Most people care about animals. Very few are willing to disrupt their own comfort to protect them.
In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast, host Cheryl Moss speaks with Rose Patterson, Co-Director of Animal Rising, about what it actually takes to challenge systems built on animal suffering and why polite advocacy is often not enough.
Rose has spent more than a decade on the front lines of animal advocacy, leading some of the most visible and controversial campaigns in the UK. From rescuing beagles from testing facilities to disrupting horse races and dairy distribution centers, her work raises an uncomfortable but necessary question:
If factory farming depends on silence, what happens when people refuse to stay quiet?
From Early Compassion to Lifelong Commitment
Rose’s advocacy began young. Growing up with animals, her worldview changed when she learned that animals were being tested on in a laboratory in her hometown. Seeing images of cats
used in experiments made the issue personal and impossible to ignore.
That moment led to school presentations, product boycotts, vegetarianism, and eventually veganism in 2012. What started as concern became commitment. What followed was leadership.
Today, Rose combines lived experience with academic grounding, holding an MSc in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics, and Law. But as she shares in this conversation, understanding cruelty does not end it. Action does.
Sanctuary as an Ethic, Not Just a Place
Sanctuary is often imagined as a physical space. A farm. A refuge. A fence that keeps harm out.
Rose reframes it.
Sanctuary is about freedom, safety, and dignity. It is about animals living without control, exploitation, or fear. That belief shapes Animal Rising’s work. Their focus is not only on rescuing individuals, but on dismantling the systems that make suffering routine and invisible.
Why Disruption Works When Silence Fails
Animal Rising is known for actions that force public attention.
- Disrupting the Grand National horse race.
- Blocking McDonald’s distribution centers.
- Pouring milk onto supermarket floors.
- Rescuing animals directly from farms and laboratories.
These actions are intentional, nonviolent, and public.
When Animal Rising disrupted the Grand National, over 100 activists were arrested. The story dominated UK headlines for more than a day and reached hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Suddenly, animal suffering was no longer abstract. It was unavoidable.
The goal was never chaos.
The goal was conversation.
Disruption Without Blame
Animal Rising does not target individuals. They target systems.
Activists show their faces. They act openly. They accept legal consequences. Workers are not blamed. Farmers are not demonized. The industry itself is challenged.
When people see parents, teachers, and grandparents taking peaceful action at personal risk, it reshapes how advocacy is perceived. Disruption, when rooted in compassion, becomes deeply human.
The Beagle Rescue Trials
Twenty Animal Rising activists now face trial for rescuing beagles from a UK breeding facility supplying animals for laboratory testing. Some face potential prison sentences of up to ten years.
Rose does not hesitate when asked if she would do it again.
Inside the facility, she saw mother dogs confined in concrete cages, puppies bred for suffering, and a system designed to operate unseen. Leaving those animals behind would have felt like the real crime.
These trials are about more than legality. They are about morality.
Why Pouring Milk on the Floor Sparked Outrage
During a campaign against the dairy industry, Animal Rising blocked distribution centers, causing milk shortages. But the action that captured the most attention was simple and controversial.
Milk poured onto supermarket floors.
Public reaction was immediate and angry. Accusations of waste followed.
And that reaction revealed the deeper issue. People were outraged by spilled milk, yet disconnected from the suffering required to produce it.
For Those Who Want to Help but Feel Hesitant
Direct action is not for everyone.
Most advocates begin elsewhere. Street outreach. Education. Research. Social media. Legal work. Accounting. Strategy.
Rescuing one animal quietly matters just as much as a headline.
Building a Plant-Based Future
Ending factory farming requires more than protest. It requires transition.
Animal Rising supports compassionate shifts toward plant-based food systems, including collaboration with farmers seeking alternatives to animal agriculture.
Momentum is growing. Countries like Denmark and South Korea have announced plant-based action plans.
One Rescue That Says Everything
Rescuing a pig named Charlie from an RSPCA-assured factory farm revealed severe neglect. After medical care at a sanctuary, Charlie was later seen running freely in a field.
One life saved.
One future changed.
How to Support Animal Rising
Learn more and follow Animal Rising’s work at:
https://animalrising.org
Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introduction
[01:30] The start of Animal Rising.
[03:30] Becoming an ethical vegan.
[04:45] Balancing compassion with disruption.
[07:00] Beagle rescue trials uncovered.
[10:00] Compassion at the risk of arrest and jail time.
[15:00] Where to start with direct action for animals.
[20:00] Plant-based action plan.
[24:00] Charlie the Pig… from factory farm to sanctuary life.
About Rose Patterson
Rose Patterson is Co-Director of Animal Rising and one of the defendants in the second beagle rescue trial. An advocate for animals since 2012, she holds an MSc in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics, and Law and previously worked with World Animal Protection before joining Animal Rising in 2020.
Since then, Rose has played a central role in shaping and delivering some of the UK’s most high-profile animal campaigns – from the beagle rescues to mass actions such as McDonald’s and dairy blockades, the Grand National disruption, and the largest-ever investigation into UK animal farming.
She now leads the organization’s project to end factory farming.
Rose’s commitment to ending animal testing began in childhood, when she discovered a testing lab in her hometown. What started as boycotts and petitions has evolved into direct action – rescuing dogs from MBR Acres, a cause close to her heart. She is looking forward to the trial and sees it as an exciting opportunity for the animal movement.
www.animalrising.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-patterson-b0b4a9306/
https://www.instagram.com/rose__patterson
About Cheryl Moss
Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. She is also the founder of the Funding Blueprint for Sanctuaries summit designed to empower those involved with sanctuaries sustainable funding streams.
A passionate advocate for animal welfare, she is dedicated to ending factory farming and is working to raise $100,000 for Mercy For Animals to support underrepresented sanctuaries.
Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy, she promotes plant-based living through her books, Gabriel,
Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, which inspire young readers to embrace kindness, sustainability, and compassion for animals.
When not advocating, she enjoys Pilates, and spending time with her rescue dogs and grandchildren. Through her work, writing, and activism, Cheryl continues to inspire positive change for animals and the planet.
https://www.facebook.com/BLFAnimals/
https://x.com/betterlife4anim
https://www.instagram.com/betterlife4animals/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylmossabetterlifeforanimals/
