First of all, you are not obliged to worry about animal rights. But it can be fun to actively do something or to stop doing something harmful. What is important though, is that we try to make it unattractive for other people to abuse animals. On that point, a noncommittal society is an unjust one.
Respecting animals gives better guarantee for respect towards human rights as well. It is a daily reminder of the fact that our (eating) behavior has consequences for others on our planet.

These consequences stretch to other people and to animals in the rest of the world, because - part of - our food comes from that far away.

Our choices in food also affect the animals living close by, out of sight in factory farms. You can help these animals, for instance by not buying any more meat produced in factory farms, and by speaking out against factory farming as often as possible; even at the school's restaurant or at work.

Animal rights not yet provided for

It is important that animal rights are provided for legally, which is not the case yet. As long as the animal rights movement cannot actively and legally enforce improvements, it is very difficult to help animals in factory farming or to have it banned altogether. Not enough people realize that it may be important to be able to legally set limits to the way cattle farms are managed. Acknowledging the intrinsic value of animals and their right to well-being is not enough to get cattle farmers to do more than just make sure their animals are fed properly. Some things that unfortunately cattle farmers cannot be obliged to do is make sure animals don't get bored and that they are given the opportunity to display their natural behavior.
Respecting animals is a voluntary affair, and it is important that people do it out of free will. Click here to see what you can do every day to prevent animal suffering.
We think that animal abuse can be prevented by setting limits for ourselves and for others in the way we treat animals.

The collective silence surrounding the violation of animal rights

If by the violation of animal rights we mean "eating meat from industrial farms or keeping animals in small cages", then the percentage of people not really considerate of animals may be as high as 95%. This high percentage coincides with the observation that so few people are dedicated to the well-being of animals in industrial farming. Most people think they might lose something by taking animal rights seriously: it will cost them more money and effort and they will have to admit that they have not been doing the right thing before. This is not easy and attractive.
Unlike in the struggle for equal rights between black and white and between men and women, animals cannot directly call man to account on the injustice done to them. Like the emancipation of man, the emancipation of animals is a development that needs to take place inside people. Man must free himself from the inner arrogance that he is better than an animal, that animal interests do not matter and that he does not have to concern himself with them.
Responsible eating and buying habits do not have to have financial consequences, because what we need to achieve is a decrease in meat consumption and fairer prices for ecological meat for people who do still want to eat meat. The opposite effects will balance each other.

Situations in which man kills animals

Most of these actions concern animals that are bred specially for people. It is possible to omit most of these actions by finding substitutes for animals or by keeping animals away from that which needs to be protected.

Can industrial farming be considered as a form of senseless violence?

Not many of us will use senseless violence against people, but how about animals? Can we consider the boredom of animals in industrial farming meaningful? Is our need to consume meat sufficient justification to deny these animals a natural and free life?
Can we honestly say that we do not participate in this? If you eat meat from industrial farms, you are passively contributing to passive and senseless violence.
If you go on holiday to Spain and watch the bullfights or go to a fiesta, you are contributing a bit less passively to active violence.

Emancipation of the animal is an enrichment of our society!

Not participating in a solution, is to be part of the problem.

Animal Rights: a Very Short Introduction

by David DeGrazia