ACTIVISTS have responded to a burger van owner who said he was not scared of “bullying” vegan protesters.

Paul Clark has been selling organic meat burgers at his popular van, Trollburger, near Brighton Station for more than two years.

The 39-year-old said he has become increasingly upset with “bullying” vegan activists who have been targeting independent stores in the city in the last couple of months.

A spokeswoman for DxE said there is no “ethical” way to farm animals.

But she agreed meat is misrepresented in the media, arguing we have been conditioned “to distance ourselves from the animals whose bodies we consume” and “not to question why we do the things we do to animals”.

She said: “We are not surprised that someone who profits from the slaughter of animals has an issue with our protests. We have all been conditioned not to question why we do the things we do to animals.

 “We live in a very speciesist society that has massive economic interest in the continued exploitation and oppression of animals. 

“Our presence and words may certainly be unwelcome to some but we are advocating for the animals. Our message comes from a place of compassion, we are protesting the violence inflicted on these innocent animals.

“Does he believe animals are property? That we should use and abuse animals as we see fit? That our taste preferences are more important than animals’ lives? That because we've been doing something for so long it is justified? 

“What voice of reason disregards the victims? What method of needless violence towards animals so we can eat their remains does he support? 

“People are horrified by the Yulin dog meat festival but will then sit down and eat a lamb.

“Another myth is that animal flesh is a good, or our only, source of protein. This all stems from misinformation that is often spread by the meat industry.

“Although animal flesh, eggs and milk contain protein they are inferior to plant based sources.

“Animal based sources of protein have a well-documented association to a plethora of preventable diseases.

“Also ironically many of the animals we eat get their protein from plants.

“As far as the environment the scientific consensus is that we need to move away from eating animals if we don't want to destroy this planet.

“Animal agriculture is the leading cause of global warming and deforestation and ocean dead zones and habitat destruction and species extinction.

“The U.N believes that a global shift towards a plant based diet is vital to contact the worst effects of climate change.

“They stated that raising animals for food is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”

“The bottom line is we do not need to hurt animals. There is no 'humane' or 'ethical' way to exploit and kill others. We can choose not to eat these innocent beings who feel just like us.”