For ALL Creatures Great and Small

The RSPCA, the division of the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has elected a new leader, who in turn is asking for a 'radical' change in the organizations mission statement. Former Animal Liberation president, and new RSPCA presidentPeter Adamson has submitted a list of resolutions to include:

RECOGNISING egg, milk and chicken, pig and rabbit meat production "inflicts high levels of physical and psychological suffering on tens of millions of animals each year".

ACKNOWLEDGING a vegetarian or vegan diet was "the most effective way to significantly reduce cruelty to animals farmed for meat, eggs and milk".

ASKING RSPCA members to consider changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Adamson asserts that eating meat contributes to the suffering of billions of animals every year, and if the RSPCA's stated goal is to address animal suffering and cruelty then an advocacy of a vegan diet is a natural evolution of that goal. One RSPCA member, opponent of the proposed resolution, and veterinarian Andrew Carter has said the proposed statement "would put off middle-of-the-road people and have a negative impact on membership...The message from that resolution is the RSPCA is trying to tell people what to do . . . but I don't think becoming a vegetarian will solve problems of animal cruelty."

Adamson also admitted to being labeled a 'food nazi' during meetings, and is surprised at the intensity of the push-back on the issue. I think that perhaps he should consider introducing more widely appealing resolutions, like changing their motto to "For all animals great and small (unless they are tasty)" which would definitely fall more in-line with current thought processes within the organization. 

The RSPCA's traditional role has been as a pet advocacy group, but recently members have begun to acknowledge that the meaning of 'animal' transcends the traditional definition of 'cats, dogs, and horses.'