How The Humane League UK would use additional funding
We are The Humane League UK (THL UK), an EA-aligned animal protection organisation working to end the abuse of animals raised for food. We have recently been endorsed by Animal Charity Evaluators as a recommended charity for the tenth consecutive year. With our research-backed strategy of combining corporate campaigns, grassroots legislative advocacy, and movement building, we are mending our broken food system.
Our campaign:
Between 22nd November and 28th November, all one-off donations made to THL UK will be doubled by two generous match funders, Charlotte and James Monico, who are part of the Founders Pledge community. That’s why, during the week of the appeal, giving to The Humane League UK is particularly impactful for farmed animals. The appeal will support our corporate campaigning work, the focus of which is currently on securing Better Chicken Commitments from leading UK supermarkets Lidl and the Co-op which would result in significantly less suffering for 327 million chickens in their supply chains combined.
Supermarkets are responsible for roughly 65% of the UK’s meat chicken flock, and so they have disproportionate power to raise the bar for chicken welfare and make BCC chicken the norm in the UK. Our previous successes indicate that commitments from one or two of the leading brands will encourage others to follow suit.
How we would use extra funding:
We have already strategically planned our activities for this financial year (2023-24) which we are confident will bring about significant change for farmed animals. However, we currently have a shortfall of approximately £280k. This year, as well as our corporate campaigning work, we are working with businesses to report on their BCC progress, and, as part of the Open Wing Alliance, aiming to continue to make significant progress globally for egg-laying hens, as well as continuing to push for fishes to finally be given increased protection in UK law.
Beyond this, extra funding would be used to fund our legal case against the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). In May 2023 we had a High Court hearing where we challenged the legality of fast-growing breeds of chicken. Although we did not win the initial case, our appeal has been granted and we will have a further hearing in spring 2024. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to force the Government, with one decision from an appeals court judge, to transform one billion innocent lives per year. However, to proceed, we will need to meet the £56k of anticipated costs, £26k in our own legal fees, and up to £30k for Defra’s fees should we lose the case.
If you have any questions, you can ask them via the Ask Me Anything (AMA) we are currently hosting (we’ll start answering questions on Friday 17th November 2023, and will continue to answer them on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st November).
How to donate:
During the week of the campaign, you will be directed to the match funding campaign when you visit our website. If you wish to make a significant donation and would like to discuss different ways to pay, please reach out to Gavin, Head of Development: gcbates@thehumaneleague.org.uk