A landmark legal hearing has determined that veganism is a philosophical belief and is thus protected by law.
The tribunal was brought by Jordi Casamitjana, who said he was sacked by the League Against Cruel Sports after raising concerns that its pension fund was being invested into companies involved in animal testing.
He claimed he was unfairly disciplined for making the disclosure and that the decision to dismiss him was because of his philosophical belief in ethical veganism.
Dietary vegans and ethical vegans both eat a plant-based diet, but ethical vegans also try to exclude all forms of animal exploitation including not wearing clothing made of wool or leather and not using products tested on animals.
Casamitjana’s lawyers said ethical veganism satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical or religious belief, which would mean it was protected under the Equality Act 2010.
For a belief to be protected under the Act, it must meet a series of tests including being worthy of respect in a democratic society, not being incompatible with human dignity and not conflicting with fundamental rights of others.
Ahead of the hearing, Slater and Gordon solicitor Peter Daly, who acted for Casamitjana, said: “Ethical veganism is a philosophical belief held by a significant portion of the population in the
UK and around the world.”
When he initially brought the case, Casamitjana said the hearing was not primarily about his dismissal, but about establishing ethical veganism as a philosophical belief.
But the League Against Cruel Sports said it sacked Casamitjana for “gross misconduct”.
In a statement to the
BBC, it said: “The League Against Cruel Sports is an inclusive employer, and as this is a hearing to decide whether veganism should be a protected status, something which the league does not contest, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”Related... The 10 Best Vegan Cookbooks To Spice Up Your Plant-Based Diet How To Make Travelling That Bit Easier When You’re Vegan 9 Vegan Travel Destinations, From People Who’ve Been There And Eaten The Food