For decades, the animal freedom movement has championed incremental reforms rather than an overnight end to the animal agriculture industry. The uncomfortable truth is such reforms may not only perpetuate the exploitation of our fellow animals but actively hinder a shift towards veganism. They are akin to a human rights organization campaigning for enslaved children to have occasional play days or better living conditions rather than for the abolition of slavery itself. Most people would recognize that this is morally problematic. It is time to challenge the narrative that animal exploitation can ever be 'humane'. ‘High welfare’ certifications are not a step forward, they’re a distraction. It is time to move beyond them and demand a world where all animals are free from harm, not just a little less harm. Only by rejecting compromise and embracing a vision of total liberation can the animal rights movement achieve its ultimate goal.
ETHICAL GLOBE: In recent years, ‘high welfare’ certifications and labels, such as RSPCA Assured, have become commonplace in the marketing of animal-derived products.
They claim to signify ethical progress: chickens with more space, sows no longer subjected to farrowing crates, cows grazing outdoors. Yet, the uncomfortable truth is that these labels may not only perpetuate the exploitation of our fellow animals but actively hinder a shift towards plant-based eating and veganism.
The idea that any system of raising and slaughtering sentient beings can be deemed “humane” is a fallacy that undermines the foundational ethos of animal rights.
So-called ‘high welfare’ or animal welfare-friendly (AWF) labels vary worldwide. In the UK, consumers look for labels such as: Free Range, RSPCA Assured, Red Tractor, Organic…
Marketing images for each of these labels tend to feature fit and healthy farmed animals roaming free in lush green fields against a backdrop of clear blue skies. If they are photographed indoors, they’re in clean conditions with plenty of space—a far cry from the reality that 80% of farmed animals in the UK exist in intensive factory environments.
‘High welfare’ labels allow consumers to feel good about consuming fellow animals. This is an example of a phenomenon known as moral licensing, which is when people do something that they perceive to be morally good (e.g. buying ‘high welfare’ foods) as a way to offset something they believe to be morally bad (e.g. killing a pig for their flesh).
Paradoxically, moral licensing can lead to increased consumption of the very products the labels claim to address.
When a package of dead chicken, for example, advertises “certified humane” or “RSPCA Assured,” it signals to consumers that their purchase aligns with their values. But, as we saw with Animal Rising’s investigation into the RSPCA Assured label, consumers can’t always trust what they’re told…
Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (“A Steak for Supper If the Cow Does Not Suffer”) demonstrates that consumers are willing to pay more for products with animal welfare certifications.
The article also highlights Dutch market research from 2018 in which “meat products and fresh meat with animal welfare certificates experienced substantial growth in sales of 170% and 35%, respectively”.
This indicates not a demand reduction but a sustained or even heightened commitment to consuming animal-derived products under the illusion of ethical eating.
This mindset directly contradicts the goals of ethical veganism, which seeks to dismantle the systems of exploitation, not repackage them as kinder alternatives…
The concept of ‘high welfare meat’ is a contradiction in terms; even the word “meat” masks the reality that we are talking about flesh and secretions from individuals who have complex emotional lives and who deserve equal consideration of their interests, including the right to live.
No amount of space, enrichment, or access to the outdoors can justify the killing of a sentient being for profit. The act of raising and slaughtering certain species of our animal kin for food inherently involves pain, fear, and death. This is not welfare; it’s exploitation.
The animal freedom movement cannot compromise on this fundamental truth. Accepting ‘high welfare’ labels as progress dilutes the movement’s message and legitimises the continued suffering of our fellow animals…
For decades, the animal freedom movement has championed incremental reforms rather than an overnight end to the animal agriculture industry. ‘High welfare’ labels are an example of this.
Campaigns have called for an end to sow farrowing stalls, more space for chickens, outdoor grazing access for cows in the dairy industry, an end to “Frankenchicken” breeding. While each small change or victory may appear to improve conditions, they fall short of challenging the fundamental injustice of exploiting sentient beings for human benefit.
Such reforms are akin to a human rights organisation campaigning for enslaved children to have occasional play days or better living conditions rather than for the abolition of slavery itself. Most people would recognise that this is morally problematic!
By focusing on incremental changes, the movement risks reinforcing the status quo (i.e. some abuse is acceptable) rather than inspiring the systemic change necessary to end the exploitation of our animal kin…
It is time to challenge the narrative that animal exploitation can ever be “humane”. ‘High welfare’ labels do not reduce harm; they obscure it. Instead of encouraging consumers to feel better about eating fellow animals, we must invite them to question the system that makes such choices seem normal…
Only by rejecting compromise and embracing a vision of total liberation can the animal rights movement achieve its ultimate goal. ‘High welfare’ certifications are not a step forward – they’re a distraction. It is time to move beyond them and demand a world where all animals are free from harm, not just a little less harm. SOURCE…
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