Farm Animals
Big Ag Getting Its Hen House in Order – Cages and All
Soon, a group composed of many conventional thinkers in the food and agribusiness industries, calling itself the “Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply,” is expected to release a report on various forms of housing egg-laying hens—including cramming them into barren cages so small they can’t even . . .
Cutting Through the Nonsense on Tail-Cutting
A couple of years ago I visited perhaps the largest dairy farm in the United States – Fair Oaks Farm in northwest Indiana, which at the time had 36,000 cows, divided into 3,000 cows per pod. Expecting to be pretty horrified by the operation, I was . . .
Is Industrialized Agriculture a House of Cards?
I’m so grateful to House of Cards actress Kate Mara for her continuing work with The HSUS, including her recent video to promote Meatless Monday for animals and for our health. Mara is a big deal in Washington, D.C. because of her starring role during . . .
Meat Industry Gripes, as Grip on U.S. Dietary Guidelines Loosens
The federal government’s dietary guidelines have a stilted history. When I was growing up, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) promoted the Basic Four Food Groups as the construct of the ideal diet, with meat and dairy constituting half of the food groups and fruits . . .
XOXO to Sodexo – For Taking a Stand for Millions of Hens
Today, with Sodexo, we are announcing that the giant food service company has committed, over the next five years, to switch all 20 million pounds of its liquid eggs to cage-free. The company manages dining operations at thousands of colleges, universities, hospitals, and corporate dining centers across the . . .
Ractopamine: It’s What’s For Dinner
China and Russia aren’t known as leaders on food safety or animal welfare, yet there’s one drug that even they—along with much of the world, including the European Union—won’t allow to be fed to animals destined for the plate: ractopamine. This growth-promoting drug has left . . .
A Raft of Bad Ideas Bubble Up in Congress
Congress is off to a brisk start when it comes to animal issues, but much of the action seeks to turn back the clock and to revive awful ideas. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has again introduced legislation to overturn state laws that protect animals. Late this . . .
The HSUS in 2014: Program Gains, Fiscal Health
The year 2014 was not just our strongest year ever when it came to tangible progress and our accomplishments for animals; it was also our biggest year in terms of public support – which, in a mass membership organization like ours, reflects popular support for . . .
Enlisting Farmers in the Cause of Animal Welfare
I was pleased to be the keynote speaker on Friday morning in Omaha at the annual conference of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, a non-profit organization consisting largely of farmers concerned about the future of agriculture. It was an honor to be invited to address . . .
Breaking News: Bill in Congress Proposes End to Farm Animal Torture at Federal Labs
Imagine if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spent tens of millions of dollars on animal experiments designed to increase reproductive rates of deer on captive hunting facilities – to benefit private operators who offer up deer in a guaranteed kill arrangement. In the process, . . .
News Break: Court Ruling Favors Prop 2 – Again
Editor’s note: The following blog post has been updated to include a correction in the third paragraph. I’m excited to share with you breaking news from California: a federal appeals court has upheld Prop 2, California’s new law banning the inhumane confinement of egg-laying hens, . . .
The Fur, Feathers, and Scales of Justice: Scoring the Highs and Lows of Attorneys General on Animal Protection
Last week, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring burnished his pro-animal record when he established an Animal Law unit in an attorney general’s office. The unit will serve as a resource for local law enforcement and state agencies on animal fighting and animal cruelty prosecutions, providing . . .
