Sri Lanka’s Expanding Dairy Industry

Moving Animals’ investigation found that Western corporations are pumping huge sums of money into expanding Sri Lanka’s industrial dairy sector, despite experts warning that the global meat and dairy consumption must halve by 2050 to avoid climate change.

The Issue

This growing dairy industry is causing millions of animals to suffer in deplorable, industrialised conditions, and the cruel irony is that Sri Lanka is one of the top two countries that will suffer most from climate-change-induced flooding.

Sri Lankan animal activists are fighting against this move to industrial-style farming methods, with prominent businesswoman and animal activist, Otara Gunewardene, stating: “we have less suffering [than the West] so far but we are heading for more of it with all this funding”.

As well as heavy funding from government bodies, Western corporations such as Nestlé are investing in advertising for dairy products, and changing the country’s eating habits in the process - the dairy demand in Sri Lanka is growing at 13 percent annually. Demand for other animal products, particularly chicken meat, is also growing in Sri Lanka. This demand is driven in part by the increasing presence of international franchises like Pizza Hut and KFC entering the food sector, as well as the rapid increase in foreign tourism.

These animals face increased suffering, with little-to-no legal protection and for years, activists have been calling for tougher laws to combat cases of animal cruelty. Since 2006, they have been pushing for a new set of laws called the Animal Welfare Bill, meant to replace the outdated 1907 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.

Although the new bill was drafted in 2006, it has never been enforced. In January 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers finally granted approval for the new Animal Welfare Bill and according to the proposed rules, a maximum fine of 125,000rs (£302/$341) and a potential minimum jail term of three years could be imposed. However, government bills in Sri Lanka go through three readings and a committee stage amendment process before being signed into law by the speaker, so despite this approval, more steps remain until it is enacted.

Despite these progressive steps, the recently amended bill reportedly "exempts all farmed animals slaughtered for food," even though their suffering is intensifying due to the increase of industrial farming methods.