Wow... I wasn't aware of this, and particularly mocking veganism by the carnivore competition, is the world in which we find ourselves. Quite distressing... thanks for keeping us informed.
Yes, it really is stunning. I only found out about the “Forget Veganuary” campaign a few days ago myself and was completely flabbergasted. Unless the people behind it are astonishingly naive, it’s hard not to suspect there are other interests quietly pulling the strings.
While I think FarmKind appeals to a segment of people who struggle with their dietary situation/want to help animals/care about the environment, this campaign was misguided.
No hardcore "animals-are-just-food" carnivore (the demographic that enjoys ridiculing vegans and is likely the only group strongly aligned with this kind of messaging) would donate to 'offset' meat consumption.
That’s a very sharp observation, and I completely agree. The campaign isn’t just deeply unethical, it’s also outright stupid – it’s hard to see any purpose beyond trying to make vegans look bad rather than accomplishing anything meaningful.
As the animal industry begins to crumble, society will increasingly recognize those who defended unnecessary animal exploitation for what they truly are.
I am not sure that ForgetVeganuary is going to be that interesting to people on the whole, particularly whether potential participants would pursue something like offsetting. I expect it's partly the "challenge" of it that makes Veganuary somewhat interesting.
"it’s hard not to wonder whether there are hidden interests behind their supposedly “philanthropic” funding"
The interests are not all that hidden. FarmKind is a charity backed by Peter Singer and the Effective Altruists, and the offset money they receive from their general work goes to their favourite "effective" charites, including The Humane League which promotes the factory farming of slow growing chickens, whilst also promoting "veg" in some similar ways to Veganuary. The Good Food Institute as well, is another group interested in venture capital, subsidies to alt-proteins and lab meat. They're both somewhat in the Veganuary ballpark.
At the beginning Peter Singer's Effective Altruists were somewhat more interested in promoting plant based dietary change. Vegan Outreach was a standout charity, but there had long been concerns about the validity of their "effectiveness" in terms of leaflet distribution, and some associated with VO such as Matt Ball regretted that the organisation ever used the V word. Partly because there tends to be social stigma around veganism, which is true. But their preference became to undermine veganism to appear more reasonable to general society, to "meet them where they are at" as is often said. Whilst also working in mainstream animal welfare advocacy without being disturbed by a challenge of veganism or animal rights.
Even when Veganuary professionalised it shifted more to corporate campaigning and product promotion and further away from ethics. Nonprofits appear to justify their value to "philanthropy" and big donors in very conventional ways, and much of it is linked to utilitarian calculation and venture capital.
Over time Veganuary shifted closer to Singer's Effective Altruism, which really seeks to control narratives and funding. They go to trainings offered by organisations that are advised by Peter, that have people from EA effective charities as their other advisors and who reproduce the very same claims as ForgetVeganuary about how vegans are perceived negatively, and so instead of challenging those stereotypes, it's claimed that it is much easier to go along with them and be a reducetarian, flexitarian, or welfatarian instead. It is claimed this approach is supposed to get us to a vegan world more quickly, but in reality it is about creating one dimensional farmed animal advocacy under Peter Singer and his "less but better meat" preferences. When veganism or animal rights are used, it tends to be in distorted and generalised ways. Animal rights to mean animal advocacy, and vegan to mean a diet, and as you can't be pure, then it must be ok to consume animals (just probably not the "factory farmed" ones, however they want to define that).
Veganuary was really very much part of this same club, albeit more on the "veg" side of things than the "welfare" side of things. But now it seems, perhaps related to an anti-RSPCA campaign run by Glover, the EAs have decided to pressure them a bit, or teach them a lesson. Either way i don't think Singer's utilitarian offsetting in terms of donations will be too interesting to most people. In some ways they can offset already where they buy "cage free" eggs or slow growing chickens.
Very insightful! You clearly know a lot more about the background here than I do – thank you so much for sharing such a sharp and detailed analysis.
I find it particularly interesting how you trace the connections between Veganuary, Effective Altruism, and the broader animal advocacy landscape. The way you highlight the shift from ethical vegan messaging toward corporate campaigning and utilitarian framing really helps explain why campaigns like ForgetVeganuary emerge in the first place. I also hadn’t fully appreciated how much influence these networks, including Peter Singer’s EA circle, have had on shaping narratives around “acceptable” forms of animal advocacy – especially the way veganism and animal rights are being reframed to fit a narrower, more market-friendly approach.
I’ll definitely be reading more about this. It’s given me a lot to think about. Thanks again!
It is surprising what goes on behind the scenes. If you haven't come across it, Alice Crary wrote a fairly comprehensive piece called Against Effective Altruism that goes into some of the issues with the movement.
Thanks for sharing – this looks really interesting! I’ve been thinking about addressing EA in an open letter at some point. There are a few urgent articles ahead in my queue, so it might take a little while before I dive into the research and writing. I’ve saved your above comment and the link to the article in my notes, though, so I’ll have your insights handy when I do. Since you seem well-informed on this topic, I might reach out for your input or feedback at some point – if you don’t mind.
The mental and ethical gymnastics the meat/dairy/egg taxpayer-subsidized mega corporations would have people do is for their profit and monetary interests. Create confusion, chaos, distraction, and futility to keep people putting their products on their tongues.
Veganism offers a straightforward moral clarity. There is comfort in doing what is right, even as we witness so many letting corporate greed dictate their behavior and how easily they forfeit fairness and empathy so others may profit from their obedience.
Yes, absolutely! Thank you for putting this absurd and horrifying reality into such clear words. In the midst of all the confusion, chaos, and distraction they create, clarity really is our strongest weapon.
Veganuary has always been a food-focused campaign. At the same time, dietary practice is the form of animal exploitation that affects everyone daily, and it’s the earliest taught — introduced at the point we’re (supposed to be) weaned and reinforced through thousands of years of social, cultural, and familial repetition. It’s also the most socially embedded, and for many people the hardest to change.
Support or guidance on how to change dietary practice can therefore be a useful tool. For some, that disruption is what opens the door to questioning other forms of animal use.
Because it has the potential to disrupt parts of the animal-exploitation economy, it’s become unsurprising that counter-campaigns appear alongside it each year.
Veganuary isn’t veganism, of course. Veganism isn’t for a month or something to “try” — it’s the rejection of animal exploitation in all its forms, and a collective effort to end the perception that animals exist ‘for us(e)’ and the systems that flow from that.
Absolutely – I agree that veganism is an ethical stance that goes far beyond just trying a diet for a month. At the same time, I think Veganuary has been hugely successful and important. As you point out, that’s probably exactly why other interests feel so threatened and try so hard to undermine it each year.
As vegans, it’s up to us to shield these kinds of flagship campaigns from deliberately created confusion and chaos, and to help get their message out.
I sign up every year to both support them & be aware of what they're promoting & it also assists with dispelling the myths that abound from the exploitation industry. They advocate to prioritise wholefoods, they advocate to prioritise local & seasonal, whilst still acknowledging & advertising alternatives. I think it was a couple of years ago that they started to include Dr Greger's Daily Dozen as a guide which I felt was a positive move. 'Plantbased-anuary' doesn't have the same ring to it, so I understand why they chose the name even though it only tackles dietary practice change :)
That’s a great point, Helen – I hadn’t even thought of that! I’ll make sure to register as well.
I completely understand your thoughts on the name being a bit misleading, since it emphasizes dietary change rather than the broader ethical principles of veganism. At the same time, it’s worth noting that for many people, starting with dietary changes can be an important first step that opens the door to ethical considerations down the line.
Oh, that’s interesting! Have you, by any chance, compared the effectiveness of Veganuary with other challenges like Challenge22? I haven’t tried them myself and am curious which might be the best option to recommend to others.
I haven't I'm afraid...I did sign up for Challenge22 once but I personally felt that Veganuary was more relatable. For reference, they have a short questionnaire at the beginning to see if you're already vegan, ensuring that the stats that they produce at the end for new non-vegan participants are accurate. You can also go on their social media threads...an idea to help encourage others to expand going exploitation-free in all areas of their life.
"Some of their tactics are so absurd that it’s hard not to wonder whether there are hidden interests behind their supposedly “philanthropic” funding — or whether the people involved are genuinely naïve enough to believe their own claims."
It’s hard to say for sure. What’s clear is that this campaign seems to serve the interests and profits of the animal industry far more than animals. I’ve been looking into the funders of FarmKind, the organization behind this mess. If animal industry interests are involved, you can bet they’d do it in a very opaque way. I actually have another idea to hold FarmKind accountable and send a direct message to its funders – stay tuned.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm very busy today, unfortunately – but I've put this on my reading list, so will hopefully find time to check this out soon, before I write a potential next piece on this issue.
I started a #Veganuary campaign @ climatecrisisclub.org because the climate/biodiversity crises are partly the result of our life styles, and the systems in place that strongly influence human behaviour. I seek to help generate a greater awareness that the food choices that we make can alter the ecosystems of humanity, and that by choosing a plant-based diet, we can help mitigate the climate crisis and help biodiversity too. I will post a link this clear, well-balanced and crucial article which outlines the many reasons why we all need to move beyond eating animals.
Hi Kim, thanks so much for all the work you’re doing, for spreading Veganuary, and for sharing your website. With such a wide range of important topics from renewables to eco-feminism, it looks like a really interesting initiative, and I’m looking forward to exploring it!
Thank you so much. The climate crisis website is a grassroots work in progress. Please feel welcome to be a part of sharing climate and nature positive information in any manner you can. Your excellent articles on the truths and many benefits of veganism are crucial to shifting the human needle towards a safe and stable future.
Thank you for methodically pulling apart this ridiculousness and exposing it to the daylight of logical scrutiny. I got as far as the first page of the 'Forget Veganuary' website before needing to bite very hard on a stick. 22 animals ''helped'' (aka 100% saved from being bred into a short miserable life followed by ghastly death) by the vegan, versus 38 animals ''helped'' by the nobly offsetting competitive eater who was 100% responsible for the lifelong suffering of AT LEAST 22 animals in the first place. And the 'What the Experts are Saying section' - their 'experts' were the 2nd/3rd/4th placed individuals in the ''British Eating League''....I presume the League number 1 was too poorly to comment from their bed on the coronary care unit. It's bordering on satire. Like others who have commented, I'd love to know what was really said in the design of this campaign....I really don't think there was concern for the animals.
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for reading, and for pointing out a couple of things I didn’t cover in the article, simply because there were already so many other absurd aspects to address.
You’re absolutely right, this “campaign” really does border on satire. Like other recent efforts (e.g., “Wood Milk”), it shows that these anti-vegan campaigns clearly struggle to attract competent strategists or communication experts, which is somewhat reassuring.
What would be truly worrying is if the “Forget Veganuary” website actually succeeded in appealing to an audience, which, in my view, it does not. It’s entirely possible that the campaign is funded by parts of the animal exploitation industry. If so, these are not the moves of a confident industry – they are obvious signs of panic and desperation. Still, the campaign deserves to be debunked and called out.
I was highly sceptical of FarmKind’s approach before all of this. I tried to be open-minded and give them the benefit of the doubt. This amoral, gross, and lazy campaign has convinced me to never trust or support their work. They’ve done a lot of damage to a minority of people (vegans) who are already hated by so many. The animal advocacy movement will take yet another hit based on disinformation.
Wow... I wasn't aware of this, and particularly mocking veganism by the carnivore competition, is the world in which we find ourselves. Quite distressing... thanks for keeping us informed.
Yes, it really is stunning. I only found out about the “Forget Veganuary” campaign a few days ago myself and was completely flabbergasted. Unless the people behind it are astonishingly naive, it’s hard not to suspect there are other interests quietly pulling the strings.
While I think FarmKind appeals to a segment of people who struggle with their dietary situation/want to help animals/care about the environment, this campaign was misguided.
No hardcore "animals-are-just-food" carnivore (the demographic that enjoys ridiculing vegans and is likely the only group strongly aligned with this kind of messaging) would donate to 'offset' meat consumption.
That’s a very sharp observation, and I completely agree. The campaign isn’t just deeply unethical, it’s also outright stupid – it’s hard to see any purpose beyond trying to make vegans look bad rather than accomplishing anything meaningful.
Just another person who's been bought....by the meat industry. Either way, no matter the propaganda they spin they're on their way out.
Yes, it certainly looks like meat industry interests are at play here. And I agree – this industry has no real future. See also: https://veganhorizon.substack.com/p/reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-veganism
As the animal industry begins to crumble, society will increasingly recognize those who defended unnecessary animal exploitation for what they truly are.
I am not sure that ForgetVeganuary is going to be that interesting to people on the whole, particularly whether potential participants would pursue something like offsetting. I expect it's partly the "challenge" of it that makes Veganuary somewhat interesting.
"it’s hard not to wonder whether there are hidden interests behind their supposedly “philanthropic” funding"
The interests are not all that hidden. FarmKind is a charity backed by Peter Singer and the Effective Altruists, and the offset money they receive from their general work goes to their favourite "effective" charites, including The Humane League which promotes the factory farming of slow growing chickens, whilst also promoting "veg" in some similar ways to Veganuary. The Good Food Institute as well, is another group interested in venture capital, subsidies to alt-proteins and lab meat. They're both somewhat in the Veganuary ballpark.
At the beginning Peter Singer's Effective Altruists were somewhat more interested in promoting plant based dietary change. Vegan Outreach was a standout charity, but there had long been concerns about the validity of their "effectiveness" in terms of leaflet distribution, and some associated with VO such as Matt Ball regretted that the organisation ever used the V word. Partly because there tends to be social stigma around veganism, which is true. But their preference became to undermine veganism to appear more reasonable to general society, to "meet them where they are at" as is often said. Whilst also working in mainstream animal welfare advocacy without being disturbed by a challenge of veganism or animal rights.
Even when Veganuary professionalised it shifted more to corporate campaigning and product promotion and further away from ethics. Nonprofits appear to justify their value to "philanthropy" and big donors in very conventional ways, and much of it is linked to utilitarian calculation and venture capital.
Over time Veganuary shifted closer to Singer's Effective Altruism, which really seeks to control narratives and funding. They go to trainings offered by organisations that are advised by Peter, that have people from EA effective charities as their other advisors and who reproduce the very same claims as ForgetVeganuary about how vegans are perceived negatively, and so instead of challenging those stereotypes, it's claimed that it is much easier to go along with them and be a reducetarian, flexitarian, or welfatarian instead. It is claimed this approach is supposed to get us to a vegan world more quickly, but in reality it is about creating one dimensional farmed animal advocacy under Peter Singer and his "less but better meat" preferences. When veganism or animal rights are used, it tends to be in distorted and generalised ways. Animal rights to mean animal advocacy, and vegan to mean a diet, and as you can't be pure, then it must be ok to consume animals (just probably not the "factory farmed" ones, however they want to define that).
Veganuary was really very much part of this same club, albeit more on the "veg" side of things than the "welfare" side of things. But now it seems, perhaps related to an anti-RSPCA campaign run by Glover, the EAs have decided to pressure them a bit, or teach them a lesson. Either way i don't think Singer's utilitarian offsetting in terms of donations will be too interesting to most people. In some ways they can offset already where they buy "cage free" eggs or slow growing chickens.
Very insightful! You clearly know a lot more about the background here than I do – thank you so much for sharing such a sharp and detailed analysis.
I find it particularly interesting how you trace the connections between Veganuary, Effective Altruism, and the broader animal advocacy landscape. The way you highlight the shift from ethical vegan messaging toward corporate campaigning and utilitarian framing really helps explain why campaigns like ForgetVeganuary emerge in the first place. I also hadn’t fully appreciated how much influence these networks, including Peter Singer’s EA circle, have had on shaping narratives around “acceptable” forms of animal advocacy – especially the way veganism and animal rights are being reframed to fit a narrower, more market-friendly approach.
I’ll definitely be reading more about this. It’s given me a lot to think about. Thanks again!
It is surprising what goes on behind the scenes. If you haven't come across it, Alice Crary wrote a fairly comprehensive piece called Against Effective Altruism that goes into some of the issues with the movement.
https://www.radicalphilosophy.com/article/against-effective-altruism
Thanks for sharing – this looks really interesting! I’ve been thinking about addressing EA in an open letter at some point. There are a few urgent articles ahead in my queue, so it might take a little while before I dive into the research and writing. I’ve saved your above comment and the link to the article in my notes, though, so I’ll have your insights handy when I do. Since you seem well-informed on this topic, I might reach out for your input or feedback at some point – if you don’t mind.
The mental and ethical gymnastics the meat/dairy/egg taxpayer-subsidized mega corporations would have people do is for their profit and monetary interests. Create confusion, chaos, distraction, and futility to keep people putting their products on their tongues.
Veganism offers a straightforward moral clarity. There is comfort in doing what is right, even as we witness so many letting corporate greed dictate their behavior and how easily they forfeit fairness and empathy so others may profit from their obedience.
Yes, absolutely! Thank you for putting this absurd and horrifying reality into such clear words. In the midst of all the confusion, chaos, and distraction they create, clarity really is our strongest weapon.
Veganuary has always been a food-focused campaign. At the same time, dietary practice is the form of animal exploitation that affects everyone daily, and it’s the earliest taught — introduced at the point we’re (supposed to be) weaned and reinforced through thousands of years of social, cultural, and familial repetition. It’s also the most socially embedded, and for many people the hardest to change.
Support or guidance on how to change dietary practice can therefore be a useful tool. For some, that disruption is what opens the door to questioning other forms of animal use.
Because it has the potential to disrupt parts of the animal-exploitation economy, it’s become unsurprising that counter-campaigns appear alongside it each year.
Veganuary isn’t veganism, of course. Veganism isn’t for a month or something to “try” — it’s the rejection of animal exploitation in all its forms, and a collective effort to end the perception that animals exist ‘for us(e)’ and the systems that flow from that.
Absolutely – I agree that veganism is an ethical stance that goes far beyond just trying a diet for a month. At the same time, I think Veganuary has been hugely successful and important. As you point out, that’s probably exactly why other interests feel so threatened and try so hard to undermine it each year.
As vegans, it’s up to us to shield these kinds of flagship campaigns from deliberately created confusion and chaos, and to help get their message out.
I sign up every year to both support them & be aware of what they're promoting & it also assists with dispelling the myths that abound from the exploitation industry. They advocate to prioritise wholefoods, they advocate to prioritise local & seasonal, whilst still acknowledging & advertising alternatives. I think it was a couple of years ago that they started to include Dr Greger's Daily Dozen as a guide which I felt was a positive move. 'Plantbased-anuary' doesn't have the same ring to it, so I understand why they chose the name even though it only tackles dietary practice change :)
That’s a great point, Helen – I hadn’t even thought of that! I’ll make sure to register as well.
I completely understand your thoughts on the name being a bit misleading, since it emphasizes dietary change rather than the broader ethical principles of veganism. At the same time, it’s worth noting that for many people, starting with dietary changes can be an important first step that opens the door to ethical considerations down the line.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Another point that not everyone may recognise, you can start the program any day of the year & it sends the same material irrespective :)
Oh, that’s interesting! Have you, by any chance, compared the effectiveness of Veganuary with other challenges like Challenge22? I haven’t tried them myself and am curious which might be the best option to recommend to others.
I haven't I'm afraid...I did sign up for Challenge22 once but I personally felt that Veganuary was more relatable. For reference, they have a short questionnaire at the beginning to see if you're already vegan, ensuring that the stats that they produce at the end for new non-vegan participants are accurate. You can also go on their social media threads...an idea to help encourage others to expand going exploitation-free in all areas of their life.
There are a lot of "Vegans" that support this Farmkind garbage. The whole "offsetting consumption" is cringe.
“Cringe” and “garbage” are exactly right. This campaign is so bafflingly stupid, it’s hard to imagine any adult actually thinking it was a good idea.
"Some of their tactics are so absurd that it’s hard not to wonder whether there are hidden interests behind their supposedly “philanthropic” funding — or whether the people involved are genuinely naïve enough to believe their own claims."
clearly. Who is behind this farce?
It’s hard to say for sure. What’s clear is that this campaign seems to serve the interests and profits of the animal industry far more than animals. I’ve been looking into the funders of FarmKind, the organization behind this mess. If animal industry interests are involved, you can bet they’d do it in a very opaque way. I actually have another idea to hold FarmKind accountable and send a direct message to its funders – stay tuned.
Excellent post 👏
Thank you 💚
Seems to have been effective: https://substack.com/@palanajana/note/c-196455054?
🙌🙌
Thanks for this! I wrote about another set of issues surrounding this campaign from a slightly different perspective here https://shallowdiver.substack.com/p/farmkind-and-the-end-of-days
Thanks for sharing this! I'm very busy today, unfortunately – but I've put this on my reading list, so will hopefully find time to check this out soon, before I write a potential next piece on this issue.
Awesome, hope to read your next piece soon
I linked two of your great articles to climatecrisisclub.org, I hope that's alright. Please let me know.
Yes, absolutely. Please feel free to share my articles wherever it makes sense :) I'm glad you find them useful!
I started a #Veganuary campaign @ climatecrisisclub.org because the climate/biodiversity crises are partly the result of our life styles, and the systems in place that strongly influence human behaviour. I seek to help generate a greater awareness that the food choices that we make can alter the ecosystems of humanity, and that by choosing a plant-based diet, we can help mitigate the climate crisis and help biodiversity too. I will post a link this clear, well-balanced and crucial article which outlines the many reasons why we all need to move beyond eating animals.
Hi Kim, thanks so much for all the work you’re doing, for spreading Veganuary, and for sharing your website. With such a wide range of important topics from renewables to eco-feminism, it looks like a really interesting initiative, and I’m looking forward to exploring it!
Thank you so much. The climate crisis website is a grassroots work in progress. Please feel welcome to be a part of sharing climate and nature positive information in any manner you can. Your excellent articles on the truths and many benefits of veganism are crucial to shifting the human needle towards a safe and stable future.
Some really interesting pieces on that are coming up! Thank you so much for your interest in my work, Kim :)
Thank you for methodically pulling apart this ridiculousness and exposing it to the daylight of logical scrutiny. I got as far as the first page of the 'Forget Veganuary' website before needing to bite very hard on a stick. 22 animals ''helped'' (aka 100% saved from being bred into a short miserable life followed by ghastly death) by the vegan, versus 38 animals ''helped'' by the nobly offsetting competitive eater who was 100% responsible for the lifelong suffering of AT LEAST 22 animals in the first place. And the 'What the Experts are Saying section' - their 'experts' were the 2nd/3rd/4th placed individuals in the ''British Eating League''....I presume the League number 1 was too poorly to comment from their bed on the coronary care unit. It's bordering on satire. Like others who have commented, I'd love to know what was really said in the design of this campaign....I really don't think there was concern for the animals.
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for reading, and for pointing out a couple of things I didn’t cover in the article, simply because there were already so many other absurd aspects to address.
You’re absolutely right, this “campaign” really does border on satire. Like other recent efforts (e.g., “Wood Milk”), it shows that these anti-vegan campaigns clearly struggle to attract competent strategists or communication experts, which is somewhat reassuring.
What would be truly worrying is if the “Forget Veganuary” website actually succeeded in appealing to an audience, which, in my view, it does not. It’s entirely possible that the campaign is funded by parts of the animal exploitation industry. If so, these are not the moves of a confident industry – they are obvious signs of panic and desperation. Still, the campaign deserves to be debunked and called out.
I was highly sceptical of FarmKind’s approach before all of this. I tried to be open-minded and give them the benefit of the doubt. This amoral, gross, and lazy campaign has convinced me to never trust or support their work. They’ve done a lot of damage to a minority of people (vegans) who are already hated by so many. The animal advocacy movement will take yet another hit based on disinformation.
https://x.com/violin4all/status/2007451019672743983?s=20