VEGANISM is the latest trend that seems to be hanging around the UK for just a little too long, it’s time we put a few things straight and expose this fad for what it really is – a unsustainable choice which everyday impacts on British farms.

So, a few facts to set the scene; a vegan is a person ‘who does not eat or use animal products’ and in 2019 0.9% of the UK population identified as vegan, that’s 600,000 people.

In comparison, 2.2 million people in the UK live in a situation where they are ‘food insecure’ – they are financially unable to afford food that will provide them with the minimum levels of nutrition to stay healthy.

Surely we should be helping this 2.2 million to stay alive rather than creating new offerings such as vegan sausage rolls?

I appreciate that some people have legitimate food allergies or religious beliefs that prevent them from eating certain foods, but the level of noise that vegans broadcast is no better than any other ill-informed craze.

The average vegan view is deeply insulting to the UK farming community. Farmers have continually worked hard to improve their standards of welfare, sustainability and traceability, jumping through red tape, bureaucracy and legislation to get their products on the shelves of the UK supermarkets.

However, almost overnight our TVs and publications are full of new vegan products often manufactured in factories or shipped half away around the world to satisfy the needs of your local vegan.

Vegans seem to continually fall back on the argument of “it’s better for your body and the planet” – this is untrue, your average vegan is now suffering from anaemia, hormone imbalances and an increased risk of strokes.

There is a simple answer to the vegan problem – eat a balanced and moderate diet. Eat meat, but not excessively, drink milk and consume eggs, I promise that cheese will not kill you. Balance these wholesome foods with vegetables, fruit, nuts, cereals and fibre. All of which can be grown and produced here in the UK by our hard-working farmers.

This food will have travelled hundreds of miles, not hundreds of thousands of miles, that way you are looking after yourself, your community, and helping to save the planet.

Dorset County Show Secretary Will Hyde