New York City Bans Foie Gras
New York City recently joined California in passing legislation to prohibit the sale of foie gras, a controversial “delicacy” in French cuisine that has long been criticized by animal advocates for the cruel way in...
Nation’s Oldest Ag-Gag Law Ruled Unconstitutional
On January 22, 2020, a federal district court in Kansas struck down a majority of the state’s ag-gag law for violating the First Amendment. The law, enacted in 1990, banned individuals from going undercover to...
Congress Directs USDA to Help Farmers Develop Disaster Plans
Each year, under a federal disaster assistance program called the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the US Department of Agriculture shells out tens of millions of dollars to compensate livestock producers for the injuries and/or deaths...
Uninspiring Update to USDA Animal-Raising Claims Guideline
The USDA has recently released its updated food labeling guideline for animal-raising claims made on meat and poultry products, three years after taking public comments on proposed changes. Disappointingly, the department failed to address a...
AWI Sues over Slaughter of Downed Pigs
In February, AWI and a coalition of animal groups sued the USDA for its decision to deny a petition asking the department to ban the cruel practice of slaughtering nonambulatory disabled (NAD) pigs. NAD animals...
Hawaii Agrees to Regulate Live Animal Shipments
The perils of overseas animal transport were recently underscored when 21 cows perished on a barge traveling from Honolulu to Kauai. While the animals were inspected at the port—per Hawaii regulations for preventing the transmission...
Ending the Slaughter of Nonambulatory Pigs
In February 2020, AWI, along with Farm Sanctuary, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Outlook, Compassion in World Farming, Farm Forward, and Mercy For Animals sued the US Department of Agriculture for denying a petition for...
A Clear Vote Against Intensive Confinement of Farm Animals
The California referendum to prohibit housing sows in gestation crates, hens in battery cages, and veal calves in crates by 2015 passed in November by a nearly two-to-one margin. AWI supported the measure because of...
FDA Caves to Big Ag Pressure; Endangers Human and Animal Life
In late November, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked its ban on extra-label antibiotics used in rearing farm animals, particularly in intensive systems. The ban was proposed last summer as an effort to curtail...
Noxious Emissions from Animal Waste Exempted
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exempted all agribusiness in December—no matter how industrialized, no matter the animal product produced—from having to declare noxious emissions produced by animal waste. The EPA says that reporting these emissions...