We caught up with the RSPCV founder, Ron, to ask about the charity.
What gave you the idea to start the charity and in effect, the vegetable rights movement?
Well, I was raised vegetarian by my parents, but as I grew into my teenage years I seemingly lost touch of this upbringing, perhaps due to wanting to fit in with my peers, and I started eating meat. It took quite some time, until I was around 28, that I started to think more about the animals I was eating and the cruelty that was being inflicted upon them on my behalf. I would never want to kill an animal myself, unless perhaps starving on a desert island with nothing but me and a pig, but I mean that notion's a bit ridiculous isn't it? How would we both have gotten there and what does that have to do with my choices at a restaurant or Tesco's!? I digress, but there I was paying people to breed, enslave and butcher animals for my convenience and so that I didn't have blood on my hands, but I did really, I just had my head in the sand pretending it was fine because everyone else seemed to do it and I never actually saw the blood!
Years on, I learnt about the dairy and egg industry's, and I realised that the cruelty I had vowed against supporting was actually just as evident in them as in the meat industry. In fact, they were one and the same. Think about it - why is veal a thing for example? Male cows won't produce milk - so they're essentially just an unwanted byproduct of the demand for cows milk. Male chicks also don't lay eggs, so chicks get sorted at birth - females get enslaved for their eggs and males get thrown in a macerator or gassed to death as soon as they're born.
After learning things such as this, I went vegan on the spot and didn't look back. Until, one day I saw a comment on a Facebook post that said 'plants are alive too'. I looked down at the frozen peas I'd just put into my steamer and I broke down. I couldn't believe I'd been so blind. They weren't even 'free range' for christ sake, there was no indication of what they'd been fed or how much space they were given to grow and it hit me that they'd been separated from the rest of their pod and were now with hundreds of complete strangers. The peas deserved better, and I knew I had to do something to help them.
Wow, that must have been quite the shock and not something I'd given much thought if I'm honest. What are you hoping to achieve with the RSPCV?
We understand we have a long way to go, but we hope that we can change the wider public's attitudes towards vegetables and their needs. We know deep down that they care as plants feeling pain is the first thing that's brought up in conversations with vegans, as well as animal rights activists working towards rights for animals other than dogs and cats - but the ultimate goal is take this to the next step and pave the way for a world completely free of vegetable cruelty.
That sounds like quite an extraordinary mission, why do you think there's such a need for organisations like yours?
Well in my experience, people find it easy to relate to their animals but they have a more difficult time relating to their veggies. For example, dog owners will take them on walks to the park where they can get some exercise and let their furry friend socialise with other dogs and play around, which helps with the animals well being. But when was the last time you saw people convene in a park with their potatoes to let them play?
Yeah I can honestly say I've never seen that. What advice do you have for vegetable owners wanting to get them to mingle?
Often the key is to introduce them slowly so that they don't get overwhelmed. Different breeds will often have different character traits but they each also have their own personalities too. For example just like how owners of Pitbull and Rottweiler dogs often need to provide a bit more supervision than say Labrador owners, as those breeds can have a tendency to be somewhat aggressive - if you have King Edward or Russet potatoes you should exercise the same extra caution, especially in public places. Kipfler and Desiree potatoes are generally a bit more relaxed and friendly though, so it's important that you do think properly and choose the right potato for your lifestyle. At the end of the day though each potato is different so I'd just recommend spending some quality time together first to get to know their personality before venturing out.
So, what's next for the RSPCV then?
Similar to how animal rights organisations like the RSPCA and Red Tractor have their logo stamps on their approved animal products, we're launching a campaign for vegetables that have been farmed in humane conditions. I believe it'll help guide consumers to the right purchases as they understand the conditions that their food was grown in. When someone sees a Red Tractor Approved logo on their pack of bacon, they instantly picture dark concrete and steel sheds filled with pigs that have had their tails chopped off and teeth pulled out without anaesthetic - so that they're less likely to attack each other and cannibalize when they go insane from the tight spaces that they're crammed into covered in blood and faeces - and with Red Tractor approved products that's exactly what they get.
Similarly, when they see RSPCA assured - consumers have a clear image in their mind of overcrowded chicken sheds, cows being sexually abused and their newborns being taken, bolt guns, gas chambers and electrocution baths. It's all about transparency and making sure consumers are well informed about their purchases - it's not simply empty marketing to make us feel good.