I reject animal welfare reform and single-issue campaigns because they are not only inconsistent with the claims of justice that we should be making if we really believe that animal exploitation is wrong, but because these approaches cannot work as a practical matter. Animals are property and it costs money to protect their interests; therefore, the level of protection accorded to animal interests will always be low and animals will, under the best of circumstances, still be treated in ways that would constitute torture if applied to humans. By endorsing welfare reforms that supposedly make exploitation more “compassionate” or single-issue campaigns that falsely suggest that there is a coherent moral distinction between meat and dairy or between fur and wool or between steak and foie gras, we betray the principle of justice that says that all sentient beings are equal for purposes of not being used exclusively as human resources. And, on a practical level, we do nothing more than make people feel better about animal exploitation. . Gary L. Francione
About This Quote

In this quote, Singer is explaining the shortcomings of the animal welfare movement and single-issue campaigns. If we truly believe, as Singer claims we should, that animals are not our property and do not belong to us, then we should refrain from advocating for any policies that would be perceived to be in their interest. When animals are considered to be property, it costs money to protect them. If animal interests are protected at a level that is less than optimal, then the animals will still suffer the same amount of harm as if they were not protected.

So, if animal interests are protected it does not matter how much that protection costs because the result will still be the same. This is true for all campaigns advocating for welfare reform because welfare reform has always been pursued at a cost-benefit analysis. That is because any policy that changes the relationship between people and animals has always been viewed through the lens of economics where the economic consequences of the policy are analyzed individually without regard for any other consequences.

Therefore, any campaign advocating for welfare reform or single-issue campaigns has always failed because it could never be done without placing an undue burden on people who care about animals while failing to improve the situation of animals in society.

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