The Vegan Society holds its first Annual General Meeting. Now more than a handful of determined individuals, the Society begins organising around clear goals. While early communications describe veganism as avoiding dairy and eggs, the ethical stance of opposing exploitation remains present from the beginning. Watson continues corresponding with members, reinforcing veganism as a moral opposition to all use of sentient life.

Leslie Cross plays a pivotal role in redefining veganism beyond diet. He argues that merely avoiding animal food products is not enough — veganism must mean the complete rejection of the use of animals for any purpose. This year marks the first time The Vegan Society formally articulates veganism’s ethical foundation: to end the exploitation of animals altogether.

In a landmark address titled “The Surge of Freedom,” Leslie Cross frames veganism as encompassing two broad aspects: the liberation of non-human animals, and the creation of a just and peaceful human society. He explicitly links veganism to wider ethical concerns such as war, racism, and exploitation — decades ahead of intersectional discourse. This speech stands as one of the earliest articulations of veganism as a comprehensive social justice philosophy.

Eva Batt, one of the earliest and most influential vegan advocates, joins the Vegan Society. She would go on to be a Council member for nearly two decades and played a vital role in outreach, community support, and practical vegan living. Her writing, including “What’s Cooking?” and other cookbooks, made plant-based eating more accessible for everyday people.

Eva Batt opens one of the world’s first dedicated vegan shops from her home in Enfield, London. Far from a polished retail space, her kitchen became a hub for distributing vegan goods and literature — offering staples like soya flour, egg replacers, and hand-packed items. This grassroots effort was instrumental in building community support long before veganism was mainstream.

Novelist and critic Brigid Brophy publishes an essay in the Sunday Times titled “The Rights of Animals.” In it, she challenges the moral status quo, asking: “Once we cease to believe that God gave man dominion over the beasts… what right have we to do them harm?” This marks one of the first serious public critiques of speciesism in post-war Britain and helps lay the groundwork for academic animal rights theory.

Philosopher Rosalind Godlovitch co-edits the landmark collection Animals, Men and Morals, a foundational text in modern animal ethics. Alongside Stanley and John Harris, she argues that non-human animals have moral value independent of their usefulness to humans — and that vegetarianism and veganism are ethical obligations, not lifestyle choices. This book introduces many themes that would later be echoed in Regan’s and Francione’s work, and kickstarts serious academic debate on animal rights.

Vegan Views, an independent UK publication, begins circulating to discuss veganism as a philosophy and lifestyle — not just food. It provides a platform for ethical debate, animal liberation thought, environmental critique, and anti-capitalist vegan perspectives. Run by volunteers, it preserves the intellectual and moral backbone of veganism during a time of growing commercialisation.

The Vegan Society is officially registered as a UK charity. This formal recognition provides financial and organisational stability, allowing the Society to expand its public education and outreach efforts. It marks the end of the movement’s early phase and paves the way for more global visibility in the 1980s and 90s.

Philosopher Tom Regan publishes The Case for Animal Rights, a major work arguing that animals have inherent value as ‘subjects-of-a-life’. Unlike utilitarian arguments, Regan defends the idea that animals have rights regardless of outcomes or human benefit. This book becomes a foundational text in rights-based vegan advocacy and academic philosophy.

In 1992, The Animals’ Agenda publishes a landmark article titled “Point/Counterpoint,” featuring contrasting views from Tom Regan, Gary Francione, and Ingrid Newkirk. Regan and Francione argue for rights-based, abolitionist veganism — rejecting welfare reform and animal use entirely. In contrast, Newkirk (PETA) defends incremental welfare improvements as pragmatic. This exchange captures the growing philosophical rift between abolitionism and welfarism, and marks a turning point in the movement’s self-definition.

Legal scholar Gary Francione publishes Rain Without Thunder, the first book-length defence of abolitionist animal rights since Regan. He critiques the rise of “new welfarism” — advocacy that accepts animal use as long as it is “humane” — arguing that such reforms entrench exploitation rather than end it. Francione calls for veganism as a moral baseline, setting the stage for his later development of the Six Abolitionist Principles. This work revives and clarifies the original anti-use stance of early veganism.

The Vegan Society celebrates its 80th anniversary — marking eight decades of unwavering advocacy for nonviolence and justice. Veteran and new abolitionist voices reaffirm the original principles: not dietary preference, but a moral stance against exploitation of sentient life. The movement continues to evolve, rooted in clarity, compassion, and courage.