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January brings cold weather, short days, and tight budgets after Christmas. Giving up familiar food makes the month harder for many people. Instead of focusing on Veganuary, non-profit FarmKind says donating can do more to improve the lives of animals in factory farms.
To show that people can enjoy meat and still support animal welfare, FarmKind has partnered with three of the UK’s best-known competitive eaters to launch its “Forget Veganuary” campaign.
As part of the campaign, each eater commits to a full day of meals based on meat, eggs, and cheese. They then use FarmKind’s Compassion Calculator to match each meal with a donation. The idea mirrors carbon offsetting, but applies it to animal welfare linked to food choices.
FarmKind states that for most people in the UK, donating £15 a month can create more impact than giving up meat completely.
Many people dislike factory farming but continue to eat meat. FarmKind argues that treating these views as incompatible discourages action. Research shows that 80 percent of people in the UK strongly oppose factory farming, even when it lowers food prices, yet only 3 percent follow a vegan diet. While many people attempt Veganuary, one study found that 83 percent stop, with more than half quitting within three months. FarmKind believes donation-based support allows people to help animals without making changes they struggle to maintain.
Earlier this year, Toni Vernelli, former Head of Policy and Communications at Veganuary, joined FarmKind as Head of Special Projects. Reflecting on her move from diet-led campaigning to FarmKind’s funding-based approach, she says:
“If 30+ years of diet change advocacy taught me anything, it’s that asking people to give up meat only alienates most people who want to end factory farming. It also puts an upper limit on how much good each person can do. You can only stop eating the amount of meat you currently eat, so your impact is capped. There’s no theoretical limit to the good you can do by donating.”
She added: “So, instead of telling people to ‘harm as little as possible’, FarmKind helps them ‘prevent as much harm as possible’ by funding work to change farming practices. This novel approach, which allows people to help animals without overhauling their life, will do far more good than telling them to boycott bacon in the bleakest month of the year.”
