Our most important goal is to create a society, which treats animals in a respectful fashion. There are many problems associated with the way in which animals are treated. They are often not seen as living creatures with a soul, but as products that people believe they can use and abuse as they see fit: as meat products in the factory farming industry, as guinea pigs in laboratories, as the defenceless quarry of hunters and anglers, as a source of entertainment for visitors to circuses and zoos, and so forth.

We want the legal position of animals to be laid down in our legislation. In this way, we can prevent animals from continually being the victims of political whims. At present, animal welfare still hardly plays a role in our legislation. This should change as soon as possible.

Naturally, we also believe that people are also important. However, the political world is exclusively made up of representatives of human interests. This is why a political party, which primarily focuses on animal welfare, is so important. It is the most effective way of getting animal interests on to the political agenda.

The cover of our electoral programme with
220 animal and nature friendly measures

The Party for the Animals is neither left nor right-wing. Our supporters come from all corners of the political spectrum, from socialists to liberals. What they have in common is that they all believe that the way in which animals are treated in our society is disgraceful. Our supporters deem animal welfare to be so important that they are able to push their differences with respect to other issues aside.

In a broader sense, we strive towards a society in which sustainability and compassion take centre stage. This means that we work towards respectful interactions between people, animals and nature. We want the destruction of our living environment, the extinction of plant and animal species and the unequal distribution of wealth, which means that a large proportion of the world’s population live in poverty, to come to an end. These points of departure form the basis of all our political standpoints. Not just relating to animal welfare, but also other subjects.

The Party for the Animals is not a one-issue party, but a big-issue party. The way in which we as a civilisation interact with our living environment is central to our philosophy. We believe that this is a big issue. In this regard, party leader Marianne Thieme often refers to a remark made by Mahatma Gandhi. According to Gandhi, the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. These are wise words, which are perfectly in keeping with our vision of a more humane society.