Free from Harm FAQs
Let us know if you think an important question is missing here. Send us an email at [email protected]
What is the mission?
To advance animal-free, plant-based food production through bold and creative grassroots action.
What is the vision?
A plant-based food system that represents all of our needs and promotes a healthier, more humane and sustainable world.
What are our working principles?
1. Activism is a craft that we continually refine; 2. Experience is our best teacher, we learn by acting, then applying most valuable lessons to improve our craft for future work; 3. Big picture focused; 4. Big decisionmaker focused, targeting the biggest deals and decisions with greatest impact on animals and planet; 5. Grassroots in two important ways: building much-needed popular support through popular demands and striking at poisonous roots, not just reaching for low-hanging fruit; 6. Clean, healthy, humane and sustainable food is a human right; 7. Collaborative, inclusive, welcoming to a spectrum of allies; 8. Short and long term goals; 9. Bold, creative actions that positively attract media and public attention; 10. Ready to seize on new opportunities for trigger events (bird flu, Farm Bill); 11. Communicate by showing rather than telling.
What is our theory of change?
Money is power, and animal agriculture dominates, and will continue to dominate, our food system as long as it controls almost all of the billions of agriculture funding paid for by tax dollars. We believe the most pragmatic and immediate way to shift power away from animal agriculture is by building grassroots momentum behind existing and new efforts to defund animal agriculture in Congress. We also seize on trigger events such as bird flu and rising food prices which have a strong potential to rapidly galvanize public support. These efforts in turn can pave the way for greater affordability, accessibility and desirability of plant-based foods.
How do we put that theory into practice?
While we embrace a wide range of actions, we believe it is critical to get in front of food industry powerholders to engage them in dialogue and hold them accountable for the extraordinary decisions they are making about our food system. An ideal action has a high likelihood of media attention and public attendance as well. We show the world that everyday people with no expertise in food policy can speak truth to power and, in doing so, help protect our rights and democratic processes, while they advance plant-based food system change.
How do animals or environment benefit from a focus on defunding animal ag.?
Seeking funding cuts for animal ag. is just a means to the end goal, which is a plant-based food system to benefit animals, the planet and public health.
How do you plan to win over the public?
Food is a fundamental and daily concern to all Americans. As food costs rise, resentment is growing, particularly in light of media reports about record food industry profits. We aim to leverage the public’s discontent and anxiety over food prices, showing that the industry is externalizing costs on taxpayers in addition to price gouging them at the cash register. We believe that a call to defund animal ag. resonates with many Americans across the political spectrum who feel they are “duped” from unwittingly subsidizing a $256 billion profitable industry.
How do you measure success?
We use two important metrics that are considered best practice by social change leaders. We know we’re on the right track if we can answer, Yes, to the following two questions. First, is popular (public) support for our position growing? Second, is internal capacity growing? Surveys, traditional and new media coverage and social buzz are all good indicators for these metrics.
What are some of your successes or results?
- We’ve ignited debate where only silence and denial existed, with some of the most powerful CEOS and Congresspeople making the big deals and decisions about the future of our food system.
- We’ve forged a dramatic shift in narrative by leading figures in our food system and mainstream media presenting a favorable view on our position.
- We’ve helped build momentum for several new legislative efforts in Congress.
- We’ve held key industry leaders accountable for their actions affecting billions of animals and consumers
How do you know your approach is effective or having impact?
Technically speaking, impact is measured by the two key indicators mentioned earlier, the growth of popular support and internal capacity, but also several key indicators such as narrative shift, media attention, public polling and legislative activity.
But we also need to think strategically beyond the metrics! It’s critical to ask the inverse, that is, what is the impact of us NOT showing up to do the work we do? What is the impact of being invisible, staying silent and being ignored? What is the impact on billions of animals? On millions of consumers and the choices they have? On the fate of our planet? Can we really afford to be missing in action?
Won’t some people be turned off by your approach?
When we hear negative reactions about our work, it is often from those whose perceptions are based on a 30-second video clip they watched where there is no real context for understanding what led to the action depicted in the video. We employ a widely-used escalation model in which we engage with targets over time, increasing pressure when dialogue is not reached or demands are not seriously addressed. This approach has a proven track record, not just in social change movements, but also in business negotiation and diplomatic relations.
Those in power will never change, so isn’t it better to focus on local changes or consumers?
Contrary to popular belief, there are in fact many efforts already underway by Congresspeople to defund animal agriculture or otherwise reduce its power over our food system. There is a hot debate raging in popular culture over government’s role in funding our food system and what the priorities should be. We’ve inserted ourselves directly into that debate to amplify it further. This form of bold action maximizes the opportunities to get media and therefore public exposure of the issue. We believe that the more the public becomes aware of the issue, the more they will side with us in the belief that working Americans should not be subsidizing animal ag.
There is also an unprecedented mix of pressures and costs adding to animal ag.’s uncertain future, including the emergence of zoonotic diseases like bird flu, extreme weather events, high feed and other input costs, loss of farmland, and shrinking workforce. On just bird flu alone, the leading spokesperson for the turkey industry recently told Congress in a public hearing, ““We will not have a poultry and egg industry in this country if we have to continue to live with HPAI (bird flu).” We play a huge role in amplifying these crises to show the public the many ways animal ag. is destabilizing and threatening the security of our food system.
Are there legal risks with getting involved?
Since we are not attorneys, we cannot provide legal advice. However, what we can say is that in the last couple of years spanning over 80 actions, there were no arrests made at our actions, except for one planned civil disobedience action in Congress where we prepared for the chance of getting arrested on disorderly conduct for speaking out of turn during a Congressional hearing. We have minimized legal risk through the preparation and training of activists on their rights, responsibilities and techniques for de-escalating tense situations. We also seek local legal support in the cities where we take action.
If people don’t care about animals, we can’t use the same approach as human rights activists, right?
Food system change, just like energy system change, IS a human rights issue directly impacting all Americans through rising food costs, disease outbreaks like bird flu and billions in taxpayer bailouts – all while the food sector rakes in record profits. So all of the same tools for making major system change apply here. By addressing the wide range of problems caused by animal food production, we work to advance a more humane, sustainable system which in turn reduces the number of animals exploited and killed for food. Our “civic” framing intentionally avoids the term veganism (which is strongly associated with consumer choice) or the term animal rights, which helps us more easily align with allies working for food system change who already support increased plant-based production. Only when we expand our base of support and allies do we achieve the popular support we need to succeed.
How do I learn more about Free from Harm’s work?
Please sign up for a one-on-one orientation call at https://wkf.ms/3WBlxmo. Or send us an email at [email protected]
