In the 80,000 hours interview, you noted that you thought the Animal Protection/Welfare movement ought to embrace being a more political movement. What forms of policy advocacy seem the most promising to you for improvements to nonhuman animals welfare (i.e. pushing specific states to adopt higher legal welfare standards, pushing for federal reforms, pressure on institutions to go plant-based in their catering, etc.)?
I’m most excited about reforms that can affect the largest numbers of animals, which normally means focusing on political reforms in the largest nations and states where such reforms are feasible. I think the following reforms are currently most feasible:
Advocating for the next European Commission revives its stalled farm animal welfare legislative revision proposal, and then ensuring its passed by the European Parliament and Council.
Advocating for key European nations, especially France, Germany, and the UK, to follow through on promised major farm animal welfare reforms.
Advocating for governments globally with large public R&D budgets to devote some of that funding to alternative protein research.
Advocating for sympathetic governments, mostly in Europe, to subsidize the transition to higher welfare animal agriculture.
Potentially advocating for more US states to adopt popular farm animal welfare reforms, whether through ballot measures or legislatures.
In the 80,000 hours interview, you noted that you thought the Animal Protection/Welfare movement ought to embrace being a more political movement. What forms of policy advocacy seem the most promising to you for improvements to nonhuman animals welfare (i.e. pushing specific states to adopt higher legal welfare standards, pushing for federal reforms, pressure on institutions to go plant-based in their catering, etc.)?
I’m most excited about reforms that can affect the largest numbers of animals, which normally means focusing on political reforms in the largest nations and states where such reforms are feasible. I think the following reforms are currently most feasible:
Advocating for the next European Commission revives its stalled farm animal welfare legislative revision proposal, and then ensuring its passed by the European Parliament and Council.
Advocating for key European nations, especially France, Germany, and the UK, to follow through on promised major farm animal welfare reforms.
Advocating for governments globally with large public R&D budgets to devote some of that funding to alternative protein research.
Advocating for sympathetic governments, mostly in Europe, to subsidize the transition to higher welfare animal agriculture.
Potentially advocating for more US states to adopt popular farm animal welfare reforms, whether through ballot measures or legislatures.