Too few farmers are transitioning to agricultural practices that are better for biodiversity, soil health and the climate, and “cognitive lock-ins” are to blame, says a new study. But there are ways to overcome these lock-ins, and they could also help farmers transition from livestock to plant agriculture, writes Claire Hamlett.

To mark the release of our Veganuary 2022 video, here is our list of the five best books, films and documentaries to help humans shift their perspective to some of those who we exploit by not going plant-based. Do you know someone taking the Veganuary challenge? Send them our essential viewing and reading to help them make the ethical connection.

ANALYSIS: According to researchers, attempting to convince people not to eat meat too judgmentally could be counterproductive because they actually ‘care too much’ about animals, forcing them to use various methods to escape the uncomfortable truth. Can knowing this make us better activists?

The way we talk about animals devalues the lives of some based solely on their belonging to a particular species. But could this kind of talk be considered hate speech, akin to that directed at people of a certain race, and should animals be protected from it?

The tragic story of Bowser the family dog, who was euthanised by YouTuber Nikki Phillippi and her husband Dan out of apparent fear for their child’s safety, has sparked a massive outcry with much of social media accusing the family of being murderers. What does this tell us about our attitudes to non-human animals? An awful lot, it seems.

People who love eating animals frequently say things like ‘but bacon is delicious’ when confronted with evidence of the cruelty of intensive animal farming or of the intelligence of animals, to make them morally uncomfortable. A new study has found that they may engage in similar “motivated skepticism [sic]” to willfully ignore the pandemic risks of factory farming and meat consumption.

Last week, news emerged of a pig who after escaping during the journey to the slaughterhouse is now to be allowed to live out his natural life with his original ‘owners’. We take a look at the story in more depth and what it reveals about our conflicting attitudes towards non-humans.

Can an infamous example of animal abuse posted to YouTube illustrate the ethical disconnect that arises when our morality fails to tally with our actions? Alex J. O’Connor, AKA Cosmic Skeptic, writes.