*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 a clear indication that the UK public is ready for a change. While a social shift towards more compassionate consumer choices is clearly underway, major transformation in this direction can only take place if DEFRA actively incentivises plant-based businesses on a mass scale. Effective government incentives to activate a systemic transition towards the production and sale of plant-based consumer goods could include VAT tax cuts, start up cash, and favourable loans.

Heather Mills’ vision to develop a “Plant-Based Valley” — or a production hub for plant-based alternatives to animal flesh and other animal products — in the north of England is an excellent example of the type of business the UK government should be investing in if it is truly committed to sustainability and combatting climate change. Since the late 1990s, Mills has been developing tasty alternatives to popular meat products such as doner kebabs. From a small operation in a tiny production facility in Corby, Northamptonshire, Mills went on to open VBites cafe in Hove, West Sussex, and is now aiming to open three large plant-food factories around Newcastle with a staff of 400. What is particularly attractive about Mills’ approach is that she aims to appeal directly meat-eaters, in addition to vegans. By demonstrating to the former that it is possible to enjoy the taste of a doner kebab without harming and killing animals to get the same result, Mills’ products can help facilitate the transition from exploitative animal-based agricultural production to compassionate plant-based agricultural production.

Government incentives will also enable businesses like Mills’ to provide high quality, ethically sourced plant-based products at an affordable price. One of the main barriers to the mainstreaming of plant-based products is their comparably high cost. Many people, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged, find the cost, of say organic oat milk versus cow milk — the production of which involves terrible physical and psychological suffering for mother cows and their calves — prohibitively high and therefore opt for the cheaper product, even if their conscience objects. People should not have to choose between their conscience and their pocketbook. Wholesome healthy food, which has been produced without violence to humans, animals, or the earth, should be and can be made readily available to the entire UK population. The only barrier is remaining tied to an outdated and ruinous food production system. Once that obsolete model is abandoned and replaced with a clean, green, animal-earth-human friendly model, plant-based foods will fill marketplaces and tummies across the nation, and we will be healthier, in spirit and body, for it.

Animal Rebellion’s second, and related, demand is to shift subsidies away from animal agriculture and towards protein crop cultivation. Between 2016–17, subsidies of £70 million were paid to resource intensive, pollution-heavy factory farms. If subsidies were redirected to plant-based agriculture, the terrible environmental impact of factory farming, not to mention the unspeakable injustice against animals that it entails, would be dramatically reduced and ultimately eliminated.

With increasing public awareness about the climate catastrophe and the major role animal agriculture is playing in it, and with growing public concern about the horrendous treatment of animals in the agricultural industry, the time is ripe for system change. We cannot go on needlessly killing sentient animals on a massive, unprecedented scale to satisfy our palates and fill our pockets. To do so would be, frankly, criminal on a world-historical scale. The UK government owes it to the future generations — those who stand to suffer most from the mistakes of the past — to commit in principle and practice to a more just, more ethical, and more sustainable future. One essential means of achieving this goal is to redirect funding from cruel and environmentally destructive animal-product enterprises to businesses for which the wellbeing of the earth, animals, and human beings are integral, not counter, to their success.

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The post Incentivising Plant-Based Businesses: A Necessary Step Towards a Just and Sustainable Future first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Okay, imagine it is year X, when animal products are almost universally seen as unnecessary, unhealthy and a product of a particularly cruel period in our relationship with the planet and its other inhabitants. This is the year when most people shudder in disgust at what only recently was accepted as the norm. The food production system is being completely restructured, with fishers continuing their transition from killing marine animals to planting and harvesting kelp, while farmers are now producing plants for human consumption only. We no longer breed animals in their billions, we no longer subject them to a life of enslavement, and we no longer sentence them to death on the grounds that their flesh tastes good. Any remaining farm animals are either adopted, returned to nature (as feral) or eaten by the last few remaining meat eaters (because treating humanity’s addiction to meat is a gradual process). We no longer hack and slash through the few remaining forests on Earth to feed the enslaved animals, and we don’t need as much land as we used to, because we now avoid the middleman, or rather “middle animal” in the process of energy consumption, making us much more efficient and much less destructive eaters.

In fact, this is the year when we finally have more land than we will ever need and it’s time to do something with it. Now someone asks: how about we restore it as much as possible to the state that we think it was in before we sunk our teeth into the biosphere? Should we now rewild the huge swathes of available (both unsuitable for growing crops and no longer needed fertile) land with locally extinct species, including predators? It sounds logical, doesn’t it? However, it isn’t that straightforward, because it could easily go against our own principles and values.

Animal Rebellion’s first value states: “We are an anti-speciesist movement that has a shared vision of change.” It goes on: “Creating a world that protects beings of all species, for generations to come.” And further on, in relation to our movement’s culture: “We are inspired not only by human action but also animal resistance, and we believe in co-creating a world with individuals from all species for a just and secure future.”

One would be right to apply this to the plight of farmed animals and assume that by anti-speciesism we mean the strongest possible opposition to differential treatment between farmed animals and, for example, pet animals, because their abilities, traits and interests are comparable — both want to live, both are averse to negative experience and both have the same kind of emotions. But stopping at the abolition of animal slavery would be a speciesist thing to do. We must always consider a wider implication of achieving our own goals.

The ambiguity starts when we say that the land currently used for grazing or growing livestock feed will be used not only for growing plants directly for human consumption (both food and non-food) but also for rewilding– to increase biodiversity, to reintroduce locally extinct species and to improve the state of the local ecosystem in general. History shows that when one decides to change or preserve an ecosystem for system’s sake, one generally disregards the interests of those affected by the change (especially if these interests are those of non-human individuals), because the main focus of such environmental change is on completeness, integrity, stability and beauty of a system, which often results not just in unintended harming of inhabitants, but also in killing of undesirable (i.e. “invasive”, overpopulated or even unsightly mixed-species) individuals, standing in the way of achieving a change “for the greater good” of a system.

Luckily, most of the farm land that will be returned to wild nature is in near-barren condition, almost void of any life (including invertebrates), so this doesn’t require relocation, killing or even intrusive management of such abandoned lands, as nature can do all the heavy lifting in rewilding it in the majority of (if not all) cases.

What about eventual reintroduction of predators? Once again this may look like a good change on the surface, which brings a variety of positive results like promotion of ecotourism, improvement of the ecosystem balance or keeping prey species from overpopulating. However, it comes with a number of heavy caveats:

– Ecotourism on its own is an intrinsically anthropocentric activity (which may or may not benefit animals);

– The term “balance of nature” is now considered a fallacy, because ecosystems are always dynamic;

– Control of prey species’ populations by introducing a predator is not efficient long-term, because of the significant difference in numbers of individuals; and furthermore:

– The relocated individuals are bound to be stressed (as, understandably, they are taken from their homes and moved to a completely new location);

– In the absence of a higher predator, small predators like lynx will be prone to suffering due to disease and old age; and:

– Reintroduction projects tend to be quite expensive and the funds could potentially be used to improve the conditions for the already existing animals.

So, does that mean that we oppose rewilding from our anti-speciesist stance? Absolutely not. In fact, we support natural reclamation, we support reforestation, we support initiatives that promote biodiversity and we support the reintroduction of animal species eradicated by humans. But it should be stressed, again and again, that the interests of affected animals during (or as a result of) these activities must be considered in full. This does not only mean the avoidance of immediate suffering or killing of individuals, but also upfront planning to identify how such projects will affect all those animals, as individuals, who already inhabit or will inherit the affected lands. After all, they are the primary “stakeholders” who will live on these lands, and it is only logical to give their interests a fair consideration. And we, Animal Rebellion, have a duty of care for any animals, wild and domesticated (including those going feral), who are directly or indirectly affected by our actions — now and in the future.

If you are interested in the subject of anti-speciesism beyond “treating a cow different to a dog”, then these sites provide a wealth of knowledge:

https://www.animal-ethics.org

https://www.natureethics.org

And if you have any burning questions, feel free to ask them on this subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/StopSpeciesism/

The post What Anti-speciesist Rewilding Looks Like — and How to Get There first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Animal Rebellion is responding to the climate catastrophe the only way one should: with love and fruit. In the face of total climate (and social) breakdown, Animal Rebellion is challenging our poisonous system in an unconventional but incredibly potent way: with apples, beets, and broccoli and a hefty dose of genuine loving kindness.

The images and videos that have been emerging in the press and on social media since October 7th, of hundreds of animal rebels camped peacefully inside the main hall of Smithfield Market, the UK’s largest meat market, and one of the largest in Europe — a symbol of the cruel, toxic, and destructive food system in which we currently live — are magnificently inspiring and uplifting. In these still and moving images we witness the rebels — just regular people from all walks of life who have decided to band together peacefully to save the animals and the planet — sitting side by side in the great hall of Smithfield Market, where butchered animal corpses are normally sold, singing songs of peace and love and dancing with joy at the potential for meaningful historical transformation. They are surrounded by market stalls overflowing with fruits and vegetables, and decorated with encouraging signs that read things like: “Swap your Meats for Beets.” These bright, colourful, and cheerful images are the basis for a hope desperately needed in the face of growing violence against other animals and increasing disregard for their wellbeing.

Just a few days ago, a farm in Guangxi province in southern China announced it has started breeding pigs as heavy as polar bears (500 kilograms or 1,102 pounds) in order to make more money per kill and to make up for a “pork shortage” which has apparently resulted in large part from a recent African swine fever epidemic. Major pork producers in China such as Wens Foodstuffs and COFCO Meat Holdings Ltd. are intending on following suit by increasing average weights for pigs. One can assume it is only a matter of time before North American and European and other global pork producers join in on the latest trend in agribusiness. This is devastating news for pigs.

As in the case of so-called “broiler” chickens, or chickens raised for meat, as a result of their monstrously unnatural size, the pigs will likely suffer excruciating pain throughout their short lives as their bones break from under them, their organs fail, and their hearts give out. It is unclear if they will be able to walk at all. Their humiliation and degradation will be complete. It is ironic that pigs are universal symbols of greed and insatiability, when in fact it is human beings (entrapped in a barbarous system) who seem unable to sate our own appetite for cash and flesh, no matter what the ethical cost.

One image accompanying a Bloomberg article covering this story features a woman, named a “visitor” in the caption, sat astride a large pig on whose body Chinese characters are scrawled. This image could hardly contrast more with those coming out of Animal Rebellion’s peaceful occupation of Smithfield Market. These images show that human wellbeing is not achieved on the backs of other animals, literally or figuratively, or at their expense, but rather alongside them — as friends, companions, and allies — with their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of the entire planet, as front and centre as human wellbeing. As Animal Rebellion knows, human flourishing is inextricably linked with the flourishing of the earth and all the other beings who call it home.

To bring universal flourishing to fruition, Animal Rebellion is demanding system change. And it is doing so intelligently, thoughtfully, lovingly, and peacefully. This change will not happen overnight. But it will happen. It has to. And more and more people are waking up to this reality. As one lorry driver who joined the rebellion at Smithfield put it, “I never imagined I’d be doing this but it was a matter of conscience. If all these things are happening, when my time comes I don’t want to think I didn’t do anything to stop it.”

The post Love and Fruit in the Time of Catastrophe: Animal Rebellion Converts Smithfield MEAT Market into Smithfield BEET Market first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

A Plant-Based World Would be a Kinder, Less Violent World

A plant-based world would be a much kinder and much less violent world. It would be a just world, and it would be a re-enchanted world, a world where cows would be cherished for their beauty, dignity, and grace, not violated and butchered for their milk and flesh, where pigs would be adored for their sweetness, playfulness, and curiosity, not mutilated and knifed, where hens would be treasured for their gentleness, integrity, and devotion, not twisted, torn, and broken in tiny cages for their eggs, where goats would be venerated for their majesty, cleverness, and mischievousness, not beaten and abused for their bodily fluids and their flesh.

Instead of enslaving billions of cows, pigs, chickens and other animals for human consumption, in a plant-based world we would open our hearts to our animal kin, see them as individuals, and enable them to live happy, flourishing lives in sanctuaries and interspecies communities.

In these safe and loving spaces, where exploitation, violence, and cruelty would be non-existent, a mother cow would give birth and nurture her baby in peace, without risk of it being cruelly snatched from her and in turn enslaved as a veal calf or future dairy cow. She would never be artificially inseminated. Her body would be hers and hers alone. And her babies would be hers and hers alone, too. Like her mother cow companions, sows would suckle and raise their young, take long mud baths, get tummy rubs from their human friends, and glory in the simple joys of living. Hens would be held in human arms as loved ones are held, not strung up by their shattered legs to be knifed.

By transforming our proverbial swords into ploughshares, we would begin to heal the festering wound our relationship of domination over other animals has inflicted in our collective psyche. We are a species made spiritually sick by the excesses and inherent injustices of our social and economic system. We too are in need of healing.

Let us not just imagine or fantasize about this better world, let’s start creating it now. Let us start the human project again — differently, peaceably, with multispecies flourishing as our goal, not human dominance.

A Plant-Based World Would Be a Colourful, Joyful, and Beautiful World

What a great contribution Smithfield Market could make to the transition to a more loving and compassionate world if it transformed itself from the biggest meat market in Europe, to the biggest fruit and vegetable market in Europe! Think of how glorious the market stalls would be to behold — so many vibrant colours dazzling the eyes and delicious scents filling the nostrils! And how lovely it would be to chat with farmers about their beautiful offerings! How nice it would be for workers, too, to take pride in bringing sustainably cultivated plant-based foods to market, instead of having to deal with the sad fact of killing innocent creatures as an unfortunate part of their (former) trade. The atmosphere of such a vibrant garden of delights would be joyous!

Blood and mutilated body parts are unsightly, not by coincidence, but because violence is ugly, ethically and aesthetically, as vegetarian geographer and writer, Elisée Reclus pointed out in his pamphlet “On Vegetarianism” (1901):

We aspire to the time when we shall not have to walk swiftly to shorten that hideous minute of passing the haunts of butchery with their rivulets of blood and rows of sharp hooks, whereon carcasses are hung up by blood-stained men, armed with horrible knives. We want some day to live in a city where we shall no longer see butchers’ shops full of dead bodies side by side with drapers’ or jewellers’, and facing a druggist’s, or hard by a window filled with choice fruits, or with beautiful books, engravings or statuettes, and works of art. We want an environment pleasant to the eye and in harmony with beauty.

What a fantastic thing Smithfield would do for the humans, animals, and the earth if it renounced the trade in animal products and offered up beautiful abundances of fresh fruits and vegetables for Londoners to feast their eyes and stomachs on!

In fact, Animal Rebellion is helping to bring this fantasy to fruition, no pun intended, on Monday, October 7th, when it plans to set up a beautiful plant-based market mock up in and around Smithfield Market! Be sure to head over there to behold the cornucopia of plant-based delights!

A Plant-Based World Would Be a Healthier World

A plant-based world would be a healthier world. Think of how much healthier human beings would be — physically and spiritually — if we dined on locally grown, pesticide-free fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereals — instead of on animal products, the consumption of which is linked to a variety of serious health issues. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM.org) argues that a plant-based diet can promote brain health, prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s, reduce arthritis pain, reduce the risk of developing cancer, prevent, manage or reverse type 2 diabetes, promote the development and maintenance of strong bones without the risks associated with dairy consumption, reduce blood pressure, and prevent, manage, or reverse heart disease, among many other things. For all the fears people have about getting enough protein without meat, it turns out that with a global shift to a plant-based food system, protein would be more evenly and efficiently distributed around the world as well.

A Plant-Based World Would Be a More Sustainable World

A plant-based world would be a world where the air was clear and fresh, where fish and other marine animals teemed in the sea, and where land animals flourished in lush habitats rich in biodiversity. Parts of the 80% of agricultural land currently used for animal agriculture could be intelligently rewilded, with nature allowed to take its course and replenish itself (with some gentle human guidance so as to ensure the wellbeing of the sites’ current and future residents), while other parts of the reclaimed farmland could be used to grow organic fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based products.

Rainforests such as the Amazon would no longer be burned down to create grazing land for cattle or soy to feed the cattle, but would be preserved and protected for the human and nonhuman beings who call the lush forests home. Greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced dramatically (by at least 14.5%, the percentage of emissions animal agriculture is responsible for — more than the emissions of all other forms of transportation combined), while the atmosphere would be freed of 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, while methane gas produced by cows would be reduced by 150 gallons per day.

Waterways would no longer be subject to pollution by animal waste and other toxins and run-off from factory farms, while the 34–76 trillion gallons of water used by the global animal agriculture industry could be conserved. Ocean dead zones would slowly come back to life, mass extinctions due to habitat destruction in the name of animal agriculture would slow down and eventually come to a halt, while some endangered species would come back from the brink. The balance between human, domesticated, and wild animals would be restored. Currently 86% of land animals are humans or farmed animals (and the vast majority of those animals are living in conditions of unfathomable degradation and suffering).

Now Is the Time to Bring this Better World into Being!

Given the enormous social, health, and environmental benefits of replacing animal agriculture with sustainable plant-based agriculture why would any government not consider it of most urgent importance to begin the transition now? As young climate activist Greta Thunberg stated clear in her recent impassioned speech to global leaders at the UN, the failure on the part of governments to deal with the climate crisis is not least a result of their misguided commitment to economic growth instead of human and nonhuman wellbeing. The cost of national and global economic prosperity, much of which is fuelled by agribusiness, is the impoverishment of the planet and its inhabitants.

The only way to survive the calamity we are facing is to take the power back from government through peaceful means, to rewrite the list of priorities, with the flourishing of the earth and all the creatures that dwell within it at the very top, and to implement without further delay a transition to plant-based agriculture. That is why Animal Rebellion is going to be bringing its vision of a plant-based world to the public, to Smithfield Market, and to DEFRA on October 7th. Stay tuned! The world is about to change for the better!

The post What Would a Plant-Based World Be Like? first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Gwendolyn Love is proud of how far her new business has come in just a few months. Established at the end of 2018 by Dragos Ava, his brother Andu and partner, Gwendolyn, Lunchbox by Mingzi is committed to offering the “true taste of nature” through its selection of European and Asian inspired breakfast and lunch options.

Much of that inspiration and the recipes come from Gwendolyn’s own Buddhist vegan family — a tradition that goes back to her grandmother over 60 years ago. Her mother, aunty and uncle are all vegan too for religious reasons. Veganism isn’t mandatory for Buddhists, but the idea of appreciating food and acknowledging the sacrifices made in getting it to your plate is important to many in the faith.

One of our team visited and tried the potatoes and aubergine, which was tasty but milder than our rebel was expecting. “Oh, my grandmother would put a LOT more spice in!” Gwendolyn says, explaining that many of the vegan recipes available were from her grandmother’s cruelty-free kitchen.

When Gwendolyn and co-founders Dragos and Andu Ava heard about what we were doing at Smithfield — sharing our vision of a plant-based future and demanding that government takes action in bringing that about- they were inspired and wanted to help. Lunchbox by Mingzi is on Holborn Viaduct, just around the corner from Smithfield Market. And that’s not so far to send some tasty free and hot food for hungry rebels.

“We recognise that businesses have an important role to play in dictating the future of the food industry,” said Gwendolyn. So after legendary journalist and activist, George Monbiot, officially opens Animal Rebellion’s Plant-based Market’ on 7th October, Rebels on the ground at Smithfield will receive warm vegan tasting boxes straight from Dragos and Andu’s kitchen.

The business wants to promote vegan and vegetarian eating and does so through its menu, as well as offering “tasters” to those who visit the restaurant. And Gwendolyn believes that by giving customers a positive plant-based experience rather than forcing them to change their diet, people are more likely to consider reducing the amount of meat and fish they eat.

Inspired by Animal Rebellion

In addition to delivering free vegan tasting boxes to Smithfield on the 7th October, Lunchbox by Mingzi is also offering all Animal Rebellion protesters a 20% discount on vegan food during the two-week insurgency. Rebels can visit Lunchbox by Mingzi and use their discount at any point between 7th and 19th October for items on its breakfast, lunch and specials menus.

As the plant-based eating market continues to grow, Gwendolyn says Lunchbox by Mingzi anticipates expanding its vegan offering.

She added: “By raising awareness of the need for a sustainable food system in a peaceful and informative way, Animal Rebellion is creating allies not enemies. As a local business and customer of the Smithfield Market, we’re excited to stand side-by-side with Rebels in October.

Gwendolyn admitted that her team has been inspired by Animal Rebellion standing up and demanding change. It’s the direction she wants her business to go in — and the more demand there is for plant-based food, the more they can go in that direction.

What’s important for us to remember at Animal Rebellion is that Lunchbox is currently a customer of Smithfield market. Lunchbox isn’t currently fully vegan, and the respectful dialogue that Animal Rebellion has had with Smithfield has been a major factor in Lunchbox supporting our cause.

“Animal Rebellion’s positive engagement with Smithfield, as well as a demonstrably ‘softer’ advocacy approach, has inspired us to lend our help to its cause,” said Gwendolyn.

Although of course we want to see the end of all animal exploitation, that our approach is beginning to be seen and acted upon by local businesses like Gwendolyn’s is critically important to our movement. The more we can make a plant-based world thinkable, the more it will become inevitable.

Building relationships with suppliers at Smithfield, getting to know them personally, is far better than buying from a supermarket, says Gwendolyn.

We can only hope that very soon, Gwendolyn and the Lunchbox crew won’t be shopping at Smithfield for its animal products, but for its pioneering plant-based alternatives at the heart of the UK’s radically healthier and more sustainable, and more just, plant-based food system. Let’s keep the rebellion going.

The post London Eatery Lunchbox Inspired by Animal Rebellion – and Sends Hot Food to Feed the Rebels first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Animal Rebellion’s announcement that Smithfield Market, the UK’s largest and oldest market servicing the animal agriculture industry, would be our primary site for the October International Rebellion made complete sense to the animal justice community.

For others, locating our primary site away from Westminster wasn’t in line with the bigger picture. If we are to stand together in a Movement of Movements then our individual specific demands should be swept aside to make it clear the government, the system, is our target.

We’ll reveal more of our plans in the next few weeks but in the meantime we’ve listened to the concerns of those in the Rebel Alliance, including the views of XR. That’s why we announced our Reforest The Amazon action — to plant trees on Parliament Square and keep focused attention on the outrage of the burning Amazon. That’s why our joint action with sister animal justice groups The Save Movement and Animal Justice Project took place outside DEFRA.

After all, DEFRA is the government agency sustaining animal agriculture’s devastation of our planet. In a restaurant-themed theatrical protest, the government, animal agriculture and the food sector are depicted tucking into the Earth, dining on the destruction of our natural world. After their ‘meal’, the diners are presented with a bill itemising the animal and environmental costs of their roles in supporting, maintaining and profiting from it. This is the tone of all our protests: joyful, dramatic, peaceful, and transformative.

Smithfield as a symbolic site of injustice

We still maintain that as one of our targets Smithfield is perfectly in line with the bigger picture. In the same way XR publicly partnered in solidarity with anti-colonialist Stop the Maangamizi campaign, in the same way it talks about class, gender, patriarchy and sexuality, we are focusing our attention on the impact climate breakdown has on farm animals as a marginalized group. Even the founders readily admit XR is not just a climate movement. We’re expecting the October Rebellion to include actions against the banks and oil companies that fund greenhouse gas emissions, so why shouldn’t we target the animal agriculture industries equally complicit in ecocide?

Without Animal Rebellion we risk forging a world fit only for humanity and wildlife. We know that billions of animals trapped within animal agriculture deserve a just present and a safe future too. The only sustainable future is ecocentric, not the current anthropocentric view of animals and the planet as ours to exploit.

Our belief is that you cannot fix the climate emergency without ending the animal emergency. The two are fundamentally interlinked.That’s whywe chose Smithfield market as our target, because it is an arena of both animal and climate injustice. It is the ideal site to spark public debate on the importance of transforming society; to get people talking around the dinner table about the injustice and destruction served up on their plates. So, although our action takes place at Smithfield, the focus of our demands is, without doubt, the government.

That’s why Animal Rebellion is reaching out to Smithfield, the traders, workers and drivers, to request dialogue and make it clear we are not here to destroy their livelihoods but urge the government to legislate for a plant-based society. The aspect of disruption at Smithfield has stirred a passionate debate on both sides of the divide, where we’ve often been characterized as angry, militant vegans wanting to take money out of the ordinary working man’s pocket. It’s clear our strategy has been misunderstood.

What we mean by disruption

We demand top-down, system change, to put in place the necessary infrastructure for a plant-based food system. So this means our protests do not target individuals, they are not directed at converting people to veganism, and they do not involve DxE style disruptions at restaurants or supermarkets. Indeed, DxE are just one of the many fantastic groups already employing these methods and so it makes little sense simply replicating their tactics. Animal Rebellion does, it must be made clear, fully support them as fellow animal justice advocates.

Our success is not measured by the disruption we cause Smithfield, which won’t be significant. We win when our vision is seen and heard, when we shift public opinion and put pressure the government. We win when the tone of our actions is friendly, loving and nonviolent. We win when we show the nation our actions are justified; and the government needs to hear and see that. We achieve victory with the courageous and peaceful nature of our actions, we win when we win hearts and minds with our vision of a healthy, just and pioneering plant-based food system for the UK.

The system rather than the individual

So what does this mean for our local, affinity and international groups? How can our members carry out protests in the name of Animal Rebellion? When we talk of ‘disruption’, we want to disrupt the toxic system. Actions could include petitioning local institutions, schools, universities, councils, hospitals, to go plant-based. It could include making sure local press put plant-based at the top of the agenda, or even challenging misinformation about the science and animal agriculture. You could open dialogue with any large agricultural corporations in your area. Even lobby your local MP. Anything that forces the system rather than the individual to change.

In the next few weeks your bravery and devotion can be expressed by giving up your time; joining actions; risking arrest; leaving your jobs or reducing to part-time hours; moving away from family and friends to help build the new plant-based society; setting up affinity groups for the October Rebellion; doing outreach to encourage others; organizing talks and trainings; fundraising; completing the volunteer form and sending it to people around you; coming to London and camping overnight in the cold.

We win when the October Rebellion sets an example of love, reconciliation, no blaming or shaming. We succeed as we transform the way we, as a society, view our relationship with animals and the world around us.

Change is difficult. Tradition is hard to overcome. Yet the arc of history bends towards justice, including for animals. That’s why we’ve chosen Smithfield as a site. If we can end the animal emergency — and that will need bravery, it will need symbolic acts, it will need people to take to the streets — then, and only then, will we have a real chance of fixing the climate emergency and building a world fit for all beings.

The post Animal Rebellion’s Strategy to Ensure Climate and Animal Justice Is at the Forefront of a Sustainable World first appeared on Animal Rebellion.