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Municipal-level change for animals
By Jon Hochschartner
What policy change, that animal activists could plausibly achieve at the municipal (i.e. city or town) level in the United States, would do the most to reduce nonhuman suffering and premature death? That’s a question I’ve thinking about lately. Unable to arrive at a confident answer myself, I put the query to a number of animal activists and thinkers who were generous enough to share their time with me.
Pattrice Jones, cofounder of VINE Sanctuary, a farmed animal refuge, argued municipalities should adopt plant-based, or at least default vegan, meals for city and town events. Ideally, literature would be available explaining the reasons behind the policy. She believed the local governing bodies most well positioned to make a big difference were school boards.
“At present, the failing dairy industry is kept alive by the routine inclusion of cow’s milk in school breakfasts and lunches,” jones said. “In many places, children are required to take a milk, whether or not they will drink it, in order to get food. Policies that require schools to offer plant-based options instead are a key to ending the suffering of cows on dairy farms as well as the discomfort of the millions of children who are lactose intolerant. Policies that require plant-based meal options are similarly beneficial to both animals and children.”
She extolled the under-appreciated value in simply showing up and being part of the local community. This fosters trust and familiarity, basic needs for organizing. Then, when the time comes to approach a municipal authority with an animal-friendly proposal, jones noted, activists are less likely to be regarded as ‘outside agitators.’ Rather, they will be seen as respected members of the community whose ideas deserve a hearing.
Meanwhile, Merritt Clifton, editor of the Animals 24-7 blog, cautioned there were significant limitations on what municipalities can actually do. Cities and towns are restricted to zoning, as well as animal care and control issues. He added state law supersedes zoning, so a municipality might, for example, ban concentrated animal feeding operations, but this could be preempted by a statewide ‘right-to-farm’ act.
“Some jurisdictions have used zoning authority to do things like banning fur sales and sale of foie gras, but only at the expense of prolonged court fights,” Clifton said. “While those jurisdictions have won most of the court battles, less affluent communities are less likely to want to fight them, so what has worked in West Hollywood, California, and New York City is relatively unlikely to work in your average Middle American community. With all of that said, there is a huge need for more animal advocates to become involved at the municipal level.”
S. Marek Muller, author of the forthcoming Soy Boy Beta Cuck: Primal Rhetoric and the Rise of Right-Wing Carnivorism, thought housing policy might be an area where municipal activists could effectively intervene for animals. For instance, various pet restrictions and breed-specific bans can lead families in unfortunate circumstances to surrender their animals to shelters.
“This keeps shelters overpopulated and in rough shape, and overwhelmingly with ‘banned’ pups like pit bulls who, because they’re so tough to adopt out, will be euthanized,” Muller said. “Intervening in who can house pets in the city and which pets should increase space in shelters, even for temporary fostering, and hopefully decrease shelter intake overall. Add that to things like pet food banks and shelters as transitional spots for families displaced but not surrendering, and it’s a better situation for humans and animals in the household.”
The author of Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, Paul Shapiro, wanted to focus on policies that reduce demand for animal products. For him, this included bans on particular items, like foie gras and fur, which give local residents a concrete way to reject cruelty through the law. Additionally, Shapiro thought Amsterdam’s ban on meat advertising could be something worth trying to replicate in the United States.
“My strongest candidate for achieving substantial, near-term reductions in meat demand is changing what cities buy and serve,” he said. “Municipalities can establish measurable meat-reduction targets for their food purchasing and make appealing plant-based meals the default at city-funded events and institutions, while accommodating dietary needs. New York City’s public hospitals have already demonstrated that plant-based defaults are feasible, with other meals available on request. Investing in good recipes and kitchen staff training is essential.”
Finally, Melanie Joy — who wrote Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism — argued in favor municipal policies she thought would help undercut the belief exploiting animals was normal, natural and necessary. In doing so, she echoed at least one recommendation put forward by jones and Shapiro.
“For example, a municipal resolution citing national dietary guidelines that plant-based diets are nutritionally adequate— and which is paired with making plant-based meals the default in schools or hospitals — undercuts the belief that eating animals is necessary and also helps normalize plant-based diets,” Joy said. “And policies that require transparency (e.g., as windows or live streaming) in slaughterhouses and meat, egg, and dairy processing facilities show that contemporary carnistic production is not natural.”
Jon Hochschartner lives in Connecticut. He is the author of a number of books, including The Animals’ Freedom Fighter: A Biography of Ronnie Lee, Founder of the Animal Liberation Front. Visit his blog at SlaughterFreeAmerica.Substack.com.
