Mandy Carter: Love of animals at heart of veganism

As I became older I could no longer separate the meat on my plate from the animals I loved, writes Mandy Carter. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Changing the diet came after some sickening truths about the cruelty creatures endure to feed humans.

Were you shocked at the revelations of cruelty in the New Zealand pork industry earlier this year? I wasn't. I've seen it so many times before. For me it just reinforced exactly why I gave up meat 23 years ago.

I remember my last meat meal well. It was a chicken casserole and I was 11. As a forward-thinking (some would say precocious) child I had informed my Mum several days before of my intentions to go vegetarian. She wasn't very happy, but I was stubborn so that was that.

I've always loved animals. Most birthdays I'd go to the zoo, and regularly rescued animals. To me animals were individuals who had unique personalities. They weren't so different from us ... it's just they had fur.

As I became older I could no longer separate the meat on my plate from the animals I loved, I felt it was wrong to take a life when I could just as easily eat something else. My eyes were opened: we only get one life, so why not let the animals live out theirs free from suffering and harm?

I've now been vegan about eight years. Like countless people, I was genuinely shocked to learn that there was cruelty in the dairy industry. It had never occurred to me that cows produced milk because they were constantly pregnant or to wonder what happened to those babies (hint: it doesn't end well) and that even eating free-range eggs results in the death of male chicks who are minced alive. I was sickened to think I'd been a part of that.

Add to that arguments for giving up meat for your health (the National Heart Foundation reports that vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some cancers) and the environment (farmed animals are a major contributor to New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions and have resulted in our being rated 11th in the world for per capita greenhouse emissions) and my decision was made: I'd give up all animal products. Even so, I was such a cheese fiend that it took me three attempts before I was finally vegan for good.

Now I love it. Fortunately times have changed and it's no longer nut cutlets for dinner. Truly, I eat a far more varied, delicious and interesting diet than I ever did as a meat-eater, or a vegetarian. And I feel good that I cause less harm to animals.

No animal will ever feel the terror of the slaughterhouse for my sake.

There are plenty of good reasons to be vegetarian or vegan: It's tasty, it's cheap, it's easy, it's good for you - and for beautiful New Zealand, but for me, the one true reason will always be: for the animals.

Animals want to live just as much as you and me. Let's let them.

Mandy Carter is head of campaigns at animal advocacy organisation Safe. Safe is holding a 30-day Go Veg Challenge for World Vegetarian Month which started on October 1.

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