We all love animals

"I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men." -- Leonardo da Vinci, 16th century, 5 centuries ago.

"We all love animals. Why do we call some 'pets' and others 'dinner'?" -- k.d. Lang, Canadian singer

"Many years ago, I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him-all for the passing pleasure it brings me.' And something inside me clicked. I realised, as I watched him fight for breath, that his life was as important for him as mine is to me." -- Paul McCartney, Beetles

"We stopped eating meat many years ago. During the course of a Sunday lunch we happened to look out of the kitchen window at our young lambs playing happily in the fields. Glancing down at our plates, we suddenly realised we were eating the leg of an animal who had until recently been playing in a field herself. We looked at each other and said: "Wait a minute, we love these sheep-they're such gentle creatures. So why are we eating them?" It was the last time we ever did." -- Paul and Linda McCartney