Mapping the UK Farmed Animal Advocacy Movement

Why this matters

The UK farmed animal movement has never had a comprehensive picture of how its resources are deployed. Without that map, organisations risk duplicating effort, funders lack the context to fill gaps strategically, and the sector as a whole cannot assess whether its overall balance of tactics is well-calibrated. This report provides that baseline for the first time.

What we found

Business-focused work receives the largest share of funding (39%), followed by government (26%) and public-facing work (26%), with movement-building receiving just 9%. The single biggest line item is welfare partnerships with food businesses (£2.59m), followed by animal welfare policy advocacy via public pressure (£1.48m) and mass communications (£1.37m). Compared to global animal advocacy spending, the UK sector is notably more business-focused and less oriented towards public engagement or movement infrastructure. The overwhelming majority of resources (72%) go to collaborative ‘inside game’ approaches. Organisations themselves identified coalition building and tactical diversification as the most significant gaps in the movement.

What it means for funders and organisations

Three insights stand out. First, the relatively small proportion going to ‘bad cop’ confrontational strategies may represent an imbalance – movements typically benefit from a mix of inside and outside tactics, and the UK sector skews heavily towards the former. Second, business-focused plant-based campaigns (such as default-veg and institutional meat reduction) appear underfunded relative to their potential, and may be a promising area for new investment. Third, movement-wide infrastructure – training, coalition building, research and evaluation – receives very little funding despite being essential to long-term effectiveness. Funders looking to have disproportionate impact might consider these neglected areas.