PETA Urges Balmoral Show to ‘Grow Vegan’
PETA Urges Balmoral Show to ‘Grow Vegan’
Belfast, Northern Ireland – Ahead of the annual Balmoral Show from 10 to 13 May, PETA sent a letter to Royal Ulster Agricultural Society President Christine Adams encouraging her to transition to a vegan event – the Balmoral Grow – showcasing Northern Ireland’s diverse crop farming. PETA has even designed a new logo for the event featuring playful mascot Pip, a cheerful Greasy Pippin apple, Northern Ireland’s national fruit.
Currently, the show involves over 3,non-consenting animals, who are tied up, pulled around, roughly handled, and forced to compete in spectacles like dangerous show jumping. A vegan event, in contrast, could feature fun, family-friendly activities such as a vegan Ulster fry competition, a potato beauty pageant, and bobbing for cabbages.
“Instead of sheep shearing, show jumping, and food that has been cut or expelled from an animal’s body, the new Balmoral Grow could celebrate Northern Ireland’s hard-working plant-based farmers and delicious, locally produced vegan fare,” says PETA Vice President of Vegan Projects Dawn Carr. “The change will support arable and horticulture farmers and help protect the environment by highlighting all the fantastic crops that can be grown in Northern Ireland, from oats to apples.”
Animal agriculture is a leading cause of environmental destruction, as it requires massive amounts of land, food, energy, and water while emitting huge quantities of greenhouse gases. Researchers at the University of Oxford recently determined that current agricultural systems make it impossible to meet climate commitments even if all other sources of greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated. PETA offers a free vegan starter kit for those looking to make the switch to vegan meals.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview – released a video last year celebrating crop farmers across the UK. Last month, the group also announced the winners of its first-ever Farming Awards.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White, +44 207-837-6327, [email protected]
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