Public outcry has led to recent changes in how businesses treat animals. Companies like Sea World have been forced to change their policies.
Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle said he’s seen recent changes in different sectors of the economy, including food and agriculture, the use of live animals in entertainment, fashion, wildlife management and cosmetic testing.
“And in all of these different sectors, we’re now seeing businesses embrace animal welfare. And it’s a dramatic change for the better," Pacelle said. "And it’s going to usher in major reforms for so many different kinds of animals. It by no means suggests that we’re done with the battle for animal protection, but it is a set of indicators that our society is becoming much more alert to the needs of animals.”
According to Pacelle, in the last seven months, 150 big-brand names including Walmart, McDonald’s, Safeway and Kroger have all created new policies to not buy eggs from factory farms that confine hens in small cages. And he said it’s because of pressure from the public.
“I mean, this is the immense power that we have as consumers!” Pacelle said.
Some would argue that factory farming is better for the economy, but Pacelle said there are more beneficial ways to feed the world.
“It takes 12 or 13 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef - seven or eight pounds of grain to produce one pound of pork," Pacelle said. "If people ate these foods directly, rather than indirectly through animals, we could feed ten times as many people in the world.”
Pacelle recently visited Utah on a trip to promote his book The Humane Economy where he discussed these themes.
