Compassion in World Farming

Compassion in World Farming
Founded 1967 (1967)
Founder Peter Roberts
Type Charity
1095050
Focus Animal welfare
Location
  • Godalming, UK
Area served
Worldwide[1]
Method Advocacy, public education, research
Key people
Philip Lymbery (Chief Executive)
Employees
69
Volunteers
7
Website ciwf.org.uk

Compassion in World Farming is a campaigning and lobbying animal welfare organisation. It campaigns against the live export of animals, certain methods of livestock slaughter, and all systems of factory farming. It has received celebrity endorsements and been recognized by BBC Radio 4 for its campaigning. It has grown to a global movement with partners and supporters concerned about the welfare of farm animals.[1]

Compassion in World Farming in the UK is a registered charity.

History

Peter Roberts, a Hampshire dairy farmer, founded Compassion in World Farming in 1967. After he realized there was public support, Roberts unsuccessfully appealed to contemporary animal welfare groups to campaign against factory farming. Undeterred, Roberts began his own campaign. Roberts retired in 1991.[2][3] He was replaced as Chief Executive by Joyce D'Silva, who served until 2005 and now serves as ambassador.[4] Philip Lymbery, co-author of Farmageddon, is the current Chief Executive.[5] Compassion in World Farming has offices in Ireland, the Netherlands, France, and the United States. Representatives are located in Oceania, South Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe.[6] Compassion in World Farming was responsible for the veal crate ban in the UK, as well as bans on narrow stalls and chains on pregnant sows. The European Union recognised animals as sentient beings as a result of their petition.[7]

Activism

Compassion in World Farming does not support violence or threats;[8][9] it campaigns peacefully for the humane treatment of farm animals, which they accept will be killed and eaten.[10] The London Evening Standard has called them "the most rational of the groups that campaign about animal welfare and the environment."[11] In addition to their advocacy, they produce educational material for school children[6] and have fought against what they called industry-sponsored propaganda.[12] To celebrate good animal welfare, they present awards that include the Good Egg,[13] Good Chicken,[13] Good Dairy,[14] and Good Pig.[15] Their undercover investigations have revealed animal cruelty to hens,[16] cattle,[17] pigs,[18] and sheep.[19]

They advocate free range systems but accept straw-bedded indoor systems for pigs.[15] They have warned about factory farming of dairy cattle, which they say is neither economically beneficial for farmers nor healthy for cows.[20] They have advocated a complete ban on fur farming in Ireland, which they say is "one of the most serious animal welfare problems facing Ireland today."[21] In 2002, they called for a global moratorium on all experimental or commercial cloning of farm animals.[22] They oppose the practice of live export of farm animals for slaughter, instead advocating that the animals be slaughtered before transport.[23] In support of this position, they have demonstrated in London,[23] Ipswitch,[24] Belfast,[25] Ramsgate,[26] and Dover.[27] They have also fought to maintain a ban on the live transport of horses.[28] They support a ban on foie gras, and call it "an example of intensive farming at its worst".[29]

Celebrity endorsements have included Joanna Lumley, who spoke against long distance animal transport,[30] and Paul McCartney, who advocated for reduced consumption of meat products.[31] In 2010, Jo Brand, Bill Oddie, Zac Goldsmith, Marc Abraham, and William Roache endorsed Compassion in World Farming's protest against factory farming in Nocton.[32] Early supporters include Spike Milligan and Celia Hammond, who protested battery cages.[7]

Awards

In 2007, the charity won the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Award for the best food campaigner/educator.[33] In 2009, they won the Broadcast Digital Award for Best Use of Interactive for their Chicken Out! website.[34] In 2011, they won a Third Sector Excellence Award for their annual review[35] and The Observer's Ethical Award for Campaigner of the Year.[36]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Our story". Compassion in World Farming. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  2. D'Silva, Joyce (2006-11-22). "Peter Roberts". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  3. "Last Word". BBC Radio 4. 2006-12-08. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  4. "Joyce D'Silva – Ambassador". live.ciwf.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  5. Siegle, Lucy (2014-01-18). "Have vets really sold out to industrial agri-business?". The Observer. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  6. 1 2 Halliday, Claire (2006-07-03). "Compassion on the menu". The Age. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  7. 1 2 "Peter Roberts". The Daily Telegraph. 2006-12-04. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  8. "Peter Roberts". The Economist. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  9. Penman, Danny (1995-02-04). "Extremists vow to avenge their `martyr'". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  10. Kirby, Alex (2003-05-09). "Animals 'are moral beings'". BBC News. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  11. Renton, Alex (2014-01-31). "Eat less meat or else the planet will starve". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  12. Morrison, Ian (1986-04-30). "Susie the cow tells 'tales' in the classroom". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  13. 1 2 Hickman, Martin (2010-07-15). "Waitrose named compassionate supermarket of the year". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  14. "Organic dairy wins acclaim". The Northern Echo. 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  15. 1 2 Barford, Vanessa (2012-10-18). "The bewildering labelling of pork". BBC News Magazine. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  16. "'Cruel' battery hen farming attacked". BBC News. 1998-11-23. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  17. "Spy video reveals Irish cattle cruelty". Irish Independent. 1998-04-16. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  18. "Pigs kept in 'shocking conditions'". BBC news. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  19. "Animal export 'video nasty'". BBC News. 2000-04-19. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  20. "Day of the battery cow upon us". Irish Independent. 2010-12-19. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  21. Sheehan, Aideen (2004-12-04). "Protesters call for a complete ban on fur farming". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  22. D'Silva, Joyce (2002-01-04). "Head-to-head: Cloning". BBC News. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  23. 1 2 "Protesters herded on to tube train". BBC news. 2002-03-25. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  24. "RSPCA's legal threat if Ipswich port resumes live animal exports". BBC News. 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  25. "Protest against live exports". BBC News. 2002-03-07. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  26. "Kent sheep deaths anniversary marked". BBC News. 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  27. "Live exports campaigners use Dover's white cliffs". BBC News. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  28. "Fight for horses goes to No 10". BBC News. 2003-11-18. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  29. Prince, Rose (2012-04-03). "Is there too much fuss about foie gras?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  30. "Joanna Lumley backs long distance animal transport ban". BBC News. 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  31. "Sir Paul McCartney urges meat-free day to cut CO2". BBC News. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  32. "More famous faces join the fight against plans for Nocton super-dairy". Lincolnshire Echo. 2010-10-18. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  33. "Former restaurant chef's return to school leads to Radio 4 Food & Farming Award". BBC Radio 4. 2007-11-28. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  34. McMahon, Kate (2009-06-19). "iPlayer guru honoured at Broadcast Digital Awards". Broadcast. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  35. "Third Sector Excellence Awards 2011: Annual Report - Winner: Compassion in World Farming". ThirdSector.co.uk. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  36. "Observer Ethical awards Winners 2011". The Observer. 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
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