Militant veganism is out of control – how long until there’s a Vegan Party begging for our votes?

The popularity of the vegan diet represents a massive business opportunity, and retailers are queueing up to flaunt their newly acquired credentials. Where will the obsession end?

The anti-meat movement views eating animals as cruel (Getty)

Perusing the long list of hopefuls standing for election to the European Parliament this week, I was slightly disappointed not to be offered the option of a Vegan Party candidate. How can this be? Militant vegans are crusading zealots – not a day passes without a pronouncement regarding their rise in status and trumpeting their growth in popularity. Vegans are more successful at attracting converts than either the Brexit Party or the Greens.

In a very short space of time, veganism has gone from being a minority dietary choice adopted by true believers wearing ugly shoes and frumpy clothes, to a fashionable movement pumped up by a highly vocal PR machine. Every day we hear of new vegan successes as high street retailers and supermarkets rush to jump on the bandwagon. From Greggs to Marks and Spencer, hard-pressed food retailers can’t afford to ignore vegans. Pret a Manger has just announced they are buying the Eat sandwich chain as part of their expansion of Veggie Pret.

Eating less meat (as government health advisers have recommended) is not an option for the dedicated vegan – all meat must be shunned if humans are to save our planet. There are just over half a million vegans in the UK, the vast majority (42 per cent) of which are aged 15-34 – precisely the time in our lives when we care most about big causes, like saving the planet from man-made destruction, banning nuclear weapons and protecting endangered wildlife from extinction.

Most vegans (88 per cent) live in cities, where cafes and specialist food suppliers offering almond milk and soya cheese are more likely to be found. There is no light and shade in the current debate about our diet and its impact on the environment. An increasing number of militant vegans want all dairy products – from milk to cheese and yoghurt – to be banned.

They also want meat to be taxed. As far as they are concerned, the blameless dairy cow has become a symbol of everything that’s wrong with farming. Raising cattle for the table has to end if we want to cut greenhouse gases. Game shooting (even though prey is free range) is cruel and unforgivable, and fishing is an act of cruelty. These crusaders believe their creed is good for the planet and animal welfare. Many farmers fear vandalism and threats for simply trying to earn a living.

On the plus side, veganism could have health benefits. New research claims that removing or radically reducing meat and dairy from our diet can reduce type 2 diabetes, which is normally linked to obesity and lack of exercise. Replacing meat with processed carbs like white bread and white rice and cakes could result in B12 deficiency, and so there’s a huge impetus for vegan-approved protein replacements.

You might wonder why the singer Katy Perry (a shameless self-promoter) wore a ludicrous outfit shaped like a hamburger to the recent costume ball at New York’s Metropolitan Museum. The theme of the evening was “camp” – not a term I would apply to a satin and silk version of a Big Mac, complete with faux-cheese and a fake slice of tomato. The reason Perry was keen to look naff was down to money. She’s invested in Impossible Foods (who make meat substitutes) and the company has just announced they’ve raised $300m (£235m) from private investors, valuing the business at $2bn with backers including Serena Williams.

Another new company seeking to profit from the rise in popularity of veganism is Beyond Meat, who produce the Beyond Burger, concocted from pea protein, coconut oil, potato starch and beetroot juice. The company was the first of the new meat-replacement startups to go public when it launched on 2 May. This week shares were trading at $80.34, up from $25, which makes the company worth around $4.6bn. Its backers include Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Gates.

It’s clear that the vegan diet represents a massive business opportunity, and retailers are queueing up to flaunt their newly acquired credentials. Sainsbury’s are selling mushrooms with high levels of vitamins B12 and D, claiming that they will replace the nutrients lost by giving up meat and dairy products. High street bakers Greggs credited their vegan sausage roll for a big boost to their turnover. PR departments are being tasked with finding ways to link everyday foods to holier-than-thou vegan living. Every trendy restaurant features a “vegan special”.

The bandwagon is full to bursting. Vegan gardeners are shunning “cruel” animal manure and the Royal Horticultural Society says companies must come up with plant-based fertilisers and manure pellets. Fish, bones and blood will be demonised just like beef cattle. It’s only a matter of time before the BBC replaces dear Monty Don with a vegan-approved gardener fronting a Friday night series in non-leather boots and sustainable cotton overalls.

Where will it all end? An employment tribunal has yet to rule on whether veganism can be considered a religion, after a court hearing last December in which Jordi Casamitjana accused the League Against Cruel Sports of unfair dismissal after revealing that their pension fund (in the past) had invested in companies involved in animal testing. The Equality Act of 2010 makes it unlawful for an employer to treat a worker less favourably than others because of their religion or belief, and yet a tribunal has just ruled that a nurse who was sacked for reading from a bible was fairly treated.

How long will it be before vegans are demanding to be treated just like Muslims or Christians? The complainant’s lawyer in the vegan case also managed to get Druids categorised as a religion back in 2010, in a case involving the Charity Commission.

Meat eaters should beware. I predict that Vegan Party candidates will be running for parliament before long – and, considering the state of British politics, they could win quite a few seats.