35% of Veggly UK users make the switch to vegan after the airing of the BBC Panorama episode that featured Animal Equality investigation footage.
If you had seen the BBC Panorama episode “A Cow’s Life: The True Cost of Milk?,” you wouldn’t be surprised to learn it’s already creating an upward trend in those choosing to go vegan. At least, that’s what Veggly, the vegetarian and vegan dating app, reports after 35% of their UK users recently switched their “status” from ‘vegetarian’ to ‘vegan.’
This trend comes after 1.7 million viewers watched the BBC Panorama episode the night it aired. The show included shocking footage taken by one of our Animal Equality investigators on a UK dairy farm in South Wales called Madox Farm. This farm supplied Freshways, which distributes dairy products to businesses like British Airways, Costa Coffee & Amazon Fresh.
The Animal Equality footage used by BBC Panorama shows Madox Farm workers hitting cows with metal shovels, punching cows in the face, and kicking cows in the stomach. One cow was kicked and her tail was roughly pulled by a worker in an attempt to get her to stand after she collapsed. Another died in the night after being left in agonizing pain when her unborn calf died inside of her, despite veterinarian advice to euthanize.
Animal Equality reported these findings to the authorities and is urging for the farm and the workers responsible to be prosecuted for their actions. Following the investigation, milk producer Freshways suspended its contract with Madox Farm. The farm’s Red Tractor assurance scheme membership, which sets standards for farms and food in the UK, was also revoked.
This is not the only case of abuse on dairy farms.
Our team of investigators has collected undercover footage from four UK dairy farms since 2016. We found violence towards cows and calves on several occasions. In one instance, a farm worker pled guilty to two counts of animal cruelty.
A recent UK dairy farm investigation caused a shockwave after the footage aired on BBC Panorama on February 14 of this year. Animal Equality immediately began receiving emails and social media messages from viewers declaring their commitment to go vegan in response to the footage.
After watching #Panorama tonight, I’m not buying cows milk again. I had no idea how bad the poor cows were treated 😢
— Lee Whitwell (@lee_whitwell) February 14, 2022
I’ve decided to become a vegan after watching #panorama tonight. It shocked me to the core.
— Vicki Boothroyd (@BoothroydVicki) February 15, 2022
The impact made by the images featured in the BBC Panorama episode was not just apparent on social media and in our inboxes, but also made its way into the world of online dating. Data collected from 8,000 users of the Veggly dating app, showed an overall trend in users ditching dairy within just a few days after the episode’s release, The Vegan Review reports. Since February 14, 35% of those UK ‘vegetarian’ users, changed their status to ‘vegan.’
Additional Veggly statistics showed a 40% increase in new vegan app users compared to the previous 12 months, demonstrating the continued rise in those making the switch.
You, too, can make the switch by committing to keep animals off of your plate and help us create a more compassionate world for animals. Get inspired by our plant-based Love Veg recipes.
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