World Animal Net (WAN), the world’s largest network of animal protection societies which also has consultative status at the United Nations, has ‘wholeheartedly welcomed’ our proposals to achieve ‘lasting and meaningful change for animals’. In her review of our ‘How to Protect Animals’ research report, WAN’s International Coordinator Jessica Bridgers concludes:
“we call more animal protection organizations across the world to shift their focus from isolated issues to working strategically on changing public policy structures, systems and processes in a way that is more sympathetic to animal protection. Only after this paradigm shift will we begin to make real progress towards achieving the policy changes that animals so desperately deserve.”
Jessica notes that our analysis applies to many other countries, particularly ‘developed’ nations such as the US, where animal policy is also dominated by animal use industries to the exclusion of animal protection values. In both countries, this situation is maintained by reassuring citizens through a false narrative of high welfare standards.
The first paragraph does an excellent job of explaining the broader context that massively affects the prospects for protecting animals:
“Unfortunately, many governments across the world operate under a paradigm that promotes human-centered economic growth. Because of the contribution of animal-use industries to economic growth, economic considerations of animal use are generally given primacy over animal welfare considerations. Thus, government structures, systems and processes are developed which support animal-use, despite the fact that these generally do not reflect public opinion on animal welfare. This paradigm prevents an overarching animal welfare ethic from being incorporated, the result being a marked lack of progress by animal advocates.”
We’d like to thank World Animal Net for all their great work and for raising awareness of the essential need for animal advocates, the public and governments to democratise policy processes so that animal welfare has a chance of being respected at long last. Far from being a distraction, engaging with the governmental context for animal protection is absolutely essential if we are to achieve the best results for animals that we can.