World Day for the End of Speciesism: Saturday 29 August

Since 2015, the Swiss-based association for animal equality (PEA) has organized the World Day for the End of Speciesism (WoDES). On this day animal rights groups around the world join together around a common objective: to denounce speciesism. Animal Aid are delighted to lend our support.

On this day, there are five key asks and we’ve got an associated action you can take for each one if you would like to.

If you’re short on time, please prioritise the animal sentience action (1).

1. Create a new legal status for animals which distances them from the status of property and allows them to be considered as sentient beings whose interests can be safeguarded in court.
   Please ask your MP to show support for a #BetterDealForAnimals #animalsentience
   It is vital that all animals are regarded as sentient, especially in the eyes of the law in order to afford them better protection.
   With just under 100 days to go until the end of the UK’s transition period for leaving the EU, please tweet your MP with one of our pre-made graphics to ask them to support legislation needed to ensure animal sentience is enshrined in UK law.
   • Find your MP’s twitter handle
     Suggested tweet text: ‘Urge the government to recognise animal sentience in law and establish an independent commission of experts to help enforce it #BetterDealForAnimals #animalsentience’

2. The implementation of global information and prevention campaigns against speciesism in order to make all citizens aware of respect for animal life.
   Why not share our ‘Animals & Us’ booklet?
3. The end of subsidies to animal agriculture, the establishment of aid for the retraining of workers in this sector, the achievement of a balanced vegetable diet in facilities and the abolition of killing animals for consumption.
   Please take our action asking the government to support farmers to transition to plant based agriculture.
4. The end of the use of animals as “biological material” in laboratories. We also ask that public investments in methods and research not using animals be considerably increased. Please sign our open letter calling for a ban on warfare experiments on animals.
5. We ask that all decisions regarding the environment take into account the interests of animals, allow them to enjoy their lives and to benefit from a favourable environment. Please write to Defra asking them to revoke licences to take peregrine falcon chicks from the wild.

If you would like to take part in the worldwide PEA website take picture of yourself with a sign saying “in solidarity with all animals – end speciesism” which you then upload onto the World Day website.

Thank you for everything you do to help animals.