The authors reviewed existing studies and found that “the environmental impact of owned dogs is far greater, more insidious, and more concerning than is generally recognised.”

Pacific Conservation Biology published “Bad Dog? The environmental effects of owned dogs” on Wednesday. Philip W. Bateman, an associate professor at Curtin University’s School of Molecular & Life Sciences, and Lauren N. Gilson, an academic researcher, ecologist, and conservationist, also of Curtin University, Australia, authored the research.

According to the research article, domesticated dogs kill and disturb “multiple species” directly, but their “mere presence” – even while leashed – also disturbs birds and mammals. Furthermore, their scent and excreta continue to disturb wildlife after the dog has moved on.

This excreta can also transfer zoonoses to wildlife, pollute waterways, and negatively impact plant growth. Dogs that physically enter rivers and streams may also pollute waterways directly due to the chemicals found in wash-off flea and parasite treatments.

Finally, the sheer number of “owned” dogs worldwide – approximately 900 million animals – contributes to the pet food industry’s extensive resource consumption and carbon emissions. The authors highlight the need for increased education around responsible owner behavior.

Read more: Plant-Based Diets For Dogs And Cats – What Does The Research Say?

The pet food industry, meat, and cultivated protein

As more people become aware of the significant negative impact the meat industry has on the environment, the pet food sector has also come under increased scrutiny. Producing animal-based food for dogs and cats makes up 30 percent of the meat industry’s environmental impact and releases millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

“The dog food industry should be included in any nation’s sustainability action due to its considerable environmental footprint,” write Bateman and Gilson in their research.

However, alternatives to traditional, animal-based pet food are increasingly competitive and available. The vegan pet food market could nearly double in value over the next decade, while cultivated pet food gained EU approval earlier this month. In February, a “world first” dog food featuring both plant-based ingredients and cultivated meat went on sale in the UK.

Read more: Is 2025 The Year Of Ethical Dog Food?

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Demand For Vegan Food At UK Quick-Service Restaurants Up By 56% in 2024

According to The Vegan Society, there are regional variations in uptake with several key “hot spots” for plant-based diets, as well as different motivations for eating less meat.

Three percent of people in the UK self-identify as either vegan or plant-based, while 10 percent are eliminating or otherwise reducing animal product consumption. London, the South West, and the North East showed the highest uptake of plant-forward diets.

“These results reveal a remarkable transformation in attitudes toward veganism and plant-based living across Britain,” said Claire Ogley, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research at The Vegan Society.

Those surveyed reported animal welfare as the leading reason to go vegan or plant-based, with 57 percent of responders identifying this as one of their main motivations. People also reported physical health (52 percent) and the environment (48 percent) as key factors.

Read more: Factory Farms Cost UK Taxpayers Over 1.2 Billion Pounds Per Year, Says New Report

‘It’s inspiring to see younger generations leading the way’

The Vegan Society says its new research indicates a “collective movement toward more mindful and sustainable eating habits.” Women (3.6 percent) are significantly more likely than men (1.98 percent) to identify as vegan or plant-based, while younger generations – particularly those aged 16-44 – are twice as likely to embrace plant-based diets than others.

The Vegan Society, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in November 2024, highlighted the role of young people in driving plant-based demand.

“It’s inspiring to see younger generations leading the way, with a growing number of people adopting more sustainable and compassionate lifestyles for a variety of reasons, from health to the environment to animal welfare,” said Ogley.

It’s not just young people who are adopting animal-free lifestyles. A recent survey by Vegetarian for Life found that nearly 40 percent of UK care homes cater to at least one vegan or vegetarian resident, indicating that the plant-based shift isn’t just happening amongst younger people. Overall, the UK’s vegan population increased by around one million people in 2023, following record low meat consumption.

Read more: One-Third Of Brits Back Plant-Based Shift In Hospitals

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Deforestation Could Turn The Amazon Rainforest Into A Permanent Source Of Carbon

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is an edible, vegetable-based oil derived from the Elaeis, or “oil palm.”

Humans have likely been harvesting palm oil for up to 5,000 years for dietary and culinary purposes. For much of that time, palm oil was used almost exclusively by people living in the central and western African countries where the Elaeis are native flora.

In the 1800s, colonizers from Europe recognized the ingredient’s versatility and potential and began exporting both palm oil and the palms themselves. (Learn more about the sector’s historical links to colonization and the Atlantic slave trade from Reuters here.)

Exported palm trees were planted ornamentally or used to establish plantations in other tropical areas, including Southeast Asia, where much of the global supply is grown today.

Indonesia alone now produces 57 percent of all palm oil, closely followed by Malaysia with 26 percent. Together, the two countries produce around 64 million tons per year, while the palm oil industry overall accounts for about 35 percent of the world’s vegetable oil.

How is palm oil used?

Palm oil is an efficient ingredient with myriad uses and applications, which is a key factor in its still-growing global popularity. It is frequently used at an industrial level in inks and resins, in agricultural feed (enabling factory farming), and in the creation of biofuels.

Palm oil remains a culturally and economically significant ingredient throughout West Africa, where the tree originates. In Nigeria, for example, it features in staple dishes such as fried palm oil stews and jollof rice, while also forming a key part of the national economy.

While high in saturated fats, palm oil has also been linked to some positive health outcomes such as protected brain function and improved vitamin A status. Globally, you can find palm oil in nearly 50 percent of packaged products, including items as disparate as cookies, makeup, and soap. On average, people consume around 8 kg of palm oil per year.

Palm oil’s popularity as an ingredient makes it extremely difficult to avoid, though many people do try to cut down or minimize their consumption. Compared to other ethically or environmentally dubious ingredients, consumer awareness is actually relatively high.

Around 77 percent of the UK population is aware of palm oil, with 41 percent of those aware of palm oil perceiving it as “environmentally unfriendly.” However, many people remain unaware of the precise reasons palm oil harms the environment.

Read more: Wildlife Populations Have Plunged 73% In 50 Years

Why is palm oil ‘bad?’

Palm oil is not inherently good or bad, and it’s important to remember that the ingredient has a rich culinary history outside of the current huge international demand. However, when produced and consumed at this current enormous rate, palm oil’s footprint can be significant.

Here’s how modern palm oil production negatively impacts the planet.

Palm oil causes deforestation

The creation of palm oil plantations in tropical regions has a direct, negative impact on ecologically important woodland and rainforests. Planting palm oil plantations in these areas typically means removing trees and displacing wildlife, ie deforestation.

On the island of Borneo, which once was almost entirely covered by forest, only about 50 percent of the tree cover remains. This affects the natural ecosystem, those who live there – particularly Indigenous people – and the entire planet, by worsening the climate crisis.

Slash-and-burn land clearing, which is particularly damaging, is commonplace throughout Southeast Asia, further affecting the region’s soil, water, and air quality. In 2019, 857,000 hectares of land were burned in Indonesia, according to Greenpeace.

Palm oil contributes to the climate crisis

Deforestation significantly reduces the carbon-sequestering qualities of forested areas, particularly when the land is then turned into homogenous palm plantations. Tropical deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of annual global warming by releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) stored by trees, foliage, and soil.

Large sections of tropical rainforest thrive in swampy peatland, which also stores enormous quantities of carbon. Functioning peatland can store up to 30 times more carbon per hectare than the rainforest itself, making the combination invaluable to climate mitigation.

The loss of peat swamp forests in Indonesia and Malaysia alone is thought to be causing nearly one percent of annual GHGs. (While one percent might not sound like a lot, that’s nearly half of the entire aviation industry’s yearly planet-heating emissions.)

Palm oil contributes to biodiversity loss

Palm oil-caused deforestation has a huge impact on the countless other flora and fauna that previously lived within the rainforest ecosystem. The IUCN has said that palm oil production is a threat to at least 193 endangered or vulnerable species.

Tropical countries are incredibly biodiverse, and Indonesia alone is home to up to 15 percent of all known mammals, birds, and plants. Notable examples include the orangutan, pygmy elephant, and Sumatran rhino, all of which have been driven to the brink of extinction.

Data suggests that only 23 percent of vertebrate species found in rainforests can survive on a palm oil plantation, and that the diversity of surviving vertebrate species is just 38 percent of that found in natural forests. This destruction inevitably impacts the broader ecosystem, causing more biodiversity loss, further irreversible damage, and so on.

In addition to the dangers of habitat destruction and poaching, keystone species such as elephants are sometimes shot to protect palm oil plantations from their passage.

Palm oil production has been linked to human rights violations

Singaporean company Wilmar is the world’s largest processor of palm oil and made USD $67 billion in 2023. According to Amnesty International, workers on plantations run by Wilmar and its suppliers struggle to earn enough to live, with some making as little as USD $2.50 per day.

Workers keep long hours with inadequate PPE, resulting in injuries. Amnesty International also notes that some plantations have children as young as eight doing “hazardous, hard physical work,” sometimes leaving school and helping their families work to make ends meet.

Many Indigenous peoples living in target areas for palm oil plantations have lost their traditional forests, homes, and livelihoods to the industry. Juliana Nnoko-Mewanu, researcher on women and land at Human Rights Watch, has described how Indonesia’s Indigenous communities have “suffered significant harm” after being disrupted or displaced.

Brazil’s Acará and Tomé-Açu people have experienced escalating conflicts over land, including torture and physical abuse. Global Witness summarizes some of the intimidation and violence experienced by Amazonian Brazil’s Indigenous and traditional communities here.

Is palm oil vegan?

To be suitable for vegans, a food must not contain any animal products or animal-derived ingredients. This means that, technically, palm oil is vegan-friendly.

That said, due to the fact that its production has a huge impact on animals, leading to the suffering and death of wildlife, many vegans choose not to eat palm oil. There’s no easy answer to whether vegans should eat palm oil, and ultimately whether you feel comfortable consuming it or not is a deeply personal choice.

Palm oil is frequently the key plant-based ingredient in snacks, sweets, treats, drinks, cosmetics, and other products that previously would have contained animal fat. It can be found in vegan and “accidentally vegan” products alike, including popular vegan staples like Biscoff cookies and spreads.

Brands like Biscoff say that they use oil sourced from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified “sustainable” plantations, meaning it should be produced ethically. However, some studies indicate that even so-called sustainable palm oil is typically produced on deforestation-ravaged land. Greenpeace has referred to sustainable palm oil as “a con.”

While veganism may appear to apply to non-human animals only, many people extend it to include human rights and all of the interconnected ethical, social, and environmental justice issues of the modern world. However, eschewing everything unethical is all but impossible. So, in practical terms, being vegan today simply means doing as much as is possible or practical.

What can be done about palm oil production?

Simply replacing our global reliance on palm oil could potentially result in even more destructive practices. For example, because of its unparalleled yield efficiency, swapping palm oil for an alternative like rapeseed or soy would require more than twice as much land.

Other oils also come with unique problems, such as rapeseed’s comparatively high demand for water, or soy’s already prominent role in deforestation via animal farming. 

Shifting to an alternative oil would also raise costs, disproportionately impacting lower-income populations. This would likely also exacerbate food insecurity, and damage the economies of palm oil-reliant producers like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil.

For individuals, cutting down on palm consumption can be a positive step. Where possible, supporting explicitly ethical brands with clear, well-documented supply chains, and labor practices likely also makes a difference. Some companies are committed to zero-deforestation practices, or reforestation efforts, while others source palm oil directly from smallholders.

Advocating for policy changes, raising awareness, and donating to organizations working to protect forests, wildlife, Indigenous rights, and worker’s rights can also help push incremental industry changes. Palm Oil Detectives is an investigative journalism non-profit that connects animal and Indigenous rights advocates around the world to expose greenwashing.

The Wildlife Conservation Society aims to protect wildlife and wild places around the world, while Indonesia’s Profauna conserves forest ecosystems in cooperation with Indigenous peoples. Sumatran Orangutan “works on all aspects of Sumatran orangutan conservation.”

Read more: Huge Increase In Agribusiness Lobbyists At UN Biodiversity Summit

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

He, alongside Caroline Lucas, who also resigned from her vice president position, accused the 200-year-old animal welfare charity of a “failure of leadership.” In particular, they criticized the organization’s response to a recent investigation that found huge suffering on slaughterhouses certified by the RSPCA Assured scheme. 

“I can’t watch another round of that footage and then see them do nothing about it and not listen to Caroline and I when we’re asking them straight questions and getting no bloody answers,” Packham said, according to The Times. 

In footage filmed at four UK slaughterhouses, acquired by Animal Rising, animals appeared to be improperly stunned, hit, kicked, prodded with electric prods, and handled roughly. The RSPCA suspended three of the slaughterhouses, but it continues to double down on its RSPCA Assured scheme. 

Read more: Celebrities And Vets Call On RSPCA To Ditch Its Farm Assurance Scheme

Packham and Lucas resign

The slaughterhouse investigation came a few months after another Animal Rising exposé that found suffering on dozens of RSPCA Assured farms. Live chicks were seen pecking at dead ones, animals were dying of starvation and dehydration, and apparent routine mutilations were observed. At the time, Packham and Lucas said they were in talks with leadership over scrapping or reforming the scheme. The RSPCA, however, found that the scheme was “operating effectively” after a review. 

Lucas has now described the slaughterhouse footage as “the last straw.” She said it depicted “sickening, systematic, and vicious cruelty” that was “almost impossible to watch.” In a joint resignation letter, Lucas said that she and Packham held “numerous fruitless meetings” with RSPCA bosses. “We were met with delays, defensiveness and the promise of yet more meetings, rather than with urgent action,” she wrote. 

Packham said that he believes the RSPCA has “lost sight of its mandate to protect all animals from cruelty and suffering.”

In a statement to Plant Based News, an RSPCA spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to see Chris Packham and Caroline Lucas step down after many years of support and having achieved so much together for animal welfare.

“We agree on so many issues and have achieved so much together for animals but we do however have differing views on how best to address the incredibly complex and difficult issue of farmed animal welfare and that is why they have stepped back from their roles. 

“We have discussed our work to drive up animal welfare standards openly and at length with them on many occasions both over the years and especially in recent months, and have welcomed their challenge.

“While 94 percent of people choose to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy, we are working hard to improve the lives of farmed animals now, while working to transform their lives in future through campaigning and continuing to be at the forefront of driving up welfare standards. 

“We have pioneered change through RSPCA Assured, which has led to improvements throughout the industry including CCTV in slaughterhouses, banning barren battery cages for hens and sow stalls for pigs, giving salmon more space to swim and developing slower growing chicken breeds who have better quality of life. No one else is doing this work; we are the only organisation setting and regularly monitoring animal welfare standards on farms. 

“We know that shouting from the sidelines doesn’t work. We are a 200-year old organisation with a strong history of driving seismic change for animals and we know lasting change happens when we take people with us. This is why it is especially disappointing to be divided on this crucial issue while we could achieve so much more for animals together.”

Read more: Why The RSPCA Removed Meat Recipes From Its Website

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Read more: ‘Sausages Are Pigs Stuffed Into Their Own Intestines’ – Veganuary’s Bold 2025 Marketing Approach

Tyson, one of the world’s biggest meat companies, will close the facility, which processes meat from cows and pigs, in February. In the letter to Tyson CEO Donnie King, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said the museum could teach people “about the intelligence and sociability of pigs and cows and appreciate them as individuals deserving of understanding and respect.”

Nearly a thousand jobs will be lost upon the plant’s closure. PETA suggested that converting the space “could also create jobs for some displaced workers and increase tourism in the area.”

Showing the truth about eating meat

Newkirk reminded King of the conditions in which most animals farmed in the US are kept. The letter does not let Tyson off the hook for being part of this system. “[A]s our investigations into Tyson facilities have shown, some [animals] endure horrific abuse at the hands of low-paid, often frustrated slaughterhouse workers or are maimed by equipment,” Newkirk wrote.

Read more: Undercover Audio From Tyson Employee Exposes ‘Free-Range’ Chicken

As well as showing the individuality and intelligence of farmed animals such as cows and pigs, the museum could “ensure that visitors can ponder the violence” of eating meat. To help them do that, Newkirk suggests that PETA could lease some meat grinders, bone saws, and other equipment previously used in the facility.

The vegan café would serve visitors “delicious vegan food” such as burgers and sausages from Tyson’s plant-based brand Raised & Rooted. “We would remind visitors that in the 21st century, when the food industry – including Tyson – is producing superior vegan options that are delicious and healthy and the demand for vegan meats is ever rising, there is absolutely no justification for continuing to kill and eat animals,” the letter states.

Tyson closing more plants

The plant in Kansas is just the latest facility to be shuttered by Tyson in the past two years. Two plants in Philadelphia that process meat for cheesesteaks are set to, while six chicken processing plants have closed since 2023.

The company is seeking to cut costs and concentrate resources on “more efficient plants,” Donnie King reportedly said during an earnings call. But it’s chicken plant closures were due to an overestimation in consumer demand.

Even so, consumption of chicken meat has been increasing overall in the US, where meat consumption is above global averages. Consumption of meat from pigs and cows has been decreasing, however, as the proportion of chicken being eaten goes up.

Read more: Farmed Animals Numbers Drop In Europe As Meat Production Falls

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

The RSPCA has come under renewed scrutiny following a major new investigation that uncovered huge suffering at some of its certified slaughterhouses. 

Read more: Why The RSPCA Removed Meat Recipes From Its Website

RSPCA stands for Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It’s the UK’s oldest animal welfare charity, and celebrated its 200th anniversary this year. Animal rights groups have long argued, however, that the RSPCA is not preventing cruelty to all animals in the UK, and that it’s in fact endorsing it. This is because it certifies farms and slaughterhouses with its “RSPCA Assured” label. RSPCA Assured claims that animals are killed in “the most humane way possible.”

In a major slaughterhouse exposé released today, animal advocacy group Animal Rising documented a number of apparent breaches of both RSPCA standards and legal standards for animal welfare. It visited four RSPCA Assured slaughterhouses in the UK. Three of them were in England (in Cornwall, Norfolk, and Staffordshire), while a fourth was in Argyll, Scotland. Animals killed at the slaughterhouses included pigs, sheeps*, cows, and salmon. The RSPCA confirmed to Plant Based News that the three English slaughterhouses have now been suspended from the scheme.

Read more: Celebrities And Vets Call On RSPCA To Ditch Its Farm Assurance Scheme

The reality of UK slaughterhouses

One of the most serious findings of the investigation was ineffective stunning. Under RSPCA guidelines, animals are supposed to be stunned prior to slaughter so that – in theory – they don’t feel pain. Stunning is also required by law under the UK’s Animal Welfare Act (with exception for some religious slaughter). 

One method of stunning is electricity. When this method is used, however, there tends to be 15 to 20 second window before the animal wakes up again. Regulation therefore requires the animal to be killed at most 15 seconds afterwards. According to Animal Rising, “many” of the animals observed in the slaughterhouses were killed after the 15 second mark. 

Animals were also stunned ineffectively, according to Animal Rising. At the Norfolk slaughterhouse, the electrodes used to stun pigs were often placed incorrectly near their jaws. They were also placed vertically, either above or below the head. Animal Rising calculated that 85 percent of pigs at this slaughterhouse were improperly stunned. At the Staffordshire slaughterhouse, electrodes appeared to be placed too far back on the necks of sheeps and over thick wool. In Argyll, at a salmon slaughterhouse, Animal Rising observed 25 instances of apparent ineffective stunning in a three-hour period. Some animals appeared to be alive while being dismembered. 

Other welfare breaches at the slaughterhouses included animals being hit and kicked, excessive electric prod use, rough handling, and sheeps being dragged by their wool.

Cruelty across the board

This slaughterhouse investigation is “part 2” of a much larger exposé of RSPCA Assured by Animal Rising. Earlier this year, it documented huge suffering on dozens of supposedly “high welfare” farms across the country. According to the group, it found suffering on every farm. Chris Packham, the RSPCA’s president, called for an urgent review of the scheme after the investigation was released. The RSPCA conducted a review, and concluded the the scheme was “operating effectively”. Other organizations, including Animal Justice Project, have also uncovered suffering on RSPCA Assured farms.

Animal Rising – alongside celebrities including singer Moby, human rights activist Peter Tatchell, and actor Peter Egan – is calling on the RSPCA to drop RSPCA Assured. “The scheme is a systemic cover-up of animal cruelty that misleads the public via disingenuous marketing,” Rose Patterson, lead investigator at Animal Rising, told Plant Based News. “Our investigations of farms and slaughterhouses have uncovered practices that if carried out on cats and dogs would send people to jail. These double standards at the world’s oldest animal charity have to end.”

The RSPCA claims that its Assured scheme was set up to “improve farmed animal welfare.” But according to Patterson, there is no “kind” way to kill. “No matter how it is framed or regulated, the processes of farming and slaughter inherently prioritize efficiency and profit over the well-being of animals, making cruelty an unavoidable reality,” she said. “There is no such thing as humane slaughter.”

RSPCA responds

In a statement to Plant Based News, an RSPCA spokesperson said: “We are appalled by this extremely distressing footage and RSPCA Assured launched an immediate investigation and has suspended these three slaughterhouses from the scheme. These sites are assured by a number of other accreditation schemes, with different standards and we have alerted the other schemes. We have confirmed that none of the cows and sheep and none of the animals at the Cornwall site featured in the footage were part of the RSPCA Assured scheme. We are concerned some of the allegations made could constitute breaches of the law, so we have also contacted the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has responsibility for overall enforcement of slaughterhouses.

“RSPCA Assured’s swift action to suspend three slaughterhouses in the wake of this investigation shows we act decisively when standards are breached – protecting and enhancing animal welfare is core to our work. Failure to comply with RSPCA standards and FSA regulations is unacceptable.

“RSPCA Assured provides higher standards of animal welfare. Unfortunately, there is very little legal protection for farmed animals and enforcement is virtually non-existent and we need to unite with other animal protection charities and organisations to call for improved legislation and regulation.

“We are continuing to invest in strengthening the RSPCA Assured scheme, including working towards tripling the amount of unannounced visits annually, a larger investigation team, increased use of technology to consistently monitor standards, and enhanced frontline assessments. We urge other organisations to work with and support us in driving change.”

*While the English language typically refers to multiple sheeps as “sheep,” we use “sheeps” to emphasize their indivuduality

Read more: Veganuary Co-founder Applies For RSPCA CEO Role

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Read more: More Than A Quarter Of Veganuary 2024 Participants Are Still Vegan

The campaign features several adverts conveying the weirdness of products such as sausages, milk, and chicken nuggets. In one, a pig’s body is made to look like a sausage alongside the message “Sausages are literally pigs stuffed into their own intestines. Kind of weird, right?”

Another shows a cow-print mug with udders poking out of the top, with the message “Cows make milk to feed their baby calves, just like our mothers do for us. Maybe it’s time to wean off dairy and skip the udders?”

The provocative ads will run across social media platforms from December 4 to mark the opening of registration for Veganuary 2025. Later in December, the graphics will appear on ITVX Pause ads.

Veganuary is growing

Veganuary is expanding with campaigns launching in Malaysia, Peru, and Canada for the first time this year. In total there are campaigns in 20 countries, and participants have joined in from every country across the globe except North Korea. Around 25 million people took part in the 2024 challenge.

Read more: Doctors Push Back On Claims Veganuary Is A ‘Restrictive, Famine-Detox Diet’

The new marketing campaign aims to get people to question seemingly normal food practices.

“Most of us see the food we grew up with as ‘normal’ but when we stop to ponder the practices behind many familiar foods, they start to look a little bit weird,” Veganuary’s International Head of Policy and Communications, Toni Vernelli, said in a statement. “Veganuary is asking everyone to face the startling reality of how our food choices impact animals and the planet and consider whether trying vegan for January might just be a little less weird.”

Read more: Great British Bake Off Star Launches Vegan Baking Box Kit Range

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Read more: The UK Government Is Facing Legal Action Over Lobsters – Here’s Why

Previous observational studies indicated that crustaceans feel pain, but this team is the first to carry out EEG-style measurements. They detected pain stimuli being sent to the brains of shore crabs, a common decapod crustacean, during chemical and mechanical “stimulation.”

The research was published in the journal Biology. Its authors note that the capacity for pain in decapod crustaceans has historically “been questioned,” but that their work can be used to determine “welfare implications and humane treatment” of the animals moving forward.

Eleftherios Kasiouras, a student at the University of Gothenburg and the lead study author, noted that the research also has implications for the treatment of lobsters and other shellfish, who, like crabs, are not covered by EU animal welfare legislation and routinely boiled alive. 

“It is a given that all animals need some kind of pain system to cope by avoiding danger. I don’t think we need to test all species of crustaceans, as they have a similar structure and therefore similar nervous systems,” explained Kasiouras. “We can assume that shrimps, crayfish, and lobsters can also send external signals about painful stimuli to their brain.”

Despite the rapidly developing alternative “seafood” market, up to 580 billion farmed crustaceans – including crabs, lobsters, prawns, shrimps, and crayfish – are killed every year.

Read more: Scientists Capture Footage Of Octopuses And Fishes Hunting Cooperatively

Animal sentience and crustaceans

By proving that crabs do feel pain, this new research could add further scientific weight to campaigners’ arguments that crustaceans and other animals require additional protection. However, it’s worth noting that carrying out research of this type is itself dependent on causing animals pain and discomfort, and then recording the results.

The report from The University of Gothenburg is also just the latest in decades of research on crabs and pain responses. That existing body of research arguably provides more than enough evidence that crustaceans are worthy of protection, without additional testing.

Even if crabs and other crustaceans are formally recognized as able to feel pain, there is no guarantee that legislative protection or state intervention will protect them from cruelty. Animal sentience was officially enshrined in UK law in 2021 by the Conservative government of the time, but cruelty and neglect remain widespread throughout the farming industry.

The UK Animal Sentience Bill even explicitly recognized crustaceans – and cephalopods – as sentient beings who “experience feelings in the same way humans do,” but government inaction means that crabs, lobsters, and other sentient aquatic creatures are still boiled alive.

Many animal advocates argue that there is no humane way to farm and kill animals, meaning abstaining from eating crustaceans – and all animals – is the only ethical route.

Plant Based News does not condone the use of animals in research.

Read more: If Lobsters Are Sentient, Why Can We Still Boil Them Alive?

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Advertising Watchdog Investigates ‘RSPCA Assured’ Billboards After Complaints

Glover has been a vocal critic of the 200-year-old animal protection organization in recent weeks, after multiple investigations – including one of his own – found huge suffering on RSPCA Assured farms. In a video filmed outside the RSPCA head office in Horsham, Sussex, Glover criticized the charity for its failure to protect animals on farms. 

“Despite the name, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the RSPCA does very little for farmed animals,” he said. “And with over 99 percent of domesticated animals being on farms, this is a huge blind spot.”

The problem with RSPCA Assured

The RSPCA is under mounting pressure from a number of animal groups and celebrities to drop the RSPCA Assured scheme. This scheme certifies British farms and slaughterhouses that supposedly meet the charity’s “strict welfare standards.” The RSPCA describes RSPCA Assured as an “ethical food label.”

Earlier this year, animal rights group Animal Rising released a major exposé featuring undercover footage from dozens of RSPCA Assured farms. A total of 280 breaches of legal standards for animal welfare were documented. Chickens were seen dead and dying in barns, piglets were subjected to routine mutilations, and salmon had eyes and body parts missing. A separate investigation from Animal Justice Project found similar suffering.

“The RSPCA Assured scheme justifies the exploitation of farmed animals under the guise of higher welfare,” Glover said in the video. “This welfare-washing needs to stop.”

Read more: Why The RSPCA Removed Meat Recipes From Its Website

Will the RSPCA drop RSPCA Assured?

Soon after the investigation footage was released, RSPCA president Chris Packham, who follows a plant-based diet, called on the organization to suspend the scheme. “I think the footage is utterly indefensible,” he told The Sunday Times. “What we’ve seen in that footage is not a standard of welfare that any member of the public would accept. It’s not acceptable.”

Celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes, and Ricky Gervais, along with vets, animal groups, and former RSPCA board members, recently signed an open letter urging the RSPCA to drop the scheme. But, despite this pressure, the RSPCA has yet to announce any changes to the scheme. 

The future of the RSPCA

In September of this year, RSPCA CEO Chris Sherwood announced that he would be stepping down from his role, and there are hopes that new leadership could see changes to the RSPCA’s stance on animal farming.

In his application letter for the CEO role, Glover stated that the RSPCA’s “efforts must evolve” to tackle the huge environmental and ethical costs of animal agriculture. “Imagine an RSPCA that is a global leader in advocating for a kinder, more sustainable future. A future where all animals are treated with compassion and respect, where the food system supports the health of the planet and its inhabitants, and where no animal is seen as ‘stock’ but as an individual with intrinsic value,” he wrote. 

He added that, in the position of CEO, he would “work tirelessly to make the RSPCA a beacon of hope and leadership in addressing the crises of our time.”

“Together, we can build an organisation that not only speaks up for animals but inspires society to treat them with dignity and compassion,” he concluded. 

Read more: Vegan Meat Boss Criticizes Pork Brand Jolly Hog Over ‘High Welfare’ Claims

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Read more: Anti-Firework Petition With 1 Million Signatures Delivered To UK Government

Veterinary experts at Edinburgh Zoo owner The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) believe that the three-month-old kit died as a direct result of firework-caused stress. The RZSS has called for increased restrictions around firework sales and displays.

“Roxie had access to her den but the frightening noises seem to have been too much for her,” said RZSS Deputy Chief Executive Ben Supple. “We know that fireworks can cause stress to other animals in the zoo and we cannot rule out that they may have contributed to the untimely death of Roxie’s mother Ginger, just five days’ earlier.”

Zoos are increasingly controversial, and many animal advocacy groups believe that keeping animals captive is cruel and unjustifiable. According to Freedom For Animals, which campaigns against zoos, Roxie’s death is further proof that zoos are “unnatural places that force animals to live in unnatural environments where they suffer from human-induced stresses.”

When it comes to fireworks, zoo animals are uniquely exposed by their proximity to houses, towns, and cities, combined with too-small enclosures. In 2020, a young zebra named Hope tried to bolt when people set off fireworks near Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Somerset. The eight-month-old animal died on impact with the boundary of her enclosure.

Read more: Don’t Leave Halloween Pumpkins Out For Wildlife, Warns Forestry England

The problem with fireworks

Across the UK, fireworks are becoming more popular at events outside of typical celebrations such as Diwali, Bonfire Night, New Year’s Eve, and Chinese New Year. They are also more widely sold and frequently set off unpredictably on random days and at unusual times.

Lincolnshire-based Julie Doorne set up The Firework Campaign over a decade ago for people who are concerned about the impact of displays on animals and vulnerable people. 

Earlier this month, Doorne delivered an RSPCA-backed petition with more than a million signatories to Downing Street calling for tighter regulations on fireworks, including a reduction in the maximum decibel level and 100 percent licensed sales.

Fireworks also feature in serious antisocial behavior, and a separate petition with nearly 50,000 signatures calls for an end to all unlicensed fireworks sales. This petition was started by the children of Josephine Smith, who was killed in a firework-caused house fire in 2021.

“The public fall into two categories, those who have no idea of the distress caused and those who know but don’t care,” Doorne previously told Plant Based News. “Every MP will have received emails detailing the problems of their constituents. They cannot deny they know about the issues, but are unwilling to do anything to help.”

Read more: Britain’s Wild Bird Numbers Keep Dropping

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Is It Time To Move Away From Fireworks?

The petition comes from The Firework Campaign, which wants private firework use to be prohibited on most days of the year. It argues that fireworks should be limited to special occasions like Bonfire Night, which falls today, as well as Chinese New Year, New Year’s Eve, and Diwali. It also calls for firework displays to require a license, and a reduction in the maximum decibel level of fireworks

Julie Doome set up the campaign in 2013. It’s received huge support from people who are concerned about the impact fireworks have on both animals and vulnerable people. “The public fall into two categories, those who have no idea of the distress caused and those who know but don’t care,” she previously told Plant Based News. “We have been raising awareness for over 10 years now and every MP will have received emails detailing the problems of their constituents. They cannot deny they know about the issues, but are unwilling to do anything to help.” 

Read more: Don’t Leave Halloween Pumpkins Out For Wildlife, Warns Forestry England

The problem with fireworks

It’s well-known that fireworks cause serious problems for companion animals, many of whom have far better hearing abilities than humans. The loud bangs are often very distressing, and studies have shown that just one negative experience can trigger a life-long noise phobia. Animals can also become spooked and run away. Over the weekend, a dog was killed after being hit by a car while running away from the bangs. 

Fireworks also impact wildlife. Wild animals don’t have the shelter of human homes to protect them from the noise, and many birds fly into buildings after being spooked by the lights and noises. Farmed animals, many of whom are already languishing in horrific conditions, also suffer greatly during firework displays. 

Some animal advocacy organizations are calling on a total ban on conventional fireworks due to their impact on animals. PETA, for example, urges people to instead opt for experiences like laser light shows, which don’t come with loud noises.

Sign the petition for tighter regulations on fireworks here.

Read more: The Number Of Cats Being Abandoned Is Soaring In The UK

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

When October 31 rolls around, social media users often encourage people to leave out leftover pumpkins for animals to eat. But doing so can make some animals, including hedgehogs, unwell.

Read more: Wildlife Populations Have Plunged 73% In 50 Years

Pumpkins are not naturally found in British woodlands and are not a normal part of the diet of native animals.

“Feeding pumpkins, or any other food in the forest, to birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and boar can make them unwell and can spread disease,” Kate Wollen, Assistant Ecologist at Forestry England, said in a statement. “Pumpkins are also often decorated and have things such as candles in them. Animals eating the pumpkins could then eat a foreign object and this could kill them.”

Alternative uses for pumpkins

British people buy around 12.8 million pumpkins for Halloween decorations, with most going uneaten. As well as posing a risk to wildlife if discarded outdoors, this creates a huge amount of food waste.

Read more: This Creamy Pumpkin Dauphinoise Is 100% Dairy-Free

Forestry England has suggested some alternative uses for Halloween pumpkins, such as making soup or composting. “They are 90 percent water so are a great composting material, adding a great source of nitrogen and moisture to my compost bin each year,” said Wollen.

Pumpkins could also be donated to animal sanctuaries for use as a safe snack for animals such as sheeps* and goats.

*While the English language typically refers to multiple sheeps as “sheep,” we use “sheeps” to emphasize their individuality

Read more: Try This 20-Minute Vegan Chickpea And Pumpkin Pilaf

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

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According to animal rescue organization Cats Protection, the country is seeing a “deepening crisis” of people abandoning companion animals. This is in part due to the cost of living crisis and fallout from the boom in people buying “pets” during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the charity helped around 500 cats a day, but this figure has now increased by 34 percent. 

“We understand that tough times can lead to heartbreaking decisions. However, abandoning cats puts them in great danger,” Mike Elliott, feline welfare and operations director at Cats Protection, told the Guardian. “Right now, abandoned cats are hungry, cold and afraid.”

Being abandoned takes a huge toll on cats. “Cats and dogs think they’re part of the family, so being abandoned is a confusing, distressing, and disorientating experience that can result in post-traumatic stress disorder,” PETA’s Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen told Plant Based News (PBN).

Read more: Hot Weather Poses ‘Huge Threat’ To Flat Faced Dogs, Charity Warns

The fallout from lockdown

When the UK entered lockdown, and more office workers started working from home, many people bought animals (predominantly puppies and kittens) to keep them company. But when workplaces opened up and the cost of living crisis worsened, there was a surge in “pet” abandonment all over the country. 

In the years since the pandemic, animal rescues have been increasingly struggling to pick up the pieces. Some of them have described themselves as being “at breaking point,” with far more animals coming in than there are people to adopt them. 

Many animal rights organizations, including PETA, believe that the “pet” abandonment crisis is further proof that animals should never be bought in the first place, as purchasing from breeders exacerbates the overpopulation problem. They are also calling for companion animals to be spayed and neutered to prevent more being born. “Everyone can help create a world where all cats and dogs have loving, permanent homes by remembering to always adopt, never shop, and by being prepared before bringing an animal into the family,” Allen said. “Being the guardian of an animal is a lifelong commitment that requires patience, understanding, affection, and money for veterinary care, food, and litter.”

Read more: UK Issues ‘Snake Warning’ – Here’s Why They Should Never Be ‘Pets’

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

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Published by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics and data hub, the report shows that between 2003 and 2023, there have been large declines in some farmed animal populations. The number of sheeps* and goats has dropped the most, by 22 percent. Numbers of pigs dropped by nearly 15 percent, while cows raised for meat fell by nine percent.

The fall in the production of meat from pigs is notable because of the historically large amount produced in Europe, particularly in Spain, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. It hit its peak in 2021 at 23.4 million tonnes but dropped by 11.8 percent in 2023 — the lowest level of production in the 15 years of Eurostat records.

However, production of meat from chickens increased by 2.3 percent from 2022 to 2023. The EU now produces 3.5 million tonnes more chicken meat than it did in 2008.

Falling demand for meat

Meat eating among Europeans has been declining in recent years. A 2023 study by the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI) found that half of Europeans said they had cut their meat consumption. This represented an increase from two years previously. Most were motivated by health, followed by animal welfare and the environment. These trends are reflected in the UK too, where meat consumption hit a record low in 2023.

Read more: River Campaigners Launch Legal Bid To Halt Chicken Industry Expansion

Another report by GFI revealed that between 2020 and 2022, animal-based meat and milk sales dropped by eight and nine percent, respectively. Over the same period, there was a 21 percent increase in sales of plant-based meat products, and a 20 percent increase in plant-based milks sales.

*We use “sheep” rather than “sheep” to emphasize that these animals are individuals

Read more: German Farmers Offered Incentives To Move Away From Pigs

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Think Free Range Eggs Are Ethical? Investigation Exposes Reality Of ‘Cage-Free’

The Happy Egg Co. has been portraying such images of its farms since launching in 2009. The brand, which is owned by Noble Foods, is one of the largest free-range egg producers in the world. As the name suggests, The Happy Egg Co. has repeatedly stated that its eggs come from farms where the “hens always come first.” One of its taglines is “a happy hen makes a happy egg,” and it claims that its farms exceed the standards set out by the RSPCA.

But the clip has been met with criticism by many animal advocates for its apparent misleading portrayal of the reality of egg farms. Matthew Glover, the founder of Vegan Food Group (VFG), described the video as “a masterclass in welfarewashing.”

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The reality of Happy Egg farms

Multiple investigations over the years have uncovered suffering behind The Happy Egg Co. label. 

In 2021, animal rights group PETA visited three farms supplying the brand: one in Cumbria, a second in Herefordshire, and a third in Gloucestershire. While the birds weren’t kept in cages, they were nevertheless housed in crowded barns with thousands of other hens. Their conditions kept them from engaging in natural behaviors like foraging, extending their wings, roosting, and nesting. 

The new advert shows Fletcher, who owns a farm himself, walking with the hens in green fields filled with trees. But the reality at one of the farms was a bare muddy ground with “a few dilapidated wooden shelters,” according to PETA. While the barns did provide access to the outside, many hens were “too afraid to venture out.”

“The bare, barren space is entirely inadequate and anxiety-provoking for nervous prey animals, and all but the most dominant hens are too scared to push through thousands of other birds to reach the opening,” explained PETA in its investigation notes.

Mutilations were also common on farms, with the majority of hens having had a portion of their beaks cut off. Beak trimming can cause both acute and chronic pain, and farms carry it out to prevent hens from pecking at themselves or each other due to stress. Video footage showed that many of the hens were missing feathers. Dead and dying birds were observed, and deceased animals were left to rot among the living. 

In response to Happy Egg’s new advert, PETA’s vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen told Plant Based News (PBN) that “no decent person would support or buy from The Happy Egg Co. if they knew the real misery birds endure in crowded sheds on farms.”

“Hiring an animal farmer as your welfare ambassador is like letting a tobacco executive run a health campaign,” she added. “Of course they’ll say everything’s fine – it’s in their best interests to protect the industry, not the victims.”

No such thing as a ‘happy farm’

Despite The Happy Egg Co.’s – and the broader free-range egg industry’s – attempt to promote itself as “high welfare,” many animal advocates believe there is no such thing as an ethical farm.

All “egg-laying” hens, regardless of the farm they live on, have been selectively bred to produce far more eggs than they naturally would. A typical hen will lay over 300 eggs a year (naturally, they would lay around 12). They often suffer from conditions like osteoporosis and broken bones due to calcium deficiency. Male chicks bred into the egg industry are regarded as surplus to requirements, so they are killed soon after birth.

Animals farmed for food aren’t free to live life on their own terms, and are instead exploited for profit before being eventually slaughtered. “‘Higher welfare’ farming is sold to the public through joyful marketing campaigns and smiling cartoon characters, but the reality couldn’t be further from this misleading propaganda,” Ayrton Cooper, campaigns manager at Animal Justice Project, which campaigns against animal farming, told PBN. “No level of welfare assurance will ever meaningfully protect animals on farms, during transportation or inside a slaughterhouse, and our investigations have proved that time and time again.” 

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This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.