Context: An employment tribunal in the United Kingdom has ruled that “ethical veganism” is a philosophical belief protected by British law against discrimination.

What’s the case?

The man who brought the case, Jordi Casamitjana, claimed that he was fired from an animal welfare charity, The League Against Cruel Sports, for raising concerns about its pension funds’ alleged investment in companies that use animal testing.

What has the tribunal said?

The tribunal determined that ethical veganism meets the test required to be a philosophical belief, because of which it is protected under The Equality Act, 2010.

What is Veganism, ethical veganism?

Broadly, a vegan person does not consume meat products and also products that are derived from animals (such as milk, eggs, etc).

Ethical veganism, on the other hand, has been defined as the view that attaches a positive ethical valuation to a vegan lifestyle.

There are two types of ethical veganism: broad absolutist veganism, under which it is always wrong to use any product made by or from animals, and modest ethical veganism, under which it is typically wrong to use products made from or by a range of animals including cats, dogs, cows, pigs, etc.

An example of the former category is a person who would not press a leather button, “even if doing so were necessary in order to avert global nuclear war”.

 How is it different from ethical vegetarianism?

Ethical veganism is different from ethical vegetarianism — the latter makes a distinction between products made from animals, such as meat, and products made by animals, such as milk.

Ethical vegetarianism is opposed to products made from animals in particular.