Plant-based food and lifestyle blogger Sarah Tweed, aka @farmgirlgoesvegan, talks to ProVeg’s Emily Styrka about how it took leaving the small rural dairy farm she grew up on to realise the impact of animal agriculture on the environment.
Sarah Tweed is a plant-based food and lifestyle blogger who shares tips on making the transition to a plant-based lifestyle in a simple and enjoyable way. In this interview with ProVeg, she talks about her experience growing up on a dairy farm in Northern Ireland, her decision to stop consuming animal-based products, and her thoughts on how farming can evolve to become more sustainable.
Sarah, tell us about yourself and where you grew up.
So, I grew up on a dairy farm in the rural parts of Northern Ireland. I never thought anything of living on a farm. It was just my dad’s job. To me, he may as well have been going to an office – it was just normal to us.
All my friends at school lived on farms. My next-door neighbours were all on farms. I even went to a youth club for farming children!
When I was a child I used to go and help my dad on the farm all the time. At one point, I even thought I wanted to be a farmer. We would get so excited to see the baby calves, and sometimes got to name them.
Even with seeing the calves being born and then separated from their mother, I was unable to make the connection about why they were there. For the milk.
I left the farm at age 18 to go to university in Leeds and then after uni, moved straight to London which is where I’ve lived ever since. I guess being away from that environment gave me more perspective on it, as I would only visit around once a year.
What was your favourite childhood dish? And how would you veganise it today?
My favourite childhood dish was a chicken-and-broccoli white-sauce lasagne. The recipe has been in my family for years and was passed down from my grandma to my mum. And it’s actually so easy to make it plant-based. I replace the cow’s milk with plant milk, the butter with a plant-based butter or margarine, and, of course, replace the chicken with a plant-based chicken. One thing to make sure is that your lasagne sheets aren’t egg-based pasta – but most supermarkets have a ‘free-from’ version.
What inspired you to go plant-based?
I went plant-based after watching a documentary about the impact of animal agriculture on the environment. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I went away to look into it myself. And I was shocked to learn that it was all true. I went cold turkey and was plant-based from then onward!
How has your family responded to your choice to go plant-based, especially considering your background in farming?
I initially didn’t tell my family I had gone plant-based and hid my Instagram account from them for over a year because I knew it might not go down well! When I eventually did tell them, due to going home for a family event, they weren’t happy, as it seemed like I was targeting my dad and his livelihood.
But when I explained that it was more about the industrialisation of animal agriculture and slaughter and explained the impact on the environment, they were much more open and understanding. I don’t think my parents will ever go fully plant-based but they are much more aware and conscious now and make kinder choices when they can.
What advice would you give to someone from a farming background who is interested in transitioning to a plant-based diet?
I would say if you are from a farming background and want to try going plant-based then the best advice is to start one step at a time and switch out the animal-based products for plant-based alternatives in your favourite meals first. If you still can eat the meals you are used to but just a plant-based version, that tends to encourage people to keep going as it feels less like there are restrictions.
And with your family…try to lead by example and answer questions when asked, rather than trying to get into big debates or arguments at the dinner table! It’s difficult when it’s someone’s whole livelihood, but when they come to understand the reasons behind it, and it’s delivered in a kind and gentle way, they are much more likely to be understanding and more receptive to it.
How do you think farming will evolve in the future to become more sustainable and plant-focused?
I am really hoping to see government subsidies moving away from animal agriculture and beginning to support plant-based food systems and products. I believe this is a large piece of the puzzle that needs to fall into place. Where they can, farmers will hopefully diversify and if not move away completely from animal farming, they can at least produce more plants and scale back their animal production.
What are some common misconceptions people have about plant-based lifestyles in the farming community?
I genuinely believe that farming communities think that plant-based people are trouble makers, are really anti-farmer, and there is hate or animosity towards farmers from plant-based people.
From my perspective, this couldn’t be further from the truth. I believe we need to work together to create a food system that can feed the whole world and is sustainable. The model we have now is not sustainable and is destroying our planet. The animal agriculture industry also has a huge negative impact on the humans working in it, as well as the animals, whether it’s the mental health of farmers, or doing long, arduous and lonely work. Or for slaughterhouse workers and the horrifying conditions they are subjected to. A plant-based system could benefit all.
Thank you so much for chatting with us, Sarah!