Open Cages
Open Cages (now Anima) is a UK nonprofit animal welfare advocacy organization, founded in 2018, that campaigns to improve farmed animal welfare through corporate engagement, undercover investigations, public mobilization, and legislative lobbying targeting UK food retailers and government bodies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Open Cages does
Open Cages, which rebranded to Anima in March 2026, is a UK-registered non-profit animal welfare advocacy organization founded in 2018 by Connor Jackson. It operates as the UK chapter of the Anima International coalition, a multi-country network of farmed-animal advocacy organizations spanning Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Ukraine, Estonia, and Belarus. The organization campaigns, investigates, and lobbies to improve the welfare of farmed animals in the UK, with primary focus areas including broiler chicken welfare through the Better Chicken Commitment, fur farming bans, and foie gras elimination. Its core 'products' are advocacy outputs rather than software: undercover investigations, corporate engagement campaigns (securing welfare commitments from retailers and restaurants), public pressure campaigns including protests and digital media, and political lobbying directed at bodies such as DEFRA.
The business model is donation-funded. The organization raises revenue through monthly recurring donations starting at £8 per month and one-time contributions, collected via PayPal or bank transfer, with matching-donation incentives during fundraising drives. It has stated headcount of 1-10 in the UK entity, with the broader Anima International coalition employing 100+ full-time staff globally. The go-to-market approach combines grassroots mobilization — leveraging a 40,000+ newsletter subscriber base and volunteer network — with corporate engagement and earned media placements in tier-one UK outlets (BBC, The Guardian, The Times, Sky News). There is no proprietary technology stack; the 'platform' is the volunteer and donor community plus the coalition infrastructure of Anima International.
Quantified outcomes to date include securing improved broiler chicken welfare policies at 8 of 10 major UK supermarkets (affecting over 500 million chickens annually), contributing to Poland's December 2025 fur farming ban after 13 years of coalition campaigning, and removing frankenchickens from 100% of Dutch supermarket supply. The organization has no products or services for sale, no disclosed institutional investors, and no traditional revenue concentration metrics.
Open Cages firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Cages
- Legal name
- Anima Advocacy Ltd
- Website
- https://opencages.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Open Cages (now Anima) is a UK nonprofit animal welfare advocacy organization, founded in 2018, that campaigns to improve farmed animal welfare through corporate engagement, undercover investigations, public mobilization, and legislative lobbying targeting UK food retailers and government bodies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Cages industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animal Welfare Advocacy
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Animal Welfare Auditing, Compliance & Certification Services (Non-testing Lab) (AFAEALAN)
Keywords
Where Open Cages is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Open Cages business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Membership: The organization raises funds through monthly donations (starting from £8/month) and one-time contributions. Donors can give via PayPal or bank transfer. Monthly donors receive matching donation incentives during fundraising campaigns. The organization is funded entirely by supporters who care about farmed animal welfare.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Open Cages product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Cages (now Anima) is a UK-based nonprofit animal welfare advocacy organization that campaigns to improve the welfare of farmed animals. It conducts undercover investigations of factory farms, engages directly with major UK food retailers and restaurants to secure corporate welfare policy commitments (such as the Better Chicken Commitment), runs public pressure campaigns including protests and petitions, and lobbies the UK government for legislative change on farmed animal welfare.
Product overview
Anima (formerly Open Cages) is a non-profit animal welfare organization that operates as the UK branch of Anima International. Rather than a software product company, Anima provides advocacy services including undercover investigations exposing farm animal cruelty, corporate campaigns to pressure food companies to adopt higher welfare standards (such as the Better Chicken Commitment), public awareness campaigns, and political lobbying for legislative change. The organization has no traditional software products or technology offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Anima Corporate Welfare Campaigns (Better Chicken Commitment) Advocacy services targeting major UK supermarket chains and restaurant groups to secure corporate welfare policy commitments, including the Better Chicken Commitment requiring slower-growing breeds, reduced stocking density, and improved welfare standards. Engages decision-makers through direct meetings, working groups, and collaborative NGO partnerships with RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, and The Humane League UK.
- Undercover Factory Farm Investigations High-impact investigative reports documenting conditions inside UK and European factory farms, including broiler chicken facilities and fur farms. Investigations are published through major media outlets (BBC, The Guardian, The Times, The Sunday Times, Sky News) and reach millions of readers to drive public pressure for corporate and legislative change.
- Public Pressure Campaigns and Protests Organized public demonstrations, petitions, and pledge campaigns targeting UK food companies that have broken welfare commitments. Includes the Break From Pret campaign with 40,000+ signers and protests outside retail locations to generate media coverage and reputational pressure.
- Political Lobbying and Legislative Advocacy Direct engagement with UK government bodies including DEFRA, parliamentary consultations, and policy advocacy for legislative change on farmed animal welfare, including mandatory method of production labeling, banning of caged hens, and improved welfare laws for chickens raised for meat.
- Monthly Donation Program Recurring donor program with monthly contributions starting from £8/month via PayPal or bank transfer. Includes matching donation incentives during fundraising campaigns. Provides the primary funding for all advocacy, investigation, and lobbying activities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8 out of 10 major UK supermarkets have improved broiler chicken welfare policies, affecting over 500 million chickens
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Open Cages
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Open Cages technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Open Cages partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.
- Project SlingshotmajorCollaborative partner in the £1m Pret A Manger campaign. Project Slingshot's frankenchicken advertisements have appeared on the London Underground alongside Anima's campaign to expose Pret's broken promise on chicken welfare.
- Anima InternationalcoreAnima (formerly Open Cages) is the UK branch of Anima International, a coalition of animal welfare organizations spanning multiple countries including Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus, and the UK. Founded in 2018, the coalition accounts for approximately 5% of everyone working full-time to help farmed animals globally. The international structure enables knowledge sharing, cross-border campaign coordination, and greater impact than individual organizations could achieve alone.
- Compassion in World FarmingcoreUK-based animal welfare organization collaborating with Anima on the Better Chicken Commitment campaign since 2019. Joint advocacy efforts have contributed to major retailers agreeing to improved welfare standards.
- The Humane League UKcoreAnimal protection organization partnering with Anima on the Better Chicken Commitment campaign since 2019 to advocate for improved chicken welfare standards in the UK.
- RSPCAcoreUK animal welfare charity collaborating on Better Chicken Commitment campaign. The RSPCA helped develop the BCC standards and works with Anima and other NGOs to encourage companies to adopt higher welfare practices.
- Better Chicken Commitment (BCC)coreGlobal animal welfare initiative launched in 2018 based on extensive scientific research, created by scientists and animal protection NGOs including RSPCA. Anima campaigns for UK companies to sign and implement the BCC, which requires slower-growing breeds and improved welfare standards.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)coreUK government department that Anima engages with directly to push for legislative change. Co-founder and CEO Connor Jackson attended an animal welfare roundtable with DEFRA in February 2025 alongside representatives from other animal welfare NGOs.
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)supportingScientific body whose research supports Anima's advocacy. EFSA concluded that fur farms cannot be operated in a way that meets animal welfare standards and supports Better Chicken Commitment solutions.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Open Cages competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Animal Equality: International farmed animal advocacy organization using undercover investigations and corporate campaigns similar to Anima. Operates across multiple countries with a comparable GTM approach combining investigations with corporate pressure.
- Sinergia Animal: Latin American animal protection organization that is part of the Open Wing Alliance (the global coalition alongside Anima International). Operates with the same corporate-campaign-first advocacy model targeting major food retailers.
- Compassion in World Farming: UK-based animal welfare organization collaborating with Anima on the Better Chicken Commitment since 2019. Operates the same corporate engagement playbook targeting supermarket and restaurant supply chains for farmed animal welfare improvements.
- Mercy For Animals: Global farmed animal protection organization with effective altruism-aligned strategy. Uses undercover investigations, corporate engagement, and policy advocacy—closely matching Anima's methodology and target outcomes.
- Animal Justice Project: UK-based nonprofit focused on ending animal exploitation with a strong farmed animal advocacy component. Comparable scale and methodology to Anima UK, including corporate campaigns and protest mobilization.
- The Humane League UK: Animal protection organization that is a direct Better Chicken Commitment coalition partner with Anima. Both target corporate welfare commitments from UK food retailers using similar undercover investigation and corporate campaigning tactics.
Broad incumbents
- RSPCA: UK's largest animal welfare charity and a Better Chicken Commitment coalition partner with Anima. Has much broader scope including companion animals, enforcement, and welfare standards setting—positioning it as an incumbent with overlapping farmed-animal advocacy.
- PETA: Global animal rights organization with a farmed animal welfare program. Uses similar undercover investigation and corporate pressure tactics but operates at significantly larger scale and with a broader campaign portfolio.
- World Animal Protection: Larger, more established international animal welfare NGO that also advocates for farmed animal welfare. Operates across a broader portfolio (wildlife, companion animals, farming) compared to Anima's farmed-animal focus.
Emerging players
- Wild Animal Initiative: Effective altruism-aligned animal welfare organization focused on wild animal suffering. Shares Anima's EA inspiration and rigorous effectiveness orientation but targets a different welfare domain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Open Cages social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Cages financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Cages leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Open Cages funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Open Cages M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Open Cages
What does Open Cages do?
Open Cages (now Anima) is a UK-based nonprofit animal welfare advocacy organization that campaigns to improve the welfare of farmed animals. It conducts undercover investigations of factory farms, engages directly with major UK food retailers and restaurants to secure corporate welfare policy commitments (such as the Better Chicken Commitment), runs public pressure campaigns including protests and petitions, and lobbies the UK government for legislative change on farmed animal welfare.
Is Open Cages a public or private company?
Open Cages is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Open Cages founded?
Open Cages was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Open Cages based?
Open Cages is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Open Cages make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Membership.
Who are Open Cages's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Animal Equality, Sinergia Animal, Compassion in World Farming, Mercy For Animals, Animal Justice Project and The Humane League UK. Broad incumbents are RSPCA, PETA and World Animal Protection. Wild Animal Initiative is listed as an emerging player.
Does Open Cages have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Cages.
What industry is Open Cages in?
Open Cages's product category is Animal Welfare Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEALAN, Animal Welfare Auditing, Compliance & Certification Services (Non-testing Lab). Its NAICS code is 115210 and its SIC code is 700.