Category Archives: welfare

Words of concern – how to mean them

Posted on May 29, 2021 by There's an Elephant in the Room

When confronted with an article or post about a poorly individual who has been rescued from being used as a human resource, it is not unusual to read furious criticisms: 1) about the farmer / breeder,2) about the absence of … Continue reading →

Posted in Addressing resistance to change, Advocacy, consumer demand, property status, welfare | Tagged consumer demand, profit, regulations, supply and demand, veterinary care, welfare, welfare organisations, welfare standards | 3 Comments

Straight talking about ‘welfare regulations’

Posted on July 24, 2019 by There's an Elephant in the Room

It’s common to read on social media that because the writer of a comment claims to support ‘better welfare regulations’, they assert that whether or not they are vegan, they are doing something to help our victims that those of … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer demand, Terminology, welfare | Tagged animal rights, autonomy, better, code of practice, consumer, consumer confidence, consumer demand, experience, experiences, feelings, gassing, guidelines, inanimate objects, maceration, regulation, regulations, regulatory reform, right, rights, thumping, veganism, welfare, welfare organisations, welfare standards, well-being, wellbeing | 29 Comments

‘It’s time to re-evaluate our relationship with animals’ by Lesli Bisgould

Posted on July 16, 2019 by There's an Elephant in the Room

This is the first time I’ve shared a transcript as a blog, but this very special talk deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible. In this lecture, Ms Bisgould explains in compelling and rivetting detail, why legislation does … Continue reading →

Posted in property status, Transcript, welfare | Tagged animal rights, Cruelty, fundamental interests, kinship, laws, legal, legal person, legally justifiable, legislation, Lesli Bisgould, morally justifiable, necessary, necessary suffering, person, property, property status, regulations, respect, suffering, unnecessary suffering | 14 Comments

Speciesism and the welfare of property

Posted on February 15, 2019 by There's an Elephant in the Room

Sometimes we are told that someone ‘loves’ ‘their’ animals, or that they ‘treat them well’, but the claim that is always shouted from the rooftops is the one about ‘high welfare standards’. These claims may come from people in a … Continue reading →

Posted in property status, welfare | Tagged autonomy, business asset, commerce, commercial assets, companions, consent, feelings, guidelines, individual, property, regulations, rescue, respect, sanctuary, sentience, sentient, speciesism, welfare, welfare standards, well-being, wellbeing | 16 Comments

Thinking about things other people do

Posted on July 13, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

When confronted with information about what is done to members of other species at the hands of our own species, have you ever caught yourself saying, ‘at least things like that don’t happen here’? I know that in the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Addressing resistance to change, consumer demand, welfare | Tagged breast milk, Chickens and eggs, consumer demand, Cruelty, dairy, milk, myths, not here, other people, others, sentience, slaughter, speciesism, truth, vegan, veganism, victims, violence, welfare | 14 Comments

Translations of common expressions: ‘Grass-fed lamb, half price!’

Posted on April 5, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

This blog’s title was a promotion by a supermarket, heard in a TV ad break. With a great deal encapsulated in very few words, it’s a cynical bit of mind-bending although there was a time I wouldn’t have realised; that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Happy' exploitation, Awakening to veganism, consumer demand, Harm reduction, welfare | Tagged bargain, breast feeding, cheap, chickens, Chickens and eggs, commodification, consumer demand, dairy, decency, easter lamb, grass-fed, harm, humane, milk, resources, rights, sentience, slaughter, victims, violence | 2 Comments

False hopes and misunderstanding ‘welfare’

Posted on August 14, 2017 by There's an Elephant in the Room

All the regulations that lay down ‘welfare’ requirements for animals being unnecessarily used by humans (and all uses fall into this category) are designed with a single purpose. So what is that purpose? All we need to do is use … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, welfare | Tagged advocacy, autonomy, awareness, CCTV, Chickens and eggs, commercial assets, commodification, commodities, consumer demand, ethics, financial interests, harm, humane, killing, milk, regulations, resources, revenue, rights, sentience, slaughter, torment, Torture, vegan, veganism, victims, violence, welfare, wellbeing | 14 Comments

Words that deceive: ‘animal welfare’

Posted on August 9, 2014 by There's an Elephant in the Room

Animal Welfare: noun. – the protection of the health and well-being of animals ‘Welfare’ is a word suggesting pastoral care that fulfils physical and emotional needs. When we talk about human welfare and well-being, we are thinking of a good or satisfactory state of … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolition vs Welfare, Terminology, welfare | Tagged Chickens and eggs, commodification, consumer demand, Cruelty, harm, health, milk, moral choices, resources, sentience, slaughter, speciesism, Torture, vegan, veganism, victims, welfarism | 9 Comments