People who know me well express some surprise that I am a supporter of CIWF. For a start, I am a long way from being a member of the ‘meat is murder’ tendency. I enjoy a good steak, and hell will probably freeze over before I become a vegetarian. However, I am passionately interested in the food that we eat and the way in which it is produced. The relentless drive for cheap food above every other consideration is something that I find rather depressing, and I strongly believe that if we are going to eat meat, then the animals that produce it should be kept in the best possible conditions before they go for slaughter.
So what is CIWF? Essentially it is a pressure group that lobbies politicians and businesses such as supermarkets to improve the lot of farm animals. It encourages consumers to make conscious, positive choices that will make a difference to the well being of farm animals worldwide. Becoming a supporter provides a quarterly copy of the Farm Animal Voice Magazine, a well produced and informative publication with articles on food production, farming developments and animal welfare issues. Postal updates focus on specific issues such as the factory farming of cows and the need to remain vigilant over battery hens used for egg production. Requests for money are linked to specific campaigns which allows you to support those initiatives that particularly strike a chord.
I suppose that I became a supporter of CIWF because it offered me an opportunity to strike back against the all powerful supermarket lobby, and to hold backsliding politicians to account. Clear, well produced publicity materials are essential, as are issues that I can relate to. However, perhaps the lesson for all charities and their supporters is that sometimes, a message resonates with you in just the right way. The charity is saying what you want to hear or supporting some cause that you find especially dear. Can charities plan a campaign to exploit that supporter search for a cause? Well, probably not because you need a little luck to hit the right target at just the right time.