Oxford Languages defines “slacktivism” as “the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media or online petitions, characterized as involving very little effort or commitment.” And we’ve got great news: Studies have shown that slacktivism actually works!
Tackling the vast issues involved in factory farming can seem daunting, but you don’t need to be a seasoned activist—or have a ton of free time—to make a difference. Here are seven petitions to help animals that will take only a few minutes to sign but could have a major impact on the lives of animals and the future of our planet.
Urge the UK’s largest retailer to ban the cruelest shrimp-farming methods in its supply chain.
Female shrimp used for breeding endure “eyestalk ablation,” the gruesome removal of one or both of a shrimp’s eyestalks—the antenna-like shafts that support the animal’s eyes. A shrimp’s eyestalks contain hormone-producing glands that influence reproduction, so the shrimp industry removes them to get the animals to mature faster and increase egg production.
When it’s time for slaughter, many shrimp suffer agonizing deaths, suffocating or being crushed in ice slurry. This happens while the shrimp are fully conscious and able to feel pain.
Join Mercy For Animals in calling on Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, to ban cruel eyestalk ablation and transition from ice slurry to electrical stunning, which would render shrimp unconscious before slaughter, lessening their suffering.
Tell Chipotle to stop humanewashing!
Chipotle touts their commitment to transparency and uses animal welfare policies to portray the company as one that does the right thing. But our hidden-camera footage of a Chipotle chicken supplier reveals extreme cruelty that Chipotle promised to ban from their supply chain by 2024: live-shackle slaughter and the use of birds bred to grow monstrously large and unnaturally fast.
Urge Chipotle to do better for animals and live up to their promises of transparency.
Tell Canada’s biggest egg producer NO MORE CAGES!
Day after day, hundreds of thousands of hens in Burnbrae Farms’ operations suffer in cramped wire cages without room to walk freely or comfortably spread their wings. Burnbrae Farms, Canada’s largest egg producer, claims to value animal welfare and transparency. Yet the company is still investing in cage confinement for birds and failing to disclose the number of hens cruelly caged in its operations. Chickens can no longer wait for change.
Send a message urging Burnbrae Farms to stop investing in cages and be transparent about the percentage of their egg supply that currently comes from caged hens.
Halt plans to build a cruel octopus farm.
Jennifer Mather, PhD, an expert on octopus and squid behavior at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, said that octopuses “can anticipate a painful, difficult, stressful situation—they can remember it.” She asserts: “There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain.”
Because octopuses have feelings just like any other animal, and because of serious environmental concerns, a coalition of organizations is calling on the Canary Island government to halt plans to construct an octopus farm.
Learn more about how this farm would imprison and cruelly kill these amazing animals, and sign the petition.
Fight harmful ag-gag legislation.
Investigation footage taken at multiple Pilgrim’s contract farms in Kentucky shows workers viciously kicking and throwing six-week-old chickens. Yet Kentucky Senate bill 16 has been signed into law, criminalizing capturing and sharing undercover footage that exposes cruelty like this. We must stop ag-gag laws from silencing whistleblowers!
Visit NoAgGag.com to take action and keep informed about how to speak out against ag-gag bills.
Call on Congress to hold corporations accountable for pandemic risks they cause.
To stop the spread of bird flu, farmers kill flocks all at once where the virus is detected—something the industry calls “depopulation.” These mass on-farm killings are ruthless and paid for by taxpayer dollars. Farms kill flocks using ventilation shutdown—closing off a facility’s ventilation system until the animals inside die from heatstroke. Other methods include drowning birds with firefighting foam and piping carbon dioxide into sealed barns to cut off their oxygen supply.
The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act (IAA) is legislation that requires corporations to take responsibility for the pandemic risks they cause. The IAA is necessary to prevent the cruel depopulation of countless farmed animals and to protect human health.
Call on your members of Congress to pass the IAA.
Ask more restaurant chains to add more vegan options.
It’s no secret that companies care about their bottom line and making a profit. That’s why as a potential customer, you’re a VIP to restaurant executives! It’s more important than ever that we let restaurant chains know of the demand for more plant-based foods.
Fill out this form with a polite message, and the message will immediately be sent to the inboxes of 12 restaurant chains—including Sbarro, Jersey Mike’s, and Wingstop—letting them know that you’d love more plant-based menu items.
Bonus action: Share this post!
You’ve made it through all the petitions to help animals! How easy was that? You can make even more of an impact when you share this post with your friends so they can sign the petitions too! Together, we have the power to create a kinder world for all, starting with constructing a more compassionate food system.
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