Program Term Archive
Farmed Animals
At Slaughter
Farmed AnimalsEvery hour, some 1,000,000 chickens, 14,000 pigs, and 4,000 cows are slaughtered for human consumption in the United States. It is a process that takes place far from public view,...
Farmed Animals
Farmed AnimalsHalf a century ago, family farms were prevalent. Animals grazed on pasture, breathing fresh air and feeling sunshine on their backs. During inclement weather, they were sheltered in straw-bedded barns. In...
Fur Farms: Cultivating Cruelty, Courting Disaster
Farmed Animals, Terrestrial WildlifeThis year, AWI is supporting federal, state, and local efforts to restrict fur farming and end the sale of new fur products. The extreme crowding and confinement on fur farms...
AWI Report Examines Tragic Toll of Barn Fires
Farmed AnimalsIn January, AWI released the third edition of Barn Fires: A Deadly Threat to Farmed Animals, chronicling farmed animal casualties in barn fires from 2022 through 2024. In the 300+ barn...
Cage-Free Laws in the Crosshairs
Farmed AnimalsIn recognition of the immense suffering experienced by egg-laying hens confined to battery cages, 10 states in the last 15 years have enacted laws prohibiting the use of these ultra-confining...
GAP Updates Welfare Certification Standards for Chickens
Farmed AnimalsIn January, the animal welfare organization Global Animal Partnership (GAP) released updated production standards for meat chickens under its six-tier Animal Welfare Certified rating program. Prior to the release, AWI...
Seeking to Slam the Door on Ventilation Shutdown
Farmed AnimalsIt’s too small to see and too big to miss: The H5N1 virus, which causes highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, aka bird flu), has wrought havoc on US poultry and...
Mink Legislation Reintroduced to Protect Public Health and Compensate Farmers
Press ReleaseMarch 19, 2025Farmed Animals, Terrestrial WildlifeUS Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) has reintroduced the Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act (Mink VIRUS Act), bipartisan legislation endorsed by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)....
Illinois Bill Requiring Disease Monitoring on Mink Farms Passes House Committee
Press ReleaseMarch 13, 2025Farmed AnimalsThe Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) celebrates today’s passage of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act (H.B. 2627) in the Public Health Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives. The bill...
USDA’s Bird Flu Strategy Inadequate to Control Disease and Prevent Inhumane Treatment
Press ReleaseMarch 7, 2025Farmed AnimalsThe Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) appreciates that the US Department of Agriculture has developed a revised strategy to address the staggering impacts of the current bird flu outbreak, yet the...