No worries, it's very interesting.
In the 'olden days' cochineal was a major source of income for the inhabitants of this island. Nearly every property had at least a few prickly pear plants, and some had acres of the stuff. Until very recently the plants were listed on the deeds of the properties and you had to apply for permission to remove one! This all changed when a central land registry was established in Spain.
We have another natural dye as well although I'm not sure it could be classed as vegan. It's extracted from the shell of a certain mussel that inhabits the rocky coast of a little island off of our island, Isla de Lobos, named after the sea wolves (Mediterranean Monk seals) that also lived there. The Romans had an ancient settlement on Lobos Island purely for the purpose of extracting this purple dye which was used for the clothing of emperors and such.
Nowadays the mussels are a protected species so I can't send you any, sorry
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