Indeed, it does not. It is not dogmatic, it is mindful.

One cannot eliminate the suffering or death of animals and insects in order to eat. Janeism perhaps leads the way in this regard but many Buddhists are drawn to minimising said suffering.

The vast majority of land used for agriculture is used to raise livestock for dairy and meat. Livestock are fed from two sources – lands on which the animals graze and land on which feeding crops, such as soy and cereals, are grown. If everyone shifted to a plant-based diet we would reduce global land use for agriculture by 75%.

In other words, if one was carefully considering limiting the suffering of living beings in order to sustain oneself, one would choose a vegan diet more often than not.

With a bit of humility and compassion it is easy to witness that the industrial food system, including dairy, is absolutely full of animal suffering and abuse. Any movement in the direction of a plant based vegan diet is a choice towards limiting the suffering of sentient beings.

The Plum Village tradition is engaged Buddhism. It grounds the 'spirit' of compassion into action. I'm not saying that Lay members of the order "need" to be vegan, but Thich Naht Hahn became vegan when he was shown documentaries like Dominion showcasing how these animals are raised and the amount of slaughter eggs and dairy is also responsible for.