Animal Rights: the Debate

An exploration of the issues around our relationship with animals.

Don't Buy It - factory farming must end 04/16/2026

Don't Buy It - factory farming must end A conference to inspire, a campaign against factory farming, and a new book on cultivated meat: join us for a round-up of the latest news. Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution will transform Humanity's Favourite Food by Bruce Friedrich is available on Amazon. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/40816310

Exposing Cruelty 04/02/2026

Exposing Cruelty When future generations look back, the work of Animal Justice Project will be regarded as having been pivotal in revealing to the public the grotesque reality of factory farming. We talk to Claire Palmer, its founder, about the vital work of its undercover investigators. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/40708125

Restrictions on protesting against animal experiments, more trials, and a CEO sees the light 03/19/2026

Restrictions on protesting against animal experiments, more trials, and a CEO sees the light The House of Lords has now approved Government changes to the Public Order Act, which will make it more difficult, if not impossible, to campaign effectively at research facilities that breed or use animals for research. Further trials have concluded in relation to the rescue of beagles from MBR acres, the focus of a long-running protest against animal experimentation. And we also discuss the remarkable change of heart of the CEO of the fur trade organisation, who has taken a dramatic step in turning his back on this most cruel of industries. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/40512340

Just Be Kind - to your dogs and cats 03/12/2026

Just Be Kind - to your dogs and cats Only a few years ago it would have seemed far-fetched to have considered that dogs and cats could be fed a healthy plant-based diet. However, Dr. Arielle Griffiths, a former vet, has shown just that, by creating a successful online business selling a wide range of nutritious and cruelty- free food for the nation's pets. We talk to Dr. Griffiths about what prompted her to reject traditional assumptions about how we should feed dogs and cats, and how we can make the world a better place. Go to justbekind.co.uk and give your pets a better life. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/40269460

Silencing Protest 02/05/2026

Silencing Protest Criminalizing protest is nothing new, but the animal rights movement is becoming more of a target. We talk to Dr. Liz Hicks of Melbourne University, who specialises in the law regarding animal rights and legal measures in Australia, the USA, and Europe, to restrict access to information and the right to protest. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/39994835

Criminal Trials, Restrictions on Protest, and Good News for Some 01/19/2026

Criminal Trials, Restrictions on Protest, and Good News for Some Animals have the status of objects in law, and so a dog is the property of his/her owner. Surely then, breaking into the owner's premises and taking the owner's dog without consent must then constitute theft? Not necessarily so. At Cambridge Crown Court recently, a jury found that defendants had not acted dishonestly in removing [some might say rescuing] beagles from MBR, a breeding facility where the dogs would be used in medical research. We consider some of the legal issues arising out of the two trials that have taken place, each with a different outcome. We also discuss the amendment to legislation that will make it a criminal offence to interfere with the use or operation of an animal research facility, and the prospect of a legal challenge to the legality of such a provision. We also acknowledge the contribution of the late Brigitte Bardot, the first celebrity to champion the cause of animal rights at a time else when no other public figure seemed to care. /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/39772785

A Strategy for Animal Welfare 01/08/2026

A Strategy for Animal Welfare A radical plan to improve the lives of animals, or empty promises that are bound to fail? We consider the U.K. Government's recently published Animal Welfare Strategy, which acknowledges the moral dimension of our relationship with other animals, and the ways in which it seeks to address current shortcomings. /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/39640265

End of Year Round Up 12/29/2025

End of Year Round Up A look back over the year, with some positive developments and some not so good. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/39451990

Animal Zone 12/04/2025

Animal Zone Animal Zone is an animal welfare series concentrating on animal rescue and sanctuaries. Arthur von Wiesenberger joins us to talk about his award-winning work bringing animals closer to us, with the intention to educate, entertain, and inspire. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/39166350

Direct Action 11/20/2025

Direct Action Rescuing animals from factory farms and laboratories, openly, and inviting prosecution for such alleged 'crimes', is an effective tactic that has widespread support in the U.S.A. and in the U.K. We talk to Wayne Hsiung, a former law professor, who was instrumental in founding Direct Action Everywhere in the U.S., about the principle of direct action, how social change is achieved, and strategy for the future. He also co-founded The Simple Heart newsletter, which can be found at Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/39048825

Latest Developments 11/06/2025

Latest Developments We pay tribute to the late Jane Goodall who revolutionised our understanding of chimpanzees , discuss the legal action action that has just been commenced against one of the largest poultry 'processors' in the U.K due to their alleged pollution of the River Wye, and welcome a development in the armed forces that shows ethical veganism is gaining momentum in unexpected places. Join us for a round-up about what's happening in the news. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/38926755

Religion and Animals 10/16/2025

Religion and Animals What have the two largest world religions got to say about how we should treat animals? David and Martyn speak to Joyce D'Silva, the author of Animal Welfare in World Religion: Teaching and Practice, about the good and bad aspects of Christianity and Islam in relation to our relationship with animals. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/38595475

Animals In the News 10/02/2025

Animals In the News The world seen through the eyes of cats and dogs, cultivated meat, and the campaign against factory farming, are the focus of our discussion today. Join David and Martyn for a look at what's happening in the UK and elsewhere. Donate here: Join the WhatsApp community: Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/38381325

Law Essentials 09/18/2025

Law Essentials Although the legal safeguards for animals are inadequate, things are changing. Throughout much of the world, judges are establishing that animals are entitled to moral consideration and that their interests should be taken into account. Ankita Shanker has a PhD in law and a distinguished academic record, with wide-ranging interests in the field of animal and human rights. Join us as she gives us an overview of legal developments on the international scene. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/38270330

Legal Protection for Animals 09/04/2025

Legal Protection for Animals Kimberly Moore, a tax lawyer with an international law firm in Washington DC, Director of Public Relations at the FUR FREE SOCIETY, and a member of the Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association, talks to us about her recent book The Case for the Legal Protection of Animals: Humanity’s Shared Destiny with the Animal Kingdom, and the broad issues it raises. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/37997800

Born Free 08/21/2025

Born Free Freedom is denied to large numbers of animals who are held in captivity or exploited, and Born Free is at the forefront of the campaign to protect such animals. But is there a conflict between the interests of animals as individuals, and protecting a species? For whose benefit is the principle of conservation? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion with Mark Jones, Head of Policy at Born Free. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/37882430

In the Beginning ..... 08/07/2025

In the Beginning ..... In the Bible we are given a vision of a vegan world: 'God said: 'See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food’ [Genesis 1:29]. And elsewhere in the Bible there are positive statements about, and positive images of, our relationship with animals that encourage compassion towards them. Jesus is, after all, born in a cowshed surrounded by animals. So why are the Jewish and Christian traditions regarded by many - including Anglican bishops - as justifying the exploitation and killing of animals for food? We discuss these and other issues with Joyce D'Silva, a scholar, and author of Animal Welfare in World Religion: Teaching and Practice. Donate here: Join the WhatsApp community: Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/37650815

How to Resolve a Moral Issue 07/17/2025

How to Resolve a Moral Issue Our treatment of animals raises profound - and controversial - issues. How can we resolve the moral questions? In an age where we seem to have lost the capacity to engage in constructive discussion, perhaps a Greek philosopher who lived two and half thousand years ago can show us the way forward. Socrates provides us with a form of dialogue that can reveal inconsistencies and errors, and lead us to a reasoned and valid conclusion. David and Martyn apply his method to animal experimentation. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/37420235

League Against Cruel Sports 07/03/2025

League Against Cruel Sports In this episode, Emma Slawinski, newly appointed CEO of the League Against Cruel Sports in the UK, discusses the ways in which the landmark ban on the hunting of wild mammals with dogs needs to be tightened, in particular to outlaw so-called trail hunting (which is foxhunting by any other name). She explains how her upbringing led her to value animals as individuals and why the organised shooting of animals causes so much harm, not just to the shot animals. An optimist by nature, she believes in the essential goodness of human beings and why it is therefore important to engage with opponents. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/37159560

Positive News ... And Some Not So Good 06/19/2025

Positive News ... And Some Not So Good Parliament debates animal experiments (again), a new campaign against factory farming is launched, and the High Court confirms that animal welfare can be a material consideration when a planning authority considers an application for a factory farm. These are just some of the major issues discussed in our latest news round up. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/37024705

The Alternatives to Animal Research 06/05/2025

The Alternatives to Animal Research In the second of our two-part discussion about experiments on animals, we talk to Pandora Pound and Rachel Smith about the reliability or otherwise of scientific research using animals, much of which causes profound suffering. They discuss examples of where animal experiments have failed to predict serious adverse effects in people and the huge potential of various non-animal approaches. They also focus on the ethical imperative of using methods which give the best chance of cures for serious illnesses, subject to the overall proviso that unethical methods (such as experimenting non-consensually on people) should not be used. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/36743525

A Cruel Deception? 05/15/2025

A Cruel Deception? In this episode, we talk to Pandora Pound of Safer Medicine (UK) and Rachel Smith of Animal Free Research Advocacy (Australia), about the reliability (or otherwise) of research using animals and how researchers got hooked on using animals despite highly questionable results. What are the economic and other pressures? Do animal models, artificially creating human diseases in (non-human) animals, actually work? In contentious areas, how should one guard against confirmation bias – the temptation to cherry-pick data which fits one’s ethical position? Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/36546835

Animals, Morality, and the Ethics of Care 05/01/2025

Animals, Morality, and the Ethics of Care Our knowledge of [other] animals has increased hugely over the last few decades, and so it has become more difficult to deny them the same sort of moral consideration we grant our own species. Professor Grace Clement of Salisbury University in the USA specialises in animal ethics. We talk to her about the moral status of animals, the nature of morality, and the feminist ethic of care. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/36294095

Disease, diet, and dogs 04/24/2025

Disease, diet, and dogs Join us for a round up of recent developments in relation to animal issues, from the way bird flu is spreading to humans, the effect net zero could have on meat consumption, to the controversial subject of animal experiments. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/36261365

Cultivated Meat - the Future? 04/03/2025

Cultivated Meat - the Future? Cultivated meat offers the prospect of a world without the horrors of livestock farming, with the added benefit of protecting the environment, mitigating climate change, and improving human health. Philip Lymbery, the CEO of Compassion in World Farming, who has co-authored the book Cultivated Meat: To Secure Our Future, joins us for a discussion on this ground-breaking development. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/35842580

Heart of Darkness 03/13/2025

Heart of Darkness When future generations look back at our appalling treatment of other animals, Camp Beagle in Cambridgeshire will symbolise the extraordinary commitment of the few who refused to allow the atrocities of scientific research on animals to go unchallenged. In this episode, Sole Iriart, a spokesperson for Britain's longest - running protest of its kind, talks about the campaign to shut down the breeding facility where thousands of beagles are bred for use in chemical and other experiments. /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/35573675

Animal Welfare - a colossal waste of time? 02/20/2025

Animal Welfare - a colossal waste of time? We continue our discussion with leading advocate for animal rights, Professor Gary Francione. In this second part, we consider whether the characteristics of consciousness, rationality and awareness in animals is what gives them a right to life, or whether sentiency alone is sufficient. We also discuss if promoting animal welfare is a waste of time and resources, and if the 'rights' approach is more coherent and likely to produce results. Finally, lab grown meat is the last item on the menu in this important interview. If you find this podcast helpful, please make a contribution, as we entirely on donations from listeners. Donate here: Join the WhatsApp community: Find out more: /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/35335285

Welfare or Rights? 02/13/2025

Welfare or Rights? How should we approach our relationship with animals? By treating them well whilst they are alive, but using them for our own purposes? Or by giving them the same sort of moral consideration that we give to humans? Professor Gary Francione is a distinguished philosopher, and advocate for granting animals similar rights to humans, and he believes that the welfare approach has been a failure, as well as a damaging distraction from promoting a plant-based diet. Join us for this important discussion with Gary about welfare or rights, with its enormous implications for the future. Please help us, as we rely entirely on donations. Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/animalrightsdebate Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LTGteTLZkwI9XUtB1Xxfen Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/35237825

Some Good, Some Bad 01/30/2025

Some Good, Some Bad It's been a mixed few months, with the current British Government the first ever in the U.K. to water down animal protection legislation, but with Mexico passing a law to improve the lot of animals. David and Martyn take a look at national and international developments. We receive no grants or funding from any organisations or charities, so we urge you to help us continue in our efforts to encourage informed discussion about this most important of moral issues. Donate here: Join the WhatsApp community: Find out more: https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/35079880

Reaching Out 01/02/2025

Reaching Out Animals, humans, and the planet are in deep trouble. All across the globe, people are waking up to the undeniable connections between every living being―and noticing how out of balance our world has become. Yet, awareness is not enough. The Compassion Consortium aims to provide spiritual comfort, fellowship, and reflection, for those practising or exploring a plant-based lifestyle. We talk to Rev Sarah Bowen, Executive Director of its Training Programs about the support for those who reject violence and believe in extending an ethic of care to all sentient beings . If you would like to comment on this or previous episodes, please e mail us at: animalrightsthedebate@outlook.com To carry on the debate, join our dedicated WhatsApp community https://linktr.ee/animalrightsdebate /episode/index/show/8455740d-a913-453b-a5ed-20f522efd647/id/34670740

Animal Rights: the Debate

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