Jasmijn de Boo ( ; born August 1975) is a Dutch

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist and the Global CEO (formerly vice president) of

ProVeg International ProVeg International () is a non-governmental organisation that works in the field of food system change and has ten offices globally. The organisation's stated mission is to reduce the consumption of animal products by 50% by 2040, to be replac ...

Career

De Boo worked at the (now defunct) European Resource Centre for Alternatives in higher education (EURCA) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

in the Netherlands. Later, she co-developed an

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

syllabus for veterinary students, on behalf of the UK branch of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (now

World Animal Protection World Animal Protection, formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), is an international non-profit animal welfare organization that has been in operation since 1981. The charity's mission is to create a better world for an ...

) and the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

School of Veterinary Science. It was launched in 2003. In 2006, de Boo founded the UK political party Animals Count (now

Animal Welfare Party Animal Welfare Party (AWP) is a minor political party in the United Kingdom campaigning on an animal welfare, environment and health platform.Animal Welfare Party websiteVision/ref> History The party was founded in December 2006 by Jasmijn de ...

). From 2011 to 2016, de Boo was chief executive of the

Vegan Society Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

in Birmingham, England. During that time, the charity doubled its number of staff from 12 to 24 full-time equivalents. In 2015, de Boo hosted representatives of the German association VEBU on their visit to the Vegan Society in Birmingham. In 2017, VEBU co-founded ProVeg International and renamed itself ProVeg Germany. De Boo joined the ProVeg International executive team in the following year, and became vice president in May 2020.

Political candidacies

De Boo ran in four elections but did not get elected. In 2004, she ran on the party list of the

Party for the Animals The Party for the Animals ( , PvdD) is a List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. Among its main goals are animal rights and animal welfare. The PvdD was founded in 2002 as a single-issue party for animal ...

, as candidate 5 out of 19. After founding Animals Count, she ran for the

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds supermajority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject t ...

Lambeth and Southwark Lambeth and Southwark is a constituency represented in the London Assembly. It consists of the London Borough of Lambeth and London Borough of Southwark. Since the first assembly elections in 2000 it has been represented by the Labour Party, ...

in 2008, with the proposal for an

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

-style animal healthcare system. She also ran as lead candidate of the party in the 2009

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

elections. In 2010, she ran for the Party for the Animals in the Dutch general election.

Personal life

De Boo has been vegan since January 2003 (when she was 27), "mainly orthe animals". She previously became vegetarian in 1987 (aged 11 or 12). De Boo has a partner, Andrew Knight, who is a professor of animal welfare. The couple occasionally co-author scientific publications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boo, Jasmijn de 1975 births Living people Dutch animal rights activists Dutch veganism activists Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom