Dyrenes Alliance's principle program

Dyrenes Alliance's Program of Principles 2023

Vision

A just world where all animals are free from oppression. Animals are not here for our benefit, whether for food, clothing, entertainment or other exploitative purposes.

Mission

We are an organization run by young animal rights activists who use our voices to fight for a just world where all animals are free from oppression.

Values

Young empowerment

We are an association based on the power of young activists. As the voices of the future, we play a crucial role in the fight to achieve a just world for animals. We welcome new activists into our community and empower them to do activism so that our animal rights movement continues to evolve and grow.

We give each other tools to make our skills and activities even better. We do this through workshops and knowledge sharing within and across local associations.

Although our association is primarily for young people, all people of all ages are welcome to participate in Dyrenes Alliance's activities. However, there may be events that are only open to young people because that is our target group.

Legal, effective and inspiring activism

At Dyrenes Alliance we do legal, effective and inspiring activism. We use a respectful tone while inspiring and encouraging others to make a difference. At the same time, we never compromise on the truth about the cruelty to animals in the fish farming, agriculture and clothing industries, among others. We don't use shaming or abusive behavior.

We encourage you to avoid wearing animal clothing (e.g. leather and fur) to our activities as much as possible.

Room for everyone, but not everything

Our association is for everyone. There is room for you regardless of gender identity, romantic and sexual orientation, functional differences, neuro-variance, class, size, religion/belief, race, ethnic or social origin, nationality and skin color. We have a strong focus on wellbeing, norm criticism and sustainable activism.

In order for the association to have room for everyone, there is no room for everything. Therefore, we do not tolerate the use of slurs about others, hate speech or exclusion of oppressed groups.

You are welcome to be an activist in the association, even if you are not vegan - but it is important to us that you share our vision of a just world where all animals are free from oppression. In addition, it is important that you respect the association's guidelines and do not bring / eat animal products at the association's events.

Results-driven activism

At the association, we devote our energy and talents to activism that makes the biggest possible difference for animals. We focus on what works, based on research on animal rights activism. And when new knowledge emerges in the field, we use it to become even better activists. We, like the world around us, are constantly evolving and we are inspired by other animal rights activists and social justice movements.

Social justice

We live in a world with many forms of oppression. Not only against the animals that are mistreated in agriculture, for example, but also against people. Many minorities often experience unfair treatment because of who they are. This includes women, ethnic minorities, Jews, Muslims, LGBTQIA+ people and people with disabilities.

As we fight for a just world for animals, we must fight against all forms of oppression to ensure that no one is left behind. We see our fight for animal rights as part of the larger intersectional struggle for the rights of all who are oppressed.

Our policy

Plant-based diet

Leading global health organizations (including the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) agree that a plant-based diet is sufficient at all stages of life. In other words, this means that for the majority of the population, eating animal-based foods is completely unnecessary.

In addition, over 400 academics from 39 countries specializing in moral and political philosophy have declared the exploitation of animals for food and other purposes to be unethical in the Montreal Declaration on Animal Exploitation. We breed animals into unnatural, painful bodies, the vast majority live their short lives on concrete floors in their own feces - and their lives end with a bolt gun, in a power bath or in a gas chamber. When we eat animals, milk, eggs, honey, etc. we almost never do so out of necessity, but for other reasons. This could be due to tradition, culture, habit or enjoyment of the taste. None of these reasons justify what animals have to go through to end up on our plate.

It's time we gave animals back their right to life and freedom - this can't be done without us humans switching to a complete plant-based diet!

Animals in entertainment

Animals should have the right to a free life, the right to exist free from human oppression and exploitation. We humans continue to hold animals captive and force them to entertain us in zoos, aquariums, equestrian sports, dog and horse racing, the travel industry, children's birthday parties and too many other places.

Animals that are exploited for entertainment often show signs of stress and depression. They are deprived of the right to express themselves naturally, they are punished when they don't do what humans want - and if they can't entertain anymore, they are often killed.

We want animals to have the right to a free life again - stop exploiting animals for entertainment!

Family animals (pets)

There are many people who want to give their love to an animal. The intentions are often good, but the execution is unfortunately rarely as good. We, as anti-speciesists, take a stand against having animals as property. As long as animals are regarded as property, rather than as individuals, it becomes extremely difficult to give them rights and to protect their interests.

Breeding for pets is an economically driven industry that puts profit before the interests of the animals. Many animals are bred into unnatural bodies because people think they look cuter or cooler if they have a certain appearance. That way they are easier to sell and the breeder can make more money from the animal. However, this breeding is rarely healthy for the animal and often leads to many painful problems for the animal. We also see major problems with puppy and kitten farms, where animals are not only bred into uncomfortable bodies, but where the breeding animals also live in uncomfortable conditions, often kept in cages.

If you want to give your love to an animal, you should adopt one of the many animals in need of a home - and under no circumstances should you buy a bred animal. Stop all human breeding of animals!

Animal testing

Animal testing of medicines, cosmetics or cleaning products is unscientific and indefensible. In Denmark, more than 300,000 animals are subjected to animal testing every year. Every single animal is killed either as a result of the tests or after the tests, when the animals can no longer be "used". Numerous studies have shown that the results of animal experiments are hardly transferable to humans.

There are many examples of why it doesn't make sense to test human drugs on animals. For example, paracetamol is toxic to cats but effective in humans, and penicillin is toxic to guinea pigs but has been an invaluable tool in human medicine. Today, we have an incredible number of far more accurate, safer and cheaper ways to test medicines, cosmetics and more. For example, we can create artificial organs, we can use organoids, we can use computer and mathematical models, and people can donate their bodies and organs to science - all more safely and accurately than animal testing.

We can't justify subjecting animals to the horrors of the testing industry anymore. That's why we're pushing for universities, pharmaceutical companies and everyone else to drop animal testing once and for all!

The apparel industry

Often, wearing leather, fur, wool and down is seen as less problematic than eating animals. Leather shoes, a fur trim on the collar of your winter jacket, a pillow filled with down or a knitted wool jumper are promoted by the industry as natural, sustainable and relatively ethical products.

The fact is, these products are neither. The naturalness disappears as soon as the skin or fur is treated with harsh chemicals to color them and clean them. The industry is the opposite of sustainable, as it is hugely resource-intensive to raise animals, devastating to the climate and biodiversity, and unimaginable amounts of water are used in the tanning processes. In addition, it doesn't matter whether we kill animals to eat them or to wear them. It can never be ethical to take lives unnecessarily. Every year, more than 3.6 billion animals are killed in the garment industry. The vast majority of these animals are raised in horrific conditions and end their lives cruelly.

These industries are outdated, unnecessary and completely unethical. That's why we're fighting to end the exploitation of animals in the clothing industry and the use of fur, skins, wool and down.

Our activism

At Dyrenes Alliance , we do activism at an individual and institutional level - both through activities aimed at individual consumers and through larger campaigns aimed at companies and public authorities.

An abolitionist goal with a utilitarian approach

At Dyrenes Alliance , we are driven by an abolitionist goal of total liberation of all animals from human oppression and exploitation. While our ultimate vision is the complete elimination of animal use in industry, we approach this goal with a pragmatic and utilitarian approach. We emphasize minimizing suffering and promoting the greatest good for both humans and animals through evidence-based methods and strategies.

Instead of engaging in welfare campaigns, we adopt a strategy that challenges the established system and promotes radical change. We seek to make a direct impact on both politics and public awareness through targeted campaigns that reflect our utilitarian values.

To promote individual change and empower societal shifts, we inspire individuals to choose a life without animal exploitation. By offering tangible alternatives and educational resources, like the Vegan Challenge and vegan tastings, we educate about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and the ethical issues associated with the animal industry.

Want to know more about Dyrenes Alliance?

Read more about who Dyrenes Alliance is here or find more of our association information here