World Day for Farmed Animals2026 · Date · History · Messages
FARM’s organizational history says World Farm Animals Day began in 1983 and is now called World Day for Farmed Animals; FARM reporting identifies the annual observance date as 2 October.
About World Day for Farmed Animals
World Day for Farmed Animals is observed on October 2 as a global animal-advocacy day focused on farmed animals.
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) says Dr. Alex Hershaft launched World Farm Animals Day in 1983; the campaign is now called World Day for Farmed Animals.
Why World Day for Farmed Animals matters
The observance is used for remembrance, advocacy and public education about the treatment of animals raised for food.
FARM ties October 2 to the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and describes the day as a long-running global campaign.
History of World Day for Farmed Animals
Dr. Alex Hershaft founded FARM after organizing the 1981 Action For Life conference.
FARM says Hershaft launched World Farm Animals Day in 1983.
The campaign later became known as World Day for Farmed Animals; FARM continues to organize it on October 2.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Dr. Alex Hershaft
FARM’s biography states that Hershaft launched World Farm Animals Day in 1983.
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM)
FARM campaign launch
First documented observance
FARM identifies 1983 as the launch year; an exact first-event date is not inferred.
The campaign originally called World Farm Animals Day is now presented as World Day for Farmed Animals.
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM)
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM)
FARM continues to organize and publish World Day for Farmed Animals materials.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
1 field not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Also known as
World Farm Animals Day
How to Observe World Day for Farmed Animals
Learn about animal-welfare and farming issues from credible sources.
Support lawful animal-welfare or food-system initiatives aligned with your values.
Attend an educational event, vigil or community discussion if appropriate.
Use claims about agriculture, health and environmental impacts carefully and verify them before sharing.
World Day for Farmed Animals Facts
The observance began in 1983.
FARM credits Dr. Alex Hershaft with launching it.
Its earlier name was World Farm Animals Day.
The current name is World Day for Farmed Animals.
October 2 is tied by the organizer to Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
World Day for Farmed Animals Messages
Today is an opportunity to learn more carefully about farmed-animal welfare and food systems.
May concern for animals be matched with accurate information and constructive action.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
FARM — Dr. Alex Hershaft (opens in a new tab)
World Day for Farmed Animals (opens in a new tab)
FARM — FY2020 Form 990 (opens in a new tab)
First Party Organizer Report
FARM — History (opens in a new tab)
First Party Organizer
World Day for Farmed Animals / FARM — 2025 campaign history (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is World Day for Farmed Animals?
2 October annually The documented recurrence rule is: 2 October.
Does World Day for Farmed Animals fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is World Day for Farmed Animals an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Global / Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) campaign. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes World Day for Farmed Animals?
The reviewed sources identify Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Dr. Alex Hershaft. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM).
Is World Day for Farmed Animals international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: Global / Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) campaign. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-08.
When is World Day for Farmed Animals?
It is observed on October 2.
Who started it?
Farm Animal Rights Movement says Dr. Alex Hershaft launched World Farm Animals Day in 1983.
Why is it on October 2?
The organizer says the date honors the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
Other observances on October 2
These observances are also listed on October 2, 2027.
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A/RES/61/271
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