07 - Laura Broxson - NARA, veganism & the truth about speciesism

This week we sit down with Laura Broxson, founder of the National Animal Rights Association and one of the most persistent voices for animals in Ireland. Laura went vegetarian at twelve and vegan at thirteen, and by fourteen she was an activist. She grew up in North County Dublin surrounded by rescued animals, and it was there, somewhere between caring for them all day and eating them at dinner, that the whole thing started. We talk about speciesism and what it means to be consistently anti-oppression, why Laura brings animal rights to the Irish left rather than treating it as a cause apart. She takes us through NARA's campaigns, from the fur farming ban she helped win to the undercover pig and turkey farm investigations she runs now, chosen at random and released to a public that keeps telling her it doesn't happen here. Somewhere in the middle she asks a question neither of us could answer: when did you last see a pig in a field? It could be a bleak hour and it isn't. Laura is unapologetic about wanting to end animal agriculture, but just as clear that no farmer should be left behind in the doing of it, and she points to research showing a plant-based Ireland could pay for itself. We close on blood sports, what is coming down the tracks in the Dáil and the small things any of us can do. If you eat animal products this might be an uncomfortable listen, but it is worth staying with. Find Laura NARA: naracampaigns.org Instagram: @naracampaigns · @veganicity Want leaflets or to get active in your area? Email [email protected] Referenced in this episode Ruth Coppinger TD, who worked with NARA on the fur farming ban bill Paul Murphy TD, who raised the pig farm footage in the Dáil Irish Farmers Association Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer Transition to an Irish Vegan Agricultural System by James O'Donovan, The Vegan Society If you've enjoyed this episode, why not support the show? Find us over at patreon.com/wigsonthegreenpod Or follow us on Instagram & TikTok