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Margie Fishman
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Animal Welfare Institute
(202) 337-2332
[email protected]
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Latest News
Bordallo and Young Introduce Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2018
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam) and Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska) today introduced the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2018, which is endorsed by the Animal Welfare Institute and other leading animal welfare and conservation...
Consumer Trust in Marine Stewardship Council Certification Hangs in the Balance
Thursday, April 26, 2018
A new poll commissioned by members of the Make Stewardship Count coalition indicates that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) could face a significant erosion of consumer confidence as a result of the certification body’s inattention...
Campaigners “Don’t Buy” Whaler’s Effort to Distance Icelandic Seafood Giant from Fin Whaling
Friday, April 20, 2018
The Don’t Buy From Icelandic Whalers campaign, an alliance of 14 conservation and animal protection groups, has reacted with dismay to the news that Icelandic whaling company Hvalur will resume fin whaling and with skepticism...
AWI Statement: House Farm Bill Doesn't Do Enough for Animals
Thursday, April 19, 2018
The House Agriculture Committee yesterday reported out its version of the 2018 farm bill (H.R. 2), legislation Congress must pass this year to reauthorize a variety of programs on which the agriculture sector heavily depends...
House Farm Bill Draft Offers Good and Bad News for Animal Welfare
Friday, April 13, 2018
A mammoth 640-plus-page farm bill draft (H.R. 2) was released yesterday and is scheduled for committee action next week. According to the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the draft represents a mixed bag for animals...
AWI Joins Lawsuit to Force USDA to Implement Organic Animal Welfare Rule
Thursday, April 12, 2018
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today joined the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture. The suit seeks to force the USDA to implement the Organic Livestock and Poultry...
Dr. Samuel K Wasser Receives Prestigious Albert Schweitzer Medal
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Dr. Samuel K Wasser, acknowledged worldwide for developing noninvasive tools for monitoring human impacts on wildlife, was honored today with the Albert Schweitzer Medal. This prestigious award, established in 1951 by the Animal Welfare Institute...
AWI Statement: Fiscal Year 2018 Spending Bill a Win for Animals
Friday, March 23, 2018
The Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill was signed today by President Trump. “We thank animal champions in Congress for their crucial work on this bill,” said Nancy Blaney, Animal Welfare Institute director of government...
Lawsuit Demands Ban on Mexican Shrimp, Other Seafood to Save Vanishing Porpoise
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today for failing to follow federal law and ban shrimp and other seafood imported from Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California and harvested with gillnets that drown the vaquita porpoise.
AWI Joins 95 Organizations Urging Canada to Close Domestic Elephant Ivory Trade
Friday, March 16, 2018
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) joined 95 Canadian and international conservationists, scientists, politicians and animal welfare organizations in a letter sent to the Canadian government this week urging the closure of Canada’s domestic elephant ivory...
AWI Statement: USDA Withdrawal of Organic Rule Leaves Millions of Farm Animals Vulnerable
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized plans this week to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule. The rule would have improved the lives of millions of animals raised under the Certified Organic...
AWI Issues Second Letter to Trump, Urging End to Trophy Imports of African Species
Thursday, March 08, 2018
In a letter issued today to President Donald Trump, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) president Cathy Liss advocated for a permanent ban on imports of trophies of elephants and other imperiled species from African nations. Today’s...
AWI Statement: Iowa Gov. Reynolds Should Veto Legislation that Harms Business Owners, Egg-Laying Hens
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
The Iowa State Senate has now passed HF 2408, a bill that would force grocery stores to sell eggs from hens packed into cages so densely crowded they can barely move. Since the House already...
AWI Statement: SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby Departure Should Not Derail Company’s Progress
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc., announced today the resignation of CEO Joel Manby. The announcement came with the release of the company’s fourth quarter and fiscal 2017 results, which showed a loss of $20.4 million...
AWI’s Dr. Naomi Rose, Other Experts File Amicus Brief in Support of Lolita
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
A group of marine researchers and scientists, including Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) marine mammal scientist Dr. Naomi Rose, filed an amicus brief today in defense of Lolita, the lone orca who has languished for over...
240+ Conservation Groups Urge Lawmakers to Reject Anti-Wildlife Riders
Wednesday, February 07, 2018
More than 240 environmental, animal welfare and conservation organizations sent a letter to House and Senate leadership today, calling on them to reject riders in Fiscal Year 2018 Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency appropriations...
AWI Statement: USDA Rejection of Line Speed Petition Still Leaves Chickens Vulnerable at Slaughter
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Following a comment period that produced over 100,000 comments, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced late yesterday its rejection of a petition submitted by the National Chicken Council to...
AWI Urges House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to Advance Animal Welfare Legislation
Monday, January 29, 2018
In a letter issued today to US House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) urged the Majority Leader to advance animal welfare legislation in the House.
Organizations Call on Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to Improve Standards
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Sixty-six marine conservation organizations, animal protection organizations, and leading academics recently issued a joint letter to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) chair Werner Kiene, criticizing the MSC for its failure to improve the label’s Principle 2...
Animal Welfare Groups Warn Proposed Slaughter Rule Would Prompt Pig Abuse
Monday, January 22, 2018
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and Mercy For Animals (MFA) condemn the USDA’s plan, released last week, to allow pig slaughterhouses to kill pigs...