Some Members of Quaker Concern for Animals. plan to attend this Animals Rights March on 22nd August at Marble Arch, London, and would really like to extend the invitation to you.
Would you like to meet in person and gather together as a peaceful Quaker presence? We feel it is so valuable to have this sort of presence there.
This book is about the triumph of compassion over cruelty, and all the good people who fought on the side of compassion. It is about the long and arduous political struggle to ban hunting with hounds, spanning the period from 1965 to 2004 when the Hunting Act was passed by the UK Parliament. Like the earlier political struggles of the nineteenth century to end the slave trade and ban animal cruelties such as bear baiting and cock fighting, these modern day Wilberforces faced huge opposition from members of the establishment – in the media, the legal profession and in politics. Their story is told by someone who was at the heart of the battle, RSPCA trustee, Chair and President and political lobbyist, Dr Richard Ryder. Partly auto-biographical and partly a history of the campaign, Dr Ryder explains how the campaign was fought and eventually won. The book is a must read for those wanting to learn about the history of the campaign to ban foxhunting and other animal cruelties. It is also a bible for those who want to learn how to campaign successfully – how to PUT ANIMALS INTO POLITICS – and to understand some of the philosophy that underpinned the motivation to end these cruelties.
It is a hard back book with over 100, mostly colour, illustrations.
The author, Dr Richard Ryder, is Cambridge PhD in Experimental Psychology and recently retired RSPCA national Chairman and President. He is also CCA’s Scientific Adviser. The autobiography includes Ryder’s account of how “animals were successfully put into politics”. Barbara Gardner MBE’s comment is that it is also “a bible for those who want to learn how to campaign successfully”.
Professor Peter Singer: “An important addition to the historical record of the successful movement to make the treatment of animals a political issue, written by one of the movement’s key players.”
Chris Packham CBE: “Basing all future ethics upon reducing the suffering of others, regardless of size or species is what ought to make us human.“
Sir Brian May: “This book is a timely reminder that it is only compassion towards every creature that makes us worthy of respect as humans.“
Published byAnimal Books and Media 2026, and printed by Amazon, the book is available on Amazon here.
The strategy’s vision is “for a world where the use of animals in research and development is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances, achieved by creating a research and innovation system that replaces animals with alternative methods wherever possible”.
We celebrate the fact that the government has at last recognised that the animal testing model is out-dated and that non-animal research methods are the way forward.
With the recent advancement of human-relevant test methods, the Government recognises the opportunities for replacing animal experiments. It also recognises that it must create the environment to encourage this. The strategy seeks to implement this environment.
The strategy has six objectives:
Accelerate the replacement of animals in science to phase out their use.
Achieve equal or better research and testing outcomes using alternative methods.
Drive private investment in alternative methods to boost innovation and growth.
Improve regulatory confidence and acceptance of alternative methods.
Create infrastructure and partnerships to unlock value from UK data.
Position the UK as a global leader in alternative methods.
The strategy divides animal experiments into three baskets, those where alternatives already exist and can be replaced immediately, with many planned to be phased out by 2026, those where alternatives are being developed, which will take a little longer, and those which currently have no alternatives, but where these should be developed.
AIA has been campaigning to replace animal testing with human-relevant test methods for over ten years, so we are delighted to, at last, see a serious strategy to achieve this. The strategy’s targets for ending animal testing are ambitious. However, we will be vigilant in overseeing the achievement of those targets. Whilst this is a significant step, we must ensure that progress is timely and that specific issues within the Government’s report be examined and worked through. Our scientific expert, Dr Andre Menache has written a review outlining some of the potential issues within the report, which can be read here. Through our political representative and continued consultation and campaigning, we aim to keep the pressure on the government to address the potential problems to ensure genuine and timely progress.
On Wednesday 12th November 2025, AIA Founder and CE, Barbara Gardner received an MBE from King Charles at Windsor Castle.
The award was given for Services to Animal Welfare, for Barbara’s voluntary roles as Treasurer of the RSPCA and Founder of the Animal Interfaith Alliance.
Barbara said “I’m so pleased that animal welfare has been recognised by the awards system, and I’m deeply honoured to be a recipient of such a prestigious award. It means an awful lot to me. This will help us to work for animal protection at the highest levels”.
Everyone at the Animal Interfaith Alliance is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Jane Goodall. She was a beacon of hope and an inspiration to us all. She leaves an amazing legacy which will continue to inspire us for many years to come.
Please join AIA member organisation, Compassion Consortium in a sacred sendoff for Jane Goodall.
Compassion Consortium co-founders Reverend William Melton and Victoria Moran, Animal Chaplain Jen Baker, and the entire Compassion Consortium team invite you to join us for this no-charge special event:
A SACRED SENDOFF FOR JANE GOODALL SATURDAY OCTOBER 4 on ZOOM 6:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM CT / 4:30 PM MT / 3:30 PM PT
While October 4 will be celebrated around the world as World Animal Day and the Feast of St. Francis, and myriad animal blessings will be held, Compassion Consortium will gather to share the blessings Jane Goodall brought into our lives and into the lives of the animals we care so deeply for and about.
CHRISTIAN ANIMAL ADVOCACY AND PROTECTION ORGANIZATIONS SIGN LETTER TO POPE LEO XIV URGING AN OVERDUE UPDATE TO THE CHURCH’S TEACHING ON HUMAN–ANIMAL RELATIONS
VATICAN CITY (October 1st, 2025) — Christian animal advocacy and protection organizations have written to Pope Leo XIV asking him to initiate work on the theological and doctrinal renewal of the principles governing the relationship between humans and animals, and on new social teaching of the Church in this regard.
This highly important request urges the Pope to take into account current knowledge about animal sentiency, growing animal suffering in industrial agriculture, and the detrimental outcomes to mankind, the animals, and the planet which will continue including climate changes, pollution of the planet, and world hunger if theological and doctrinal renewal does not take place.
The signatories believe that a compassionate teaching on human–animal relationships, rooted in Scripture and Tradition, and updated according to present scientific knowledge is urgently needed to address widespread cruelty, environmental degradation, and climate crisis. That is why they request the Pope to establish a commission of theologians, ethicists, scientists, and other relevant experts to develop a teaching underlying the intrinsic value of all animals as God’s creatures and calling the faithful to eliminate cruelty, exploitation, and indifference to their suffering.
The letter states:
“We earnestly appeal to Your Holiness to open in the Church a new chapter of moral reflection and teaching that will include animals within the circle of compassion and justice. Just as the Church has played an important role in advancing environmental protection, now it has a chance to lead in healing our relationship with animals. “The whole of creation waits with eager longing for the children of God to be revealed” (Romans 8:19).”
“We respectfully request that Your Holiness establish a commission of theologians, ethicists, scientists, and other relevant experts to explore this issue in depth and to develop updated Catholic teaching on human–animal relationships that reflects contemporary scientific knowledge and will help shape people into the image of a loving and compassionate God.”
Read the complete letter and signatory list here. The letter is also available in French, Spanish, German, Italian and Polish.
Today, 1st September, is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation or “Creation Day”.
It was originally celebrated by the ancient Orthodox Church from the 5th century, as a day to praise God as the Creator, to commemorate the mystery of Creation in Christ and to inspire Christians to care for the created world.
In 2015 Pope Francis extended the celebration to Catholics when he published his encyclical letter Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, saying that prayer for Creation is “now more urgent than ever”. He wished the celebration to be extended to 4th October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi.
This year Pope Leo XIV’s September prayer intention is for “Our Relationship with All of Creation”. It says: “Let us pray that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.”
Pope Leo XIV’s September Prayer of Intention is “For Our Relationship with All of Creation”:
“Let us pray that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.”
Animal Interfaith Alliance 
