Professor Andrew Knight (vegan), Part 1 of 4 - The Plant-Based, Healthiest Diet for Our Animal Companions

Our four-part show will feature just some of the many accomplishments of Professor Andrew Knight who has played a major role in bringing forward the humane curriculum in veterinarian training, and the research conducted to educate people on how our animal companions can thrive on a plant-based diet.

At the university, Andrew found the curriculum of sacrificing animals too hard to bear and refused to kill animals while practicing his surgical and preclinical training. He united with students at the University of Sydney, and other universities internationally, for a campaign demanding a change to the system. “We set up the first formal policy at an Australian University whereby the university agreed to provide students with humane alternatives to harmful animal usage within their curricula and that policy was considered quite ground-breaking. So, we also got rid of a lot of the invasive animal laboratories in the veterinary curriculum and we introduced humane alternatives, so that was all fantastic. That process has continued since then and is still going on today.”

Professor Knight has diverse research interests, covering a variety of topics within the fields of animal welfare and ethics. Other than alternatives to invasive animal use within research and teaching, his recent projects have explored plant-based and alternative companion animal diets, and the impacts of animal agriculture on climate change. “We were fundraising to help support the election campaign of Animals Count. That's the first time that a party for the animals has ever contested these elections here in the United Kingdom. That's very historic really. So, we're hoping to encourage all political parties to take animal issues more seriously, increase the time that they give to trying to protect animals within Parliament, by demonstrating that people will vote on for animals and on behalf of animal issues. So, we thought that that was a worthy cause to fundraise for on this occasion.”

Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Joyfully presents the Shining World Compassion Award to Professor Andrew Knight, plus US $10,000 as a token of helping the research, with all love and high salute for your precious work. May you enjoy continued success and constant protection by Heaven.”