study co-author Paul Behrens,…

JAMIE FINN: Haru Lev is an activist. It is through this lens, the lens of counter-culturalism and of protest, that we can best understand his work. The movies that Haru has produced all attempt to communicate his worldview... Haru Lev's latest project, Planet A: OST, is a compilation album featuring the work of performers who share a passion for animal rights. Each track acts as a protest in favour of better treatment of animals and argues for a vegan lifestyle. The album came out November 1st, and a few months later, an omnibus of short films (one for each track) was released. Most of the…

COREY WATERS: The potential of an individual to participate in a particular movement increases if identifications of that individual are recognized as congruent with the collective identifications of that movement. For example, it has been shown through interviews with vegans that there is congruence with those who had identified as “animal people,” meaning advocates for nonhuman animals, prior to becoming vegan. Because these people wanted to be authentic “animal people,” and because they recognized being vegan as congruent with being authentic “animal people,” they became vegan... This…

3BEE: Food for Profit is the first documentary to show the thread that binds the meat industry, the lobbies and political power. At the centre are the billions of euros - exactly 397 - that Europe allocates to intensive livestock farms, which mistreat animals, pollute the environment and pose a danger to future pandemics. Food for Profit is the result of a investigation conducted over five years by journalist Giulia Innocenzi, who wrote and directed the docufilm together with Pablo D'Ambrosi. Food For Profit premiered on Thursday 22 February at the European Parliament in Brussels... The…

CAMILLE LABCHUK: Animal Justice is celebrating a landmark court decision that strikes down much of Ontario’s agricultural gag law (Ag-Gag law), which aimed to silence whistleblowers and journalists who work undercover to investigate animal cruelty in the meat, dairy, egg, and fur farming industries. Joining Animal Justice as applicants in this case were freelance journalist Jessica Scott-Reid, and animal advocate Louise Jorgensen of Toronto Cow Save. Passed in 2020 by the Ford government under pressure from lobby groups, the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act was enacted…

ANASTASIA SLOAN: Even in cities that accommodate allergens and veganism, an extra $0.50 to $1 is almost always tacked on to coffee for nondairy milk. ​This additional fee, according to a recent class action lawsuit against Dunkin’, is discriminatory. The lawsuit — filed in late December in Northern California’s federal district court on behalf of all U.S. consumers who have paid more at Dunkin’ for nondairy milk alternatives within the last four years — seeks no less than $5 million for class members. The named ​plaintiffs “all suffer from lactose intolerance and milk allergies,” making it…

CHRISTIANE M. HAUPT: Over the years, a number of writers, articles, and advocates stand out as having been hugely influential at the start when I was just discovering the true meaning of veganism. This is one such article. The chilling, matter-of-fact description of a student undergoing an obligatory period of six weeks in a slaughterhouse in order to obtain their professional qualification left me shaken and with indelible images in my mind that still influence me these many years later. Grim, and indeed lengthy, as it is, I’m sharing it with you. Sometimes we all need to strengthen our…

DANIEL HILTON: On the crest of a hill in the occupied West Bank, five Red Angus cows chomp sombrely on some straw. Around them, a group of Israelis look on in anticipation. If all goes to plan, these cows could herald the end of the world as we know it. According to Jewish tradition, the ashes of a perfectly red heifer cow are needed for the ritual purification that would allow a Third Temple to be built in Jerusalem.That temple, say radical Jewish groups, must be constructed on the raised plateau in Jerusalem’s Old City known as the Temple Mount, where Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the…

KUNSTMATRIX: Havva Zorlu is a photographer and animal rights activist based in Türkiye. She started taking photographs at a young age with the dream of becoming a photojournalist, and uses photography as a means of expression. She was awarded the We Animals Media Animal Photojournalism Fellowship in 2023. Havva’s Fellowship focus was on her home soil in Türkiye where she documented the dominant systems of animal exploitation, ranging from dairy farming to live animal markets. Havva’s efforts were relentless in documenting animal stories throughout Türkiye. This exhibit offers a glimpse into…

SUPREME MASTER TELEVISION: The Essenes were one of the main religious sects in first century Palestine. Members wore white and followed a vegetarian diet. According to the 4th century church historian, Epiphanius, and Jewish philosopher Philo, the Essenes were Jews who kept all the Jewish observances, but were nonviolent toward all living creatures and considered it unlawful to eat meat or make sacrifices with animals. As a member of this group, Jesus would have to have been a vegetarian, as was His brother James (Jacob) and all His disciples. The main Essene scripture is the Gospel of the…