The Millennium Vegetarian Pledge

At midday on 31 December 1999, vegetarians from all over the United Kingdom and beyond gathered in London's Hyde Park to witness the planting of an oak tree near Speakers Corner together with a time capsule containing the text of the Millennium Vegetarian Pledge. The rally was the culmination of a year of pledge-taking launched at the International Vegetarian Union's World Congress in Thailand at the beginning of 1999, and attracted representatives of all the world's major religions. Awards were presented to four outstanding individuals and a dozen major vegetarian, animal protection and environmental organisations, and the rally concluded with a public reading of the pledge, the text of which is as follows:

We hereby pledge to bring about a 21st century in which the human race will finally make peace with the animal kingdom. Human beings will no longer kill, maim, torture or exploit fellow sentient beings for food or other purposes. Animals will have fundamental rights which will be internationally recognised.

It is clear beyond any doubt that the survival of the human race depends upon the survival of the forests and other natural resources and of the animals with whom we share this planet. We pledge to protect all of them. We oppose the introduction of animal genes into plant foods.

The human race will reach the pinnacle of civilisation when it extends the hand of friendship and compassion to the animal kingdom and returns to the healthy plant-based diet best suited to the moral and physical needs of our species, thus avoiding the related evils of animal exploitation, human starvation and environmental destruction.

At the close of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, let us make a tryst with destiny to create a world free of violence towards all living beings who are dependent on our love and compassion. Together let us embark on that journey which will bring about a world in which all animals are treated with compassion and mercy and accorded rights that human beings take for granted.

So will the 21st century see the human race "finally make peace with the animal kingdom"? The omens are hardly encouraging. Globally, the demand for meat has never been greater, and is predicted to rise by a further 50% by the year 2020, spelling death and misery for billions of farm animals. Increasing human populations will put added pressure on wild animal populations, and the development of genetic engineering and xenotransplantation (the transplanting of vital organs from animals into humans) will further erode the status of animals.

However, there are many who oppose the continuing mass exploitation of animals and call for more enlightened treatment of our fellow beings. Some foresee, if not a vegetarian future, then at least an end to the intensive rearing of animals for food. Writing in TIME Magazine, Ed Ayers of the US environmental watchdog the Worldwatch Institute described the adverse effects of mass livestock rearing on the environment and predicted that "the era of mass-produced animal flesh, and its unsustainable costs to human and environmental health, should be over before the next century is out" (Beyond 2000: Will We Still Eat Meat?, 8 November 1999). Whether Mr Ayers' compatriots will take his advice and "discover the intrinsic satisfactions of a diverse plant-based diet" remains to be seen, but they would be in good company if they did as the quotation below shows. If you haven't already done so, taking the Millennium Vegetarian Pledge might be the best New Year Resolution you ever made.

Paul Appleby, January 2000

Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. (Albert Einstein, 1879-1955)

[OxVeg Front Page | Index of Articles ]

Oxford Vegetarians Web site is hosted by the International Vegetarian Union.

This page last updated 2 April 2000 by Paul Appleby.