OxVeg Online News July 2009
Dear Member It was great to hear that so many of you turned out to enjoy the Summer Garden Party, and I’m glad the weather stayed sunny for the day. For my part, I was in London listening to talks about bringing up vegan children with talks from Sandra Hood (vegan dietitian), Stephen Walsh (nutritional scientist, and Vegan Society Trustee), and Leila Masson (Paediatrician, and wife of Jeffrey Masson). It was brilliant seeing so many other healthy vegan babies and toddlers. OxVeg will be taking a well-earned break from running events in July, but will be back in August with a free food stall (help needed please, see below for details), and supporting the Oxford Vegan Fair. In the meantime, we would be grateful if you would take a few moments to give us some feedback about OxVeg. You will find a questionnaire at the bottom of this email. You can reply to this email, and responses will go straight to David, who has kindly agreed to collect the responses. The next issue of OVNews will be written by Paul Appleby, who has agreed to stand in for me over the next couple of months while I have my baby (due in August). Kind regards, Heather Shepherd OxVeg Secretary CONTENTS: Summer Garden Party Dining Out Club Review of The End of the Line Another fine mess. (Swine flu pandemic.) – summary article by Paul Freestone Article from the Independent – Save the planet, go veggie. Live Native review and member’s discount Paper Airmiles vouchers TV cookery series looking for vegetarian participants Internet Links Forthcoming Events Members questionnaire 1. Summer Garden Party (written by Paul Appleby) The event attracted about 30 people (I forgot to do a head count) and the Garden Room at the Friends Meeting House was full. Although the afternoon stayed dry we decided to remain indoors as it looked likely to rain. Our guest speaker, Jeffrey Masson, went down well and he sold all but 2 sets of the books that he had brought with him (guests could buy a hardback copy of his new book "The Face on Your Plate" for £15 and get a complimentary copy of "The Pig who sang to the Moon"). Most guests brought food to share and there was plenty to eat and drink, and it was good to see some of our long-standing members at the event. Paul Freestone provided freshly pressed juice and generally took care of the food. Denise Watt delivered the OxVeg stall and we sold 4 packs of VEG1 supplements Donations and the 'sale' of raffle tickets helped cover the charge for room hire which VERO kindly paid. Thanks are owing to Jeffrey Masson (an energetic and entertaining speaker), Vanessa Clarke for suggesting the event in the first place and for accompanying Jeffrey to Oxford (at her own expense unless Jeffrey's publishers paid their coach fares!), Matthew Simpson of VERO for introducing the speaker, Heather and Sharon Howe of VERO for taking bookings and compiling the guest list, Paul Freestone for the catering and everyone who donated raffle prizes or simply attended and helped make it an enjoyable afternoon. 2. Dining Out Club June’s dining out club was well attended, with 12 people coming to Aziz Pandesia, an Indian restaurant on Folly Bridge, Oxford. Due to the threat of rain, we decided not to eat out on the veranda overlooking the Thames. Everyone had a very enjoyable evening (despite the confusion ordering in Indian, and dishes being delivered under their English name). The dining out club takes a break over the summer for a couple of months, and will be back in September with a meal at the village pub in Stanton St John. 3. Review of The End of the Line. Director Rupert Murray. Narrated by Ted Danson. 82 minutes. (written by Paul Freestone) This is the first major documentary about the plight of the world’s fish stocks and this special screening at Oxford’s Phoenix cinema on Monday 8th June marked World Oceans Day. Already hailed as ‘the inconvenient truth about fish’ this is a very powerful and fascinating film. Based on Charles Clover’s 2004 book of the same name this outlines the gruesome reality of the global industrial fishing industry. Massive super trawlers operate with vast nets, so huge that thirteen 747 jumbo jets could easily fit into the net’s opening. These dredge across the ocean bed leaving nothing but a trail of destruction. Worse still is the appalling ‘waste ratio’ or ‘discard species’. One estimate by the UN claims that a third of the global catch is dumped back into the water. Unfortunately, these are either dead or moribund by this point. Industrial fishing only started in the early 1950’s and this staggering carnage has been completed in less than 60 years. At the current rate most of the remaining fish stocks will have been reduced to total collapse by 2050. The bluefin tuna is the most expensive fish in the world, currently £125 per kilo in Japan’s fish markets. It’s also one of the most exploited and on the verge of total extinction. Bizarrely, the Japanese Mitsubushi car company are buying most of the current catch and collecting a priceless deep frozen stockpile. When the bluefin is finally ‘fished-out’, they will have the monopoly of supply. Having systematically decimated the world’s oceans the fishing industry established fish farming or aquaculture. The film highlights the uncomfortable fact that fish farms require vast amounts of wild fish (converted into feed pellets) as the main food source in these systems. The irony of a method which requires further destruction of wild stocks beggars belief. (Note – In 2006 Scottish Fish Farms produced about 150,000 tonnes of farmed salmon. This required 600,000 tonnes of fish from wild stocks.) This documentary works well because it combines facts, figures and expert opinion without leaving the viewer constantly overwhelmed. Also, the film is frequently full of beautiful images. (There is some very shocking footage included.) At the conclusion a three point plan of action is presented. My main gripe is that the most obvious option isn’t offered – simply stop eating fish altogether. Charles Clover is a keen fisherman, his analysis doesn’t include any mention of vegetarianism. Also, some of his comments are contradictory. Considering the damning evidence against fish farming, he still comments: “I am not opposed in principle to fish farming as a process, even an industrial process.†Nonetheless, The End of the Line is recommended, in the same that An Inconvenient Truth is recommended. The basic message is clearly put over, especially for a general audience with little previous information about the subject. Paul Freestone 4. Another fine mess. (Swine flu pandemic.) (written by Paul Freestone) On Thursday 11th June 2009 the swine flu epidemic was upgraded to a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Technically, a pandemic is when community-wide human-to-human transmission is happening in two separate regions of the world. Swine are incredible incubators for viruses, they are susceptible to several types of flu (ie swine, bird and human). Transmission between pig-to-pig is rapid. Subsequently, pig-to-human infection is commonplace with the people working within industrial pig farms. Obviously, pigs and humans are both mammals so this transmission is highly predictable. These intensive units (overcrowded and filthy) are the perfect incubation systems for the emergence and spread of the so-called ‘super strains’ of flu. Also, this cross contamination between the different species produces new ‘novel’ viruses. The current swine flu HIN1virus is a triple re-assorted virus, it has components of swine, bird and human flu. The source is unknown, but it is definitely a swine flu virus. Crucially, the evidence against the huge pig farms in Mexico and the US is mounting. These units represent the most extraordinary reservoirs of viruses with the potential of producing a large scale human pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the global pig business disputes any link between their industry and the outbreak. In the US the National Pork Council (NPC) has successfully stopped the use of the term ‘swine flu’ in the media. Instead, it is now referred to as the more innocuous ‘H1N1 flu’. This reaction is typical of an industry that fails to learn anything from previous scandals such as BSE. One of the most bizarre aspects of these epidemics is that the meat industry continues to promote the idea that animal-to-human infection is extremely rare. In fact, there are about 400 diseases that spread from animal-to-human. There is no magic ‘species barrier’ which prevents people from getting an animal disease. There is no other virus like influenza. The WHO has to redesign the flu vaccine twice a year because the virus is constantly adapting and running ahead of the medicines. Antibiotics are increasingly ineffective. Yet again, the meat industry is culpable. The high usage of antibiotics in factory farming has reduced their effectiveness in humans. Bacteria are formidable enemies. Unfortunately, the widespread use of an efficient antibiotic only accelerates the build-up of resistance. Paul Freestone Sources: Radio 4 File on 4. Swine flu & the intensive pig industry (9/6/09). Radio 4. The Material World. Antibiotics & swine flu (11/6/09). BBC News website. You may also be interested in this CNN news report, interviewing Dr. Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture for the Humane Society of the United States: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5rd2_d4HWc&feature=related and an article from Wired: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/swineflufarm More 4 also recently showed a documentary on intensive farming. Watch it again here: http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/the-big-food-fight/pig-business_p_1.html 5. Independent article – Save the planet, go veggie. For those who missed it, here is an extract about vegetarianism and its green credentials. Taken from the Independent, 30th June: Here is something we can all do and should do to save our planet: give up meat eating and return to a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet. Apart from the human population of six-and-a-half billion we are raising a staggering 60 billion animals a year for meat. Our planet is simply not big enough to sustain these numbers. Farmed animals produce more greenhouse emissions than the world's entire transport system. To produce a pound of meat 2,500 gallons of water are needed as opposed to 25 gallons needed to produce a pound of wheat. In the Gulf of Mexico pollutants in animal waste have contributed to a "dead zone" where there is not enough oxygen to support aquatic life. During the summer of 2004 this dead zone extended over 5,800 square miles. Livestock is responsible for 70 per cent of the Amazon deforestation. On present trends the rain forests of South America, the lungs of the planet, could disappear by 2030 – this could lead to a major catastrophe. The introduction of biofuel combined with livestock rearing may deliver a fatal blow to Mother Earth putting in danger the human civilisation as we know it. Industrial fishing is doing to oceans what animals reared for meat are doing to the land. All marine life from turtles to dolphins is perishing due to modern fishing methods. Mangrove forests and coral reefs are disappearing; mangrove forests are being cleared to start fish farms. The amount of grains fed to animals could feed up to 4 billion people, and with the human population set to grow up to 9 billion by 2050 mass starvation is inevitable unless the Western world and the middle classes of Indian and China reject meat and fish as a food of choice. On present trends global meat production is projected to more than double from 229 million tonnes in 1999 to 465 million tonnes in 2050, while the milk output is set to rise from 580 to 1,043 million tonnes. Unless this trend is reversed, future generations will face a unimaginably bleak future. Let every individual weigh the habit of meat eating with the terrible damage it is already doing to our planet. Here is something positive we can do – go vegetarian and reduce our foot print. This is an edited extract from a talk given by Nitin Mehta, the founder of the Indian Vegetarian Society, at the Jain Centre, Manchester 6. Live Native review and members’ discount Live Native (based on the Isle of Skye), produce handmade cosmetics, all raw, vegan, organic, and with fairly traded ingredients where possible. More details at www.livenative.co.uk. They are offering a OxVeg members a 10% discount on all orders. Quote ‘OXVEG DISCOUNT’ in the customer comments box after selecting your payment method (for cheques deduct 10% from total before sending cheque, for Paypal, a reimbursement will be issued). Last month, they kindly donated some samples to OxVeg for review. The samples arrived in elegant packaging, in beautiful, gold-lidded pots. However, they may need to be kept in the fridge - OxVeg Member, Galina Appleby commented - The "Fresh Feet" foot cream was very pleasant but a bit too runny to be used as a cream. This is a pity as the product ticked all the boxes, being organic, vegan, fair-traded and made from raw (not heat-treated) ingredients. 7. Paper Air Miles Vouchers A fellow veggie group, the Vegetarian and Vegan Bodybuilding group (http://www.veganbodybuilding.org) is trying to collect old style Paper Air Miles Vouchers without an expiry date in order to raise funds. If any members have any unwanted paper air miles without an expiry date, they have agreed to donate to OxVeg £1.50 for every 100 air miles collected. Please send these to OxVeg, 20 Alden Crescent, Headington. OX3 9LT. 8. TV cookery series looking for vegetarian participants Are you a passionate Home Cook? ~ Do you have a talent for entertaining your friends and family? ~ Would you like to cook for guests in your own home? RDF Television and the BBC are looking for Britain's most talented home cooks to take part in a new BBC series. In each show hosts compete against each other by putting their cooking and hosting skills to the test. They’re really keen to find some vegetarians who could show just how good vegetarian cooking can be. For more information please visit www.meontv.co.uk/homecooks, contact them on 0117 970 7629, write to RDF Television West, Regent House, Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4HG or email Protected email address. 9. Internet Links Two links about the Vegan Organic Network this month. Firstly, radio interviews with Graham Cole, Head Gardener at the Holywell estate in Southampton, can now be heard at www.veganorganic.net. Secondly, an article that appeared recently in the Big Issue Scotland: 'What if the World Went Vegetarian (p. 3-4). You can see this at http://tinyurl.com/VONBIGISSUE Last month, Paul McCartney joined others to launch the “meat-free Mondays†campaign, to persuade people to cut down on their meat consumption by taking the small step of going veggie one day a week. Paul’s website can be found at http://supportmfm.org/index.php Animal Aid are also supporting the idea. Sign up for a free weekly newsletter (including recipes) at www.meat-free-monday.com The Netherlands wants to ban the controversial anti-whaling organisation Sea Shepherd from sailing under the Dutch flag following complaints from Japan. Read more details, and sign the petition (it takes just 30 seconds) at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/appeal-to-the-dutch-government-who-wants-emergency-act-against-environmental-pirates-sea-shepherd Positive link discovered between pancreatic cancer and animal fat intake: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8119093.stm or if you want more statistics: http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/djp168 Cancer incidence in British vegetarians "The incidence of some cancers may be lower in fish eaters and vegetarians than in meat eaters."- http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/6605098a.html Anatomy of health effects of Mediterranean diet: Greek EPIC prospective cohort study - "The dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of ethanol, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes. Minimal contributions were found for cereals and dairy products, possibly because they are heterogeneous categories of foods with differential health effects, and for fish and seafood, the intake of which is low in this population." http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/338/jun23_2/b2337 10. Forthcoming Events Monday 20 July, 10.30am VON (vegan Organic Network) visit to Tolhurst Organic Produce, Near Reading. The ever popular visit, with something different each time. Contact person: Graham Cole, Coach House, Holywell, Swanmore, Southampton SO32 2QE phone 01489 896471 email Protected email address. Saturday, 1st August. Time tbc Free food stall, Cornmarket Street, Oxford Rachel will be taking to the streets to hand out delicious vegan food to shoppers, along with information on the benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets. I know she would appreciate some company, so please contact Rachel on Protected email address if you are able to help, either cooking before the day, or volunteering for an hour or two on the stall. Saturday 1st August – Saturday 15th August Vegan Camp, Newquay, Cornwall The 29th Annual Vegan Camp this year takes place in Newquay. The Vegan Camp is a friendly and enjoyable annual social gathering for singles, couples and families, and a great opportunity to meet up with like-minded people, in a lovely location. Visit for just a day or two, or stay for the whole two weeks. Visit http://www.vegancamp.co.uk for more details. Saturday, 15th August Oxford Vegan Fair, Wesleyan Memorial Hall, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford. The big veggie / vegan event of the year, organised by Animal Aid and Oxford Animal Protection society, and partially sponsored by OxVeg. Lots of stalls, cookery demonstrations, and of course, free food for all to sample. If you are able to help, either before the event or during, please contact Rachel at Protected email address. Sunday 16th August, 10am-2pm. Gluten-free, vegan & raw Kitchen Buddy Culinary Workshop. St Ethelwold House, Abingdon, Oxon. Individuals £35, couples £60 (includes lunch), 10% discount for OxVeg members. Further details at www.kitchenbuddy.eu or email Theresa Webb at Protected email address 11. OXVEG MEMBERS QUESTIONNAIRE 2009 In order to provide members with the best service, it would be appreciated if you could spend a few minutes completing this confidential questionnaire. Please circle appropriate answers (or delete as appropriate) but leave blank any you do not wish to answer. Please return to David, Protected email address (or reply to this email) or by post to Pam:--Pam Hopcraft, 28, Lower Radley Park, Abingdon, OX14 3AU General Information Your name: - Gender: M/F Your age: <18 / 18-29 / 30-39 / 40-49 / 50-59 / 60-69 / 70+ Are you in full-time education? Yes / No If so, where? Events Did you attend any of the following during the past year? Dining out meals Yes / No Summer Garden Party Yes / No Christmas Party Yes / No Vegan Fair Yes / No Cookery Workshops Yes / No Paul’s talk Yes / No Do you have any suggestions about future events e.g. speakers, public meetings, group get-togethers? Stalls Did you visit any of our sales and information stalls over the past year? Yes / No Would you be willing to help on any stalls over the coming year? Yes / No Discounts Do you claim on OxVeg member’s discounts? Yes / No If so, where? Have you any suggestions or offers for other discounts? The Internet Do you have internet access? Yes / No Do you access our website ( www.oxveg.co.uk ) ? Yes / No If “yes†could it be improved? How? Members Newsletters Do you receive our online newsletter? Yes / No Do you find the newsletter interesting or useful? Yes / No Have you any suggestions for improving it? Would you be willing to help with future editions e.g. writing articles etc? Yes / No OxVeg What were your main reasons for joining OxVeg? What do you consider the main purpose of OxVeg to be? Have you any particular interests or skills which you could contribute to the group? If so what? Are you willing to take an active part in running OxVeg? Yes / No If “yes†what are you willing to do? Have we missed anything out? Please feel free to make comments or suggestions. Thank you, OxVeg Committee OxVeg Online News is published on the first Sunday of the month and we welcome contributions from members. Please send your contributions to the editor
Author: Heather Shepherd
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