The ethical vegan who walks instead of taking the bus to avoid squashing insects

Jordi Casamitjana’s belief in ethical veganism is reflected in almost every aspect of his day-to-day life, whether it be who he socialises with or the transport he takes.

The 55-year-old, who lives in London, said a typical day will see him wake up and shower using vegan soaps, and trim his beard with a shaver powered by a supplier of vegan-friendly electricity.

Once leaving the house, if his destination is within an hour’s walking distance, he will walk rather than take the bus to avoid any “accidental crashes with insects or birds”, Mr Casamitjana said in a witness statement.

On the occasions he does have to use public transport, he will try to avoid holding on to leather straps.

And when paying for items, Mr Casamitjana said he tries to avoid using notes, claiming the new versions have been manufactured using animal products.

He also ensures all of his clothes are vegan-friendly and even refuses to eat certain foods if its production harms animals in any way.

Mr Casamitjana said in his witness statement: “For example, figs are grown with a symbiotic relationship to a microscopic wasp.

“You can therefore not be sure whether any of the wasp’s larvae is still inside the ripened fig and therefore I consider consumption of figs to be inconsistent with veganism.”

In his former workplaces, Mr Casamitjana said if a colleague asks for cow’s milk in their tea, they would have to serve it themselves.

His evenings consist of participating in vegan outreach events and eating in London’s vegan restaurants – a city he has been living in since 2005.

When watching TV, he said he tends to use Netflix to ensure he does not have to “endure the sight of any advert advertising meat or animal products.”

He also adheres to a “100%” vegan diet and would not allow non-vegan food in his house.

Mr Casamitjana, who is from Barcelona in Spain’s Catalonia region, said he has lived in the UK since 1993 and has no children.

He said he became a British citizen in 2000.

His previous employment includes working as a research and rehabilitation coordinator at a monkey sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall.

After leaving the sanctuary in 2000, he later became a freelance animal protection investigator before joining the League Against Cruel Sports in 2004 as a hunting and bullfighting campaigner.

Mr Casamitjana said he left the charity to work for a Dutch anti-bullfighting organisation in 2008, before returning to the League in 2016 as its head of policy and research.