Sheffield Animal Friends is an animal rights group based in Sheffield, and active across South Yorkshire and beyond. We do weekly stalls and demonstrations against the fur/vivisection/meat/animal entertainment industries. We also promote veganism through info stalls and food give aways to raise awareness of it’s many benefits for people, planet and animals as well as arranging social events to go out for tasty vegan food!

Please email sheffieldanimalfriends@gmail.com if you’d like to sign up to our mailing list, or would like any more information. To find out more about our beliefs and philosophy, have a look at the veganism page on this website or check out the Animal Liberation Hallmarks. As well as our general campaigning for veganism and animal rights, we have a number of specific campaigns against centres of animal abuse in Sheffield.

Campaigns

Foie Gras

Every year in France, 30 million ducks are forced into cages so small they can’t even stretch their wings. Trapped and helpless, a metal tube is thrust down their throats and vast quantities of food are forcibly pumped into their stomachs so that their livers swell painfully to up to 10 times their natural size. There is no escape and no respite.

Although the production of foie gras is illegal in this country, it may still be sold here. We have contacted a number of restaurants in Sheffield and further afield to persuade them to stop supporting this cruel trade. This product pops up periodicly in Sheffield, we are always on the look-out for menu changes to oppose anywhere stocking the “delicacy of despair” and then take action against them. Current targets appear as and when on the site as well as demos planned against them.

Fur Free Sheffield

By contacting and, where necessary, campaigning against shops selling fur we have helped ensure that none is sold in conventional shops, and we’re prepared to work against anywhere new that starts to sell fur. However, a number of second-hand shops continue to sell “vintage fur”, in the belief that it is more socially acceptable. We are opposed to the sale of all fur, and believe that it is disingenuous to claim to oppose animal cruelty while promoting as fashionable the wearing of a tortured animal. If you see a shop selling real fur, do let us know!

Owlerton greyhound track

Thousands of greyhounds are killed every year by the British greyhound racing industry – because they fail to make the grade as racers or when their racing days are over. Many ex-racing greyhounds are simply abandoned and a large number are killed, sometimes by extremely cruel methods such as drowning or poisoning, because some owners and trainers are not prepared to pay the cost of having them put to sleep by a vet.

Thankfully, the greyhound racing industry is in decline, and tracks around the country have closed down. However, Sheffield is still home to Owlerton Stadium, in the Hillsborough area of the city. The only way to prevent the massive suffering and killing of greyhounds by the greyhound racing industry is for greyhound racing to stop, and we will campaign against the Owlerton track until it closes.

Animals in entertainment

We are opposed to all animal circuses, and organise protests when any are touring in or near Sheffield. We also campaign against the Jungle Zoo in Cleethorpes, exposed in 2007 and again in March 2010 as a hell-hole for animals. If you live in the area, and would like to be informed when we come to protest, do get in touch.

Vegan Outreach

We promote the wide range of benefits of living a compassionate lifestyle and adhering to a vegan diet by holding info stalls, free food give aways and free food fairs. As well as acting as a social network by going out for vegan meals and holding vegan fry-up’s which bring people together and also help us to raise a little money.