Unless all the bad news over the past year has merged into one vague living nightmare, you will be aware that the government has proposed a new clampdown on the right to protest. These changes come in the form of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Silk is synonymous with luxury and the very finest most decadent things in life, from pyjamas to bed sheets. The cost to the silkworms is terrible with thousands boiled, gassed or steamed alive for just half a kilo of silk, but a new video report out from CNN this month has accused the Indian silk industry of being inextricably tied to bonded labour, in other words, modern-day slavery. We take a look at the true cost of silk to both animals and humans.

It’s called ‘sheep freeze branding’ and it’s supposed to be a better, less painful alternative to mulesing, the barbaric act of cutting away the skin on a sheep’s backside with shears to prevent flystrike, always without anaesthesia and in many cases without pain relief. Why are we faced with having to choose between mulesing and freeze branding at all?

We’ve seen a flood of news concerning vegan-friendly alternatives to leather, and not the plastic variety but novel materials made from cacti, mushrooms, mangos and even grapes. Major fashion brands are getting in on it too, so why the sudden interest in animal-free leather and are there any downsides?

The news last week that scientists have found that adding seaweed to the diets of cows reduces methane emissions will no doubt be welcomed by the industry, but it’s just one part of a very big puzzle.

In September 2019 the National Farmers’ Union published their Achieving Net Zero: Farming’s 2040 Goal that laid out its plans for making UK farming ‘carbon neutral’, but is it achievable and what would it mean for non-human animals? Dr Alex Lockwood writes.

ZSL’s two zoos - London and Whipsnade - are in serious trouble. Lockdown has meant no ticket sales yet with a workforce that cannot possibly be furloughed. They’re asking for the UK government to help, but with zoos as problematic as they are, should we let them fail?

The UK’s police, crime, sentencing and courts bill has passed its first vote in the House of Commons, bringing us closer to a series of legislative changes that could see sentences of up to ten years handed out simply for causing ‘serious’ inconvenience and annoyance. The possible implications for animal rights activists and campaigners are grave - this is what you can do today to #KillTheBill.

Ironically, the fishing industry is quite literally conspiring to head-off the bombshell that will hit them when the long-awaited and highly anticipated documentary Seaspiracy debuts next week. Thanks to Plant Based News for drawing attention to leaked documents provided to them, we now know the extent to which the industry is worried.

Those prawn balls you tucked into last night may not have been prawn at all, maybe not even “seafood”, according to an investigation by the Guardian newspaper. Fish fraud is rife across the world and has implications for omnivores who say they can’t switch to vegan and be without their favourite piece of dead fish.

The news that China will no longer require animal testing data on most cosmetics is an important step in the right direction, opening up ‘cruelty-free’ products in a market famously without them, but is it really the cause for celebration that many are making it out to be?

Make no mistake, foie gras is barbaric and like any food where animals are exploited, should not be on our menus. The news that the UK is moving closer to a ban on its import, bolstering the ban on its domestic production, is wonderful, but it does somewhat highlight certain hypocrisies.