HappyCow has published its list of the Top 20 vegan cities in the world in 2023.
Founded by frequent traveller and vegan Paul Brent in 1999, HappyCow charts the growth of veganism worldwide.
Their ratings come from a number of criteria, including the number of vegan restaurants, vegan friendly businesses, and the vibrancy of the local vegan community.
Topping the list for the fourth year running is London. A number of other European capitals make it on the list, including Paris, where vegan cuisine is having an impact on traditional French pastries and cheeses. In the US Portland is the most vegan-friendly city.
The full list is as follows:
1. London
2. Berlin
3. Barcelona
4. Amsterdam
5. Hamburg
6. Portland
7. Los Angeles
8. Paris
9. Bangkok
10. Lisbon
11. Tokyo
12. Warsaw
13. Brighton
14. Singapore
15. New York City
16. Taipei
17. Munich
18. Ho Chi Minh City
19. Prague
20. Edinburgh
From a hatchling until her death in an automated slaughterhouse, a factory-farmed chicken’s life is hell from beginning to end. Another powerful and compassionate story from young writer and animal activist Lily Carrington.
Day One…
She tumbles out of her eggshell and lands on something hard. A cacophony of chirping overwhelms her, like a door opening to a deafening crowd. The brightness of artificial lights blinds her at first. She blinks. She’s in a crate, cold plastic slats pressing painfully into her brand-new baby feet. She does a little shake, her feathers sticking to her skin like wet clothes. Her blue eyes are wide, her heart beats out a speedy rhythm in her chest. All of a sudden, a hand lunges down towards her. Before she can run, fingers clamp around her small frame like a vice, lift her into the air, then send her flying. She slams down onto another unforgiving surface, a conveyor belt. After a moment of panicked kicking and flapping she regains her balance and stands, wobbling among countless other chicks as the conveyor belt moves along steadily beneath them. She is grabbed again, carried, dropped, grabbed again, and then blinding pain sears through her beak. She screams internally, the agony unbearable. After an excruciating few seconds, the machine releases her beak, but the pain barely recedes. She falls into another crate. Her head lolls forward, eyes half closed as pain continues to surge through her body in waves, threatening to drown her. The crate is lifted and stacked on top of another. Then another is stacked on top of that.
Eleven months later…
In the darkness of a shed, her beak still hurts when she eats. But now she has worse pains that compete for her attention. Her skin stings in the raw patches where her feathers are missing, pecked out by other chickens when she attempts to approach the pop holes. Now her feathers have started just falling out by themselves. Her legs falter beneath her, becoming more fragile every day. Her feet ache from standing on hard plastic. Her lungs burn from the stench that permeates the air. Huddled in a gloomy corner, her gaze darts
around, left, right, left again. She blinks, and lets her haggard body gradually sink onto the grimy floor. She breathes slowly, heavily. Her eyelids close halfway, but not fully. Her body feels as if it’s full of bricks, but her mind zaps with anxiety, preventing her from sleeping. She will never know what it’s like to feel safe.
Seven months later…
She is weaker still. An unusual commotion brings her to her feet. Chickens are being seized and crammed into crates. She becomes immediately alert, as fear tightens its hold on her. She rushes clumsily to the rear of the shed where the other chickens have gathered into a mass of squawking, flapping, feathers. Soon she too fails to escape the determined hands as they lunge and grab. As she panics wildly, fingers tighten around one of her legs and jerk her upside down. Her leg snaps and searing pain engulfs her. But the hand doesn’t let go.
“Keep flapping and I’ll break your other one too!”
She’s shoved into a crate, and desperately tries to readjust. Trying, but failing, to escape the pain in her leg. More chickens are
squashed on top of her. She can barely breathe.
Five hours later…
Her world tilts upside down as she is wrenched from the midst of the chickens in her crate. Her mangled leg is forced into the unyielding grip of a metal shackle. The pain is overwhelming. But the world does not stop for her, and the line of shackles moves onwards.
Taking her, in all her flapping desperation, to the electrified water baths. Without hesitation, she is dragged headfirst into the bath. She thrashes under the water. In the shackles, her pale feet twitch and spasm. She is still underwater, and still she thrashes. Then finally, finally, finally, her body goes limp. At the other end of the bath, she emerges. Her bare throat arrives in the hands of the throat cutter. The knife points into her flesh, presses, and cuts her open, then her blood pours out.
Lily Carrington is a dedicated animal rights activist who is driven by a strong sense of justice for all beings. She is fighting for a world where all non-human animals are granted respect, compassion and freedom. Lily lives in Hamilton, New Zealand, with her Mum and 10 companion animals. She has recently graduated from school.
In this series of articles May Safely Graze editor Sandra Kyle interviews the leadership team of the newly-registered Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Next is General Secretary, Danette Wereta.
1 Tell us a bit about yourself and your background, Danette.
I was born in New Zealand and lived in Melbourne, Australia for 10 years in my 20’s. My son was born in Australia and we moved back when he was little. My work background is in leadership, strategy, culture, change management, and customer engagement, with over 18 years experience working in numerous industries in New Zealand and Australia, including financial services, government, energy, sales, and distribution.
I have an MBA from Canterbury University. I have been in Senior Leadership for over six years, and am the Board Chair for Ao Tawhiti and the Climate Action Campus.
2 How has your background helped you to do your job in the AJP?
My studies and career path have all been helpful and pertinent. In particular, in 2022 I worked in a start-up, which was completely different from my previous roles (in which I led large operational teams of 100+ people). I learned a lot piloting a new business, and found that a new Party has many similarities. You need to get the basics right, be clear on your purpose and position, have goals and planned pathways to achieve them, and set up repeatable processes to ensure they’re scalable. The “so what” becomes very important.
It also has the same energy and feels like, as the old saying goes, you are “building the plane while flying it”.
My governance experience from being on Boards also helps, and of course, years of leadership means different tools in the belt can be applied in different situations.
3 Do you have a personal philosophy? What drives you?
My philosophy is that we aren’t here to get big mortgages, fancy cars, or race to the bottom – consuming unnecessarily, causing irreparable harm and damage. We have a lot to learn from the animals who exist alongside us, who are also themselves, who are also connected. It makes you question – what in fact is success? What brings joy and happiness? How do we find balance – giving and taking the way our mother earth intended it.
4 What do you consider your main strengths are?
I am an extremely curious person who is both strong and compassionate. My childhood was difficult, and that has given me much empathy. Growing up, my companion animals never let me down, and I’ve always had a strong connection to all animals.
5 Why did you became a part of the AJP?
The animal rights movement is huge, and we are all doing critical work. I have always admired and supported different NGOs, advocacy groups, and communities.
I saw AJP step into a vital swim lane that was empty in NZ, and it was the opportunity to use the skills acquired in my career in a super meaningful way. It feels corny saying this, but it really felt completely aligned. For the first time, I could really make a difference by taking everything I know and applying those skills to create value in a space I care most about.
We need people to shine a light on what is wrong, to bring awareness, and also solutions. We need people championing change, and we need AJP working in Parliament to ensure that our laws provide the proper protection and support animals deserve. We need to ensure that laws are in place to help the incredible people in the field do their job when things go wrong, and we also need to be upstream to mitigate things going wrong.
What is right and wrong is often compared to what is legal and illegal, so it’s easy to think that how we treat animals is ok. We need an independent Commissioner for Animals to give animals a voice against abuse, exploitation for entertainment, and harm to their natural environment. We need systemic change to re-evaluate our understanding of animals, and to treat them as individuals.
6 What does your position in the AJP entail?
General Secretary. I was lucky to be voted into this position. I have big shoes to fill, and I am trying my best. There is lots to learn! Luckily, I am surrounded by a helpful and experienced team.
In a nutshell, a political party’s general secretary is a key administrative role, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing strategic goals, fostering communication, and ensuring compliance with political regulations. It’s a varied and extensive position, entailing working closely with the other party leaders and officers.
7 Are there any AHA moments you had on your path towards veganism?
I grew deeply frustrated with speciesism; to me it is stating the obvious that it is wrong to treat one type of animal one way, and another so very differently. We all feel fear, pain, and joy.
I am certain that if most people bore witness to what actually happens in slaughterhouses, and imagined their dog in that position, they would want them all shut down. Language has been used to disconnect from the truth of how we treat animals, and we need to start being honest.
Animals’ lives are theirs, not ours. Humans are the biggest pests on the planet and when we look at history, you can see how the way we live directly impacts animals. We must take responsibility and stop the industrialization of animal farming. We are in a crisis that continues to grow more serious with each passing year. We have to make better choices.
I have always felt intuitively connected to animals and felt like we understood each other. Over the years, I have relied on a sixth sense and often end up where an animal needs help. Unfortunately, a lot of that is providing love and light as they cross over the rainbow bridge. It’s been very heavy and extremely difficult. However, I spoke with someone who explained that it’s a gift, and I need to lean in. I should see it as an honor and embrace the role. So, I spend a lot of time helping animals! And, thankfully, it doesn’t always end sadly.
8 Do you think a single-issue party like AJP has any chance of being a part of the government?
It will be very hard. However, I have hope! Hope is important. Hope is powerful. And the wave of change happens so fast these days. While it is easy to get bogged down in the horrific cruelty that we inflict upon animals, there are many beacons of light.
9 Do you think AJP can make a difference for animals, even if it remains small?
Yes. Everyone can’t do everything, but if we join up and work together, we can make a difference. AJP is needed on the scene to drive much-needed political action for the animals.
10 Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I feel extremely privileged to work alongside my colleagues at AJP, and to be learning from everyone. We’re all here to make change for animals. We have grit and determination and nothing is impossible.
John Feldmann said: “I believe animals should be respected as citizens of this earth. They should have the right to their freedom, their own families and their own life”.
In this series of articles May Safely Graze editor Sandra Kyle interviews the leadership team of the newly-registered Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. We continue with Policy President, Karen Singleton.
1 Tell us a bit about yourself and your background, Karen.
I have had the opportunity to have a number of different careers, across 3 countries! Born in the North of England to a meat-eating, working-class family, I was lucky enough to study fashion and work as a designer and a lecturer before giving it all up to live in rural France for almost ten years. I loved learning the language, and teaching others English. I worked for a French software company supporting training and the help desk, which was great fun with my improving French language skills! I moved to New Zealand about 10 years ago and have worked as a civil servant in a number of roles, from Capability building in Emergency Management, to Strategic Policy.
I’ve always been passionate about the environment and living in a harmonious, and sustainable way with animals and the planet. I am filled with a sense of wonder of all the amazing creatures alive today, and a deep sadness for all those extinct today due to human activity.
Simple things bring me pleasure; being in Nature, helping animals and giving rescue cats and chickens a happy home, growing veggies, and always increasing my knowledge so I can help more animals.
2 So you’ve had plenty of experience working in diverse, complex, fast-paced and high-pressure environments. How would you describe your leadership style?
Probably that it is based on relationship building and mentoring. In 2021 I became an online mentor for the Vegan Society 21 day Vegan Challenge. I have a calm nature, a strong work ethic, and a strategic and analytic thinking focus, and I think my leadership models all of this.
3 How has your background helped you to do the job you now do in the AJP?
When I first started volunteering for AJP my former organisational and leadership experience enabled me to apply some structure to the work required, and help the team progress. It was an intensive time, with a heavy workload, and my emergency management experience certainly helped!
Since then I have supported AJP as Head of Comms, my analytical and writing skills helping to identify what we wanted to say and how best to say it – whether on social media, press releases or emails to members.
Strategic thinking has been key throughout, questioning what are we doing, why, and what the impact is we’re trying to create for animals.
My skills enabled me to work collaboratively with a wide range of people, who were strangers at first, but many are now are respected peers and friends.
Understanding leadership, project management and how government works provides a good underpinning for the Policy President role.
4 Did you have any AHA moments that led you to veganism and your work for animals?
I’ve always shared my adult life with other animals. Each individual has had a huge impact on me. However, it is the rescue dog who was part of the family when I was a child who started me on this journey of reflection. As a teenager I became aware that in some countries people eat dogs, and in others they don’t eat cows or pigs, which was part of my normal world. This made me reflect on the different societal norms, and how arbitrary they are. And if eating cows was socially acceptable in the UK why wasn’t eating dogs? The solution seemed to me to either be ok with eating all animals or eat none. I choose none at all as a teenager. While I lived a vegan lifestyle, I ate a vegetarian diet. Unfortunately it took me decades to commit to a fully vegan diet but it just felt so right when I did as it fully aligned with my lifestyle and beliefs, and I wish I’d done it sooner. I’ve followed a vegan diet for about 9 years now.
5 Do you have a personal philosophy? What drives you?
Compassion and wonder. For each other, the planet and all who share this amazing world with us. My vision is of a habitable planet with a peaceful civilisation.
I want everyone (including non-human animals) to be happy and kind to each other. We are all here for a short time. Let’s help each other, and protect the precious home we all share.
6 What do you consider your main strengths are?
Calm, organised, flexible. I get on with things and do them!
7 Why did you became a part of the AJP?
I wanted to find a channel where I could use my transferable skills to help animals.
While I would donate, sign petitions and attend a few marches, I never felt like I was doing all I could to help animals.
Being involved in the AJP is such a pleasure and a privilege. I feel, as part of a political party advocating for animals, we have an opportunity to directly influence legislation, shape national policies, and bring about systemic changes which could be transformational. To be able to use my skills to support this is incredible.
8 You are Policy President. What does that entail?
It’s a one-year term, elected annually at the AGM. My duties include serving as Chair of the Policy Committee, and ensuring it operates effective and efficiently, as well as acting as spokesperson for the Party on matters of Party Policy. I also serve on the Executive Committee of the Party.
9 Do you think a single-issue party like AJP has any chance being a part of the government?
I do. I am a believer in the power of democracy and what dedicated individuals can achieve. Society changes, and norms with them. We’re now seeing political polarisation happening here in NZ, as we’ve seen happen in the UK and US, and I feel single-issue parties will gain more traction as people lose faith in parties seemingly seeking to tear apart our society, setting one group against another in one culture war after another.
In the meantime, AJP is creating a vision for the future for all of us and while single-issue parties might not often form the government, we can still play a role in shaping the political agenda and influencing policies. We can negotiate with larger parties to advocate for animals. Everything we do will raise awareness about animals and contribute to public discourse on them, and how they are treated.
10 How do you think the AJP can make a difference for animals if it remains small?
By influencing public discourse, raising awareness, and leveraging our presence. While our legislative impact might be limited, we can collaborate with larger parties, form alliances, and mobilise public support to gradually build momentum and influence towards more significant changes in the long run.
We also have the agility to focus on particular issues for specific animals to make a real difference to their lives.
As our purpose is “to work towards a society that recognises and protects the rights and well-being of animals” we won’t compromise our message. We will always speak up for animals and seek to improve their lives.
I think the Climate and Environment debate shows that more education doesn’t change people’s behaviour. We need to target people’s hearts and values. We need to provide a clear, holistic vision that people can see and desire.
To do this it is vital we are seen as a professional organisation that can be trusted in the information it shares and provides, and, of course, through our actions.
11 Is there anything else you would like to say?
Only that I am very grateful for the support of my partner, who is also a vegan. Without him I wouldn’t be able to give so much time and energy to AJP! Helping animals is both an individual and a community activity, and we all benefit.
In this series of articles May Safely Graze editor Sandra Kyle interviews the leadership team of the newly-registered Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. We begin with Executive President, Rob McNeil.
1 Tell us a bit about your background Rob.
I grew up in West Auckland, with many family companion cats at times, and eventually became a Chartered Accountant. My real loves were languages and music, but a job in numbers gave me security and paid the bills. This career path led me to a 3-month job in Canada, where I oddly stayed for 32 years, discovering veganism and activism seven years ago, before returning to New Zealand in 2022. My guitar and my music are never far away from me.
Luckily the area I was in in Canada was home to Anita Kranjc and the Save Movement, and I learned a lot from them. I was also lucky enough to attend multiple Animal Liberation Conferences in California, be engaged (allegedly) in direct animal rescues, lead an activism tour across North America, support farm sanctuaries, develop campaigns and run various grassroots activist groups. Along the way I learned a lot about campaigning, social movement change theory, empathy and movement building. I still have much to learn.
2 How has your path so far helped you to do the job you do in the AJP?
Everything I’ve done has helped me develop my skills and keep my focus through various trials. I’ve learned both from successes and failures. Successes include stopping a backyard chicken initiative, managing undercover ag workers, and helping defeat an ag-gag bill. Setbacks were watching the world’s biggest chicken slaughterhouse built locally, despite our campaign, being arrested and facing a 10-year maximum sentence for duck rescue (no conviction yay!), and, tragically and unforgettably, seeing activist Regan Russell’s blood washed off the streets after she was callously killed outside an Ontario pig slaughterhouse.
3 Do you have a personal philosophy? What drives you?
Knowing that whatever struggles and human setbacks we have, nothing compares to the suffering of the animals on a daily basis. “Find a small aligned crew, research a goal and strategies, and go. Rinse and repeat.”
4 What do you consider your main strengths are?
Great mentors in my life (mostly women) have taught me about empathy, speciesism, my privilege, theories of change. I am grateful for all the mentors in my life so far.
5 You have been there from the start of the AJP. Why did you want to help form a political party?
It was an obvious next step for animals in Aotearoa – a party that could be a clear voice for animals, without compromise. I’ve been here since the start, although it’s the excellent team that has made it great. Watch what we can do – stay tuned!
6 What does your position in the AJP entail?
I’m Executive President (2nd term). Sounds fancy but I’m really just here to serve the Executive Committee and the Members, trying to push the agenda forward strategically to help build an organization to do great things as capacity builds. We are all unpaid volunteers – join us!
7 Are there any AHA moments you have had on your vegan/animal rights journey you want to share?
There was an accidental trip to a farm sanctuary in 2017 where I met the late, great Mr Dusty Miller, a rescued turkey who was proud, fierce and gorgeous. It was definitely an ‘AHA’ moment as he stalked me, and taught me he was an individual and worthy of my respect and adoration.
8 Do you think a single issue party like AJP has any chance being a part of the government?
Definitely – when we win just one seat we could hold a balance of power. Before special votes were counted, in the 2023 election it was quite possible had we won a seat. We just need some great strategies, and some candidates with charisma and experience.
9 How do you think AJP can make a difference for animals if it remains small?
There are city elections to potentially contest, committees to attend, MPs to engage with, and policies and submissions that can influence other parties’ actions and the fate of animals. We can also reach many kiwis with strong campaigns and social media.
10 Is there anything else you’d like to say?
The animal movement has all the values and willpower it will ever need, but we lack capacity and sometimes long-term planning to become bigger and more influential over time. We can learn through training how to improve the plight of vulnerable animals. I’m also hopeful that we can learn and share empathic listening and non-violent communication to better understand ourselves and the challenges we face, as we work together to achieve justice for our fellow animals.
Not so long ago few people outside the animal agriculture community knew about ‘bobby calves’, the days-old dairy calves, mostly male and superfluous to the farmer’s requirements, who are either killed on farm or sent to the slaughterhouse. I myself became vegan overnight when I learned about these bobbies.
Thanks to the campaigning of animal activists, the fate of bobby calves is now well known – and it’s a PR disaster for dairy farmers. Nobody likes to think of frail baby animals being prised from their mothers and sent off to the Works, their umbilical cord often still attached. It is little surprise that it’s a sensitive topic in the Industry, a very inconvenient truth that won’t go away.
In the latest of a string of changes aimed at eliminating the worst abuses and improving the image of dairying, Fonterra have stated that from June farmers are prohibited from killing calves on the farm, unless the calf is sick. In the news item that aired on New Zealand TV last night, I was gobsmacked when mid Canterbury dairy farmer Paul Everest stated “(The calves) live an awesome four days, and then they’re down to the processor.” Yes you heard right. The baby cows, with a natural lifespan of up to 20 years, had four entire days to enjoy their existence, confined in a shed, pining for their mothers, sucking milk from an artificial teet before going to have their throats cut. Awesome? I don’t think so.
A few decades ago it was common for a farmer to take a hammer or crowbar to the heads of calves. Once bludgeoned they were then placed at the farmgate for collection, tossed into a grave, burned, or composted, all M.I.T. approved methods of dairy calf disposal. Then, in 2014, disturbing footage emerged of an award winning NZ farmer showing farm hands how to bludgeon calves to death in a NZ owned dairy operation in Chile. The bloodbath created a public backlash both in Chile and New Zealand, and in 2016 blunt force trauma to the head of dairy calves became illegal in this country. It was still fine for farmers to kill them on farm, but they had to be shot.
The irony is that this new law, that is also aimed at the eco lobby who like ‘everything to be used’, will be even harder on the baby calves. Even more of the approximately 2 million calves killed every year in New Zealand will be forced to undertake long, uncomfortable truck journies, hungry, anxious, and unstable on their little legs, only to confront the horror of the slaughterhouse and have their lives destroyed.
This move by Fonterra is dumb. Firstly, a prime time news item talking about sending babies to have their throat cut is no way to improve their image. Secondly, the new law could well backfire on them. Farmers are paid next to nothing for bobby calves by the slaughterhouse, and the cost and logistics of transporting them will be more of a burden. Who knows? Farmers could end up deciding they’ve had enough and go out of business.
It’s 2023, and the time is up for battery cages in New Zealand. No longer will hens be stuck inside tiny cages made out of wire on all six sides, so that their unwilling prisoners are forced to stand on sloping wire, can’t move more than a few inches, and can’t stretch their wings for their entire lives.
It’s great news, right? An unconscionably cruel method that treats sentient beings as production machines and denies their natural instincts is finally gone forever?
Well, no.
Battery cages are merely being replaced by slightly bigger prisons, called ‘colony cages’. Over the past ten years since the then National government announced a ban on battery cages from 2023, many egg producers have been re-housing their hens in colony cages, a caged system that includes “enrichments” such as perches, a nest area and a small rubber scratch pad. But the hens are still in a confined system, and still can’t adequately express their natural behaviours.
Even in free-range egg farming there is a shocking hidden cruelty that is economically necessary to making an income on eggs.
Egg farms can’t make a profit from hatching their own chicks so they purchase chicks from’ hatcheries’, where baby birds, as soon as they are peck out of their shells, are thrust into a frightening world of conveyor belts and metal machinery. As males can’t lay eggs, and don’t grow fast enough to be profitable for meat, they are killed just hours after hatching. They may be tossed into bins where they asphyxiate or slowly die of exposure and dehydration, or they are gassed to death. Sometimes they are thrown into a maceration machine. Yes, you read that correctly. Bouncing little baby male chicks are ground up alive.
“They may be tossed into bins where they asphyxiate or slowly die of exposure and dehydration, or they are gassed to death. Sometimes they are thrown into a maceration machine. Yes, you read that correctly. Bouncing little baby male chicks are ground up alive.”
As long as eggs are considered food, layer hens will be considered a food production unit rather than sentient beings, similar in many ways to you and I.
Will 2023 be the turning point where we stop considering other animals as food and begin to chart a course to veganism and a more humane, more sustainable world? If we truly care about living ethically, and do not want to cause suffering to others, then we must end not only industrialised farming such as egg farming, but all animal farming.
Neuralink, a company owned by Elon Musk, is under US federal investigation for potential animal-welfare violations. Whistleblowers state that the company’s policies are causing needless animal suffering and deaths.
There is no need to torture and kill sentient beings in the name of science in this day and age. You would think the world’s richest man would invest in other ways to develop medical science products.
Key points from article:
Neuralink is developing a brain implant it hopes will help paralyzed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments
Reuters reviewed dozens of Neuralink documents and interviewed more than 20 current and former employees. They claim that pressure from CEO Musk to accelerate development is resulting in botched experiments
In all, the company has killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, following experiments since 2018
“I have the pleasure of knowing Maya Cohen-Ronen (author M C Ronen), and consider her a good friend. I have read all three of her books so far – The Shed, Liberation, and It Was In Our Hands, collectively known as the Liberation Trilogy. A little bird has told me she is currently working on an exciting new title, due to be published in 2023. Maya is a writer whose star is rising, and she uses her considerable skills to advocate for animals and for a better world”.
-Sandra Kyle, Editor, May Safely Graze
This article, by Jackie Norman, was first published in New Zealand Vegan and Plant-Based Living magazine.
When self-confessed ‘book junkie’ Maya Cohen-Ronen went vegan, she encountered an unexpected problem. Coming up with the solution has turned her into one of the most globally acclaimed and loved vegan authors in the movement.
Author and activist_ MC Ronen
Author and activist Maya Cohen-Ronen went vegan overnight in 2012, after realising the horror inflicted on animals by the dairy industry. ‘At the time I was the mother of a young baby and after losing a baby mid-pregnancy myself five years earlier, I couldn’t fathom causing so much pain to another being, a grieving mother, regardless of whether she was a human or cow. Changing our entire household into a vegan one was the best decision I ever made and brought about other positive changes in my life. I made new friends in the local vegan community, I turned to activism and felt more determined and empowered to speak up’.
A gaping void in ‘safe’ fiction
There was however one downside she had never considered. ‘I had always been a book junkie. Fast-paced, suspenseful thrillers, full of plot-twists and cliff-hangers that made my heart race were my preference. Suddenly, now I was vegan, I could no longer find any reading material – at least, not anything that was ‘safe’. Every bacon sandwich casually eaten by an otherwise likeable protagonist, every glass of milk they drank, every sausage they fed to their beloved family dog, screamed at me from the pages.
There was blatant animal cruelty, stretched beyond the simple, casual, banal depiction of everyday speciesism. A protagonist who hunted defenceless animals. A would-be human murderer who built up their courage by torturing cats. Or, as more novelists came to know more vegans, they incorporated them into their fiction as characters used as mockery. Slowly I found myself reading less and less. The wonderful door to a plethora of imaginary worlds was closing.
Until it hit me. If it didn’t exist, I would write it myself! Ever since childhood I had written stories. I’d even completed a manuscript once; it’s still gathering dust in the drawer. I knew I had the writing skills, I had just never had a strong enough incentive to use them. Until now.’ Maya’s mission? To write an incredible fiction book that was safe for vegans to read. A dystopian thriller with plenty of suspense, plot-twists and cliffhangers, just like the genres she enjoyed most.
The Shed
Not just a book – but an outreach tool
That book was ‘The Shed’, which was written under the pen-name M.C Ronen. I confess, I was a little wary of reading it at first, in case it was too horrific or graphic. That was not Maya’s intention, however. ‘I wrote ‘The Shed’ in a way in which it could also be an outreach tool powerful enough to help pre-vegan readers make the connection, as well as an exciting read for vegans. The vegan message is there, the animal rights message is there, but it’s subtle, she explains.
Was it also part of her plan, to write a trilogy? ‘In the beginning, I wasn’t confident I could even complete a single book! While writing The Shed, I sensed the story could potentially develop into sequels, but I wasn’t sure how the book might be received by readers, so was in no hurry to start writing the next one. When they started to respond enthusiastically, however, and demand to have the story continued, I felt obligated not only to my readers but also to Sunny, my protagonist, and to the animals she represented, to give it more.’
With the release of the second book, ‘Liberation’ to an eagerly awaiting audience, readers were again transported into Sunny’s world, where reality and exploitation is turned on its head. We see Sunny evolve from an innocent girl to a fully-fledged activist and strategist; a leader. We also get to indulge in some vicarious badass activism. ‘The gloves come off and the messages are blunter’, Maya tells me. The author’s love of a fast-paced, suspenseful plot spills gloriously into her writing and many times while ferociously turning the pages I thought to myself, ‘How did she even think of that?’ Still, there was more to come.
‘I felt I had left Sunny in a good place at the end of ‘Liberation’ and was going to take a break’, tells Maya. ‘However, again readers demanded the final instalment of the story and were unrelenting. I knew I needed to provide them with catharsis, which I hadn’t given them yet with the second book. This set the scene for ‘It Was In Our Hands’; the third and final instalment, in which Sunny’s story is brought to a close in a powerful crescendo of events.’
The Liberation Trilogy
‘It Was In Our Hands’ was released in 2021. The opening chapters was quite literally jaw dropping. I couldn’t believe what I had just read! Even more unnerving, was the small flicker of awareness that it could actually happen. It’s not impossible and all too harrowingly easy to picture. As for the ending? You’ll have to read it yourself but it will keep you guessing right until the end and again, it really could happen. One day.
The highs and lows of vegan publishing
Maya’s story is an inspiring example of how we vegans can triumph in overcoming obstacles in our movement. Having taken the seed of an idea and brought it to fruition in the form of three powerful activist novels, I was interested to know more about the publishing process. ‘It was challenging’, recalls Maya. ‘The Shed was ready to publish at the end of 2016, however literary agents were afraid of the messages embedded in the story. One enthusiastic agent who loved the book confessed she wouldn’t know how to represent me to the established publishing houses, as they would see it as a ‘vegan book’ and therefore one that applied to only a small ‘niche’ market.
I found the fear of my book hard to comprehend. For one, ‘The Shed’ is not a ‘vegan book’ and isn’t intended only for vegan readers – but even if it was a ‘vegan book’, the vegan community worldwide is growing exponentially at incredible speed. It is not niche but a market share of phenomenal potential! It was incredibly frustrating, and I had almost given up on publishing it, until I found out about Amazon KDP, a platform for self-publishing authors, that was easy to use, free and very supportive. When ‘Liberation’ was complete, I didn’t think twice and used KDP again. I’m well aware Amazon is considered the big bad wolf, but without it, it’s safe to assume my books would not have seen the light of day. I feel that using this platform, warts and all, for publishing change-inspiring literature, is still a positive outcome.
Using KDP also meant I had no oiled and experienced public relations and marketing machine behind me and had to do it all myself. It was not an overnight success, but I feel extremely proud of myself. For a previously unknown first-time author from New Zealand, to make it into top-notch magazines and podcasts, receive five-star reviews and be awarded with a gold-star Literary Titan book award – that’s something I could only dream of before. To would-be vegan authors I say – don’t be afraid, unleash your creativity! There are avenues open to you for publishing your books out there. Maybe the established publishing houses have changed since I started, and if not, there are other platforms. Audio books are doing very well too, another channel to explore. If you invest your inner fire and your drive into it, you will reach your readers.
Maya-with-her-latest-award_-Vegan-Choice-2022
Having received many accolades for her work, I asked Maya to share her favourite highlight. ‘The most notable and profound highlight I still experience from this journey is the connection I have with my readers. Giving the vegan community books they can read and feel proud of, celebrate, and cherish, was my key motivator from the beginning, so receiving the recognition and gratitude from vegans is in itself a huge highlight. I am also continuously surprised at the number of pre-vegans who read my books and were deeply moved by them. I receive messages from readers thanking me for making them understand. Pre-vegans who told me they were sharing the books with their friends and family members to spread the message. I feel so humbled by it. This was the reason I started writing, it is also the biggest reward. It proves that we can successfully use vegan fiction as a form of outreach, without hiding’.
The Liberation Trilogy is available worldwide on Amazon. You can also visit Maya’s website: https://mcronenauthor.com
Our guest writer, Christine Rose, is Lead Agricultural Campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa
Turkey-girl was born in the long grass next to our house and after she fledged, visited every year. Eventually she came to stay and made our garden her home. She was smaller and less aggressive, with smaller head wattles, and the iridescent sheen on her back was less vibrant than her brothers. She had a gentle trill and followed us around the garden. By day, she watched me work at my desk through the window. At night, she perched on the fence built to keep the chooks out of my flower beds and left a big pile of guano to feed my plants. The fence didn’t keep her out, and it is hard to grow a garden with a resident turkey, but I didn’t mind. She delighted us, and any visitors.
Initially, people would make inappropriate jokes that she was ready to roast. But many who met her recognised her lovely nature and physical beauty. When the rest of the wild flock were passing in nearby paddocks, we thought she might join them. We were part-hopeful and part-sad at the thought. And we were worried she might have chicks in the garden where she was born. One turkey in the garden is manageable, but five, as we found when she was there with her tribe, are quite hard to handle. She was a welcome and honorary resident on her own. It’s surprising how attached you can get to a turkey-girl over months of company.
Turkeys were released into New Zealand in the 1860s. They are now ‘feral’ across an expanded range, throughout the lowlands of the North Island, the Marlborough Sounds and eastern South Island. Flocks are usually around 10 birds, but in breeding season a male will form and defend a harem of four to five females. They form larger flocks when they are young, though older males are often solitary. The chicks are particularly vulnerable to dogs, cats, ferrets and kahu/harrier hawks. As adults, they are mainly vegetarians/herbivores eating seeds and fruits but also ground invertebrates. The chicks mainly eat insects. The number of turkeys across the country are unknown, though they are a common sight and sound in my part of the world.
Sometimes people ask on local social media pages, ‘who owns the turkeys’, and ‘could they keep them contained’. No one owns a wild turkey, but Turkey-girl seemed to own us.
One morning, as I went to work she was her usual confident self, trying to get into the house as I was leaving. By 10am she was dead. She had that odd, distracted look a chook gets when she’s on her last legs. My kind and loving husband recognised the ominous signs, and sat with her, comforting her gently while she died. He gave her a respectful burial at the back of the garden, which was her home. We miss her still.
(Article first published in Local Matters/Environment)
I am not vegan because it is a more sustainable solution to the world’s problems. I am vegan because for me it is a moral baseline. It is wrong to inflict pain and suffering on other sentient beings. End of Story.
To be vegan for the animals is also to be vegan for justice. Veganism recognises that non-human animals have rights, their lives are valuable, and that it is wrong to bring suffering upon their innocent heads and exploit them for our benefit. Speciesism, that states it’s fine to ‘love some and eat others’ is clearly unjust, as animals are equally sentient.
Food is the primary reason why we use animals, and it causes the most suffering and destruction of life. This is especially true in factory farming. Personally, I campaign for the end of all farming, not just factory farming. Every individual matters, not just two-thirds or four-fifths of individuals, and not just those we like, such as our pets and elephants.
However, I am reasonably realistic about the way social change comes about. This is why I’m heartened to see that high-profile leaders and visionaries put their names to an open letter calling on world leaders at the COP27 climate conference to end factory farming. In the letter there is no mention of animal rights or wrongs. The rationale is that intensive animal agriculture threatens our survival because the livestock sector produces more greenhouse gases than transport. Encouragingly, they are calling for a ‘food transformation,’ that has implications for a vegan future.
As an animal activist who has been inside a broiler farm, and a piggery, and seen the suffering with my own eyes, I am committed to ending the abomination that is factory farming.
We will continue to work towards a world where no animal is made to suffer at our hands, and meanwhile, abolishing the extreme cruelty of factory farming is a huge leap in the right direction.
