As an avid vegetarian who has recently undertaken a vegan diet, the meat industry & the consumption of meat is a matter very close to my heart and which I felt compelled to write about. I do not want to preach, only educate and if you get the chance I would highly recommend watching a film called “The End of Meat” which is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime.
The premise of ‘The end of meat’ is to “Envisage a future where meat consumption no longer exists”
It takes a look at a number of key points that are fairly common knowledge including:
- That eating processed meat can increase your chances of getting cancer
- That meat contributes more to climate change than the car industry
- Approximately 150 billion animals are killed for the meat industry each year
- If the world switched to a vegan diet that the world would likely see a 70% reduction in climate change
- 75% of the Amazon rainforest that is being cut down & destroyed is actually for the meat industry
The docu-film also takes a look at the laws that are currently in place to protect animals, including:
It mentions that although the laws are changing for the better, enforcement is hard to implement and the fines being handed out are not large enough or enough of a deterrent for certain companies & farms etc. This is clearly a key area that needs to be addressed & enforced a lot more if a meat free future is to exist.
However, we are shown that there is a glimmer of hope for animals and our planet by taking us to Berlin, Germany– who are currently considered the vegan capital of the world & setting the example for others to follows, with veganism becoming more & more popular all the time.
We are also taken to India where approximately 32% of their entire population do not eat meat. India can also boast the first entire vegetarian city in the world in Palitana, where its locals believe that animals are anything but a commodity-it’s truly inspirational & poses the question as to why more cities aren’t like this in the world?
So what does the future potentially look like in a meat free world?
- Could animal products be taken off the shelves & no longer sold in shops or in restaurants? Potentially yes with a concerted effort by everyone.
- It’s unlikely that eating meat is to ever be against the law; however it is likely that it may become socially unacceptable in the future.
- There is likely to be a surge in animal sanctuary’s that will be set up to look after animals discarded & no longer needed by farms etc.
- Cultured meat developed in labs will take the place of animal products potentially for those requiring a meat substitute.
- More & more people will switch to a plant based diet seeing the potential health benefits, as well as making a conscious effort to step away from the slaughter of animals.
- The environmental & climate change issues facing humanity may finally force people to go vegan or vegetarian to save their own lives.
It seems that a meat free future is entirely possible & that both humans are the planet would improve dramatically from not eating meat. So why isn’t everybody making the switch?
For me, this quote from the film should tell you everything you need to know:
“One of the worst productions that man has ever created is the meat production industry & the eating of meat. We need to envision a future where we do not eat animals – then hopefully it can become a reality. Humans & animals all want the same thing – to live a nice long, peaceful life”
There are a number of reasons to give up eating meat, however from my own experience it needs to be your own decision, rather than one forced upon you. All I would ask is that you consider the above, maybe watch ‘The end of meat’ & then perhaps start small & look to even reduce your meat intake. You will be amazed at how much better you feel-physically and consciously.
Thanks for reading.