Faunalytics.org makes use of JavaScript to operate fully, but Javascript is disabled in your browser
‹ Explore topics

Effective Advocacy

Topics relating to animal advocacy strategies & tactics, social movement progress, program evaluation, and related subjects.

In the Spotlight

 | 

Towards a ‘Good Life’ for Farm Animals: Development of a Resource Tier Framework to Achieve Positive Welfare for Laying Hens
This paper by a group of researchers in the U.K., looks at ways of going beyond a basic definition of animal welfare towards providing animals, specifically laying hens, with a "good life." Using the U.K.'s Farm Animal Welfare Committee's "Five Freedoms," which focused on negative aspects of welfare (such as freedom from pain, and so on), the paper seeks to build a regulatory framework that focuses on positive welfare, and opportunities rather than freedoms. Through a literature review as well as consultations with chicken welfare experts, they arrive at a potential system of grading (Welfare +, ++, and +++). Visits and evaluations at farms around the U.K. offers some initial findings that could help such a system be implemented. READ MORE

 | 

Policing Farm Animal Welfare in Federated Nations: The Problem of Dual Federalism in Canada and the USA
This paper outlines problems with (and proposes some solutions for) the creation and enforcement of effective laws protecting farm animals in the United States and Canada. Taking a long view that includes an agro-anthropological analysis of how current farm animal protection laws came to be, the paper highlights how, in the both the U.S. and Canada, agriculture is a unique institution. "Achieving substantial shift in farm animal production methods, means a coordinated societal initiative to disseminate and have adopted a new societal norm." The authors argue that some kind of continental regulatory oversight, as well as more direct cooperation with policy-makers and NGOs, are possible solutions, but that any changes will cause friction with the prevailing industrial practices centered around efficiency and profits, not animal care. READ MORE

 | 

‘‘We Don’t Tell People What To Do’’: An Examination of the Factors Influencing NGOs to Campaign for Reduced Meat Consumption
With the link between climate change and intensive animal farming ever clearer and more compelling, the question of how to address meat consumption has become a matter that environmental NGOs need to concern themselves with. However, with people's dietary choices being a sensitive subject, navigating the topic of meat-eating with NGO members (and the general public) is a complicated matter to say the least. This study of 48 NGOs from across North America, as well as Sweden, found that addressing (and not addressing) meat consumption in relation to climate change is strategically and tactically complicated, both for "environmentally-focused NGOs" and "food-focused" NGOs. The authors urge new efforts from both angles to address the pressing issue. READ MORE

 | 

Effects of Phenotypic Characteristics on the Length of Stay of Dogs at Two No Kill Animal Shelters
In this review of dog populations at two no-kill shelters, researchers looked specifically at how physical traits of dogs, as well as their ages, might affect the length of time they stay at the shelter. Without accounting for any sort of "personality" traits, they found a strong relationship between the size of the dog and their length of stay (LOS), but found only tenuous links between the dog's coat color and their LOS, as well as the type of breed (including "fighting breeds") and their LOS. Researchers hope that their findings will help shelters tailor their adoption efforts to focus on getting LOS down for all dogs, concentrating first on those that might normally stay in the shelter the longest. READ MORE
Faunalytics uses cookies to provide necessary site functionality and to help us understand how you use our website. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
I Agree
meerkat-emails.jpg

Don’t Miss a Thing

Faunalytics delivers the latest and most important information directly to your inbox. Choose what topics you want to see and how often you get our emails, and you can unsubscribe anytime.