All posts filed under: veganic farming

About pigs, horses and winter stew

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Don’t worry, no horses nor pigs ended up in the stew. A couple of weeks ago we went to the screening of the documentary The Last Pig. The screening was organised by Uitgezonderd (who also organises a vegan people’s kitchen in Bruges every month) and was held at the edge of the city, in Koersepeerd (“koersepeerd” is Flemish dialect for racehorse). Hence my opening 😉 There was also a people’s kitchen that evening, before the screening of the documentary. All you can eat Winter stew with seitan, potatoes  and salad. Delicious, and a huge portion! The Last Pig is the story of pig farmer Bob Comis in the United States. His story reminded me of that of Gustaf Söderfeldt, the Swedish farmer who switched to veganic farming a couple of years ago.  In similar vein, Bob is having trouble with his conscience. The documentary follows him during his last year as a pig farmer, until the last pigs leave the premises. Throughout the the docu, Bob talks – in a very serene and calm manner – about his company, life …

Inspiring: pig farmer turns vegan and now grows vegetables

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This is the kind of story that makes me happy. That shows that change is possible! While there is an increasing amount of positive stories about veganism in the media, most of those reports are about the growing number of vegans, vegan celebrities, or the emerging offer of vegan products in shops. So mainly about the consumption side of the story. But the ultimate goal is the abolishment of the use of animals, for food, clothing, entertainment and other purposes. Circussen without animals, food production without the exploitation of animals. It’s not just about getting consumers to choose vegan options, but about getting farmers to practice veganic agriculture.  So their company makes the transition to veganic farming (without the use of animals, and also without animal products such as manure). So that no animals are used and exploited. The story of Swedish farmer Gustaf Söderfeldt is a great example! ‘Humane’ meat Gustaf and his partner Caroline wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and settled on the countryside, where they started …

Farmer switches to veganic farming and gives cows to sanctuary

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I find this one of the most inspiring stories of the last years. Although there’s no shortage of positive stories about veganism in mainstream media (about the numbers of vegans growing, vegan celebrities or the increasing offer of vegan products), most of these focus on the consumption side of the spectrum. There are far less stories from the other side, being the production side. And in the end, when it comes to the food aspect of veganism, that’s what it’s all about: ending the use of animals in food production. Making farmers choose vegan options, switching to veganic farming (without the use of any animal products, like manure). Jay Wilde, a 59 year old vegetarian farmer from Derbyshire (UK) inherited the farm when his dad died in 2011. He couldn’t bear to send the cows to slaughter anymore and has donated about 60 cows to a vegan sanctuary. And is now switching to veganic vegetable farming. “I’m relieved to have made the decision to no longer farm animals, something which I always found quite upsetting,” he …

Why I don’t buy a goat for Africa

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A couple of weeks ago I saw this message in my Facebook Feed. It is from the Belgian NGO Dierenartsen zonder Grenzen (DZG = Veterinarians without Borders). The post calls to buy a goat. At that point, the counter stood at 127 purchased goats (meanwhile more than 300). On the website koopeengeit.be (buy a goat) I find out that the collected funds are meant for the purchase of goats in Africa. “Buy a goat for 50 euro, a small herd for 200 euro or a larger herd for 500 euro and give African families a future.” On the FB page, I read that the organisation DZG “combats hunger and poverty in remote African areas, by improving husbandry“. The goats ‘give milk and manure‘ and are being eaten, because the population ‘eats a lot of goat meat’. The goats are ‘an asset that becomes profitable over time and are easily transferred into money‘ and ‘that can be a first step to cattle farming‘. For underpriviliged African families, they can be ‘a means to step out of poverty‘, it says on …