Patrons of Compassion in World Farming International

Patron

Professor Joy Carter is former Vice-Chancellor of The University of Winchester. She is an academic with research based in geochemistry and health and was a former President of the international society in her field. She is also a Co-Chair of the Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education, Chair of St Ethelburgas Centre for Reconciliation and Peace and Chair of the National Governing Body (NGB) of Squash.

Professor Carter was formally the Chair of GuildHE, and for many years served on the Universities UK Board. She has also chaired the Cathedrals Group of Universities and the Church of England’s Advisory Group for the Foundation for Educational Leadership. As an ambassador for higher level skills and vocational learning, Professor Carter chaired the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC). She was previously the Vice-Chair of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and a former board member of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).

Professor Carter is patron of six charities and is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Hampshire. Passionate about all aspects of sustainability and social justice, she has interests in climate change, widening participation, sport and animal welfare. She is an ambassador for Religions for Peace International and a member on the Standing Committee on Nurturing a Sustainable Environment.

Professor Carter was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours in 2018 for services to Higher Education.

Patron

Celebrated actor and animal activist Peter Egan is extremely dedicated to all our campaigns including Ban Live Exports and End the Cage Age. Known for his roles in popular TV shows such as Downton Abbey and Unforgotten, Peter is always keen to support our work when his busy schedule allows. As well as attending our rallies and events, he regularly shares our posts on his social media channels, helping increase our reach and build a strong army of support to end factory farming.

Peter has used his voice to raise awareness about the cruelty of live exports and our legal challenge against the Scottish Government, serving as the public face of the campaign in communications with supporters, writing an opinion piece in the London Economic, and getting involved with protests, both in-person and online. We are tremendously lucky to have such an actively involved patron and visionary.

The live export of animals is a cruel and totally unnecessary trade. We must keep exposing the truth until the suffering stops.

Patron

Rose pioneered wide interest in cruelty-free cookery with Simply Delicious, published in 1967, and has since written over 60 vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. In 1999, Rose was awarded an MBE for services to vegetarian cookery. She is also an accomplished astrologer and Fellow of the Association of Professional Astrologers International (FPAI).

We are delighted to have Rose as a Compassion patron and visionary.

I deeply admire Compassion’s great work to end factory farming and hope that my own veggie cookbooks have helped many people on their personal journeys to reduce their meat consumption.

Patron

Distinguished actor and animal advocate, Jerome Flynn, is well known for his roles in popular TV dramas such as Game of Thrones, Ripper Street and Soldier Soldier. With a deep concern for farm animal welfare, Jerome is kindly supporting our End the Cage Age campaign. Jerome signed up to become a ‘Cagefighter’ for our End the Cage Age – European Citizens’ Initiative, boosting signatures right across Europe to become our biggest petition ever. With a genuine interest in our work, he shares our messaging across his social media channels, helping increase our reach and build a strong army of support to end factory farming. We are delighted to have Jerome as a Compassion patron.

As Bronn in Game of Thrones, I played a guy who I really wanted to be a hero but, likeable as he was, he didn’t bother turning up to save the world. Now, in real life, when it counts, I have the chance, as we all do, to stand up and do the right thing for our beloved farm animals. Let’s make our voices heard for those who have none.

Patron

Dr Jane Goodall, renowned, ethologist and conservationist, is best known for her groundbreaking research of primates. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace. Her research into the lives of the wild chimpanzees of Gombe in Western Tanzania began nearly 60 years ago and continues. Author of many books and featured in countless documentaries and films, Dr Goodall travels the globe raising awareness and offering solutions to the problems facing so many parts of our earth today. We welcome Jane as one of our most recently appointed Patrons and are honoured to have such a distinguished conservationist join the Compassion family.

Patron

Actress Penelope Keith is well-loved in the UK both for her comedy and theatre roles.

She has won two BAFTAs. She is a keen gardener and keeps ex-battery farm hens. She has served as High Sheriff of Surrey 2002-2003 and is President of the south-west Surrey branch of the conservation organisation, the National Trust. Penelope is a long-standing patron of Compassion in World Farming. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the Arts and to Charity in 2014.

Patron

BAFTA-winning actress and dedicated campaigner, Dame Joanna Lumley, has supported our work to end factory farming for decades. She has been actively involved in many of our campaigns including Ban Live Exports and End the Cage Age. Joanna is devoted to all the movements she stands by, and we are delighted to have such an influential, compassionate patron and visionary.

Compassion in World Farming has done an amazing job in achieving real changes for millions of farm animals. Huge challenges still face us – not least the global increase in meat consumption, which is driving the establishment of more factory farms. However, if we all get together and support Compassion’s work, I believe we will be able to achieve internationally the kinds of changes we have seen here in the UK and in Europe.

Patron

Star of the infamous Harry Potter films, actress Evanna Lynch, has been a Compassion patron for several years. You may know the silver-eyed, otherworldly character of Luna Lovegood, but unlike her onscreen persona, Evanna has her feet firmly on the ground – especially when it comes to farm animal welfare. Since becoming a patron, Evanna has attended numerous rallies and is always keen to convey our campaign messages to the millions of followers on her social media channels and ChickPeeps podcast. We are grateful to have such an enthusiastic animal advocate wave the Compassion banner in our fight to end cruel factory farming.

We can all agree that keeping animals locked up in tiny cages where they can't even stretch their legs is inhumane, intolerable and unnecessary. We don't have to tolerate this kind of cruelty. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just asking for some basic compassion and kindness in the lives of these creatures who have given up so much for us.

Dear Humans

Patron

Deborah is a highly successful entrepreneur and Dragon's Den investor who spends her time between London and her Somerset home. She is devoted to an abundance of her own animals including, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, sheep and even geese.

Despite endless TV and business commitments Deborah, who is also a Compassion visionary, has said that Compassion’s work is “something close to her heart” and has readily supported campaigns including Honest Labelling and Ban Live Exports. An extremely active Twitter user, Deborah regularly shares our message and engages with her followers on farm animal welfare topics.

It is truly wonderful to have the backing of such an influential, passionate supporter to help drive our mission to end cruel factory farming.

Compassion is the driving force to improving the lives of hundreds of millions of farm animals every year. I am very much looking forward to continuing my support for the organisation in 2020 and beyond.

Patron

We are delighted that popular naturalist and broadcaster, Chris Packham, has joined us as a patron. The TV presenter, conservationist and photographer has been a wildlife enthusiast since he was a small boy. Chris has become a well-known champion for wildlife, fronting TV shows, The Really Wild Show and BBC Springwatch and Autumnwatch. During September 2018 Chris activated The People’s Walk for Wildlife which took place for the first time in London.

Passionate about finding a better way for us all to take action to protect our wildlife and the wider environment, Chris is a wonderful advocate to have on board and to encourage others to help make a difference.

Chris has spoken in depth about his concerns regarding industrial scale farming and its impact on the natural world with Global CEO of Compassion in World Farming.

Philip Lymbery.

Patron

Jonathon Porritt CBE, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future, is an eminent writer, broadcaster, and commentator on sustainable development. Jonathon has been a Compassion patron and visionary supporter for many years. From 2000-2009, he was Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, providing high-level advice to government ministers. He is Co-Director of The Prince of Wales's Business and Sustainability Programme. He received a CBE in 2000 for services to environmental protection.

In many respects, farm animal welfare is the ‘lost issue’ on the broad terrain of sustainable development. Yet without a robust, unyielding focus on the way we breed, rear and slaughter animals, the notion of sustainable farming will forever remain something of an illusion. And that’s what makes Compassion in World Farming so special. For forty years, it has provided exactly that focus, and with deep intelligence and humanity reminds us today (often very uncomfortably!) of some of the blind spots in our thinking about sustainable food and farming.

Patron

Michael J. Reiss is Professor of Science Education at UCL Institute of Education, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and a Priest in the Church of England. He was a member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council/Committee and Director of Education at the Royal Society, in addition to serving as a member of the GM Science Review Panel, Specialist Advisor to the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures and Chair of EuropaBio’s External Advisory Group on Ethics. We are delighted to have Michael's unwavering support as we campaign to end factory farming.

Patron

John Webster is Professor Emeritus at the University of Bristol. He has been a patron of Compassion for many years. As Chair of Animal Husbandry at Bristol he established the unit for the study of animal welfare and behaviour. A founder member of the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council, he first propounded the ‘Five Freedoms’, internationally recognised as standards defining good welfare. He is a former president of the British Society of Animal Science. He has published many books including A Cool Eye Towards Eden and Limping Towards Eden. His book Animal Husbandry Regained: The Place of Farm Animals in Sustainable Agriculture extends the principle of unsentimental compassion beyond that for the farm animals to embrace all concerns for the life on the land. John is also a visionary having signed our Vision for Fair Food and Farming.

I have always held Compassion in the highest regard because they concentrate their concern on the welfare of those in the greatest need; the farm animals whom we exploit the most for the food they provide but whose lives we largely ignore. In recent years Compassion (and I) have expanded our concerns to embrace the impact of farming on the whole living environment: flora and fauna, animals domestic and wild. What we share is the will to seek the best possible practical application of the principle of reverence for life.