Theravadan monks are also not allowed to dig in the soil, but they must eat what is given them for dana. (All of the people at the temples know their monks preferences).
It is true that digging in the soil kills many animals including worms and grubs, etc.
My question is: are root vegetables Vegan? In my humble opinion a person that eats root vegetables is not Vegan.
According to Wikipedia, the Vegan society is
...the oldest vegan organization in the world, founded in the United Kingdom in 1944
It has root vegetable recipes and its definition of vegan food says...
...there are no animal-derived ingredients, that no animal testing has been conducted (by the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom it has effective control), and that cross-contamination is minimised as far as possible.
So it certainly does not seem to exclude root vegetables as being part of a Vegan diet. Of course it's not the only Vegan organisation, nor are any of them the sole arbiter of what is and isn't Vegan. In the end everyone has to make their own decision.
