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A recent Plant Based News (PBN) article about The Sheep Detectives talks about how this year’s animal-themed blockbuster puts animals as its core focus, with some viewers even saying it inspired them to stop eating meat. Like the beloved 1995 classic Babe, The Sheep Detectives invites us to see farmed animals not as commodities, but as individuals with personalities, friendships, and lives that matter.
This got me thinking: do films have the power to impact people to the extent that they could even change what they eat on a day-to-day basis? If so, how can we make the most of these culturally significant moments to create lasting behaviour change?
Read more: ‘The Sheep Detectives’: New Hugh Jackman Film Has An Animal Rights Message
We hear countless stories about Babe and how it inspired people to rethink eating pigs and even all animals. Famously, actor James Cromwell said he went vegan on the second day of filming. Many others have also credited the film with changing the way they viewed farmed animals. Now, it seems that The Sheep Detectives could potentially have an even greater impact, provided we maximise the opportunity.
For generations, sheep have suffered from one of the worst public images of any farmed animal. Many of us use the word “sheep” as an insult for people who supposedly follow the crowd. They’re often portrayed as unintelligent or lacking personality, but the science tells a very different story.
Sheep can recognise familiar faces for years, form strong social bonds, communicate with one another, and experience a wide range of emotions. They’re curious, playful, and capable of solving problems. Like the flock in The Sheep Detectives, every sheep is an individual with their own personality, yet most people never get the chance to see them that way.
How much lamb do people eat?
Behaviour change research suggests that lambs may be particularly effective at eliciting empathy. They can challenge the way we think about animals we have come to see primarily as food, planting a seed that could encourage people to question what they eat and, for some, take steps towards vegetarianism or veganism.
So, how much lamb meat are people currently eating?
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which tracks household lamb purchases every four weeks, has recorded a decline in consumption over the past year. In July 2026, UK households purchased 78.4 million kilograms of lamb, down from 80.9 million kilograms in July 2025 and representing a fall of around 3.1 percent.
There are, of course, many reasons why lamb consumption might rise or fall, but while we can’t say for certain whether The Sheep Detectives has had any influence on these figures, the release of a family blockbuster that puts sheep and lambs centre stage certainly couldn’t hurt.
Read more: PETA Launches First-of-Its-Kind Silicone Piglet To Replace Classroom Dissections
The Vegetarian Society’s Love Lambs Week
At the Vegetarian Society, we’re eager to keep any empathy sparked by The Sheep Detectives going, and to turn that empathy into action. That’s why we’re building on the momentum created by the film through our Love Lambs campaign, encouraging people to see sheep and lambs not as food, but as the intelligent, sensitive individuals they are. A key component of this campaign is Love Lambs Week, which takes place from September 1st to September 7th each year.
Love Lambs Week is where we invite people across the UK to discover more about these remarkable animals while inspiring them to leave lambs, and all animals, off their plates. Throughout the week, we’ll be sharing delicious plant-based recipes, uplifting stories, and practical ways for people to advocate for sheep and lambs through plant-based eating.
This year, Love Lambs Week is also about securing meaningful change for those still suffering within the farming system. Alongside encouraging people to choose plant-based alternatives, we’re calling on the UK Government to end some of the cruellest routine farming practices endured by lambs: routine tail docking and castration.
Government action and wider societal change
Every year, millions of lambs in the UK undergo these painful procedures. Tail docking involves removing part of a lamb’s tail, while many male lambs are castrated, often without pain relief. These mutilations are carried out not because they benefit the lambs themselves, but to help animals fit the demands of farming systems.
The Government’s own Animal Welfare Committee has recommended that routine tail docking and castration should end by 2028, recognising that better breeding, management and husbandry can remove the need for these practices.
Now we need the Government to act on this advice, alongside wider societal change. If this year is our moment to build upon people perhaps feeling a little more empathy towards sheep and lambs, and maybe in turn growing that into feeling more empathy towards all animals, then now’s the time to make the most of this opportunity and turn that compassion into lasting impact.
Find out more about the Love Lambs campaign, and how you can help to encourage friends and family members to leave sheep, lambs, and all animals off plates and opt for plants instead, here.
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