In

factory farms, as many as thousands of animals can be squeezed into a single

building. Nowhere to move, they often suffer injury from immobility and turn on

each other. Profit is maximised by breeding animals to grow as fast as

possible, often resulting in physical abnormalities. By the time they reach

maturity, many chickens can’t even stand.

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Using

animals for food causes suffering on an immense scale. Each year, hundreds of

billions of aquatic animals are killed by commercial fishing and farming - some

estimates place the number of animals affected at over 1 trillion. The number of land

animals raised for food is now over 70 billion and continues to grow. Some 99% of animals raised in the US are from factory farms, and

experience unimaginable suffering.

When I — and likely you

— look at these figures, I feel compelled to help every last animal in need. An

easy and impactful way to make a difference to animals is of course to go

vegan, an act estimated to spare as many as hundreds of animals from factory farming or death each year. But

what else can you do once you’ve gone vegan? The sad truth is that we simply

don’t have the time and resources to help everyone, at least not all at once. The

good news is that we can help more than you probably think through

rigorous research and careful decision-making. Estimates suggest donations to

the right charities of just a few dollars — less than the price of a cup of

coffee — can spare dozens of animals from this horrific suffering. But how do

we know what to do to have the most impact?

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Luckily, many people are

thinking about this question. Effective altruism is a

global movement of individuals and organisations working to make the most

positive difference they can in the lives of humans and non-human animals.

Whether you’re thinking about which charity to give to, the best way to

volunteer your time, or where to find a fulfilling and meaningful career, it’s

easy to drop your head into your hands, overwhelmed by all the opportunities.

Effective altruism tries to help people like you make these tough decisions

through evidence-based, thoughtful analysis.

Animal Charity Evaluators researches animal charities to estimate

their impact on the lives of animals. They publish an annual list of Top Charities based on what the evidence says about their

cost-effectiveness. Currently the top three recommendations are the Good Food Institute, Mercy for Animals, and

the Humane League. The Good Food Institute helps develop

plant-based and cultured meat alternatives to animal agriculture by providing

strategic and technical support to food tech companies. Mercy for Animals and

the Humane League conduct outreach and campaigning — including undercover

investigations in the case of MFA — to inspire diet and policy change.

As an example of the kind of impact these charities have, ACE estimates that a $1,000 USD donation to Mercy for Animals will result in sparing -10,000 to 80,000 animals from a life in industrial agriculture. Of course there is much uncertainty in any such estimate, but even

such rough calculations suggest we can do a huge amount of good with modest

donations.

ACE also researches

specific interventions to help animals including leafleting, online

ads and corporate outreach. Their results can be useful for organisations and

individuals deciding how best to use their time.

Another effective

altruist organization working to help animals is Sentience Politics, an

antispeciesist political think tank. Their activities include writing policy

papers to share with politicians on animal issues, running ballot initiatives

to implement animal-friendly policies, and hosting conferences to bring

effective altruists together.

80,000 Hours exists to help people choose careers that

bring them the most satisfaction and make the biggest difference. They offer a

range of services to assist with choosing and achieving the best careers such

as written and video guides, and one-on-one coaching. You can find their review

on what to do about factory farming here.

However you decide to

help animals, whether it’s by working for an effective organisation, donating

to evidence-based causes, or working at a grassroots level, we can all agree

that their suffering is too great not to think critically about the best ways

to help them. We must also remain open to the possibility that our current

approach needs to shift direction. We have a remarkable opportunity to make

such a huge difference, and the animals deserve nothing less.