Hundreds of thousands of people, including our own supporters, have added their names to a global campaign calling for an end to factory farming to reduce the risk of future pandemics.

Animal welfare – a global priority

Our Global Campaigns Manager, Marion Wintergerst, attended an event in Geneva yesterday (12th July) – jointly organised with Four Paws, the Born Free Foundation and Proyecto Animales Latino América – to hand in the names of almost 600,000 people to World Health Organisation (WHO) officials.

The combined signatories are calling for animal welfare to be a global priority for United Nations Member States in the upcoming negotiations of the WHO on the instrument on ‘pandemic prevention, preparedness and response’.

Put an end to cruel factory farming

Our petition was launched in 2020, alongside a detailed report called Is the next pandemic on our plate? which highlights how factory farming is a breeding ground for disease and a danger to humanity. It calls on the world’s most influential organisations – including the World Bank, the United Nations and the WHO – to put an end to the cruel, destructive practice once and for all.

A total of 333, 596 people signed our petition worldwide. More than 133, 000 of these signatures were from the UK.

Our petition also calls for intensive agriculture to be replaced with regenerative farming practices that work in harmony with nature, allow animals to live free of pain and suffering, and prevent the risk of a future pandemic.

Preventing the next pandemic

Compassion and the other organisations have been working closely together in calling for a ‘Pandemics Treaty’.

Marion and representatives from the three other NGOs handed the petition to WHO officials at an event organised by Four Paws called Preventing the Next Pandemic: What substantive elements must be included in a Pandemic Instrument?

Fix our broken food system

Nick Palmer, Head of our UK office, said: “We can’t thank our supporters enough for shining a light on this urgent issue. Factory farming is a cruel, dangerous practice that is literally putting our lives at risk. Beyond the unnecessary suffering it causes to billions of farm animals each year, it also creates the perfect conditions for diseases to spread, mutate, and kill human beings across the planet. What more of a reason do we need to put an end to this practice for good?

“World leaders must stand up and shut this broken system down. In its place, we need to see regenerative farming that works with nature – systems that will actually feed more people, reverse years of environmental damage, and dramatically reduce the risk of a new pandemic. Having seen the devastating effects of Covid 19, surely, we don’t want to carry on as we are and take our chances. The consequences are far too grave.”

Read our Is the next pandemic on our plate? report.