New reports highlight the true intentions of organizations
The Animal Agriculture Alliance issued two updated reports this week on the current state of the radical vegan and animal rights activist movement in the U.S. The Major Animal Activist Groups Web highlights the strategic, interconnected nature of the animal activist movement. The Radical Vegan Activism report details trends in activism and illuminates the true intentions of key players in the movement. View the reports here.
“Meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood play a critical role in our health and nutrition. We cannot afford to lose them as options on grocery store shelves or restaurant menus,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO, Animal Agriculture Alliance. “This is the goal of radical vegan and animal rights groups: to put livestock and poultry farmers out of business and eliminate consumer choice. These reports outline how highly connected, well-funded, and extreme these groups truly are, which is highly valuable information to everyone involved in animal agriculture and food production – and anyone who values food choices.”
Noted in the Radical Vegan Activism report, key vegan and animal rights groups have made the following statements:
- “Ending speciesism is our ultimate goal. One strategy to end speciesism would be to end the use of animals as food.” – Matthew Braun, manager of grassroots protest campaigns, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
- “Our mission is to end, end, industrial animal agriculture and to construct a just and sustainable food system.” – Leah Garcés, president, Mercy for Animals
- “The only way to end atrocities against animals is to work toward ending the consumption of and use of animal products altogether.” – Richard Cuoto, founder, Animal Recovery Mission
The Radical Vegan Activism report also states that nearly one-third of animal rights extremist attacks in recent years have targeted farmers and food workers, including 386 actions taken against in agriculture in 2023 and 33 against food services. Documented direct actions from 2023 include 61 incidences of vandalism, 32 criminal trespasses, 29 cases of animal theft, and 23 incidences of harassment and intimidation.
The Major Animal Activist Groups Web includes a selection of the most active or extreme groups involved with or connected to the vegan and animal rights movement. Collectively, these organizations bring in more than $800 million in revenue annually to use for anti-animal agriculture campaigns according to publicly-filed financial records. Notable additions to the web for 2024 include the Center for Responsible Food Business, which was founded by the former director of corporate engagement at The Humane League, and Pro-Animal Future, the organization campaigning for a processing plant ban in Denver, Co. and connected to Direct Action Everywhere. Other additions include Advancing Law for Animals, Animal Activism Mentorship, Animal Policy Alliance, Free from Harm, Pax Fauna, and Social Compassion in Legislation.
For more information about the Alliance’s work to monitor animal rights extremism, or to view the reports, visit animalagalliance.org/initiatives/monitoring-activism.
To learn more about proactive security measures to protect against potential threats, visit animalagalliance.org/initiatives/farm-security/.
