All areas
How can I help animals?
Start with one small step you can do today, then let it grow. Animals are used for food, clothes, lab tests, shows and as pets, and in every one of those there's something concrete you can do.
Five places animals are used
It's easy to think you have to pick one cause and become an expert. You don't. Here are the five areas, with one fact each, so you can see where you'd like to start.
- Food: this is where most animals are. In 2025 about 110 million chickens and 2.6 million pigs were slaughtered in Sweden, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket). A broiler chicken lives for about five weeks.
- Clothes: the last mink farms in Sweden closed in 2025. Fur is still sold, for example as trim on hoods and hats.
- Lab tests: the EU banned testing cosmetics on animals in 2004 and 2009, and the sales ban became complete in 2013. Ingredients can still be tested under EU chemicals law.
- Shows: in Sweden, elephants, monkeys and seals, among others, may not be shown in circuses under the Animal Welfare Ordinance. Kolmården zoo announced in 2022 that it would eventually close its dolphinarium.
- Pets: the animal welfare group Djurskyddet Sverige estimates there are at least 100,000 homeless cats in Sweden.
Start small and let it grow
All at once easily ends up as nothing. So start with one thing. Swap one dinner. Check the label on a jacket. Skip the dolphin show on holiday.
Once the first one sticks, the next is easier. One dinner becomes a regular Tuesday. A Tuesday becomes asking your lunch place for a daily veggie dish. One email becomes a habit of speaking up when a decision is coming.
Most change happens when lots of people do the same thing. So the last step is nearly always to bring someone along. A friend who starts because you did counts too.
Your voice when it counts
Many of the big questions, like fur farming and animal testing, are decided by politicians. Every member of the Swedish parliament has a page on riksdagen.se with an email address. The government also says that members of the public have the right to comment on proposals sent out for consultation (remiss).
You can write in English, and you don't need to be an expert. A few lines of your own about why it matters to you are enough.
Where to start
Swap one dinner this week
Pick a dish you already like and swap the meat for beans or lentils. One Tuesday is plenty.
Check the label before you buy
Choose a jacket without real fur, and look for a recognised cruelty-free mark on your shampoo or mascara.
Skip the show on holiday
Give the dolphin show and the elephant ride a miss. Watch animals where they live instead.
Email a politician before a decision
Find your MP on riksdagen.se and write a few lines of your own. It takes five minutes.
Start at a shelter when the time comes
If you want a cat or a dog, check the shelters near you first.
Bring a friend
Send a step to a friend and do it together. It's easier to keep going as two.
Common questions
How can I help animals in Sweden?
Pick one area and one small step: a dinner without meat, a jacket without real fur, a holiday without an animal show, an email to a politician, or a pet from a shelter. Then let the step become a habit, and bring someone along.
What helps animals the most?
Most animals are in food production, so what you eat matters a lot, especially chicken and eggs, because the animals are small and many. Getting a canteen or lunch place to serve more vegetarian food reaches lots of meals at once. And when a decision on fur or animal testing is coming, your voice counts.
Can I write to Swedish politicians in English?
Yes. Members of the Riksdag have public email addresses on riksdagen.se. A short, polite message in English that says who you are and why the issue matters to you is fine.
What should I do if I see an animal being mistreated?
Report it to the county administrative board (länsstyrelsen) for the county where the animal is. Describe what you saw and where, as concretely as you can. If it's urgent outside office hours, call the police on 114 14, or 112 if it's serious and happening now.
Sources
- Jordbruksverket: Animal production statistics 2025 (Swedish)jordbruksverket.se
- Jordbruksverket statistics database: poultry slaughter (Swedish)statistik.sjv.se
- Jordbruksverket: broiler checklist annex (Swedish)jordbruksverket.se
- SOU 2026:29, inquiry on a fur farming ban (Swedish)regeringen.se
- European Commission: Ban on animal testing (cosmetics)single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu
- Animal Welfare Ordinance, SFS 2019:66 (Swedish)riksdagen.se
- SVT: Kolmården dolphins (2022, Swedish)svt.se
- Djurskyddet Sverige: policy programme (Swedish)djurskyddet.se
- Riksdagen: Members and partiesriksdagen.se
- Government Offices: Consultations (remisser, Swedish)regeringen.se
- Länsstyrelsen: reporting animal neglect (Swedish)lansstyrelsen.se