Ed Winters: “Then what are we voting for?”
Ed Winters is one of the world's most prominent animal rights advocates. In an interview with Project 1882, he reflects on his televised exchange with Sweden's Minister for Rural Affairs, the importance of keeping a cool head in debates, and how vegans can hold on to hope in difficult times.
There were only four days left before filming when the email arrived. The Swedish talk show Skavlan & Sverige wanted Ed Winters to appear in an episode and asked whether he would be willing to come to Sweden to talk about veganism and animal ethics. The answer was obvious.
"Of course, I said yes. I had seen several YouTube clips from Skavlan's previous talk show and knew what kind of programme it was".
The minister who wouldn't give a straight answer
One of the most talked-about moments has been his confrontation with Sweden's Minister for Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren, who was unwilling to speak plainly about practices within the country's meat industry.
"What was revealing was his reluctance to talk about gas chambers for pigs. We’re so used to hearing politicians and industry representatives say things like “Swedish meat is ethical” or “Swedish food production is humane”. But they do so in very broad, sweeping terms. They are much less willing to talk about what happens to the animals", says Ed Winters.
He continues:
"It’s easy for a politician to say that pork produced in Sweden is ethical. It’s much harder to say that it’s ethical to gas pigs to death with carbon dioxide in a gas chamber. It sounds wrong when you say it out loud because we intuitively understand that it cannot be ethical. It’s a terrible thing to do to an individual, by any standard you choose to apply."
When Ed Winters pressed Peter Kullgren about carbon dioxide stunning, the minister eventually replied that he is a politician and that it is not his role to say what he really thinks. To Ed Winters, it’s a shocking admission.
"Then what exactly are we voting for? What are we supposed to trust if he so readily admits that he isn’t being honest?"
About Ed Winters
- Also known as: Earthling Ed
- From: York, England
- What he does: Animal rights activist, public speaker, author, and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of the animal rights organization Surge and Surge Sanctuary, an 18-hectare animal sanctuary that is home to more than 100 rescued animals. He has nearly half a million subscribers and followers across YouTube and Instagram and has lectured at Harvard, Cambridge, and around one-third of all UK universities.
- Books: This Is Vegan Propaganda (2022), How to Argue with a Meat Eater (2023), How to Go (and Stay) Vegan (2025).
Originally published in Project 1882's magazine
This text is an excerpt from an interview originally published in "Tidningen Djurens Rätt", Project 1882's Swedish-language magazine and the largest animal rights magazine in the Nordic region. The full interview is available in Swedish in issue 3/2026.
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