Has anyone else rethought meat and dairy after seeing Slingshot adverts?

[Wyatt148]

Has anyone seen the slingshot_uk ads in the London Underground?

I’m a 43(f), about two months ago I googled vegetarian meal planning/recipes as I was trying to both cut my weekly shopping bill and be a bit healthier. I was always semi-conscious of animal welfare but always kind of put it to the side of my mind.

Well, the algorithm kicked in and wow.. I was genuinely shocked at the info that poured into my feed…what I learned about ‘big agri’ and mass factory farming. I couldn’t believe what I was reading/seeing/hearing so dug a bit deeper thinking I was just being fed the extreme versions….but no. The supply chains for the big supermarkets: Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Lidl etc. I then started looking into the practices of more local dairy farms, slaughterhouses, thinking I’ll just pay a bit more to a local butcher, a way to find a way of buying these things and being ok with myself, but…same practices. The bottom line wins out.

The Slingshot campaign is focused on marketing tactics and exposing factory farming at a large scale, but the data I kept (keep) getting is about all dairy farming and slaughterhouses and my world view has shifted entirely. I’m genuinely shook. The suffering of these animals, bred for this, is undeniable.

I can’t believe I’m this age and didn’t realise or understand the exploitation and what these animals go through (for those of you who are aware I’m sure this sounds completely idiotic). I really wish I’d known this sooner but I guess a combination of slick marketing and my own denial/wilful ignorance won out.

I feel stunned and ultimately really guilty. I’ve been vegan for a month now (cheaper shopping bill and feel great for it both physically and mentally). I’ve heard lots of arguments about health (although the scientific research wins out there but understand it may not be feasible for some), and it’s been an adjustment as I live with a partner and three large dogs who still eat meat/dairy. But I just wanted to share as I really wish I’d known to look into this in detail before now, maybe there are some of you who will appreciate this also.

I promise this isn’t an underhanded, goady post and I fully expect to get folk arguing for meat/dairy for health reasons, but wanted to highlight this as I wish I knew the realities of what goes on behind those dairy and slaughterhouse walls before now, so maybe some of you will too.

I know some vegan activists are aggressive and off putting but ultimately I understand they’re trying to highlight the injustice of it all. When I watch the footage (I’ll not share links as very graphic but easy to find and I can share if anyone wants) it’s clear as day. I’d urge everyone interested to take a look, I wish I’d known sooner.

My family owned a pasture to butcher business in another country also.

what you describe may be the majority of abattoir workers- particularly in areas of low employment where locals have no choice but it’s absolutely the case that these jobs attract very strange men also.

I’ve stopped
byimg chicken from some
supermarkets now due to Frankenstein chicken use

I've been a vegetarian for 40 years now but have never transitioned to being a vegan. I do admire those that do though

What are your thoughts on wool?

That’s probably the one thing mentioned so far that I’ve looked into the least!
Initial thought was that it could be seen different to leather in that it’s a ‘by-product’. I assumed that sheep are only sheared (shorn?) for comfort/health reasons, but then some are bred to grow continuous fleece… it’s a minefield and need to unpick it a bit more (pun intended), my jury’s out on wool atm. Have you thoughts on it?

Did you get out out of the wrong side of the bed this morning? You're everything that's wrong with Mumsnet these days

Why are they bred for continuous fleece when farmers in the UK can’t make profit on it? Why would they breed in a cost to their business?

I honestly don’t know, I didn’t even know continuous fleece was a thing tbh. I only scratched the surface on that topic so I’m sure it’s a lot more complex and am interested to find out more

I mean, we have hair that grows continuously, and imagine fleece is similar - not a type fur which sheds itself, but a type of hair that needs cutting. It just seems a bit unlikely that farmers would breed an unnecessary cost into their businesses unless those sheep are the best ones for meat. There was a segment on Countryfile last night about how difficult it is to get properly trained shearers now, I wasn’t watching properly so didn’t get the whys and wherefores but it would make it even more of a pain the neck to have fleeces which need shearing for no gain.

I just wondered why you were mentioning wool in the same breath as leather when one requires the animal to die and one requires it to have a haircut 🤷‍♀️

I knew about the meat industry from age 11 and stopped eating meat immediately. I just couldn't handle being part of it, and growing up in the countryside I had had cows cuddle up to me. They're playful and excellent mothers (when their calves aren't snatched from them not long after birth). I saw a campaign where a cow sniffed at the placenta, crying, couldn't believe her baby was just gone. They're absolutely terrified much of their lives. Pigs share the same intellectual level as a toddler (if we're setting their intelligence level against how we measure humans, of course they have their own means of cognition.

Nope. Not in my name.

Gave up all animal products aged 19. Early forties now. Slim, fit and into bodybuilding. No health issues whatsoever and no regrets.

A lot of them suffer trauma themselves from what they have to do. I won't link to an article as they can be quite disturbing, but they're easily found with a quick google.

You can cook delicious vegan meals from scratch using fresh vegetables and pulses, for example.

A relative who went vegan for political reasons (obviously that is completely making her not a vegan, according to the Vegan Society) : she said one thing she hated was all the faff of vegetable preparation. She pined for easier to prepare meal options.

Where's the faff? Just chop up veggies like you would for a meat dish but chuck in a can of beans instead of a chicken!😄

I dont get the 'humane slaughter' argument though.
If you humanely kill a pet you would be putting it to sleep because of serious health problems that affect its quality of life.
If you humanely kill a person you are likely talking about a clinic in Switzerland again because of health problems causing serious misery.
If you humanely kill a cow its because somebody wants a burger! The cow wasnt sick or in pain, was very likely young and didnt want to be killed! Where is the 'humane' aspect??

Did she not eat vegetables before? We eat lots of vegetables and smallish amounts of meat or fish with some meals, dairy/eggs with other meals, pulses, grains, seeds, nuts etc at other times. Going vegan would not change the amount of veg preparation I do at all.

Do you often eat a plate of veggies and chucked tinned beans?

or indeed, a raw piece of meat chucked on veggies?

Nope, I eat lots of salad or giant piles of crudites or big stir frys. Then you add seasoned beans or tofu.
The only difficulty I find is is you get a craving for chocolate, finding a vegan bar that doesnt cost an arm and a leg (but it does stop me eating too much junk!😄).

giant piles of crudités are obviously the sort of veg preparation the PPs relative found tiresome?

Sheep started to be selectively bred to produce more wool and not shed thousands of years ago. It’s not something that can be put an end to easily just because there isn’t as much demand for wool now.

Yes, I didn’t understand the pp comment, unless when eating meat they didn’t eat vegetables. For health reasons, I really hope that’s not the case.

Frozen veg are great for anyone who for whatever reason struggles to prepare fresh veg. Tinned beans are great for convenience to save time soaking.

There are so many easy to prepare, tasty, nutritious vegan meals

When I was younger and first noticed supermarkets were selling packs of ready peeled and chopped/sliced vegetables I was amazed, but it was pointed out to me that many older people and people with disabilities that affect their hands and their stamina and co-ordination would find them a godsend. I certainly did when I had a few weeks with my dominant hand out of action after a nasty fall and an operation. Also incredibly useful for people short of time.

I’ve met a lot of people who don’t eat veg and certainly wouldn’t eat tinned beans.
I worked with a vegan who basically ate no veg, just replacement meat products and lots of carbs. I think people who eat well/can cook can make the switch easier.
i always think it would be much more beneficial for the majority of people to eat some vegetarian/vegan meals, rather than a minority being 100% vegan. I think a lot of people are put off by the idea it has to be all or nothing.

i always think it would be much more beneficial for the majority of people to eat some vegetarian/vegan meals, rather than a minority being 100% vegan. Agreed.

I know where meat, milk and eggs come from. I still eat them. All food not home grown is going to have a cost to it somewhere, be it animal based, or transported in or storage, or growing conditions. You just have to make the best choices you can. (Eg: free range eggs rather than cage eggs)

I think a lot of people are doing that now either for ethical, financial or health reasons. Years ago, meat used to be on the menu every day, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore for lots of people. Even my in-laws, who were always meat, potato and veg eaters for dinner every day, have started to have days with no meat. Thats due to being more aware of the ethics now, but also due to trying to lower cholesterol and controlling their blood sugar and weight, as advised by their doctor.

Meaningful change often takes time.

I grew up on a very traditional Scottish diet in the 1960s and 1970s but even then we didn't have meat every single day. We often had a main course of macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese, omelette, fish in some form, pizza, cheese flan and salad, etc. I'm always surprised to hear about people who eat meat every single day. It's always been an expensive choice (and rightly so).