VOICES: Mike Francis reviews the scientific research conducted into the biology of slaughter to put paid to the misguided belief that there can ever be such a thing as the humane killing of farmed animals.

VOICES: As a European Citizens’ Initiative to ban all fur farms and farmed fur products across the continent gains momentum, we’re exploring the progress away from fur Europe has seen so far, and why it’s so important.

GUEST ARTICLE: Did you know that the UK’s Ministry of Defence was offered replacement faux fur bear caps at no cost to them until 2030? Instead, they chose to use taxpayer money to fund the massacre of Canadian black bears by hunters. PETA Director Elisa Allen explains how you can take action.

Are universities, our hallowed institutes of higher education and progressive thinking, failing students by ignoring scientific consensus on the impact of animal agriculture on the environment? Vaania Kapoor Achuthan, a student at University College London, discusses the aims of a bold new plant-based universities campaign.

Since Brexit finally came to pass, there’s been uncertainty within the UK plant-based movement about whether it’s worth engaging with vegan, environmental, and animal-welfare issues in Europe. The plant-based dairy censorship petition is a great example of why EU issues still matter.

This week 21 NGOs called on the European Commission and the European Council to stop plant-based dairy censorship (by preventing amendment 171, passed by the European Parliament in October 2020, from being implemented in Member States). Coming from environmental organisations as diverse as Greenpeace, WWF, and Foodwatch, as well as consumer organisations and animal-welfare groups, including World Animal Protection, the message is clear: protect our planet, its animals, and our health.

Content warning: graphic images | Meet Flat House Farm, a farrow-to-finish farm housing up to 8,000 pigs and 800 breeding pigs where undercover investigators for Viva! found conditions so awful that even Red Tractor was ‘appalled’ by our findings.