How Many Animals Will You Save by Going Vegan in 2016?

Posted on by PETA Australia

It’s day two of “Veganuary”! If you didn’t grab your free vegetarian/vegan starter kit yesterday, be sure to order one now.

The food industry, like many others, responds to supply and demand – so when fewer people choose to purchase and eat animal-derived foods, fewer animals are bred and killed to produce those items.

In 2012, it was estimated that the average Australian eats 116 kilograms of meat per year, compared with an average of 40 kilograms per person for the rest of world.

To meet this massive demand at home while also exporting millions more animals overseas, we currently breed, raise and kill hundreds of millions of animals each year in Australia.

Sad Cow Behind Barbed Wire

We slaughter around half a billion chickens alone. In human terms, that’s like killing the entire population of Australia almost 21 times overevery year. And remember: that figure only takes chickens into account. Add cows, pigs, fish, turkeys, kangaroos, lambs and other animals into the equation, and these figures explode.

Sad Baby Chick

The good news is one person really can make a difference! It’s estimated that by going vegan, you can save 100 lives per year.

Of course, by going vegan, you will also have a huge impact on the environment, as animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. Check out this cool calculator for more info on your impact.

Make the compassionate decision to leave animals off your plate – not just in January, but from this moment forward.