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AWI Quarterly Articles | Farmed Animals

Please see the below articles about Farmed Animals from past editions of the AWI Quarterly.

 

Rising Tide of US Opposition to Octopus Farming

Efforts to protect octopuses from commercial farming continue, with legislation proposed this year in several states to prohibit octopus farming and the sale of farmed octopus products. Campaigns by animal protection and environmental groups have...

Torching Local Efforts to Prevent Barn Fires

AWI has reported extensively on barn fires, which subject hundreds of thousands of animals to horrific deaths each year. To address this problem and increase fire protections for animals on farms, AWI has called on...

Stifling Scrutiny to Stymie Reforms

States have repeatedly passed laws that seek to criminalize undercover investigations of abuse and other animal welfare issues on factory farms. Although these “ag-gag” laws have been repeatedly struck down in court on First Amendment...

AWI Report Examines Tragic Toll of Barn Fires

In 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 fires reported during this...

Seeking to Slam the Door on Ventilation Shutdown

It’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 dairy farms and wildlife, contributed...

Cage-Free Laws in the Crosshairs

In 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 enclosures. Eight of those states...

GAP Updates Welfare Certification Standards for Chickens

In 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 submitted comments urging the organization...

Buyer Beware: USDA’s New Meat Label Guidelines Are a Raw Deal

In a much-anticipated move, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released its updated Guideline on Substantiating Animal-Raising or Environment-Related Labeling Claims in late August. Last revised in 2019, this important...