AMID DWINDLING NUMBERS of vegetarian members, Ireland’s Vegetarian Society has officially rebranded as the Vegan Society of Ireland.
The animal rights charity was founded in 1978 and following a unanimous decision at the 2022 AGM, a name change was on the cards.
This rebrand was made official yesterday and the charity is now known as the Vegan Society of Ireland.
Bronwyn Slater, a spokesperson for the new organisation, explained that many members have transitioned from vegetarianism to veganism and said she was delighted to reach the stage where a rebrand is needed.
“It has taken a long time, and vegans in Ireland really need an organisation like this to represent them and to stand up for veganism in Ireland,” added Slater.
Speaking to The Journal, Slater explained that there was a low turnout for the 2022 AGM.
“There was so little interest at that time within the Vegetarian Society and a very low turnout at the AGM, so it had been suggested that we change the name.
“Vegetarians had their heyday back in the 70s and 80s, whereas now the main movement is veganism.
“Most of our members were vegan anyway and the people running the society were all vegans.
“So agreeing to a name change was a breeze, and the only thing that delayed us was the application to the charity regulator for a change of name.”
The Vegan Society currently has around 50 volunteers and around 100 members.
“At the moment, it’s a very small membership,” said Slater, “and we’d love it too get to a thousand or even into the thousands.
“But the reason for the low membership was because a lot of volunteers had left and there was no zest and no motivation and low interest and low participation within the Vegetarian Society.
“So we just want to inject new life back into it.”
However, both vegans and vegetarians are encouraged to join as members.
Slater explained that there are still existing members who are vegetarians and said “that’s absolutely fine and they’re still welcome to join”.
She added: “We encourage vegetarians to join because the pathway to veganism has traditionally been through vegetarianism.
“I was a vegetarian before I went vegan, so it’s a journey towards it.
Slater also said that the society now plans to increase awareness of veganism here by running campaigns and increasing its social media footprint.
She told The Journal: “We plan to run campaigns and we’ll attend various events and maybe have stalls.
“We will hopefully make YouTube and TikTok videos and use social media to get the message out that no animal wants to go to slaughter or to die.”
She added that the “vision of the Society is to foster a compassionate, sustainable lifestyle that benefits all species and the environment”.
“We envision an Ireland where veganism is mainstream and animal exploitation is eradicated,” added Slater.
She also remarked that the Society is not “anti-farmer” and said that members want the “government to encourage and financially support farmers who want to transition to either plant based farming or other livelihoods that don’t involve animals”.
She also pointed to the environmental benefits of veganism.
The Irish agriculture sector is also responsible for over 93% of Ireland’s total methane emissions.
Methane is the second most significant contributor to Ireland’s emissions, behind carbon dioxide.
Methane is the second most significant contributor to Ireland’s emissions, behind carbon dioxide, and is emitted in agriculture through livestock like cattle.
It is significant when it comes to cutting emissions because it stays for less time in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide and experts have said that reducing methane could be the quickest way to reduce or slow down climate change.
“The world is on the brink of an environmental disaster,” said Slater.
“Veganism is good for animals, for the planet and for health. We don’t need to eat animals and we don’t need to use animals for any reason.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say