The Vegan Report

In this episode, I’m joined by Anita Krajnc. Anita is the co-founder of the Plant Based Treaty and the founder and executive director of The Save Movement. She is currently leading the “Beyond Cage-Free” initiative, an open letter that, and I quote, is “calling on Effective Altruists to pivot their focus area and the AI Windfall funding away from welfarist reforms toward plant-based initiatives that create multiplier benefits for animals, climate, health, food security, and reduced pandemic risk.”

I invite you to sign the Beyond Cage-Free open letter. I signed that letter. Not because I don't believe in evidence based activism, quite the opposite. There is evidence that those campaigns are not helping anyone - enough evidence to warrant putting a break on the stream of millions funding this style of activism.

In addition to discussing cage-free campaigns, we also tried to understand what is going on in the minds of activists in this movement who have chosen to pursue operating advanced forms of factory farming.

And to help us better understand their thinking, Anita and I looked at an article by Aiden Kankyoku, published on his Substack, Sandcastles, titled “There Is a Path to Meat Without Misery.”

Sign the Open Letter: https://beyondcagefree.org/

The Cage-Free Gaslight | Ep. 120 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2957184/

They Fought Factory Farms. Now They Want to Run One. | Ep. 125 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/3127284/

"Factory Farming 2.0" — Sam Tucker-Davis https://collectivelygary.substack.com/p/factory-farming-20

PETA white paper: https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cage-Free-White-Paper.pdf

"There is a path to meat without misery": https://sandcastlesblog.substack.com/p/meat-without-misery-welfare-tech

Books

Turning Point — Fritjof Capra

The Re-Enchantment of the World — Morris Berman

Doughnut Economics — Kate Raworth

Regenesis — George Monbiot

The Ethics of Diet — Howard Williams

The First Step (essay) — Leo Tolstoy

Three Questions (short story) — Leo Tolstoy

Positive Tipping Point — Professor Tim Lenton

The Road — Cormac McCarthy

Films / Other Media

Mindwalk (film based on Turning Point, starring Liv Ullmann and Sam Waterston)

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

When the renowned conservationist Lawrence Anthony—known as the "Elephant Whisperer"—passed away in March 2012, a herd of elephants he had rescued and rehabilitated at the Thula Thula reserve in South Africa performed an extraordinary act of mourning. They decided, on their own, to travel over 12 miles through the bush, arriving at his family home two days after his passing to hold a quiet, two-day vigil. Remarkably, the herd returned to the house on the exact same date for three consecutive years following his death.

This documented episode remains completely unexplained.

To discuss this mysterious phenomenon, I have with me Francoise Malby-Anthony, the widow of Lawrence Anthony, and the Director and co-Founder of Thula Thula. She is also the writer of several books, including "An Elephant in My Kitchen: What the Herd Taught Me about Love, Courage and Survival" and "The Elephants of Thula Thula" which I highly recommend. Check out the episode notes for more details.

Disover Francoise's books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21245215.Fran_oise_Malby_Anthony

Visit Thula Thula: https://thulathula.com/

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

CALL NOW: U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Tell Your Senator: Oppose the Save Our Bacon Act — vote against it if it comes up, push to not include it in the Farm Bill.

Once your senator says they're opposed, make a public statement about it so the pressure sticks.

Connect with Matthew Dominguez:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdominguez/

X/Twitter: @matt_dominguez | https://x.com/matt_dominguez

Instagram: @matthew_t_dominguez |

https://www.instagram.com/matthew_t_dominguez/

Compassion in World Farming:

YouTube: @ciwfusa | https://www.youtube.com/@Ciwfusa

Instagram: @ciwfusa | https://www.instagram.com/ciwfusa/

Facebook: @ciwfusa | https://www.facebook.com/ciwfusa/

TikTok: @ciwfusa | https://www.tiktok.com/@ciwfusa

Bluesky: @ciwfusa.bsky.social |

https://bsky.app/profile/ciwfusa.bsky.social

LinkedIn: Compassion in World Farming USA | https://www.linkedin.com/company/compassion-in-world-farming-usa-/

Relevant website: https://www.ciwf.com/FarmBill

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

What if I told you that the best way to fight for animals was for animal advocates to open and run a factory farm? You heard me right. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, yet this is far from a joke. This is a very serious unfolding plan backed by millions of dollars in funding. And this will have dire implications for our entire movement.

To discuss this topic, I have with me Sam Tucker-Davis. Sam is a longtime animal rights activist, entrepreneur, and technologist from New Zealand. He has worked in animal advocacy for more than two decades. He notably founded Open Paws, a nonprofit that developed AI tools for more than 100 animal advocacy organizations. Today, he is developing GaryOS, an AI system designed to give individual activists the capacity to operate at the scale of a large organization. He is also the author behind the Substack Collectively Gary.

We discussed the psychological, economic, and ideological reasons explaining why animal advocates would operate a factory farm, the possibility that this is all a scheme for AI companies to infiltrate Big Meat, how some donors in our movement are funding experiments to make animals insensitive to pain, how high-tech like AI will be used to make factory farming even more lucrative, how the meaning of labels like vegan and animal rights activist might shift in the future, and much more.

Subscribe to Collectively Gary: https://collectivelygary.substack.com/

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

In this episode, we examine a new survey commissioned by the UK nonprofit Project Phoenix, revealing that the majority of Britons think the country should eat less meat, that most want factory farming to be phased out, and that many want it gone fast.

To dissect these exciting findings, I have with me the lead researcher behind the study: Björn. You may know Björn from his other appearances on the show, such as Do Protests Help or Hurt Animals? (https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2114829/) and Can We Veganize Supermarkets? (https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2434075/), but mostly from his amazing Substack, More Than Meat the Eyes. I highly recommend signing up for it. You'll find the link in the episode notes.

Together, we discuss why most people can't wrap their heads around the scale of factory farming, when our activism should be bold and ambitious, and why some people told surveyors that factory farms were perfectly acceptable. I mean, are they psychopaths or something? And much more.

Sign Up to More Than Meats The Eye (substack): https://morethanmeatstheeye.substack.com/p/factory-farming-scale-backfires

Connect with Björn: bjornjohann.com

Connect with Project Phoenix: https://www.project-phoenix.org.uk/research

Sign Up to Project Phoenix Substack: https://projectphoenixuk.substack.com/p/is-the-british-public-ready-for-an

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

Music by Alisia from Pixabay

In this episode, you will hear the unfiltered truth about the Ridglan Farms protests. By now, you have surely heard about this so-called Beagle rescue. It has attracted immense media attention and sympathy from the animal rights movement. And my suspicion is that if you ask any vegan about it, they will tell you that it is the story of a triumphant group of activists closing down one of the worst dog breeding facility in the US and rescuing thousands of dogs from a terrible fate.

But what if everyone had it wrong? What if the story and reporting you heard on this issue missed the mark and by a mile, and the Ridglan Farms protests did not save dogs, they actually harmed dogs, harmed activists, and harmed this movement as well.

To expose the truth on this issue, I have with me Dr. Crystal Heath, founder of Our Honor, the only organization empowering veterinarians to oppose the abuse of the animal agriculture industry.

She has been on the frontline of covering this story and she joins me now for an exclusive conversation discussing what happened at Ridglan Farms, why this event has taken the proportions it has, the hate against animal lab researchers and meat-eaters we see being legitimized, how could that hate lead to mass violence, the chances of the arrested protesters to escape prison, and much much more.

Join Dr. Heath in her fight. Visit Our Honor's website now: https://www.ourhonor.org/

Email Dr. Heath: [email protected] or [email protected]

Addressing Misconduct in the Animal Rights Movement. With Dr. Crystal Heath | Ep. 113 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2660868/

Animal Activism Has a Bullying Problem: https://crystalheathdvm.substack.com/p/animal-activism-has-a-bullying-problem?r=1c4zi0&utm_medium=ios

Learn about Justify now: https://www.justifyglobal.org/

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

In this episode, we're shining a light on something that doesn't get nearly enough attention: veganism and animal rights activism across the African continent.

Let me ask you something: could you name even one animal rights or vegan activist working in Africa? Or name one African animal rights organization?

If not, don't worry—because that's about to change.

Today, you're going to meet Majeed Suhuyini, the founder of Vegan Africa News, an amazing initiative dedicated to covering vegan news from across the continent, from food and culture to animal advocacy and activism.

We talked about the recent Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit in Ghana, what it's really like to be vegan within different African cultures, the latest Supreme Court developments in the case concerning dog and cat meat consumption, and so much more.

Follow African Vegan News: https://veganafricanews.com/

Connect with Majeed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/majeed-suhuyini-78105310b/

Learn about the organization championing the ban of dog and cat meat in Ghana: https://www.facebook.com/p/Institute-Of-Community-Sustainability-61563924787845/

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

Today, we’re highlighting the efforts of passionate Jain animal rights activists who are promoting veganism from within their religious community.

And you might be thinking: isn’t Jainism that ancient Indian religion whose core teaching is Ahimsa—the principle of avoiding harm to any living being, including animals, insects, and even microscopic organisms? So how come Jains aren’t already some of the biggest proponents of veganism out there?

That’s one of the questions we’ll explore today, along with others, like: What’s the place of spirituality and religion in the vegan movement? What boundaries should you set as a compassionate person? And what does it feel like when religious authorities within your own community oppose your veganism?

To discuss all of this, I have with me Ruchika Chitrabhanu, interior designer, founder of The Earthen One, co-founder of Ahimsafest, and Global Advisor for the Jain Vegan Initiative; and Mayur Shah, Chair of the Jain Associations in North America’s Ahimsa Eco-Vegan Committee.

Learn more about JAINA Ahimsa Eco-Vegan Committee: https://jainaevc.org/

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

Jenna Riedi is the Communication Director of Faunalytics. Today, she will be presenting Faunalytics latest study : Animal Factory, Factory Farm, Or Something Else? Testing The Language Of Advocacy by Erika Berglund & Carol Hardy (JG Research)

Read the Entire Study here: https://faunalytics.org/animal-factory-factory-farm-or-something-else/

Message Jenna at [email protected]

Connect with Faunalytics on Socials @Faunalytics

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

Music by Alisia from Pixabay

Today, we're talking about vegan representation in movies. Basically, how does Hollywood portray us vegans to an audience of millions?

Why do movies so often miss the mark, misunderstanding us or turning us into the butt of the joke? Why do science fiction movies so often imagine the future as vegan? Is Okja a good vegan movie or not? Those are some of the questions we'll be answering today.

Watch Buddhist Blues: buddhistblues.com

Here are all the movies/TV shows referenced in this conversation:

• The Sheep Detectives
• Remarkably Bright Creatures
• Black Panther
• The Simpsons (fifth episode of the seventh season, "Lisa the Vegetarian")
• Coffee Wars
• Yellowstone (TV series)
• Eternal Treblinka (referenced as a book, not a movie)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the world
• Wanderlust
• The Expanse (TV series, Prime Video)
• Travelers (TV series, Netflix)
• The Green Planet
• The Darwin Incident
• Sausage Party
• Okja (Netflix)
• Chickens, Virus and Us by Filip Remunda – Czech documentary

Jane Goodall VS. David Attenborough. With Alex Ventimilla | Ep. 95 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2288395/

Jurassic Park Is Not Just a Movie. With Alex Ventimilla | Ep. 85 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2139762/

All Your Favorite Vegan Podcasts. With Victoria, Jane, Glen, Hope & Anitha | Ep. 112 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2654675/

Finding Nemo & Saving Philip: Stories of Fish Rescues. With Gwendolyn Church | Ep. 29 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/1333527/

If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to [email protected]

Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/

Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow