Animal Rights: the Debate

Ridglan farm, a notorious dog breeding facility in the U.S.A., is finally set to close after years of high profile campaigning. Could this success be the beginning of the end for animal experimentation in America? We also discuss the advertising campaign against factory farming in London, based on the principle that by not mentioning the word vegan, we will create more vegans. And is the BBC faili...

What's Jack the Ripper got to do with animals? Everything it seems. Join us for a discussion on our 50th episode with Professor Andrew Knight, co-author of a fascinating and compelling theory about the occupation of one of Britain's most infamous murderers. For a comprehensive survey on animal issues, see Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare, edited by Andrew Knight, Clive Phillips, and Paula Spar...

Human health, the environment, and animal welfare ... to what extent are they related? We talk to Esme Wheeler, animal welfare scientist and animal behaviourist, about One Health, and also about her work for donkeys. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate

There was a huge outcry in Spain about an incident of cruelty in a laboratory and a court case followed. Join us for a discussion about the circumstances and the outcome. We also discuss the campaign Communities Against Factory Farming, and how it is successfully delaying or blocking planning permission for factory farms.

It would not be controversial to say that the Christian Churches and their clergy have not been at the forefront in speaking out for animals. Despite the incompatibility between the way society treats animals and the essence of the Christian message, there has been a deafening silence from those who should know better.    One exception is retired Roman Catholic priest, Father Terry Martin. We spea...

A conference to inspire, a campaign against factory farming, and a new book on cultivated meat: join us for a round-up of the latest news. Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution will transform Humanity's Favourite Food by Bruce Friedrich is available on Amazon.   Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find...

When future generations look back, the work of Animal Justice Project will be regarded as having been pivotal in revealing to the public the grotesque reality of factory farming. We talk to Claire Palmer, its founder, about the vital work of its undercover investigators. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen...

The House of Lords has now approved Government changes to the Public Order Act, which will make it more difficult, if not impossible, to campaign effectively at research facilities that breed or use animals for research. Further trials have concluded in relation to the rescue of beagles from MBR acres, the focus of a long-running protest against animal experimentation. And we also discuss the rema...

Only a few years ago it would have seemed far-fetched to have considered that dogs and cats could be fed a healthy plant-based diet. However, Dr. Arielle Griffiths, a former vet, has shown just that, by creating a successful online business selling a wide range of nutritious and cruelty- free food for the nation's pets. We talk to Dr. Griffiths about what prompted her to reject traditional assumpt...

Criminalizing protest is nothing new, but the animal rights movement is becoming more of a target. We talk to Dr. Liz Hicks of Melbourne University, who specialises in the law regarding animal rights and legal measures in Australia, the USA, and Europe, to restrict access to information and the right to protest. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https:/...

Animals have the status of objects in law, and so a dog is the property of his/her owner. Surely then, breaking into the owner's premises and taking the owner's dog without consent must then constitute theft? Not necessarily so. At Cambridge Crown Court recently, a jury found that defendants had not acted dishonestly in removing [some might say rescuing]  beagles from MBR, a breeding facility wher...

A radical plan to improve the lives of animals, or empty promises that are bound to fail? We consider the U.K. Government's recently published Animal Welfare Strategy, which acknowledges the moral dimension of our relationship with other animals, and the ways in which it seeks to address current shortcomings. 

A look back over the year, with some positive developments and some not so good. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate

Animal Zone is an animal welfare series concentrating on animal rescue and sanctuaries. Arthur von Wiesenberger joins us to talk about his award-winning work bringing animals closer to us, with the intention to educate, entertain, and inspire. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linkt...

Rescuing animals from factory farms and laboratories, openly, and inviting prosecution for such alleged 'crimes', is an effective tactic that has widespread support in the U.S.A. and in the U.K. We talk to Wayne Hsiung, a former law professor, who was instrumental in founding Direct Action Everywhere in the U.S., about the principle of direct action, how social change is achieved, and strategy for...

We pay tribute to the late Jane Goodall who revolutionised our understanding of chimpanzees , discuss the legal action action that has just been commenced against one of the largest poultry 'processors' in the U.K due to their alleged pollution of the River Wye, and welcome a development in the armed forces that shows ethical veganism is gaining momentum in unexpected places. Join us for a round-u...

What have the two largest world religions got to say about how we should treat animals? David and Martyn speak to Joyce D'Silva, the author of Animal Welfare in World Religion: Teaching and Practice , about the good and bad aspects of Christianity and Islam in relation to our relationship with animals. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.what...

The world seen through the eyes of cats and dogs, cultivated meat, and the campaign against factory farming, are the focus of our discussion today. Join David and Martyn for a look at what's happening in the UK and elsewhere. Donate here:  https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrights...

Although the legal safeguards for animals are inadequate, things are changing. Throughout much of the world, judges are establishing that animals are entitled to moral consideration and that their interests should be taken into account. Ankita Shanker has a PhD in law and a distinguished academic record, with wide-ranging interests in the field of animal and human rights. Join us as she gives us a...

Kimberly Moore, a tax lawyer with an international law firm in Washington DC, Director of Public Relations at the FUR FREE SOCIETY, and a member of the Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association, talks to us about her recent book The Case for the Legal Protection of Animals: Humanity's Shared Destiny with the Animal Kingdom, and the broad issues it raises.  Donate here: https://ko-fi.com...

Freedom is denied to large numbers of animals who are held in captivity or exploited, and Born Free is at the forefront of the campaign to protect such animals. But is there a conflict between the interests of animals as individuals, and protecting a species? For whose benefit is the principle of conservation? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion with Mark Jones, Head of Policy at Born Free. Dona...

In the Bible we are given a vision of a vegan world: 'God said: 'See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food' [Genesis 1:29]. And elsewhere in the Bible there are positive statements about, and positive images of, our relationship with animals that encourage compassion towards them. Jesu...

Our treatment of animals raises profound - and controversial - issues. How can we resolve the moral questions? In an age where we seem to have lost the capacity to engage in constructive discussion, perhaps a Greek philosopher who lived two and half thousand years ago can show us the way forward. Socrates provides us with a form of dialogue that can reveal inconsistencies and errors, and lead us t...

In this episode, Emma Slawinski, newly appointed CEO of the League Against Cruel Sports in the UK, discusses the ways in which the landmark ban on the hunting of wild mammals with dogs needs to be tightened, in particular to outlaw so-called trail hunting (which is foxhunting by any other name). She explains how her upbringing led her to value animals as individuals and why the organised shooting...

Parliament debates animal experiments (again), a new campaign against factory farming is launched, and the High Court confirms that animal welfare can be a material consideration when a planning authority considers an application for a factory farm. These are just some of the major issues discussed in our latest news round up. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp com...