This week Robbie and Evy explore the myriad reasons why eggs are not vegan, and how the commercial egg industry has distorted the natural cycle of egg-laying hens to alarming and brutal proportions. We interview the bold and awe-inspiring founder and director of Viva!, Juliet Gellatley (4.05 mins) who share insights and stories from her work doing undercover investigations inside factory farm scale hen houses. We also address the heavily debated issue of backyard hens and whether it is ethical to consume eggs from free hens, and discuss solutions for how to substitute eggs in baking. Also on this episode…

• Juliet shares her story, from becoming vegan at 13 to campaigning for The Vegetarian Society to founding Viva!.
• Juliet describes the typical life of an egg laying hen in the UK.
• How factory farms selectively breed hens to be more productive.
• Why commercially available eggs are not even suitable for vegetarians.
• ‘No bird is meant to lay 300 eggs a year, she’s meant to lay 20.’
• ‘This whole industry is based on distorting motherhood, a deliberate twisting of motherhood.’
• What’s the difference between ‘enriched cages’ and free-range egg farms.
• ‘What amazes me is that [animals] actually have the capacity to forgive.’
• Do hens need to lay eggs and what do free hens do with their eggs?
• Backyard hens: the oft debated topic of whether or not to eat the eggs of free hens.
• The clever contraceptive methods of hens and the feminist hen soap opera that would ensue.
• How old do hens live in the wild vs in factory farms?
• The nutritional properties of eggs: are they a healthy source of protein and fats, as many believe?
• Some substitutes for eggs in baking!

Links:

Check out Viva!'s website.

Viva's Happy Eggs undercover investigation.

Viva!'s investigation of 'Free-Range' Eggs.

Vegan Recipe Club.

Vegan Egg Replacer Chart.

Viva’s Face-Off with Eggs Campaign.

Follow Viva! on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

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Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch