Attempts in recent decades to use animal protection regulations to achieve a genuine improvement in the welfare of animals in intensive livestock farming have had little effect. Neither the Animal Welfare Act nor the Animals Act has brought about the change that was hoped for. The well-intentioned policy goals, the frequent references to the “intrinsic value” of animals, have run aground on economic reality, the power of stakeholders in the sector, and the lack of enforcement. It appears that fundamental improvement is not feasible within the existing framework. The desire to bring about a fundamental change in the status of animals—necessary to guarantee a truly dignified existence for them—is the central theme of this congress. Its aim is to explore how granting animals a status of their own can indeed bring about this necessary change.