Good news for vegans and animal advocates 🎉

Some very positive developments in challenging collective times!

Hi friend,

Today, I was so excited to see that this newsletter has reached 98 subscribers! I’m so grateful to all of you. Thanks for receiving this, so I can write about what truly excites me.

Positive developments in the midst of challenging times

The last week has been rather hard for me, given what has been going on in US politics.

It’s a good reminder that while we care about animals, we also care about a lot of other things. In that way, we are in the same boat as everyone else who is a fundamentally decent person who doesn’t want bad things to happen to others.

At the same time, as animal advocates, we are aware of some things other people in our boats aren’t yet aware of.

For instance, you might have seen reports about a drastic increase in the price of eggs. Most people, regardless of their political opinions, would think that that’s a bad thing.

Well, I obviously don’t. I think it’s great that eggs are getting more expensive. It might make them less desirable to buy. It might encourage people to try cheaper, cruelty-free alternatives. It might make the egg industry less profitable. And if the price of eggs reflects badly on the current US administration, well, that’s another side benefit.

Which brings us to our first bit of good news:

Increased egg prices in the US led to declining purchases

As of mid-January 2025, the average price for a dozen eggs in the US has reached about $6.30.

If, like me, you haven’t bought eggs in forever, you probably have no idea how expensive or inexpensive that is. So, here’s a number to put that in perspective: this is an increase of at least 36% compared to January 2024.

The egg shortage has led to restrictions on purchases in some stores, and overall egg purchases have declined by 15% year-over-year.

Ernest Analytics has discovered that since January 2021, there has been a strong inverse correlation (-0.5) between the average price of eggs and the quantity sold.

Given that there is no indication that the prices will go down anytime soon, we can continue to expect a decrease in egg purchases!

The increasing price of eggs (and other animal products) is a great chance to draw attention to cheaper, cruelty-free alternatives. For instance, here’s a funny meme that

Michael Corthell

recently shared.

Speaking of money…

Norway's sovereign wealth fund introduces animal welfare expectations

Norway's Government Pension Fund Global, one of the world's largest wealth sovereign funds, has announced new animal welfare expectations for the companies in which it invests.

It now expects all companies it invests in to take into account international guidelines for animal welfare, aligning with recommendations from organizations like the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

Given the fund’s huge influence as one of the largest investors in the international food industry, this is a significant step toward globally promoting better animal welfare practices within invested companies.

Hooray!

Speaking of global perspectives…

One of Germany’s leading international law institutes holds Defund Meat conference

On 16-17 January 2025, the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg held its “Defund Meat” conference. The conference had over 150 participants.

Here’s an excerpt from the conference theme (emphasis added):

“… meat remains the elephant in the room – or the sacred cow – especially when it comes to climate change and global public health strategies. Moreover, meat-reduction policies have not yet been instituted as integral part of the sustainable food transformation. While buzzwords such as the ‘decarbonisation’ of the economy and ‘fossil fuel divestment’ have become mainstream, comparable calls for a ‘deanimalisation’ of agriculture or for ‘defunding meat’ remain marginal. Considering livestock’s ‘long shadow’, it is time to drop the taboo: we need to talk about meat.

This interdisciplinary conference moved the meat question from the margins into the spotlight of the ongoing debates on One Health, sustainability, climate change, food security, and public health.”

The Max Planck Institute is one of the leading international law institutes in Germany, so it’s very exciting that they are discussing the “meat question.”

Speaking of meat…

Veganuary participants are more likely to become disgusted by meat

A new study surveyed omnivores that partook in Veganuary out of their own accord, and measured participants’ meat disgust and meat intake levels pre- and post-Veganuary. It found that “after avoiding or reducing meat intake for only 1 month participants showed an increase in explicit ratings of meat disgust.”

As a habit coach, I find this very exciting. It shows that when it comes to meat, a change in behavior can precede a change in attitude. As Natalia Lawrence, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Exeter, put it:

“Normally, the idea is to educate people first to change their attitudes, and hopefully they end up changing their behavior. But if you persuade people to change their behavior for a month, it seems that these things follow.”

On a purely anecdotal level, this matches what I have seen from people who reduced their meat intake (for instance, because their friends took a plant-based challenge) and subsequently experienced more disgust towards meat.

Basically, this might mean that we don’t need to proselytize at all. Perhaps, the best thing we can do is invite people to participate in Veganuary or other plant-based challenges with us, let them go through their own process, and simply be of support along the way. Doesn’t that sound way less exhausting (and much more fun) than engaging in endless arguments?

🤗 How you can help animals

It feels great to read through positive news. What’s even better is to contribute to them!

Remember, the whole animal advocacy movement is still in its early phase, and we can use all hands on deck. That means that your contribution is uniquely valuable and important at this time!

💡 If you want to become a more effective vegan advocate, the Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy has you covered (with free courses and communication hacks). 💡

Here’s how you can be a part of the solution:

1. You can donate to an organization that effectively helps animals, such as the Animal Charity Evaluators or the Animal Welfare Fund. You can find out more about effective animal welfare donations here.

2. You can volunteer for animals. If you don’t have a lot of time, the Humane League’s Fast Action Network might be a good choice, as it allows you to contribute when you can (for instance, while waiting in a queue). If you have more time, you can find a lot of volunteering opportunities here.

3. If you are not yet a vegan, you can become a vegan ally (see this YouTube video for an explanation) and support the cause by reducing your consumption of animal products. If you want support in becoming more vegan, there are many vegan challenges, such as this one.

4. If you would like community, you can join Hive Newsletter’s Slack channel and connect with 3000+ animal advocates. I joined a few months ago and it’s amazing! My only regret is that I didn’t join earlier. :)

Warmly,
Louise