The corona pandemic has catapulted the animal industry into the public eye. Governmental tightening measures are being introduced, such as the abolition of crate stands and the ban of subcontracting in slaughterhouses in Germany. The animal rights movement is usually skeptical about such reforms, as they do not fundamentally question the exploitation of animals.

However, the current balance of power unfortunately does not suggest that all slaughterhouses will be closed down in the foreseeable future – and certainly not immediately at one stroke. That is why real-political measures are indispensable, which in the short term reduce the continuing exploitation and at the same time make the closure of all slaughterhouses more achievable in the medium to long term.

In this talk, we will discuss why the animal rights movement should not rest on maximum demands and what criteria for a revolutionary realpolitik against the animal industry could look like.