Probably a very small share and maybe none of the targeted animals exist at the time a project is started or a donation is made, since, for example, farmed chickens only live 40 days to 2 years, and any animals that benefit would normally be ones born and raised into different systems, rather than changing practices for any animal already alive at the time of reform. They aren’t going to move live egg-laying hens out of cages into cage-free systems to keep farming them. It’s the next group of them who will just never be farmed in cages at all.
Many animal interventions are also about trying to reduce the number of farmed animals that will exist in the future: averted lives. If you only care about currently living beings, that has no value.
Many animal interventions are also about trying to reduce the number of farmed animals that will exist in the future: averted lives. If you only care about currently living beings, that has no value.
Agreed.
(I was making a general point and illustrating with welfare reforms.)