Chas Newkey-Burden

Blame vegans for the ‘anti-vegan backlash’

A PETA protestor takes to the streets in India (Getty)

Is the vegan revolution over? An “anti-vegan backlash” has “made Britain fall back in love with meat,” according to the Daily Telegraph. Studies have found that 18-24 year olds in the UK increased their meat intake in 2024, sales of fake meats are falling and vegan restaurants are closing their doors.

It’s not just about putting oat milk into your coffee and saying no to bacon

Well, if veganism is falling out of fashion then vegans must take a fair amount of the blame. As a vegan myself, I’ve noticed that this ethically rooted movement has begun to focus too much on money and not enough on morality. 

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen vegans try to convince people to go plant-based by telling them about all the fake meats, plant milks and dairy-free cheeses they can buy these days, rather than helping them to make the philosophical shift that’s necessary to take up this cruelty-free lifestyle.

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Written by
Chas Newkey-Burden

Chas Newkey-Burden is co-author, with Julie Burchill, of Not In My Name: A Compendium of Modern Hypocrisy. He also wrote Running: Cheaper Than Therapy and The Runner's Code (Bloomsbury)

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