Un Lien qui nous élève

When I was filming Where the Hills are Greener, I met a number of fascinating characters, among whom several livestock farmers: Mireille, a charismatic goat farmer, Jean-Marc and his white sheep on the hill, Pascal with his pigs in the fields … All this spurred me to find out more about the delicate matter of animal welfare. Though the first proposal for domestic animal protection was made by Delmas de Grammont in 1850 and the RSPCA ensures its enforcement, large-scale mistreatment continues to this day.

Pascal’s final question in the film is: Do we eat happy animals? It’s a question that involves us directly and can open a number of different debates. I’ve always felt close to animals and I hope to do them justice by portraying the work of a dozen or so respectful farmers and many animal rights supporters. I also show a farm for healing ill-treated animals and, to address the taboo subject of death, an association that is fighting for the legalization of mobile abattoirs. These initiatives will demonstrate, I hope, that credible alternatives exist to the factory farming of animals, seen exclusively as staple consumer products.