Freedom of Species

Today Lottie spoke to registered dietician and ethical vegan Taylor Wolfram about weight-neutral approaches to health and ethical veganism. Taylor talked us through some of the negative health consequences of weight stigma and rigid ways of eating. She explained an alternative - Intuitive Eating, an approach that integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought when deciding what to eat and how to move our bodies. We talked about how ethical veganism can certainly fit within Intuitive Eating practice, but that some people's disordered eating might make strict veganism unwise at this point in time. Taylor and Lottie discussed how the ethical vegan movement can help promote evidence-based, holistic health behaviours and meet people where they are in their vegan journey, in ways that do not perpetuate weight stigma and diet culture. Resources:Taylor Wolfram: https://taylorwolfram.com/ Includes vegan nutrition information and many blog posts including the two below.10 Non-Food Ways to Advocate for Animals: https://taylorwolfram.com/non-food-animal-advocacy/.How to Eat Plant-Based for Health while Ditching Diet Mentality: https://taylorwolfram.com/plant-based-diet-mentality/.Intuitive Eating books by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/our-books/.Ways to get involved with animal justice in Australia other than how you eat: Animal Justice Party Australia: https://www.animaljusticeparty.org/get_involved; Plant-based Treaty: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/volunteer; Volunteer with or donate to a sanctuary: https://veganaustralia.org.au/blog/vegan-farmed-animal-sanctuaries/.People going vegan/vegetarian for ethical reasons may be less likely to lapse than people mostly motivated by health (https://faunalytics.org/a-summary-of-faunalytics-study-of-current-and-former-vegetarians-and-vegans/; https://faunalytics.org/exploring-the-factors-behind-vegan-dietary-lapses/) but this isn't the only factor that predicts vegan/vegetarian longevity (https://faunalytics.org/going-veg-motivations-and-influences/). Music:Animal Liberation - Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/;Human - Brandi Carlisle;Feels So Good To Be You - Mama Duke;Body Love (Parts 1 & 2) - Mary Lambert.Send us your feedback at [email protected]

We discuss the animal liberation themes in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Charlotte’s Web, War Horse and Bold Native. Cassie, Stephen, Julia and Nick are discussing animal liberation movies in light of the upcoming Animal Liberation Film Festival. This festival is being held from 6-8 November in Melbourne – at Cinema Nova in Carlton. For more information on the festival, see: https://alff.org.au/  We also encourage listeners to check out the 2026 International Association of Vegan Sociologists conference. Recordings of the talks will be available on this website soon and there are recordings of talks from previous conferences available now: https://www.vegansociology.com/conference/  Previous Freedom of Species shows referred to: Horror Movies and Challenging the Human/Animal Dichotomy – 28 August 2022: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/horror-movies-and-challenging-humananimal-dichotomy The Dying Trade film chat, 19 July 2026: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/dying-trade-film-chat  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios. Animal by Def Leppard. Sadie by Joanna Newsom. War Pigs by Black Sabbath.

Lottie and Hayden discussed how anyone, yes even YOU, can help create social change for important issues like animal justice and the climate. They drew from the book 'Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change' by Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva and Daniel Kelly, which argues that rather than either/or, both individual and systemic actions are needed to create lasting, positive changes. And in fact they feed each other in a constant feedback loop. A key example is recognising that you have the power to influence the people around you, and to make sure you harness that for good. With this in mind, wouldn't you rather be an animal justice and pro-vegan influencer, instead of an anti-vegan influencer? Lottie and Hayden discuss some easy changes you can make in your everyday life to be an advocate for the animals, which is essential if we are ever going to achieve lasting systemic changes like a more just global food system. 'Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change' by Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva and Daniel Kelly: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049788/somebody-should-do-something/ Endorse the Plant Based Treaty to support structural changes towards a plant-based food system: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/endorse/ Music: Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson The Times They are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan From Little Things Big Things Grow - written by Kev Carmody & Paul Kelly, performed by Dan Sultan, John Butler & Missy Higgins

In modern times, over one third of the Earth’s ice-free land is dedicated to animal agriculture, but it was a centuries long journey to transform our diverse world into one big paddock. The British wool industry played a pivotal role in building the wealth of England leading up to the colonial period and the transition from feudalism to capitalism. In cases such as the Scottish Highland clearances, the Irish great famine and the British colonisation of Australia and New Zealand, Indigenous peoples were forced from their ancestral homelands to be replaced by wool sheep. Native apex predators were hunted to extinction by settlers and landholders to protect livestock. The sheep and the stolen land would go on to make their holders extremely wealthy as wool became a critical resource for military uniforms during the wars of the 19th and 20th century.In today’s show, Betty, Caroline and Lottie discuss how animal agriculture was used as an essential tool to expand the land occupied by the British Empire and how the British and Australasian wool industries have shaped the modern world.Music has been reoved from the podcast version of the show due to copyright. Please check out the music featured:This Land - Charlie Needs Braces: .  . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlJXsWscRPQ .  Indigenous Land - DRMNGNOW prod. River Boy: .  . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvgEl41ngh0&list=RDxvgEl41ngh0&start_radio=1 .  Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye: .  . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tffzUtPlD4E&list=RDtffzUtPlD4E&start_radio=1 Links: . Historic UK: . https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Wool-Trade/ .  . Defend the Wild: . https://www.defendthewild.org/

Today Lottie discussed the ethics of human and non-human animal reproduction and adoption. She argues that adopting pets reduces harm and saves lives. But adopting children is not a perfect analogue and removing children from their families and communities often causes a lot of trauma. She argues that an ethics of adoption that is consistent across species would center what is best for the animal or child, not treat them as commodities to profit from, and would keep existing families together whenever safe and possible.  Previous Freedom of Species episodes on this topic: 'Antinatalism and humans' impact on the planet' https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/antinatalism-and-humans-impact-planet 'Vegan Dogs & Cats / Human Population' (first 30 minutes) https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode-201804011300/vegan-dogs-cats-human-population  Other media mentioned: 'Should vegans have children? Examining the links between animal ethics and antinatalism' by Joona Räsänen: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11017-023-09613-7 'Why (at least some) moral vegans may have children: A response to Räsänen' by William Bülow: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11017-023-09632-4 'Veganism, Anarchism, and Adoption' by Nathan Poirier and John Tallent in 'Veganarchism: Making veganism and anarchism dangerous again' edited by Will Boisseau and Nathan Poirier https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1850 Alé Cardinalle (international adoptee) https://wildheartcollective.care/ Karlos Dillard (transracial adoptee) https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/my-adoptive-mother-abandoned-me-gay-adoptee-foster-care-transracial-adoption-child-abuse/ 'The Baby Brokers: Inside America’s Murky Private-Adoption Industry' by Tik Roothttps://time.com/6051811/private-adoption-america/ 'The politics of ‘orphans’ and the dirty tactics of the adoption lobby' by Patricia Fronek https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-orphans-and-the-dirty-tactics-of-the-adoption-lobby-10537  Sources of statistics mentioned on the show: 264 healthy cats and dogs are killed everyday in Australia: https://www.animaljusticeparty.org/companion_animals Conditions of animals raised for food including "humane" or "free range": https://foodispower.org/animals-on-land/humane-myths/ Australian adoptions statistics: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/adoptions/adoptions-australia/contents/adoptions Australian children in out of home care statistics: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/child-protection/child-protection-australia-2023-24/contents/insights/supporting-children US adoptions statistics: https://adoptioncouncil.org/article/adoption-statistics/ US foster care statistics: https://theworlddata.com/foster-care-statistics-in-us/ Poverty hinders reunification of parents and children: https://www.jstor.org/stable/48647842 Orphans worldwide statistics: https://cafo.org/orphan-statistics/  Music: 'The Pill' by Loretta Lynn 'Us and Pigs' by Sofia Isella https://www.sofiaisella.com/ 'NoBody is a Product' by Dakini Songs https://dakinitranslations.com/mantras-music/  Send us your feedback at [email protected]

Nick is joined by criminologists Cassie Pedersen and Stephen Burrell to discuss gender and animals. Some more specific topics we cover are: petromasculinity and intersections between gender and the environment, veganism as a feminist practice but also the way some vegans attempt to distance themselves from emotion/femininity, and representations of gender in the documentary Game Changers.  Links: You can hear Cassie and Stephen discussing masculinity and caring for nature on Stephen’s podcast Now and Men: https://nowandmen.net/episode/care-for-nature Check out the blog of the International Association of Vegan Sociologists for short, accessible articles from vegan sociologists: https://www.vegansociology.com/blog/  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios. Baby, Does Your Heart Sink? By Martha. You Hear Yes by Destroy Boys, featuring Mannequin Pussy and Scowl. The Scars of the Land by King Apathy.

Today Hayden and Lottie discussed the ins and outs of caring for a rescued, indoor, vegan cat. This episode is in honour of our beautiful cat Ceci!  We outlined reasons to try switching your cat to a vegan diet and discussed ways to do that safely. More info can be found below:  Sustainable Pet Food: https://sustainablepetfood.info (especially 'FAQs' and 'Vegetarian Feline Diets'.) Their 'Sustainability' page also shows that feeding your cat or dog a diet of animal flesh has a large environmental impact: "About 25-30% of the environmental impact of livestock production within the US are attributable to dog and cat diets"! r/veganpets subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/veganpets Both the Sustainable Pet Food website and r/veganpets link to studies about a vegan diet being healthy for cats Previous Freedom of Species episodes: "Vegan Dogs & Cats / Human Population" (from 25:30) "VegePets"  Vegan pet food brands: https://veganpet.com.au/product-category/vegan-cat-food/ https://www.benevo.com/ https://www.amipetfood.com/en In Australia Vegan Pet can be bought from the website above, and Benevo and Ami can be bought here: https://www.vpets.com.au/product-category/vegan-cat/vegan-cat-food/  How to brush your cat's teeth: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3dBySVcgIYI  We discussed the benefits of keeping your cat indoors and options for safe outdoor access.  Reasons to keep cats indoors: https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/reasons-to-keep-cats-indoors/ How to keep an indoor car happy: https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/how-to-keep-an-indoor-cat-happy/  We urged people to adopt cats from shelters instead of from breeders. 260 healthy cats and dogs without homes are killed everyday in Australia. Breeders of all sizes and types have welfare concerns: https://www.animaljusticeparty.org/companion_animals  While we recommend keeping your cat indoors, we don't agree with killing outdoor cats, and are sceptical of the benefits of mandatory containment laws. Trap Neuter Return (TNR) is a humane and effective approach to control outdoor cat populations. Learn more below: https://loverescuecollaborate.org/2026/05/23/trapping-culling-the-negatives/ https://completecatguide.com/trap-neuter-return-programs-animal-welfare-guide/ Previous Freedom of Species episodes: "War on wild cats in Australia" "Managing urban/periurban cat populations humanely"  Thank you to our amazing supporters who helped us surpass our Radiothon target, raising $1,764! 3CR has raised $250,000 but is not at their $300,000 target. Make a one-time donation at www.3cr.org.au/donate or become an annual supporter at www.3cr.org.au/subscribe or by calling 3CR at 9419 8377 during business hours. We would be grateful if you selected Freedom of Species as your programme of choice!  Music played: Sea of Love - Cat Power Ev'rybody Wants to be a Cat (From "The Aristocats" Soundtrack) - Scatman Crothers Prologue: Jellice Songs for Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber (from the musical Cats)  Send us feedback at [email protected]

Lottie and Trev talked about antinatalism, pronatalism and reproductive justice, and overlaps with veganism and environmentalism.  We argued that reproductive choice is paramount, through access to birth control and abortion, education and careers for girls and women and other measures to improve quality of life globally.  We questioned the impact of depopulation as a solution to environmental crises and reducing human harm on other species. In any case, this is no replacement for fighting for changes here and now, like moving towards a global vegan food system. Content warning: brief mention of suicide from 28:30-29:30. If you or someone you know is struggling contact Lifeline at 131114 or lifeline.org.au  Media mentioned: - 'After the Spike : Population, Progress, and the Case for People' by Dean Spears and Michael Geruso https://afterthespike.com/ - 'Veganarchism: Against all oppression, everywhere, all the time' by Nathan Poirier https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1851 - 'If you're on the fence about having kids, don't do it' by Zoya Patel https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/if-you-re-on-the-fence-about-having-kids-don-t-do-it-20251201-p5njx5.html - Global human population is expected to peak at 10.4 billion in the 2080s: https://ourworldindata.org/population-growth - A vegan food system could cut global land use by three quarters: https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets - Depopulation is too small and too slow to meaningfully mitigate climate catastrophe: https://hannahritchie.substack.com/p/population-growth-decline-climate  Previous FoS episodes on this topic: - 'Human Dogs & Cats / Human Population' - 'Veganarchism: Against All Oppression, Everywhere, All the Time with Nathan Poirier' - 'More veganarchism - part 2 with Nathan Poirier'  Music: - Sally's Pigeons by Cyndi Lauper - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye - King by Florence and the Machine You can still donate until the end of July to help keep our show and 3CR going: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/FreedomofSpecies  Send us feedback at [email protected]

The Dying Trade is the debut documentary film by animal rights activist and YouTuber Jack Hancock-Fairs. It explores the meat industry through the deeply personal lens of the filmmaker's relationship with his father, who is a slaughterhouse worker.   The documentary has earned high praise and award nominations for its balanced take on a highly polarising topic. Instead of relying on typical "preachy" activist tropes, the film centres on understanding and bridging the gap between individuals holding completely different ethical views. (Source: Plant Based News).    We chat about the focus of the film and how it represents the existence of slaughterhouses and the people who work in them, and consider this through an abolitionist lens. The quote from "To Kill a Mockingbird"  by Nelle Harper Lee in which Atticus tells Scout: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”       Links:https://www.youtube.com/@HumaneHancockhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qb-9Q0YhVA https://plantbasednews.org/culture/film/new-film-human-cost-meat-industry   Music we played:- The first song, is in the film: Imogen and the Knife - 'Red (is my colour)' https://open.spotify.com/album/1eSnR8nBIvmcz4Hn3AukWu- The second song, is in the film: Aimee Mann - 'Save Me' https://open.spotify.com/album/6jbjx0LGKl11H6UtrgS2nV- The final song, is not in the film but samples the quote used in the film: Circle of Dust - 'Dissolved' https://circleofdust.bandcamp.com/album/circle-of-dust-25th-anniversary-edition Up to July 31st, donations can be made to 3CR’s Radiothon 2026 fundraiser campaign by donating here at our GiveNow https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies or via 3CR at 3cr.org.au and follow the prompts to donate and nominate Freedom of Species as your selected show.  Thanks to everyone for your support of FoS and 3CR! Your support keeps independent radio on the airwaves. Please send any feedback to us at [email protected]

Adam, Hayden, Lottie and Nick discuss whether the show Pluribus (Apple TV) promotes a pro-animal rights message, including highlighting the “straw man” arguments against veganism in the show and in fan reactions to it. We also cover what we’d each do in the Pluribus scenario, not necessarily advocating for cannibalism, and the Pluribus as an analogy for communism while the main character Carol represents capitalism/rugged individualism.  Radiothon: Thanks again to everyone who has donated to our Radiothon campaign! With donations for our show via Givenow and the 3CR site combined, we have now reached over 90% of our $1,700 target. If you’d like to help keep our show and 3CR going, you can get us over the line here: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/FreedomofSpecies We appreciate any support!  More Pluribus Analysis: Prestige TV Podcast – ‘Pluribus’ Episode 3: Negative Nancy at the Ice Hotel: https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-prestige-tv-podcast/2025/11/14/pluribus-episode-3-negative-nancy-at-the-ice-hotel The Rich Eisen Show – Vince Gilligan on the Underlying A.I. Themes in Apple TV’s ‘Pluribus’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05DXxA5ddDU Bias Sinha – Rhea Seehorn compares her ‘Pluribus’ character to Walter White as she questions hate she received: https://www.msn.com/en-au/entertainment/tv/rhea-seehorn-compares-her-pluribus-character-to-walter-white-as-she-questions-hate-she-received/ar-AA25erLJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a28c527a97b45e2b637391cec4aa0be&ei=26  Music: Pluribus theme by Dave Porter. Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid by The Beaches. Dead by Mia June.