A Letter from Jerome Flynn |
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April 3rd, 2001 As a patron of The Vegetarian Society and a vegetarian myself for 20 years, I was interested to hear the details of a recent ICM poll commissioned by the BBC for the Today programme on Radio 4. The survey found that 12% of the population described themselves as vegetarian and a quarter of those had become vegetarian recently. It is also revealed that over a third of the population would consider cutting meat out of their diet. Since the beginning of the Foot and Mouth Disease Crisis, The Vegetarian Society has been inundated with calls from members of the public wanting to go vegetarian and asking for information on getting a balanced diet. Calls to the Society's office have increased 100% on January of this year and the Society's website last week received 67,000 hits - the highest ever recorded for the fifth consecutive week. Many callers have been disturbed by the reports of mass animal slaughter, while others feel that the many food crisises in recent times have led them to consider a healthier and more compassionate lifestyle. As for myself, becoming a vegetarian was one of the most important decisions of my life. It was a choice to listen to my conscience and wake up to the fact that I have a huge effect on the environment around me, which includes people and animals. This is coupled with the fact that I am much healthier and enjoy my food more now than before going veggie. I have also run two marathons in good time since becoming a vegetarian. Going veggie makes so much sense from every angle that you look at it: environmentally, morally and economically. It's just got to be the right thing to do. New and would be vegetarians as well as meat reducers will find The Vegetarian Society's Food for Thought booklet helpful. Packed with advice on balancing your diet, recipes and support - it will make going veggie even easier. For a free booklet call the Society on 0161 925 2000 or write to the address below. The Society's website www.vegsoc.org also offers a huge free resource for new, would be and existing vegetarians. Yours faithfully
Jerome Flynn
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