Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is the idea that efforts should be made to improve conditions for animals on factory farms, instead of just focusing on outreach and Vegan alternatives. Many animal welfare campaigns, notably ones undertaken by the Humane League, are focused on getting companies to end their use of caged-eggs for hens on factory farms, and so far have been extremely successful. While they aren’t the only factor in it, these campaigns have had a big hand in the increasing reduction of caged eggs.

It’s a somewhat controversial topic within animal rights circles. Most of the discussion revolves around whether or not increasing welfare for animals on factory farms creates a sort of moral licensing effect, making people feel less bad about eating meat, preventing them from going vegan, or possibly even increasing their consumption of animal products (this view is most notably supported by Gary Francione). There are also concerns about the environment, since improving welfare makes operations less efficient, meaning more emissions from the animals and production.

Others view it more as a sign of the movement being too willing to compromise. At best, they think of it as animal rights activists becoming too passive and cooperating with meat-eaters instead of doing something to actually help the animals. At worst, they view it as enabling and continuing cruelty, while animals are still suffering and dying by the billions.

While these concerns are (somewhat) understandable, it is both morally and empirically incorrect to oppose animal welfare reforms. It might be slow, unglamorous, and a sign of being forced to concede, but animal welfare laws are almost always massive net positives for the animals, and even the environment.

Better for the animals

One of the biggest selling points from an ethical perspective is the immense suffering that can be reduced from just a few welfare reforms. Considering the billions of animals in factory farms, even one slight improvement in their conditions would result in a massive reduction in suffering.

A common pushback, especially from deontological Vegans, is that it swaps out animal rights for animal welfare. The thing to consider though is that Veganism as an ethical movement is focused on reducing suffering. The main thing we oughta be focused on is if we are fulfilling that goal, not whether or not we’re sufficiently providing animals with “rights” (which is a nebulous and contentious concept).

Effort to reward, animal welfare campaigns nets us a huge win on this front.

Reduces Meat Consumption

This is counterintuitive, but the logic is pretty simple.

A widely held concern about improving animal welfare on farms is that if we risk creating a population of “happy meat eaters,” and while this is in many ways a valid concern (people will do anything to feel less bad about doing something they know they really shouldn’t be doing), studies have shown this doesn’t really play out much long term, for numerous reasons.

Firstly, something very interesting to note, is that when increasing animal welfare on farms gets reported on and campaigns gain ground, people become somewhat more conscientious, at least temporarily, and elect to cut back on animal products. It seems as though, to a point, the more information that is publicly available about animal welfare, the more people decide to cut back. It’s likely due to them become more aware of the issues with eating animal products, so it isn’t just passive inertia.

Secondly, and this is key, when animal welfare is improved, that is at the cost of efficiency. And when there is a reduction in efficiency, there is an increase in costs for the farms. Using cage-free eggs for instance increases the price of the product by about 10-20%.

Even with the rise of animal welfare on farms there is no reason to attribute any increases in animal product consumption. During the past 20 years, there was an increase in egg consumption, but that wasn’t necessarily due to people being more comfortable with animal welfare reforms, but it was more due to the rise in dieting trends and the rising population. From an ethical standpoint, this is still a win, because now those people are eating eggs that are less cruel.

Of course it isn’t a guaranteed change, but the more welfare reforms that get stacked on the more likely it will happen, since after a certain point people are not willing to tank those extra costs. It’s happening now with beef and eggs becoming increasingly expensive, leading to people purchasing them less.

(Overall) Better for the Environment

And by extension, people buying less animal products not only reduces animal suffering, but lightens the environmental impact. Now, while it is true that animal welfare laws decrease efficiency which causes more emissions, given the overall reduction of meat consumption for the reasons outlined before, in the long run, it results in fewer greenhouse gases released.

California Prop 2

This is perhaps the perfect case study.

Optics

Another element that needs to be considered in this discussion is something many over-zealous animal rights activists tend to neglect: How this makes us look to the general public.

While overall perceptions of Veganism have been gradually improving in recent years, it’s still largely a niche, and how those few people within that niche will color how the rest of society views the movement overall. The vocal and provocative ones tend to get more attention than the rest, and these people tend to skew onto the less rational and more dogmatic side. And of course, one of the positions these types tend to advocate is being opposed to animal welfare reforms.

Yes, we don’t want to make it look like we’re soft and compromising, especially considering the suffering that’s going on, but frankly, if we want to maximize recruits and allies, it’s something we have to do. If we insist on being so adamant and obstinate, it’s just going to make Vegans look like lunatics that no one wants to be associating with, and even potentially hypocrites, like we’d rather the animals suffer terribly until everyone goes vegan instead of willing to accept some reductions.