Mimi Behechi, head of the animal rights organization in the UK, is a very friendly and compassionate person with a wealth of knowledge. As director of PETA UK, she oversees campaigns, education, marketing and public relations. Mimi talks about changes in the organization for 8 years, about her favorite dish and.. China. Originally from Belgium, the future animal rights leader studied public relations at Lancaster, after which she received a bachelor’s degree in law in Scotland. Today, Mimi has been with PETA UK for 8 years and, in her words, “is happy to be on the same team with smart, motivated and caring people who are focused on improving the world.” It is not hard to guess, I would change the diet of each person to a completely plant-based one. The reason why animals need it is obvious, while there are several benefits for humans. First, raising livestock for meat is extremely unprofitable from an economic point of view. Livestock consume huge amounts of grain, producing little meat, dairy, and eggs in return. The grain that is spent on feeding these unfortunate animals could feed starving, needy people. Pastoralism is one of the causes of water pollution, land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, which together lead to climate change. Cattle alone consume the equivalent of the calorie requirements of 8,7 billion people. The transition to a plant-based diet is a step that immediately frees us from the serious problems listed above. A recent United Nations report noted that a global shift towards veganism is needed to combat the severe effects of global warming. Finally, consumption of meat and other animal products has been linked to heart disease, stroke, certain forms of cancer, and diabetes. Mom’s dishes: vegetable couscous and pumpkin soup with red pepper! It depends on the individuality of the animal itself, but not the species. I am the proud owner of three beautiful cats. They have very different personalities, but I love them all equally. The philosophy of the organization remains unchanged: our smaller brothers are not intended for human use either as food or fur, or for experiments, or for entertainment, or any other form of exploitation. I would say that today we have more opportunities to conduct business online. PETA UK regularly reaches over one million people in 1 week on facebook alone. They have access to our videos, for example, about what happens to animals in slaughterhouses. When people get the opportunity to see all this with their own eyes, even on video, many make positive decisions in favor of abandoning the products of cruelty and violence.
Without any doubt. Veganism is becoming mainstream these days. According to a recent survey, 12% of Britons identify as vegan or vegetarian, with the figure as high as 16% among the 24-20 age group. Five years ago, I would have had to work hard to find soy milk in the area. Today, in the house next to me, you can buy not only soy milk, but also almond, coconut, and hemp milk! The headline hit on this topic is China, where laws to protect animals from cruelty in large industrial sectors are practically non-existent. Really horrifying cases are recorded there, when a raccoon dog is skinned alive and much more. Less well known is the fact that there are an estimated 50 million vegetarians and vegans in China. Thus, the number of adherents of vegetarianism is almost equal to the number of people in Britain. Thanks to PETA Asia and other organizations, awareness is starting to rise. For example, a recent online anti-fur campaign by PETA Asia garnered almost 350 signatures from all over China. The Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural Development of China has proposed a plan for a comprehensive ban on animal performances in zoos. Some retail outlets have banned the sale of sheep fur. Thanks in part to a PETA US grant, Chinese scientists are being trained to move away from animal testing of cosmetics to more accurate and humane testing methods. Chinese airlines Air China and China Eastern Airlines have recently stopped carrying primates for the purpose of cruel laboratory research and testing. Undoubtedly, there is still much to be done in terms of fighting for animal rights in China, but we are seeing the growth of caring and compassionate people.