Why not change the laws so that they protect farmed animals?

A legal system that allows this (below) should be changed, certainly. If the laws don’t exist, they should. If they exist, they should be enforced. But clearly, the cruelty happens regardless.

But is it worth most animal advocate’s time and energy to try to change those laws? Or is there something else they should focus on?

Matt Ball answers:

When laws actually are passed, they are usually inadequate and aren’t enforced.Several examples demonstrate these problems. The federal humane transport law says that animals must be allowed to rest, move about, and have access to food and water for five hours during every 28 hour period. But this law doesn’t apply to transport by trucks, which is how almost all animals are moved from factory farm or feedlot to slaughter (see this for more information on transport). And there is no federal law that protects any farm animals from abuse while on the farm.

The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act doesn’t apply to birds, which represent the majority of animals slaughtered in the United States. Even for mammals, slaughter is often far from “humane,” as few inspectors exist, and abuse is rampant (see, for example, this story from the Washington Post).

At the state level, most humane laws exempt “standard agricultural practices,” leaving the treatment of “food” animals outside the law. Even small victories are few and far between. Perhaps the main recent legislative victory for farm animals in the United States was a Florida ballot initiative that banned the practice of housing pregnant pigs in small crates. The initiative cost animal protection groups millions of dollars and affected only two farms – one of which moved to North Carolina. This illustrates another problem with legislative campaigns – laws may have no effect on animal welfare if producers move to other states or nations where the laws do not apply. [...]

Perhaps the most important factor to consider when dealing with welfare reforms is that the government and big business will manipulate public perception through misleading claims. See this expose on the “Animal Care Certified” label which was given to eggs coming from the extremely inhumane conditions; see also this for how the term “free range” can mean just about anything. [...]

For all these reasons, Vegan Outreach believes the resources and efforts of most activists are better spent directly informing the public about factory farms and slaughterhouses. For example, in just an hour or two, you can distribute several hundred booklets to interested young people. Even if only a few people go vegetarian from reading these booklets, these few hours can save thousands of animals. Each hour volunteered and dollar donated to Vegan Outreach has a real impact on the lives of animals. At the same time, leafleting educates consumers and voters, increasing the support for future ballot initiatives and market reforms.

If there is to be any significant change – either through legislation or demand-driven reforms – there will need to be much more widespread awareness among consumers and voters. The more people we can reach with detailed information, the more compassionate people will choose cruelty-free options, and speak on behalf of the animals who suffer so terribly, unseen and unheard, in today’s factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses.

The entire article is here: http://www.veganoutreach.org/articles/whynotlaws.html

For more on vegan education, please check out these articles here at Vegan Soapbox:

• Animal Advocacy For Shy People
• The Power To Influence
• Cheap & Easy! Creative Vegan Education That Is…
• Do It Your Way
• Plant A Seed Of Empathy

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Sections: Vegan Activism
Topics: activism, advocate, education, law, leafleting, legal, Theory, vegan outreach