I’m more than 600 million animals slaughtered every year in Italy, 8 billion across Europe. Of these, less than 1% is raised organically and for some species, such as fish And rabbitsthere are not even specific laws capable of guaranteeing adequate protection.
From cages for sows to the terrible breeding of fast-growing breeds for chickens (the now well-known broiler chickens), the Italian food supply chain has a lot of problems and there is still too much cruelty to eliminate. In addition to the promotion of more adequate laws and commitments by institutions and companies, Being Animals encourages promotion of an increasingly plant-based diet.
And this is how a new edition of Veganuary in Italy, the global campaign that since 2014 has inspired millions of people around the world to try a plant-based diet with completely free daily recipes and advice at least in the month of January.
Last year around 25 million people took part in Veganuary around the world and in 2025 the numbers are set to rise even more thanks to Malaysia, Peru and Canada joining the campaign. Initially widespread only in Anglo-Saxon countries, Veganuary today includes partners in 20 countries, including Italy, with participants signing up from all over the world, with the exception of North Korea.
Why Veganuary
Because for every million people who eat vegan for a month, over 6 million liters of water, 100 thousand tons of CO2eq and more than 3 million animal lives are saved.
In addition to being the most sustainable, plant-based nutrition is also undoubtedly the most respectful towards animals. According to the FAO, every year in the world almost 600 billion wild fish, approximately 100 billion farmed fish, 86 billion poultry and 4.5 billion mammals die from human consumption. For a total of over 700 billion animals.
Furthermore, in Europe alone it is estimated that the European livestock sector emits the equivalent of 502 million tonnes of CO2 per year, but if we also consider indirect emissions (those to produce feed, for example) these would reach 704 million of tons of CO2. An exorbitant figure that exceeds the emissions produced by all vehicles circulating in the EU.
How to participate in Veganuary
Like every year, the official launch will be on January 1st, but it is already possible to register on the website www.veganuary.it and select the chosen start date.
Anyone who registers via the site will receive free recipes and advice every day for 31 days that will help them try a completely plant-based diet.
Not just farms, here’s all the cruelty to animals
The 2024 data from the Carabinieri on crimes against animals they offer a clear and worrying picture: if on the one hand the crimes prosecuted by the Carabinieri show a decline compared to previous years (3,940 cases compared to 4,318 in 2023 and 4,697 in 2022), on the other hand signs of greater seriousness emerge. The Enpa legal office, in particular, has recorded a significant increase in requests for recognition of social dangerwhich went from 5% in 2023 to 19.5% in 2024.
This data – they state from Enpa – highlights how animal mistreatment is not isolated acts, but indicators of increasingly cruel violence, which often involves minors, responsible, based on complaints presented by Animal Protection, for 5% of crimes reported, and which mainly affects dogs (44.83%) and cats (20.69%).
According to 2024 Carabinieri data, from 1 January to 1 December 2024 there were:
