According to Brian May, there is a strong connection between meat consumption and the spread of coronavirus, and for this reason, among others, the time has come to re-examine our world so that we stop exploiting other species.
In an interview with the British music weekly NME, Brian May said he is convinced that "the future of humanity will be in veganism", after the entire world was severely hit by the coronavirus crisis.
The Queen guitarist came out against meat consumption, citing it as the main cause of coronavirus, and stated that the pandemic will force people to reassess their relationship with meat.
The artist draws on the hypothesis — not entirely proven — that the pandemic was triggered by the transmission of the virus from animal to human at the wildlife market in Wuhan. "It's becoming more and more well known that eating animals is not the best thing for our health," said Brian May, adding: "Eating animals has brought us to our knees: I think it's time to re-examine our world so that we stop exploiting other species."
Read also: Coronavirus, China bans menus featuring wild animals
Even though there is no real scientific consensus on the origin of the virus, one of the most widely accepted theories is that it was transmitted to humans from live animals at markets in China, which led the country to temporarily suspend the consumption of wildlife (a decision that could become permanent).
Brian May, long at the forefront of the fight to protect animals and the environment, began following a diet completely free of animals and animal products in January 2020.
Read also: Brian May: a committed animal rights activist
"I've been vegan for three months. For me it was an experiment, because I've been an animal rights activist for a long time, but grappling with the fact that I still ate animals from time to time. Becoming vegan was a personal and private decision and I didn't talk about it. But we've seen that the effects of eating animals have brought us to our knees and I think it's time to re-examine our world so that we stop exploiting other species," he said, adding that from now on he will speak publicly much more about veganism, as he believes it is the right path to take.
Brian May's comments come in the wake of statements made by another major music star. Former Beatle Paul McCartney, interviewed by Howard Stern on the SiriusXM radio programme, lashed out against wet markets, where animals are sold live and slaughtered on the spot.
"Let's face it, eating bats is a medieval thing. It seems like SARS and bird flu taught us nothing, and yet it all started there. What was the point? Just to carry on with these medieval practices." According to McCartney, the existence of such markets could unleash a kind of atomic bomb on the ecosystem and on civilisation in the years ahead.