How to Help England’s Fabulous Farm Sanctuaries
Farm sanctuaries (not the same as ‘city farms’) are where abused and neglected animals live the rest of their lives in peace, taken care of by dedicated volunteers, often on shoestring budgets. Sometimes they even take in animals from farmers who can’t cope anymore with sending them off to slaughter, and are ‘safe havens’ to drop them off for happy lives!
Farmed animals have legal rights. Most farmers welcome a friendly word. Or if no joy, you can report concerns.
In the USA, one rescued chicken at Farm Sanctuary loves music. But ‘marches off in disgust’, if visitors sing to her out-of-tune!
Ways to Support Farm Sanctuaries
- Type ‘farm sanctuary’ at Find That Charity to bring up a list (add your county to find local ones).
- Donate anonymously through Charities Aid Foundation (add Gift Aid if you’re a taxpayer).
- Add the charity as your cause at easyfundraising. Then anytime you buy from a participating shop or service, it donates at no cost to you (loyalty points are not affected).
- Many sanctuaries have a ‘wish list’ of goods like animal feed, bedding materials, unscented cleaning products and veterinary supplies. Some also need old newspapers and blankets/towels (no tassels).
- Buy from clothing brands that help farm sanctuaries.
- Volunteer (from animal care skills to cleaning, feeding and building). Use pet-safe gardening (many plants are toxic to animals, including livestock and equines, including yew, oak, sycamore, privet, laurel, buckthorn and holly).
A Few Lovely Farm Sanctuaries to Support
- Baah-land has over 100 happy residents, run on a shoestring budget by dedicated volunteers.
- Surge Sanctuary is set in 18 acres in the rural Midlands. Residents include lambs saved from becoming Easter lunch, pigs rescued from abattoirs and animals that used to live on building sites. Supported by London’s Unity Diner.
- The Farm Animal Sanctuary was established nearly 40 years ago, when the founder saw sick diseased animals for sale at a livestock market. It costs £2500 a day to run (its patron is Joanna Lumley).
- Goodheart Sanctuaries gives home to over 300 rescued animals in 92 acres of rolling countryside between Worcestershire/Shropshire. The sanctuary also has two large pools for waterfowl.
- The Farm Animal Sanctuary has one pig found by workers on the M42 (likely fallen off a trailer en-route to an illegal abattoir).
- Goodheart Sanctuaries is home to over 300 animals in 92 acres of rolling countryside, with two large pools for rescued waterfowl.
- Hillfields Animal Sanctuary offers refuge for 300 animals, who live out their days free from fear, neglect or cruelty.
Free Welfare Guides for Farmers & Sanctuaries
Whether you run a farm sanctuary (or are a farmer wishing to find good info on welfare), The Open Sanctuary Project is a website to find care guides by species, all given by experts. There are over 500 articles including how to care for:
- Alpacas
- Chickens
- Cows
- Donkeys
- Ducks
- Geese
- Goats
- Horses
- Llamas
- Parrots
- Pigs
- Rabbits
- Sheep
- Turkeys
- Additional species (fish, emus, ostriches, peafowl)
The project was started by a couple who opened a sanctuary for farmed animals. And found it difficult to find good trustworthy information online.
Knowing how many other sanctuaries there are around the world (plus of course millions of animals on farms), they decided to collate knowledge with experts (and a resident artist) to make the information good-to-go, and publish it for free (with updates). To help anyone who cares for barnyard friends.
Ask your local farm sanctuary if it would appreciate a donation to buy MudControl slabs, the premier brand used by farmers and equestrians, to turn muddy dangerous land into safe places to pass through, or eat hay. They are used with sand for easy installation.
