Fair treatment of humans and animals. For the well-being of all.
The core question of the way us humans treat animals is about our humanity and empathy.
The Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! is committed to the goal that animals, whether wild or domesticated, are regarded as sentient fellow creatures and treated with respect on all levels. They have the right to an intact habitat and physical integrity. Our maxim is consistent species protection.
It was our disrespect for wild animals and so-called livestock and our depriving them of their natural habitats that has created a situation in which diseases can be transmitted to humans. We want to help bring about a fundamental change in thinking that will pave the way to the transition to a more humane society. A society, where the interests of humans and animals are equally considered.
We strive to improve the existing system of animal farming to one more favourable for the animals and one day make that system obsolete. Since this is a long process with many intermediate steps, for the time being we also promote a gradual reduction in the consumption of animal products. In the long term, however, we advocate an end to exploiting animals as a food source. From an ethical point of view, a plant-based diet is the best solution.
I am life that wants to live, in the midst of life that wants to live.
How should humans treat animals? To what extent should humans show consideration for the animals’ concerns? Do animals even have dignity?
Animal ethics addresses the moral questions arising from the way humans treat animals. It focuses in particular on questions concerning the legitimacy of the exploitation of animals for the benefit of humans. Animal ethics is usually based on an anthropocentricunderstanding, according to which the human being is the ‘measure of all things’ and the ability of living beings to suffer is less of a criterion for their inclusion in the sphere of morality. ‘Speciesism’ is also often referred to in this context – a form of discrimination claiming all other animals are inferior to humans.
When we keep animals, animal welfare should be the top priority and the overall conditions should be right: the health and wellbeing of the animals as well as the possibility for them to live according to their natural behaviour and needs. They should be free of hunger and thirst, of husbandry-related discomfort, of pain, injury and disease, of fear and stress.
Consumers have a great influence on animal welfare with the purchase decisions they make. The price they pay for animal products has a signalling effect: the animals pay the price for cheap food.
It is difficult to reconcile a species-appropriate, cruelty-free animal life with the economic interests of the agricultural industry (and research). Specific laws and regulations are often less oriented towards animal welfare than towards industry interests. Big corporations and lobby groups continue to have a significant influence on whether certain practices of animal husbandry remain legal or not. They prevent or delay important and long due improvements; but also the consumers are only rarely willing to pay more at the (meat) counter for better husbandry conditions.
Only species-appropriate husbandry is committed to animal welfare. It is becoming more and more the focus of sustainable-ecological agriculture.
Why should the law deny any sentient beings their protection? The time will come when humanity will extend its mantle over everything which breathes.
Animal rights are of particular importance, not only because of the enormous exploitation of animals by humans, but also because of the simple fact that the social norms provide only very limited answers to the question of how humans treat animals.
Animals have rights, also in Germany. These are defined in the German Animal Protection Act (Tierschutzgesetz) of 1972. The core principle is:
Animals are to be treated as ‘fellow creatures’ and no one has the right to inflict pain or harm upon an animal without a reason.
However, the law does not grant animals the fundamental right to physical integrity, which all human beings have under Germany’s Basic Law (Grundgesetz). This would have an impact on key sectors of society as the food industry is to a significant extent based on the exploitation and killing of animals.
We believe that, contrary to society's traditional views, animals have an intrinsic value that is completely independent of their usefulness to humans. Every living being has the right to an integral existence and freedom. Our dedication is that animal rights are recognized and implemented and we want to raise awareness about their needs and interests. Our goal is to better anchor animal rights in all aspects of food production, consumption and law.
Germany, as a contributor to the global food crisis, must act now and implement an overall food policy concept to bring about change. To achieve this, everyone has to do their share: the politicians with a cross-departmental food strategy, economy with sustainable, climate-friendly diet options and the consumer with making ethical purchase decisions.
The fact that the term ‘animal protection’ had to be invented is probably one of the most disgraceful matters of human society.
Meat consumption and factory farming
Every day, chicken, pigs, turkeys and cattle are exposed to great suffering caused by factory farming in breeding facilities, fattening stables and slaughterhouses around the world. The standard and socially-accepted way of animal husbandry and food production devalues so-called ‘livestock’ to a mere product.
However, the true costs of (cheap) meat production are not reflected in the prices. The meat production in factory farming is one of the biggest drivers of climate change, destroys habitats and contributes to the spreading of diseases. Also, the price the animals pay in this system is very high.
The implementation of mostly animal-friendly and ecologically beneficial improvements developed by farmers and science is slowed down by the cheap production in ever-larger barns. According to the logic of export-orientated slaughterhouses and dairies, environmental and animal-friendly farms using domestic feed instead of genetic engineering should gradually become obsolete.
Meat produced by organic animal farming on the other hand, has a much smaller impact on the environment and climate. The primary goals in terms of ecological development in the food sector are resource conservation, preservation of the ecological sustainability, fair production conditions for humans, animals and nature, and above all: the preservation and development of species and habitat diversity.
A significant reduction in the production and consumption of animal products, however, would much more sustainable. Less animal husbandry means less animal suffering and fewer greenhouse emissions.
In this context, the growing number of vegetarians and vegans in Germany can also be seen as a protest against the current practice of factory farming.
