Animal Rights: the Debate – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Few individuals have played such a central role in the modern animal rights movement as Kim Stallwood, whose career stretches back nearly half a century. From working as a holiday job in a slaughter house, to his role as executive director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA], Kim's journey provides a shining example of commitment to the values of truth, justice and compassion. We talk to him about how much has changed, from when a London vegetarian restaurant called Cranks in the 1970s epitomised public perceptions about vegetarianism, to how a plant-based diet has become mainstream, and also what remains to be done to change radically the moral status of animals.     

Adopting veganism is a transformative and fulfilling experience, but it is not always welcome, particularly in the workplace. The Vegan Inclusion Co works with employers to help them understand and accommodate the needs and rights of vegans, for whom a plant-based diet is not a dietary preference, but an ethical position. Join us as we talk to Jeanette Rowley, who gave key evidence in a case before an Employment Tribunal which successfully established veganism as a protected characteristic in equality law, and Jess Swallow, also a solicitor, the other co-founder of the Vegan Inclusion Co. Visit their website at www.veganinclusion.co.uk 

Millions of animals spend their lives in 'factory farms', before they meet a brutal end in a slaughter house. Apart from its impact on the environment, animal farming raises some fundamental moral issues about the treatment and killing of other sentient beings. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - PETA - is a world-wide organisation campaigning for a radically different approach to the way we treat animals. Join us for a discussion with Chelsea Munro, a campaign manager for PETA, as we consider the reality of intensive farming for animals.

The idea that animals have rights has now become mainstream, but what does that mean in practice? Whilst cruelty to animals has long been regarded as unacceptable, is it wrong to kill animals for food, or to cause them suffering in scientific research?

In this first episode, we will look at some of the issues that arise from our relationship with other animals, and how it can be unlawful to cause them unncessary suffering but at the same time treat them as mere commodities.   

Extensive polling has shown that a considerable majority of the population want to see significant changes to the way our society treats animals. David and Martyn discuss the state of public opinion, and the extent to which the political parties have taken it on board.

Join us for an election special.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at animalrightsthedebate@outlook.com

The campaign for animal justice is world-wide, with legal action sometimes taken against those who break the law. In this episode we talk to  Carlos Contreras Lopez, a leading animal rights lawyer originally from Colombia and now practising in Spain and who is representing Cruelty Free International, one of the complainants in a prosecution of laboratory technicians for allegedly causing appalling suffering in a Spanish laboratory. Carlos says watching the video changed his life.

Please email us at animalrightsthedebate@outlook.com with any questions, suggestions, or comments.

Compassion for others is a principle close to the heart of religion, but how far - if at all - does it extend to other animals?

In this episode, we speak to Barbara Gardner, a co-founder of the Animals Interfaith Alliance, 'a unique alliance of the world's most influential faith based, animal advocacy organisations. Author of The Compassionate Animal, Barbara Gardner joins us for a discussion about faith, morality, and animals.

In this episode, Martyn and David discuss topical issues in the news which are distinct but also connected - the richness of animals' lives, their cognitive abilities, and sentience; the benefits to neuroscience from studying animals' brains, and the implication this has for animal ethics; our commodification of animals such as dogs and farm animals; and the environmental degradation caused by intensive farming.

Richard Ryder has been dubbed the father of animal rights in this country, coining the term 'speciesism' to describe our irrational approach to non-human animals. He has published a dozen books, including, most famously, Victims of Science, described in Parliament at the time as the best-informed reference book on animal experiments. As well as a number of other books on animal rights, he has written about history and psychology.

He spent an incredible 50 years as a trustee of the RSPCA.

Join us for a discussion with Richard Ryder about the ethics of animal exploitation, animal rights, and the future of the movement.

Thousands of dogs, monkeys, and other animals are subjected to experiments which cause pain and suffering, all permitted under the law. What is the moral justification for treating sentient beings in this way? And will yet another debate in the House of Commons lead to meaningful progress in ending such research? Join us as we discuss this controversial subject.