Vegan Society of Ireland

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Vegan Society of Ireland The VSI is a community-led organisation promoting vegan living for animals, people and nature.

We welcome vegans and anyone on their journey towards living vegan. Memberships can be purchased through our website — join us! 🌱
Charity no. 20035389

Fewer than 70 commercial vegetable growers are left in the country, down from more than 600 in the 1990s. Yet four in fi...
05/10/2026

Fewer than 70 commercial vegetable growers are left in the country, down from more than 600 in the 1990s. Yet four in five Irish adults say they want to eat more fruit, vegetables and legumes.

Demand is not the problem — supply is.

Ahead of Budget 2027, we are calling for three measures.

1. A national Plant-Based Food Fund, on a scale comparable to Denmark's, which is open to farmers, growers and food businesses
2. A commitment to publish a National Plant-Based Action Plan for Ireland
3. Dedicated support within the fund for farmers moving into horticulture, including capital grants and Teagasc advice

Denmark backed plant-based food with €170 million and broad cross-party and farming organisations' support.

More than €1 billion leaves Ireland every year on horticultural imports. Keeping some of that here is good economics, good for food security and a genuine opportunity for Irish farmers.

We want to see Irish farmers supported to grow the food Irish people want to eat.

Today is World Farmed Animals Day. According to 'Our World in Data' almost 88 billion land animals were slaughtered in t...
02/10/2026

Today is World Farmed Animals Day. According to 'Our World in Data' almost 88 billion land animals were slaughtered in the world in 2024. 💔

In Ireland, that number was 113 million. 🇮🇪

🐔Chickens slaughtered for meat: 103 million
🐷Pigs slaughtered for meat: 3.35 million
🐑Sheep slaughtered for meat: 2.85 million
🐮Cattle slaughtered for meat: 1.91 million
🦃Turkeys slaughtered for meat: 1.78 million

We have no need to consume animal products. Please, Go Vegan! We can live perfectly healthy lives without killing or using animals. 🌱🐾💚

SOURCE: Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/animal-welfare?country=~IRL&Metric=Animals+slaughtered&Animal=Chickens&Per+capita=false

🌱 GOOD NEWS ROUND-UP 🌱Proof that campaigning works — here's what's changed for animals recently:🚢 Brittany Ferries is en...
28/09/2026

🌱 GOOD NEWS ROUND-UP 🌱

Proof that campaigning works — here's what's changed for animals recently:

🚢 Brittany Ferries is ending live animal exports, after a year-long campaign by various groups.
🐙 The world's first commercial octopus farm has been scrapped in Gran Canaria after sustained campaigning + an environmental report raising red flags.
💄 New York just banned the sale of many animal-tested cosmetics, pushing the beauty industry towards cruelty-free.
🦊 iDonate, Ireland's top fundraising platform, has dropped fundraising pages for fox hunts and hare coursing clubs thanks to pressure from the Irish Council Against Bloodsports.
🥗 Students at Heidelberg University voted for fully plant-based university catering.

Every one of these started with people speaking up. Change is happening 💚

Great to see our Budget 2027 call covered by Newstalk this morning. 🥕Our spokesperson Gerard Kiely joined Irish Farmers'...
25/09/2026

Great to see our Budget 2027 call covered by Newstalk this morning. 🥕

Our spokesperson Gerard Kiely joined Irish Farmers' Association President Francie Gorman on Newstalk Breakfast to discuss our proposal for a Danish-style Plant-Based Food Fund, helping Irish farmers grow more of the fruit and veg we eat.

Ireland imports about 83% of its fruit and veg, with fewer than 70 commercial vegetable growers left. Yet four in five Irish adults want to eat more of it.

The IFA welcomed the call for more support for growers, and Newstalk's headline says it all. "IFA praises 'really welcome' vegan proposal ahead of Budget 2027."

Read and listen here: https://www.newstalk.com/news/vegan-2-2312606

🇮🇪 Ireland imports 83% of its fruit and vegetables. Yet 81% of us want to eat more of them.That gap is why the Vegan Soc...
21/09/2026

🇮🇪 Ireland imports 83% of its fruit and vegetables. Yet 81% of us want to eat more of them.

That gap is why the Vegan Society of Ireland has written to Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, asking that horticulture be named as a diversification option for Irish farmers, alongside forestry, carbon farming and renewable energy.

The Climate Change Advisory Council has warned that fewer than 70 commercial vegetable growers are left in Ireland, down from over 600 in the 1990s. At the same time, more than half the public wants agriculture diversified towards plant-based production.

Demand is there. Supply needs support.

👉 Read the full release and comment here to join the discussion.

https://vegansociety.ie/press-release-09-26/



Martin Heydon
Irish Farmers Journal
Agriland.ieireland

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🌱✨ The VSI is delighted to announce that Dr Melanie Joy is coming to Ireland to deliver a communications workshop for th...
18/09/2026

🌱✨ The VSI is delighted to announce that Dr Melanie Joy is coming to Ireland to deliver a communications workshop for the vegan movement on Saturday, 17 October in Dublin.

📍 The Spencer Hotel, Excise Walk, IFSC, Dublin 1. D01 X4C9

🕥 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (optional coffee at 9.30 a.m.)

🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/communication-skills-for-vegan-advocates-with-dr-melanie-joy-tickets-1998899346755

There is a nominal fee of €15 for attendees to cover room hire costs.

We would love to see you there! 💚

Please note that capacity is limited and attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis.

About Dr Melanie Joy:

Melanie Joy, PhD, is a Harvard-educated psychologist, international trainer and author of eight books, including the award-winning Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, Beyond Beliefs: A Guide to Improving Relationships and Communication for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Meat Eaters, and How to End Injustice Everywhere. She is the eighth recipient of the Institute of Jainology’s Ahimsa Award, which was previously given to Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. Her work has been featured by media outlets around the world, and she is also the founding president of the non-profit organisation Beyond Carnism. You can learn more about her work at carnism.org.



🌱 We’re delighted to share our new Legacy Giving section on the Vegan Society of Ireland website. Leaving a gift to VSI ...
13/09/2026

🌱 We’re delighted to share our new Legacy Giving section on the Vegan Society of Ireland website. Leaving a gift to VSI in your will is a deeply meaningful way to ensure that the kindness and compassion you have lived by continue to make a difference for animals long into the future. 💚

Whatever its size, your gift can help us keep working towards a kinder Ireland where all living beings are treated with respect. 🐾

Discover how you can leave a lasting legacy of compassion: https://vegansociety.ie/legacy-donation/

VSI Interview with Rachel Carson Pilkington 🌱Acting with Compassion for Animals, People and the Planet 💚Irish actor and ...
09/09/2026

VSI Interview with Rachel Carson Pilkington 🌱

Acting with Compassion for Animals, People and the Planet 💚

Irish actor and environmental advocate Rachel Carson Pilkington has enjoyed a successful career on screen, with memorable roles in Fair City, The Clinic and Glenroe. Away from acting, she has become a passionate advocate for animal rights, veganism and environmental sustainability, inspired in part by her father and by a lifelong connection to the natural world.

Rachel is a Vegan Society of Ireland (VSI) member and kindly agreed to do an interview with us — we are grateful to her for taking the time to answer our questions.

In this interview, Rachel reflects on the experience that led her to give up meat, her journey towards veganism, the urgent need for greater environmental awareness in Ireland and the importance of compassion in creating positive change. She also discusses using her public platform responsibly, the challenges facing animal rights and her hopes for a more peaceful and sustainable future.

Read the full interview 👉 https://vegansociety.ie/interview-with-rachel-carson-pilkington/

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