We want to help bring about social and legislative changes at the Czech and EU level to significantly improve the protection of all animals, including its enforceability. All this in accordance with the latest scientific knowledge in the field of ethology and welfare.
Livestock production is one of the most significant contributors to the growing imbalance and unsustainability of the global ecosystem. The greater the intensification of livestock production, the more serious the negative impacts on its disruption.
Yet animal farming is becoming more intense...
80 billion
80 %
2140
300 milion
35 million
Main directions of the ONE HEART Foundation activities
Bringing the topic of farm animals, their living conditions and how this issue is directly linked to other major current issues, into the public space. Offering the public and politicians facts, scientific knowledge and information instead of the current often deliberately false, misleading statements by interested parties and obfuscation of the real situation, including the negative impacts (ethical, economic and environmental) of the so-called animal farming industry.
Why is it so important?
In order to help animals, we need to know their real needs. Nowadays, the vast majority of us are so far removed from farming that we often have no idea what animal husbandry actually looks like, and what specific animals need for a good life. That is why factual awareness is an essential step.
Another of the fund's objectives is to help promote the transition to a more sustainable, ideally regenerative farming system based on animal welfare, which means benefits not only for the animals, the landscape and ecology, but also for the health of the human population. Put simply, the aim is, among other things, the end of intensive (large-scale) farming in its current form and the end of cage farming for all animals (not just laying hens).
This is also linked to a change in legislation on the transport of live animals to so-called third countries, which will lead to a significant reduction and ideally an end to long-distance transport of live animals and improved transport conditions.
According to Eurogroup for Animals, over one and a half billion live animals are transported within the EU alone each year. Millions of them will not survive the journey. The European Food Safety Authority has confirmed that animals suffer unnecessarily during transport and that legislation needs to be changed. We are also against animal testing. In the Czech Republic alone, more than a quarter of a million live animals are 'used' for testing purposes each year, even though the vast majority of tests can already be performed in other ways. That is why we are trying to open a debate on the topic of Cruelty free drugstore goods, cosmetics and clothing.
The aim of our efforts is to make an emphasis on real animal welfare a basic condition for the legal functioning of any animal husbandry and animal farm, and for the drawing of subsidies and state support. Welfare and the need (nowadays according to scientists, an existential necessity) to change the agricultural system to a truly sustainable one is an opportunity for all of us. We can - and therefore must - change a world that is not doing well, in part due to us.
What is welfare?
Welfare means more than just comfort for animals. It encompasses a whole range of measures to ensure that an animal lives well. Well according to what physiologically and ethologically it needs to live without unnecessary stress. Welfare is therefore not only about providing sufficient and good quality food and water, but also about providing an appropriate environment and veterinary care. Welfare also means minimising the stress of the animals and allowing them to express their natural behaviour.
Simply put, welfare has three components: it looks at how the animal is doing physically and mentally, and whether it has the opportunity to live a life natural to the species.
From this point of view, most of today's livestock farms and especially, but not only, intensive factory farms do not hold up.
Interest in a better life for animals should be automatic for a society that wants to call itself advanced and cultured. Ethics aside, the quality of animal life is directly related to the planet's ecosystem.
When we help improve the lives of animals, we help ourselves, future generations and the world's ecosystem.
What do we do?
We raise awareness and open up the debate
We generate a public demand for improved treatment of animals as sentient living beings. We prepare educational projects, conduct investigations..
We create a communication platform
Our goal is also to create a relevant platform for mutual communication of all stakeholders (from activists, scientists, farmers and entrepreneurs to legislators), as there is no such platform in the Czech Republic.
We cooperate with other organisations
We participate in selected international campaigns to improve the lives of animals. We meet and cooperate with organizations that are trying to improve the lives of animals, not only in the Czech Republic, but also actively in Brussels.
For example, we are a proud partner of the CIWF and European campaigns endthecageage.eu, konecdobyklecove.cz (The End of the Cages` Time) or the campaign end.it to end factory farming.
We support others
The Foundation will also provide financial assistance to those who actually care for the better life of animals, whether by running shelters (it is estimated that they house more than fifty thousand dogs and cats in the Czech Republic alone), animal rescue stations, animal hospices or providing support services (transport, legal, medical...).
We are engaged in discussions with experts and politicians.
Because facts and expertise are the basis of any relevant change, we are joining forces with the most competent people in our Expert Board - professors and scientists who not only deal with animal life from all angles, but also with renowned experts in climate, landscape, ecology, law, economics, and human health..
We also communicate with politicians, offering them relevant information and facts so they can make responsible decisions and changes to laws.
In the campaign konecdobyklecove.cz (The End of the Cages` Time) together with other organisations, we collected over twenty thousand signatures from Czech citizens and the petition was personally received by the then Minister of Agriculture Zdeněk Nekula in April.
He promised us that the Czech Republic would be a leader in improving animal welfare in the EU. We are trying to make sure that it is not an empty promise.
