From glimpses into the world of farm investigations to a prediction of the state of the world in 30 years’ time, we round-up our pick of short films and documentaries that came out in 2020.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) came out fighting this Veganuary with its ‘Eat Balanced’ campaign, spending a reported £1.5 million on ads that specifically mention vegan diets and nutrients such as B12 and iron. There’s a strong focus on health, some mention of the planet, but nothing about the impact on animals. So, of course, we’ve released our own ad to set the record straight.

As animal rights activists it’s easy to demonise slaughterhouse workers, the cogs in the machinery of death. We ask ourselves what drives a person to choose to kill sentient beings for hours each day, a constant barrage of the most horrendous sights, sounds and smells. We round up the research and articles that try to get to the bottom of slaughterhouse work and its effect on mental health.

Less than one day into his first term as the most powerful man on the planet and US President Joe Biden had already signed no less than 17 executive actions with the aim of overturning some of the most controversial policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump. But will any of these, or indeed any of Biden’s plans for the next four years, have any positive impact on non-human animals?

In our video This is how the dairy industry lied to the world, we revealed the many ways in which just one of the many faces of animal agriculture has been colluding with governments to mislead the world for over a century. Manipulative messaging has been a huge part of that lie, so let’s look at some “iconic” advertising that demonstrates the psychological tricks being used to fool people into consuming more animals.

Last year a study came out that pointed the finger squarely at people who drink soya milk as the true villains of Amazon destruction. Thanks to environmental author Tim Bailey, we take a look at the Sustainable Food Trust’s dodgy calculations, which the anti-vegan media was quick to amplify not least of all the Daily Telegraph.

In Part 2 of our 2020 round-up, Media and Education Coordinator Andrew Gough looks at the last six months of the year, arguably one of the most eventful for Surge with a distinct change of gears for the team. Don’t forget to read Part 1.

2020 is probably a year many of us would rather forget, but it wasn’t all bad. Andrew Gough, media and education coordinator at Surge, takes a look back at the last 12 months of Surge campaigns and projects starting with January to June. We’ll be releasing Part 2 of our round-up on New Years Day.

Every year, as Christmas approaches, the UK plays host to a bevvy of live reindeer events from garden centre car parks to pubs, town centre parades, Santa’s grottos and more. What better way to spread festive cheer than to use some non-native animals who do not adapt easily to the climate here as mere props around Santa? Yes, it is as depressing a sight as you’re imagining. Rehana Jomeen, Festive Events Campaigner at Freedom for Animals, writes.

Surge is pleased to announce the launch of the Surge Sanctuary, an 18-acre haven for rescued animals and the realisation of a two-year dream since the opening of Unity Diner in 2018.

It is the kind of story we can all get behind: a small group of activists with a big vision - and even bigger hearts – enlists the help of a high-profile lawyer to take on the Government and present a legal challenge that could very well change the future for humans, non-human animals and the planet. In the first of our Grassroots Focus series, we spoke to David Finney, Jane Tredgett and Peta Smith, volunteers at Humane Being, about the launch of the pioneering Scrap Factory Farming campaign.

A bunch of crazy vegans got together and decided to do something amazing: convince the public to chip in and buy a plot of land once used for grazing dairy cows to turn it towards something plant-based. Is their crowdfunding victory a fluke, or is it a sign that the world is finally changing? Jackie Norman looks at other projects at the vanguard of alternative land use.