I would like to add another win: the Belgian senate voted to add animal welfare to the constitution.
I work for GAIA, a Belgian animal advocacy group that for years has tried to get animal welfare added to the constitution. Last month we were present as a supermajority of the senate came out in favor of our proposed constitutional amendment. The relevant section reads:
> In exercising their respective powers, the Federal State, the Communities and the Regions strive to protect and care for animals as sentient beings.
Which is very good for Belgian animals but I do want to note that:
1) This does not mean an effective shutdown of the meat industry, merely that all future pro-animal welfare laws and lawsuits will have an easier time. And,
2) It still needs to pass the Chamber of Representatives.
I wouldn’t know how to go about it, but it would be incredibly interesting to study the effects of Lidl’s pricing parity decision. Could teach us a lot about price sensitivity.
On a related note, Lidl and Kaufland are part of the same firm, so it’s not really surprising that they both cut prices.
Thank you for writing this, Lewis! What I really love about your newsletter is that you share about recent developments in a way that is uplifting (because you highlight all the progress that has been happening).
I'm glad to see systemic change through policy interventions succeeding, and more focus on aquatic animals. Here's to 2024 being the year to end octopus farming.
I would like to add another win: the Belgian senate voted to add animal welfare to the constitution.
I work for GAIA, a Belgian animal advocacy group that for years has tried to get animal welfare added to the constitution. Last month we were present as a supermajority of the senate came out in favor of our proposed constitutional amendment. The relevant section reads:
> In exercising their respective powers, the Federal State, the Communities and the Regions strive to protect and care for animals as sentient beings.
Which is very good for Belgian animals but I do want to note that:
1) This does not mean an effective shutdown of the meat industry, merely that all future pro-animal welfare laws and lawsuits will have an easier time. And,
2) It still needs to pass the Chamber of Representatives.
(crossposted from my EA forum quicktake: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/5Y7bPv259mA3NtHt2/bob-jacobs-s-shortform?commentId=5SKKjsyYExypR6kmY )
This is one of the most uplifting things I’ve read in a while. Thank you for sharing and to everyone who has worked so dang hard to make this happen.
Thank you Lewis, this helped to motivate me and give me some hope at a moment when I was feeling overwhelmed by the scale of suffering.
I wouldn’t know how to go about it, but it would be incredibly interesting to study the effects of Lidl’s pricing parity decision. Could teach us a lot about price sensitivity.
On a related note, Lidl and Kaufland are part of the same firm, so it’s not really surprising that they both cut prices.
Awesome celebration of the wins -- thanks for keeping the morale high!
Thank you for writing this, Lewis! What I really love about your newsletter is that you share about recent developments in a way that is uplifting (because you highlight all the progress that has been happening).
I'm glad to see systemic change through policy interventions succeeding, and more focus on aquatic animals. Here's to 2024 being the year to end octopus farming.