UK Vegan Festival this month!

If you are nearby the Midlands, UK this is the place to be for plenty of information on Veganism - It will be incredibly helpful to any of you who have recently gone or are considering going Vegan. Check it out!

Making a Tourist Attraction from Her Suffering & the Death of Her Calves - Isle of Mull, 'Cheese Farm':

 

Video of the cows being used at 'Cheese Farm' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI9ImCxl0Ko

Please take the time to watch.

The cows on 'Cheese Farm' on the Isle of Mull, Scotland spend their days the same as any other dairy cow - kept on a continous cycle of pregnancy throughout their lives as a dairy cow, having their calves taken from them so that we can use the milk meant for their calves, being milked up to three times a day. This does not include the further death and suffering when considering the calves. The calves will either be reared to do the same as their mother or, if male, will be killed (as they are not 'suitable' for meat production) or sent to veal farms not long after birth. You can actually visit 'Cheese Farm' to purchase some local 'Isle of Mull Cheese' and sit in the tearoom to enjoy a milky cup of tea or coffee.

This all paints a pretty picture, to omnivores and vegetarians, of lush pastures with happy cows roaming around, more than happy to let us take their milk. It covers up the truth - the suffering and death caused just to produce the cheese and the milk in those teas and coffees. Just because an animal product is local, organic and the animal being used has stretch upon stretch of lush green fields to wander in a setting as beautiful as the Isle of Mull, does certainly not mean the animals live a life absent of the intentional harm caused by us, humans. To state that consuming animal products that are organic, free range and local is a morally good thing to do is wrong and incredibly misleading. This makes those of us who are unaware of the facts think that we are doing a good thing for the animals when the contrary is actually the truth. We are merely helping to support the use of nonhuman animals. The cows are still being used by us for our unnecessary desires.

On 'Cheese Farm', the cows had white numbers on the top of their thighs. They had yellow tags in their ears and what appeared to be leather collars round their necks. They have been labelled, numbered and tagged just like the products on our store shelves. Why are they less important than ourselves? Differences in cognitive abilities should not in any way lead to someone being used as a slave. The majority of us will agree with that on a human level and the only thing stopping us from agreeing with it on a nonhuman level is our Speciesism. Where is their inherent value? They should not be resources.

They have sentience. They feel the effects of what we inflict upon them and when I was walking past 'Cheese Farm' I could see the effects - Sore udders, weak hips and sad eyes as we deprive them of strength through physical harm and the property status we put upon them. As we take their children from them each and every time. We need the time to come where 'Cheese Farm' and all other locations of animal agriculture no longer exist. Let it be replaced with arable agriculture and let the existing nonhumans find sanctuary while they live out their days as they wish. Let us stop bringing lives into the world who are only ever to be used as slaves - This is immoral.

Go Vegan - It's the least we can do and it will end their slavery.

Vegan Recipes

Now you know ‘Why Vegan’ and some facts of the ‘Animal Industry’, here’s a quick and delicious cookie recipe to get you started on your way to Veganism.


Banana Everything Cookies / ‘Jaja Cookies’!
(Recipe taken from - Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

(High energy cookie mix)

These are yummy and so quick to make.

You can improvise by adding whatever you like after you have the banana and oat base. Some of my improvisations have been added below.

The oats give them a lovely soft and chewy texture as well as providing you with nutritional benefit.

And the best part - They are animal product free, so nobody is used just for your enjoyment.

Give them a go...The only thing you may regret is the fact that you ate them all!

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana

1/3 cup sunflower/canola oil

2/3 cup unrefined sugar

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup plain flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 cups rolled oats

Then for the fun part – adding the bits and pieces!

Add cinnamon (how ever much you like)

½ cup walnuts

½ cup chocolate chip-sized chunks

½ cup sultanas/raisins


If you are looking to make a more nutritious and high-energy based cookie, I found the following mix of ingredients to go down very well:

½ cup mixed dried berries

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

¼ cup hemp seeds

½ cup chocolate chip-sized chunks

½ cup hazlenuts/almonds


Something a little more chocolately:

Cocoa powder (how ever much you like)

½ cup hazlenuts/almonds

½ cup chocolate ship-sized chunks

Whatever you like really!


Recipe:

1. Using a mixing bowl, mash the banana well with a fork/your hands (make sure they are clean first though!)

2. Add the oil and sugar and mix well with a fork

3. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and any vegan powdered spice/flavour you like

4. Mix these ingredients well, until the mixture is quite moist

5. Now it’s time to add the oats, any nuts, seeds and chocolate you have chosen to put in and to mix really well with your hands to make sure it is all well distributed and stuck together

6. Make small balls with the dough and place on an oiled baking tray

7. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand, making sure there is a reasonable gap between each disc shape

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on how browned you would like your cookies) in a preheated oven (200 Degrees Celsius)

9. Leave to cool on the baking trays once finished in the oven and once they are slightly hardened, twist and lift to remove them from the tray and place on a cooling tray for a further 10 minutes

10. Enjoy!

Tips – If your dough mixture is too greasy, add a few more teaspoons of flour. If your dough mixture is too dry and not sticking, add a little more oil until the mixture holds better.

Give it a go :-)