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80,000 Hours Podcast
#8 - Lewis Bollard on how to end factory farming in our lifetimes
Sep 27, 2017
03:16:55
Lewis Bollard, Project Officer for Farm Animal Welfare at the Open Philanthropy Project, discusses various approaches to end factory farming. Topics include: insect farming, genetic manipulation of chickens, skepticism of vegan advocacy, limitations of legal advocacy, focusing on different species of farm animals, consciousness in fish and crustaceans, and transitioning to plant-based and cellular agriculture.
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Quick takeaways
- Corporate campaigns have been successful in improving farm animal welfare through securing commitments from major food industry players.
- Legal advocacy for animal welfare faces challenges due to limited laws, enforcement, and standing requirements.
- Funding animal advocacy projects overseas requires networking, online research, and direct engagement with organizations.
- Buddhism in countries like China promotes vegetarianism, presenting an opportunity to promote humane values.
- Animal advocacy efforts in Latin America, particularly Brazil and Mexico, have seen significant growth.
- Engaging in extracurricular activities and networking opportunities can enhance career prospects in the animal welfare sector.
Deep dives
Importance of Corporate Campaigns in Farm Animal Welfare
Corporate campaigns have been successful in bringing about positive outcomes for farm animal welfare. Advocacy groups have played a crucial role in securing commitments from major food industry players to transition away from battery cages and adopt higher welfare practices. This approach has proven to be effective in improving the lives of millions of animals. These corporate campaigns have exceeded expectations and demonstrated the impact that can be achieved through targeted advocacy efforts.
Challenges in Legal Advocacy for Animal Welfare
Legal advocacy for animal welfare faces significant challenges, particularly in the United States. There is a lack of comprehensive laws and limited avenues for enforcement, making it difficult to bring about meaningful change through the legal system. Standing requirements, which mandate a concrete harm to oneself rather than animals, further hinder legal action. While other countries like the EU and the UK have stronger animal welfare laws, legal advocacy still faces obstacles. Efforts to expand legal protection for animals may have limited success, as societal attitudes and cognitive abilities of different species may influence the extent of legal consideration.
Funding Opportunities and Strategies for Global Animal Advocacy
Funding animal advocacy projects overseas requires networking, online research, and direct engagement with organizations. While language barriers can be a limitation, utilizing personal connections and leveraging online platforms can help identify potential grantees. The standards for evidence may vary depending on the country, with a focus on neglected areas where there is potential for significant impact. Funding decisions often involve assessing the track record, impact potential, and leadership of the organizations. Despite lower evidence standards, funding opportunities overseas can address neglected animal welfare issues and support vital advocacy efforts around the world.
Importance of Buddhist Influence on Spreading Humane Values
Buddhism, particularly in countries like China, promotes vegetarianism as a noble practice. While vegetarianism is not obligatory in most Buddhist-majority countries, there is a growing movement to emphasize its importance. This presents an opportunity to promote humane values more broadly, as Buddhism's precepts discourage harming sentient beings. Even within subsets of Buddhism, such as monks and nuns, there is a strong adherence to vegetarianism. While religious advocacy can be challenging, steps can be taken to support Buddhist voices promoting vegetarianism and respect for all sentient beings.
Positive Developments in Animal Advocacy in Latin America
Latin America, particularly Brazil and Mexico, has seen a significant increase in animal advocacy efforts. Campaigns by organizations like Mercy For Animals have received positive responses from consumers and companies in these countries. Click-through rates and engagement with animal welfare campaigns have been higher compared to the United States. Companies in Latin America, including fast food chains, have been receptive to making animal welfare reforms due to consumer demand. While challenges remain, there is optimism that the animal advocacy movement in Latin America will continue to grow and drive positive change.
Corporate Campaigns for Improved Animal Welfare
Corporate campaigns have been instrumental in putting pressure on companies to improve animal welfare standards. These campaigns highlight the mistreatment of farm animals and create a public relations incentive for companies to address these issues. By raising awareness among consumers and investors about the treatment of animals in the supply chain, these campaigns push companies to make necessary reforms to avoid negative publicity and consumer backlash. While the transition to cage-free eggs and improved conditions for broiler chickens have been the focus of current campaigns, there is potential for further corporate reform in the future.
Career Paths for Animal Welfare Advocates
There are several exciting career paths for individuals interested in animal welfare. One option is to pursue a technological path, focusing on fields like cellular biology, tissue engineering, or plant science to contribute to the development of clean meat and plant-based alternatives. Another path is developing strong management skills that can be applied in non-profits, businesses, or advocacy organizations. Additionally, becoming a skilled campaigner with public relations, media, and strategic skills is crucial for effective advocacy work. Animal welfare science is another important area, with opportunities to study and research how to improve the welfare of animals. Lastly, working for food companies, especially their sustainability or purchasing departments, can create significant influence on improving animal welfare standards.
Getting Started in the Animal Welfare Sector
For individuals who have just graduated and want to start their career in the animal welfare sector, it is advised to gain hands-on experience by applying for roles in leading advocacy organizations such as The Humane League, Mercy for Animals, and Animal Equality. Alternatively, individuals interested in the scientific field can seek opportunities at lab or companies working on plant-based meat or cellular agriculture. Additionally, developing strong management skills and actively networking within the sector can open doors to various career opportunities in the field of animal welfare.
Extracurricular Involvement and Academic Integration
Engaging in extracurricular activities related to animal welfare, such as joining local animal groups or participating in protests and campaigns, can greatly enhance networking opportunities and provide hands-on experience. Attending conferences like the Animal Rights Conference can also be beneficial for connecting with like-minded individuals. Integrating animal advocacy into academic work by choosing relevant topics for research and projects can further deepen understanding and contribute to the field of animal welfare.
Becoming a Food Scientist or Clean Meat Researcher
To become a food scientist or work on clean meat research, it is recommended to acquire relevant academic qualifications, such as obtaining an undergraduate degree in a relevant scientific field and ideally pursuing a graduate degree. Startups like Impossible Foods, Memphis Meats, and Beyond Meat offer exciting research opportunities, and applying directly to these companies is a viable pathway. Analytical skills, attention to detail, and a passion for innovation are essential for success in this field.
Skills and Study Areas for Animal Charity Evaluators
Animal Charity Evaluators seeks individuals with strong analytical skills who can gather and synthesize information effectively. Research and critical thinking abilities are crucial for evaluating and assessing the impact of different interventions. While specific study areas may vary, a background in relevant fields such as economics, statistics, or animal science can be beneficial. Acquiring practical research experience through internships or independent projects is also highly valued.
Career Paths in Animal Welfare
There are several career paths in animal welfare that individuals can pursue. One key path is to become a scientist specializing in cellular biology, with a focus on clean meat or plant-based meat research. This could involve working in an academic program or joining a startup in the field. Another career path is to become a competent generalist who excels in communication and management roles. This could involve working as a corporate campaigner or in other advocacy positions. Finally, individuals can consider becoming researchers specializing in effective advocacy, analyzing interventions and shaping the future of animal welfare.
Getting Involved and Building Career Capital
To get involved in animal welfare, individuals can consider interning with an animal organization or joining campus programs focused on animal welfare. They can also attend conferences, network with activists, and reach out for advice. Various organizations offer internships, including the Humane Society of the United States, Mercy for Animals, and the Good Food Institute. In terms of building career capital, individuals should consider being open to various roles within animal welfare organizations, including administrative and logistical positions. Working in animal welfare can provide valuable experience and skills that are transferable to other EA causes, while also making a significant impact on animal welfare.
9.
Lowering Standards for Quality of Evidence in Combatting Factory Farming in Other Countries
13min
19.
Pathway to Becoming a Food Scientist and Skills Needed for Working with Charity Evaluators
2min
Every year tens of billions of animals are raised in terrible conditions in factory farms before being killed for human consumption. Over the last two years Lewis Bollard – Project Officer for Farm Animal Welfare at the Open Philanthropy Project – has conducted extensive research into the best ways to eliminate animal suffering in farms as soon as possible. This has resulted in $30 million in grants to farm animal advocacy.
We covered almost every approach being taken, which ones work, and how individuals can best contribute through their careers.
We also had time to venture into a wide range of issues that are less often discussed, including:
* Why Lewis thinks insect farming would be worse than the status quo, and whether we should look for ‘humane’ insecticides;
* How young people can set themselves up to contribute to scientific research into meat alternatives;
* How genetic manipulation of chickens has caused them to suffer much more than their ancestors, but could also be used to make them better off;
* Why Lewis is skeptical of vegan advocacy;
* Why he doubts that much can be done to tackle factory farming through legal advocacy or electoral politics;
* Which species of farm animals is best to focus on first;
* Whether fish and crustaceans are conscious, and if so what can be done for them;
* Many other issues listed below in the Overview of the discussion.
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Overview of the discussion
**2m40s** What originally drew you to dedicate your career to helping animals and why did Open Philanthropy end up focusing on it?
**5m40s** Do you have any concrete way of assessing the severity of animal suffering?
**7m10s** Do you think the environmental gains are large compared to those that we might hope to get from animal welfare improvement?
**7m55s** What grants have you made at Open Phil? How did you go about deciding which groups to fund and which ones not to fund?
**9m50s** Why does Open Phil focus on chickens and fish? Is this the right call?
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