The ethical case for veganism starts with a simple question: can animals feel? Researchers have reached increasingly clear conclusions. Here is what two public declarations by scientists say and how they relate to your plate.
In short
- In 2012, a group of neuroscientists gathered at the University of Cambridge stated that brain networks important for affective states in humans are also critically important for emotional behaviours in animals.
- The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness (2024) says there is strong scientific support for conscious experience in mammals and birds.
- The same declaration speaks of a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates and many invertebrates, including cephalopod molluscs, decapod crustaceans and insects.
- European Union law recognises animals as sentient beings.
What “sentient being” means
A sentient being is one that can feel: pain, fear, pleasure or calm. We are not saying that animals think like us, only that what happens to them matters to them.
The Cambridge Declaration (2012)
On 7 July 2012, an international group of cognitive neuroscientists, neuropharmacologists, neurophysiologists, neuroanatomists and computational neuroscientists gathered at the University of Cambridge to reassess the neurobiological substrates of conscious experience in humans and non-human animals. Among their observations: the neural substrates of emotions do not appear to be confined to cortical structures, and subcortical networks aroused during affective states in humans are also critically important for generating emotional behaviours in animals.
The New York Declaration (2024)
On 19 April 2024, at New York University, researchers from several fields published a declaration with three points of wide agreement: (1) there is strong scientific support for attributing conscious experience to mammals and birds; (2) the empirical evidence indicates at least a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates (including reptiles, amphibians and fishes) and many invertebrates (including, at minimum, cephalopod molluscs, decapod crustaceans and insects); (3) when there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal. The signatories note that much uncertainty remains and that they sign in their personal capacity, not on behalf of any institution.
What European law says
Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that, in formulating and implementing the Union’s agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technological development and space policies, the Union and the Member States shall, since animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals. The Republic of Moldova is not an EU member state, but the principle shows how the issue is viewed today.
From science to choices
Science alone does not decide what is right, but it tells us what we risk ignoring. If there is a realistic possibility that an animal can feel, then, as the New York Declaration puts it, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal. For many people, food is one of the most direct such decisions, and veganism is the practical answer of those who choose not to use animal-derived products. Not everyone reaches the same conclusion, and we respect that difference.
Read on
- Animal rights and consumer responsibility
- Animals: why people choose veganism
- Frequently asked questions – ethics (in Romanian)
- Vegan guide to Moldova: first steps
Sources
- The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness (NYU, 19 April 2024)
- The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness (7 July 2012)
- EUR-Lex: Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Article 13
Updated: 26 October 2026
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