*Originally published 4 September 2020* When you see a scientist arrested after telling the truth about the cause of climate destruction and global pandemics, there is a feeling of dread over what our political landscape has become. That is, at least, the feeling I had when witnessing ecologist Emma Smart being arrested in London, whilst she was speaking about the science of animal farming. Climate sceptic lobbies Governments across the world have a chokehold on the funding and publishing of scientific research. As long as it serves the status quo, they get to decide who the ‘experts’ are. For them, there is no driving concern to tell the truth based on rigorous scientific study when that science challenges the very[…]
How to Win the Battle Against the Animal and Climate Crisis
*Originally published 21 August 2020* Pre-word Animal Rebellion promotes civil disobedience as a catalyst for political and system change. We recognise the value of different campaign methods, such as lobbying MPs and signing petitions. However, there are other groups that already focus on these areas and they do it well. Our focus is on attention raising actions with higher consequences, such as risking arrest, and causing mass civil disobedience in full view of the public. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, as our motives are directed towards the system, not the individual. Non-violent Direct Action Nobody wants to be arrested. Sitting in a police station for hours on end, with your liberty at risk, a criminal record that could[…]
Why Is Animal Rebellion Standing with UK Farmers
*Originally published 8 July 2020* Animal Rebellion is standing in solidarity with UK Farmers against the new Agricultural Bill 2020. You’re right, this is shocking. Why are we standing with the very farmers who keep the animal agricultural system going? The Agricultural Bill 2020 is a HUGE step backward for our food system and food security. What is the Agricultural Bill 2020? The Bill is replacing European Union (EU) Farming regulations and is setting new, lower standards for the future of British farming. The Bill allows cheaper, lower quality imports into the UK from countries like the US: including hormone-injected beef, chlorinated chicken and eggs. The meat allowed to be imported into the UK is currently illegal according to UK and EU legislation. How[…]
Animal Rebellion Netherlands: Earth Day Letter to Prime Minister
*Originally published 1 May 2020* Emerging from our Cargill action we knew that, for Earth Day, we again wanted to combine a small but strong in-person action, with a broader initiative that the general public could participate in, whilst adhering to the COVID-19 regulations. Our broader action was a country-wide call-out for people to tie signs, designed by artists at Extinction Rebellion, to trees on their daily walk. Meanwhile, a small group of us composed a carefully worded letter and planned its strategic delivery to the Prime Minister, accompanied by a “Sarah doll”. The life sized doll symbolises a woman turning the age of 50 in the Netherlands, which felt apt as it was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.[…]
Change is Happening All Around Us Right Now and This Could Spark Something Big
*Originally published 24 April 2020* The domino effect is when one change occurs, triggering another and then another. This is the situation for many countries around the world right now. The first change always feels like the hardest adjustment but, once people get used to it happening we begin to embrace new things more quickly. Branching out of our comfort zones seems scary at first, but change is not really difficult: it is inevitable. We need to abandon the ‘business as usual’ approach and, instead, take radical action to ensure that the future we want — to live in a just and sustainable world — becomes our present. Protecting our future cannot be done by anyone alone but requires the[…]
How is COVID-19 Predicting the Future?
*Originally published 16 March 2020* Unless you have been living under a rock, we are all aware of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The death toll is increasing as the virus spreads rapidly around the world. On 14th March 2020, the total number of deaths increased from 11 to 21 in the UK. These numbers may sound small, but it means deaths almost doubled in 24 hours warning us of what is to come. This crisis is a taste of an ongoing ecological breakdown, a result of our systemic abuse of the environment (of which pathogens are a reactionary part, empowered by the system’s disbalance). If we continue on our current trajectory with the rate of climate change, there will be suffering[…]
Wherever There Is Milk, There Is An Alternative. Arla Must Choose Plant-Based Milk.
Walk through any British supermarket today and you will encounter a vast array of milks. It’s not just green, red, or blue top anymore. Aisles are overflowing with alternatives and people are buying them (a quarter of UK customers). These plant-based options have spilled into cafes and restaurants too. You may find them at your work canteen, at school, at conferences or on trains. Wherever there is tea, there is milk, and wherever there is milk, there is an alternative. With the demand for plant-based milk growing, the UK cannot get left behind. We must choose the right milk to invest in. Although plant milks have been around for thousands of years (horchata and almond milk), the dairy industry has long enjoyed domination[…]
As Forests Burn, Our Voices Must Be Twice as Loud
*Originally published 31 December 2019* Ever since one certain animal has found a way to start fires, it has become their main tool for creating warmth, cooking food and keeping darkness at bay. But as with some other advances associated with our civilisation and technology, it has simultaneously become our favourite weapon of mass destruction and to this day, it still is. Millennia ago, we used fire to do the dirty work of mass-erasing nature off the surface of this planet, only this time there is not so much left to burn, comparatively. And just as during the first pages of the human’s pastoral history, the most likely reason for burning nature is to give way to animal agriculture, whether it is[…]
Incentivising Plant-Based Businesses: A Necessary Step Towards a Just and Sustainable Future
*Originally published 16 November 2019* *Updated 15 November 2021* As part of Animal Rebellion’s response to DEFRA’s National Food Strategy, Animal Rebellion has made ten core suggestions. The first is to incentivise a just and sustainable plant-based business model. In their (invited) consultation with DEFRA, Animal Rebellion points out that vegans and vegetarians are expected to make up a quarter of the population by 2025. They note that in response to the increasing demand for ethical plant-based alternatives to meat, fish, dairy, and other animal products, plant-based businesses have been on the rise. The popularity of Beyond Meat products (such as the Beyond Burger, made from pea protein, coconut oil, potato starch, and beetroot juice) and other plant-based alternatives to animal products is[…]
Cargill Family, A Historic Choice is upon You: Planetary Destruction or Climate, Animal and Human Justice?
*Originally published 25 October 2019* An open letter from Animal Rebellion to the ‘silent giant’ that holds the fate of many of the world’s forests, billions of worlds’ farmed animals and much of the global food-system in its grip. Over 140 years Cargill, whilst remaining little-known, has grown to be one of the largest traders of commodities for the animal-agricultural industry. Your company is one of a handful that control up to 90% of the worlds grain markets. Your company is also the largest worldwide producer of the grain-based feed for farmed animals and the third-largest “meat processing” company in the world.Today, your agri-business is the largest food-conglomerate in the world. Astonishingly, all this makes your organisation directly accountable for: the life and death experiences of billions of commoditized[…]